Boho Stitch Along. Week No. 2

January 8, 2017January 9, 2017 | wildboho

The Boho Stitch Along is picking up more momentum every day! It is so exciting to see how many brand new embroiderers are joining in and choosing fabrics that are inspiring them to stitch! We also have many seasoned embroiderers who are picking up embroidery again after time spent delving into other crafty avenues.

One question that I noticed come up several times, is whether or not I use a stabilizer on fabric that I am embroidering. This is partially up to your personal choice and partially up to the fabric that you have chosen to embroider.

I have found that most quilting cottons and chambrays and linens can hold up to embroidery without stabilizing. When I get an idea and want to run with it, I seldom let myself get caught up in the extra step of stabilizing fabric, so it is very rare that I use it on any of these fabrics. If you want to and feel more comfortable stitching on a stabilized fabric, by all means, use a stabilizer!

If you have chosen a knit fabric, however, or a loosely woven fabric, you will definitely save yourself many headaches if you take the extra time to add a stabilizer.

Here is an example of a project that I am going to stitch and I am going to use a stabilizer. This is a tea towel from my visit to Magnolia Market in Waco (yes, I was there and yes, it’s just as awesome as I hoped it would be!!) In this picture, the hoop is placed around the towel, but I haven’t stretched the towel enough to be able to embroider it comfortably. If I try to stretch the towel so that the fabric is taut enough to embroider, the writing becomes stretched out, the flowers become misshapen and it looses something in the process. If I stabilize it, it will allow me to stretch it in the hoop without any of that happening.

So when you are deciding whether or not to stabilize, test out your fabric in a hoop. When you stretch it tight, does the pattern change? If it does, take the extra step pre-stitching and you will be happy that you did!

Now, let’s check out some of these fabric choices pulled from the #BohoSAL tag on Instagram!

I love how @sewwhatyoulove is using textured threads to add a dimensional element to this batik!

There are so many fun directions that @codycindy can go with this fabric choice!

How adorable are these little stars that @reccalynn70 is adding to her fabric?!

I’ve been dying to embroider this fabric, so i’m excited to see where @indiannadreams goes with this!

Also love this citron fabric that @mtweedel decided to use!

You know my weakness for Cotton + Steel anything, so again, great fabric choice from @mamacesare !

It seems as if everyone has chosen their fabrics and are now onto the beginning stitches, so it will be fun to see how these projects begin to take shape!

Happy stitching this week and be sure to leave any questions in the comments and I will try to address them next time!

Boho Stitch Along. Week no. 1

January 1, 2017January 1, 2017 | wildboho

I don’t know about you, but I’m incredibly excited to dive in to a project that does not have deadlines, rules or requirements! The Boho Stitch Along (or #BohoSAL on social media) is just that sort of project. In my previous Stitch Along post, you’ll see the Cotton + Steel hoop that I was stitching in 2016. This was my in-between-projects-in between-deadlines-car-stitching-day-tripping-mind-relaxing embroidery piece.

As 2016 drew to a close, I thought it would be fun to begin a new piece and add stitches to it every week. And I thought it would be even more fun to invite others to stitch along with me. This is the perfect project for a beginning embroiderer who is just learning to stitch or an experienced embroiderer who is looking to add new stitches to an existing stitch repertoire.

Now on to my fabric reveal!

I will be working on two hoops. My first hoop will be a large, 12″ sized project using a print from Leslie Tucker Jenison’s upcoming line, “Urban Artifacts” for RJR Fabrics. When I first saw this fabric line at Quilt Market in October, I was just blown away. Hearing Leslie talk about how she created each design in the fabric made me love it even more. Her creativity is inspiring. And any fabric that uses bees in the selvage is a winner in my book!

My second hoop is much smaller (for portability, because car stitching!) I chose a Cotton + Steel print by Melody Miller because my 2016 C+S hoop could use some company!

My thread choices will be mostly Sue Spargo Eleganza Perle Cotton in sizes 8, 5 and 3. And check out my newest favorite stitching accessories in the above picture: Alison Glass Needleminders and Tula Pink Micro Tip Snips.

I’m excited to start stitching and I can’t wait to check out all of your fabric choices!

As the Boho Stitch Along goes along, I will be posting more of my favorite stitching accessories, tips, stitching videos and other how-tos.

Share your pictures with the #BohoSAL and enjoy this collaborative and creative environment!

Boho Stitch Along

December 26, 2016January 1, 2017 | wildboho

You may recognize this hoop from several of my posts over the last year; it is my in-between big projects hoop. This hoop is something that I’m been stitching just for me. There are no due dates looming, no color choices to run past anyone….it is completely relaxing and one of my favorite pieces!

This year, I invite you to stitch along with me….Boho style!

What do you need?

How about we start with what you don’t need! You don’t need to have advanced embroidery skills. You don’t need a specific pattern. You don’t need to meet deadlines. This is a carefree Boho challenge!

So, what do you need?

The key item is a piece of fabric that you love. After all, you will be looking at this piece for a good deal of time. An embroidery hoop that works with your fabric…you determine the best size. A selection of thread/floss, embroidery needles, small scissors. And there you have it!

And what is the challenge?

With the fabric you have selected, you will gradually, throughout the year, embroider your piece. This is a great opportunity to practice new stitches and also work with stitches that you love. Sharing your progress with others will keep you motivated and you may even pick up some ideas from others! You may have only a few minutes a week, in between other things, but that is the most enjoyable part of a project like this. By the end of the year, working in little bits of time, you should have a project that is as complete as you want it to be!

I will post my first picture on Sunday, January 1st and I invite you to post with me! Use the hashtag #BohoSAL and I will post some of my favorites here every month. I will post my own progress every Sunday throughout the year, but you pick to post when it works for you. Again, this is a carefree challenge, so no deadlines!
If you have been following along with my page for awhile, and want to learn embroidery, this is the perfect project for you! I’m here to answer any questions, and oh, did I mention that I wrote an embroidery book?! In it, along with color and pattern inspiration, I show you how to stitch 16 embroidery stitches that work great with embellishing fabric.
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