Highmtn

O
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G.....lolol

KastleKitty.. it's honestly HARD to respond to the tutorials AND your beading booty. I'm speechless. You've done a fantastic job of building these tutorials and a simple thanks seems sorta watered down! So.. I guess I can assume the snail/butterfly embroidery is all free hand too? I've spent years loathing dandelions...and now.. I feel the need to perfect stitching THEM...LOL You've just mastered so many aspects of this entire process it's a lot to take in!

Thank you thank you thank you! Do you have a personal blog? I bet you'd have a boat load of followers if you did! Then you could just pop things in as you got them done.

It's all just mind boggling.. I love it to PIECES! .
.

Grambi

Wow! Thanks for the tutorial. I love the seed heads and just cannot believe how smooth and consistant your embroidery is. It's going to take a few lifetimes before I can come even close to that--I wish I had started learning this stuff sooner.

KastleKitty

Grambi, The first time I tried embroidery I did a lousy job. Don't start with a satin stitch, I found that one hard, keeping an edge even. Start with making lines. Both insects are nothing but lines next to each other. I will look up the stitch I did on the snail & butterfly and send you instructions. Give me a bit of time to find it. It is not very difficult. And I had never done it before I did it on these bugs! The bugs started with me drawing the outline with one of those aqua water erase markers. All I did was fill it in starting with darkest brown curl in the shell so I could see the colors come together to make it fun. I had no instruction, just graduated the colors all in a row. Pick your assortment of colors first. I will also look for the two bug outlines I used. I filed them away too, and not with the piece in my pizza box! So give me some time to locate it all. When I was doing it I had no idea I would ever post it! LOL

On French knots make sure you have the knot at the base of the needle where it enters the fabric. Pull it taut before you start pulling the thread down through the knot and fabric. For some reason people think they are difficult, but they are my favorite stitch. I love candlewicking for that reason.

This is the chain stitch I used on the insects. I only discovered it just before I did it. You will not find it that difficult:

http://www.embroidery.rocksea.org/st.../chain-stitch/

I really like this site. She has lots of easy pictures to follow!

These are rough pictures of the insects. I could not find the originals. I think you will have to manipulate the size if you print them.

cbridges22

Very Nice!

TacoMama

Very pretty!!!!!!

TFquilter

WOW!!!! You are very talented and looks beautiful!

kriscraft99

wow!!!!!!! holy cow!!!!!!!! those are absolutely amazing! do you sell or are these all for keeps or gifts?

Kris

gramquilter2

Your tutorials are fantastic and Sarah's Hand Embroidery Site is very helpful. Thanks.

Grambi

KastleKitty, thanks for the links, and insect outlines, but especially, thanks for the words of encouragement. It's nice to hear that it is possible to make something so beautiful without years of practice. Once I learned to do a French Knot I also fell in love with it. Will have to check out candlewicking (or add it to my endless list of things I want to learn).

KastleKitty

I absolutely love that site! There are so many embroidery stitches out there, and I knew so few. She covers a lot of variety. I am wanting to work on some crazy quilting and use some of the stitches I saw there.