Sunday, August 17, 2025

A new embroidery project...

Wanting a break from my Manx squares, but still desiring to work with fabric and floss, I decided to give in to the desire to embroider something.  

Perusing library books lately, I've come across some fun embroidery ideas.  Embroider Your Life is more of an inspiration than it is a project book.  But it also provides some fun designs the reader can use.


Seeing a whimsical fox pillow in the above book, I decided that's what I'd do.  

I had to enlarge the small pattern in the book by about 250% before it was large enough for even a small pillow.


Taped to a window, I was able to trace the outline and some directional markings onto a natural colored homespun fabric.  


And, of course, before tracing with a heat-erasable pen, I didn't take into consideration that I'd want this whole thing to be stabilized in some way. The obvious choice (to me) would have been fusible (iron-on) interfacing or stabilizer, but I did not want a hot iron erasing all the tracing I'd just done!  

Sigh.  Okay...  what to do?

Looking through my stash of materials I found some nice felt I'd purchased for a different kind of embroidery. 

Hmmm...  well, why not? I'd bought it for embroidery backing.  I didn't imagine using it for such a large piece.  But it should work. 

Right? 

For something that will be sewn into a pillow?  You think?

I decided to go for it.

So, I machine-basted the homespun to the felt.  While the thickness of the felt causes it to be a little more effort to pull the needle and floss through, I'm thinking it's going to make a nice smooth finish to this piece when I sew it all together and stuff it into a pillow.



Finally, with that decision made, I was ready to start stitching!  


In the book, the whole fox image was filled with running stitches on a white fabric, but because I'm using beige fabric, I thought it would look better if I embroidered the fox's white chin, throat and belly with long and short filling stiches that would cover the space better than a simple running stitch does.  And it's kind of fun that it looks a bit like fur...


That said... in retrospect, it seems a bit silly that I thought creating a filled-in effect was important to do on the underside of the fox, while the rest of his fur is depicted with running stitches.  But I'm going to finish what I began - even if it takes two or three times as long to fill the fox's underside as it would have if I'd simply done the whole thing in running stitches.  Who knows... maybe I'll find the two different ways of filling open space in the design adds to the whimsical factor.

Hopefully, we'll find out soon that it does!


24 comments:

  1. This looks like a fun project. There is … well was a blog. She has quit now, but her blog is still up that did embroidery. Her things were always so pretty. Jenny of Elefanz is the name.

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    1. Yes, Sandy! Jenny of Elefanz made sweet embroidery designs that she combined with pretty fabrics. I used to follow her. If I remember correctly, she took a break, but came back. I just googled her and I see that earlier this summer she stepped away from blogging again. She made very pretty things. And her free patterns are still available as of right now.

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  2. Best Wishes. It is a cute design.

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    1. Thanks, Maureen. Cute and whimsical seemed like a perfect project right now.

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  3. I think a fox definitely needs a white under chin and the running stitch may not have been so obvious against the beige so I like what you’ve done. I also like embroidery that has variety in the stitches so I think this is going to work well. Liz (Highlandheffalump)

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    1. Okay, good! I like the way you think, Liz. It is much slower filling in that area, but I go back and forth between the areas that I'm using running stich and the long and short filling stitches so I don't get too bored with it.

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  4. Oh what fun! What a cute fox. I can imagine your creativity running 'wild' as you work on this project.

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    1. I'm so glad you like it, Brenda. I image if you were making this, you would have been thinking of some literary fox character and probably given it a name. Maybe I'll come up with one by the time I'm finished. :D

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  5. I absolutely LOVE the direction you've decided to take with this! I think it's going to be a wonderful project. (And I also have a fondness for foxes. We have gray foxes here in New Mexico but none of the red ones which I am used to seeing.)

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    1. I'm glad you like it, Anne. You made me curious if we have gray foxes here. Indeed, we do. I've only seen red foxes, but red foxes are not considered to be native to Indiana. I'm so glad we have red foxes - I have spotted them on occasion when driving alongside a field that's been harvested. I suppose because it's kind of rare that I've seen one, it always feels like a treat.

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  6. The fox is going to be adorable. I like the stitches you have chosen. Gives nice texture and depth.

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  7. I like to embroider; it's calming.

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    1. Barbara, getting back to even this simple embroidery, I am reminded how calming it is. These stitches are particularly soothing to make and watch as they fill the spaces.

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  8. awwwww - he (she?) is going to be so cute! I think you made a wise choice to do the long and short stitching on his tummy, even though it is a lot more work.

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    1. He or she? By default I've been calling him Mr. Fox. I might be making assumptions, though...

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  9. I am in awe of you, Becki, having the patience for such an undertaking! Look forward to seeing the finished product.

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    1. Thanks, Bob! It's fun to do a project that isn't too serious. I hope it turns out cute when I'm finished. :)

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  10. I like your whimsical fox, Becki. It is always interesting to me to see the work-in-process.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Thanks, Amalia. I enjoy others' process pictures, too!

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  11. I love your fox! He's going to be darling. You're right about the fill in stitches looking like fur. I started an embroidery sampler to learn the stitches but I haven't finished it. On the same idea as your book; I've always wanted to make a story quilt where each block tells a story about your life but, of course, I haven't done that yet either! LOL! I see you are doing YOP....good for you! I miss it but I can barely keep up with maintaining things around here. I'm like a slug anymore. I'll be back to see how your fox is coming along! Take care and enjoy.

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    1. Hi Sam! Yes, I joined up with YOP last year and it helped keep me motivated in the crafting department where life had kind of sidelined my interests there for a bit. Your idea of a story quilt sounds amazing!

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