I’ve been wanting to start embroidery again for a little while, but couldn’t find the right design to ease me back into the little decorative stitches world. Until I found Urban Threads – and I’m not quite sure how!…
Anyway, I like their quirky designs: a good mix of steampunk and cute little characters. I bought 3 patterns from them so far and my list of favourites is never ending!
I fell in love with these not-so-traditional-but-not-completely-out-there looking and it had to be my first embroidery project after all those years.
I wondered what to do with my embroidered roses (the design is about 5″ tall). And then I thought it would be perfect to add to a pillowcase. So that is what I did: a HUGE pillowcase, as I intend to include it in my Christmas gifts box (a box full of little things I have knitted / crocheted / sewn from which my relatives can choose what they want). And back ‘home’ (as in back in France), we have massive, duck feathers filled bed pillows. I love those pillows and I have decided to ask for some for my next birthday. They are so comfy and look so nice on a bed, especially with a fancy pillowcase.
Now, some facts:
- Fabrics are all Moda’s Bella Solids in white bleached (9900 98) and pink (9900 61) – which I both sell in my shop
- The finished pillowcase is about 25″ square, but the usable pillow space is about 23″.
- For the embroidery, I used backstitches for the roses and the thorny swirly bit and stem stitches for the leaves.
- I used 2 strands of stranded embroidery cotton. I couldn’t tell you the numbers / names as for some colours, I didn’t have them, but you could call them baby pink, fuchsia, teal and light grey / silver.
- No seams are exposed, they are all enclosed in some way: I used a very wide french seam for the outer borders, and the patchwork top is sort of appliqué onto a 25″ square of fabric, with edges folded so that nothing can fray and so that the embroidery’s back is protected.
- The back is a simple envelope back (which I kinda messed up, but once the pillow is inserted, it shouldn’t be too noticeable).
Seeing how successful this first one was, I am starting another embroidery project.
Irresistible!
