Letting Your Yarn Write the Pattern Part 2: Embroidery Embellishment!

We had some wonderful crochet panels in the Weaving Stories Installation, due to the fact that crochet is very popular in Kuwait. I thought it might be fun to show you some of them up close!

I am starting off with one of the panels I made for the wall. In a previous post, I introduced this panel by talking about how I let the yarn write the pattern by changing the stitch type every time the variegated yarn changed color.

I was inspired by the Desert theme and I wanted to show that there actually is some green in the desert! I was so happy to find a variegated yarn that had the exact shades I was looking for. Since the wall tells stories of Kuwait, I decided to include the National Flower of Kuwait, Al Arfaj. It is like the dandelion of the desert and it is a cheerful reminder that there is color in the desert!

I crocheted the panel background before I knew where to place the flowers or how I would stitch them. I just let the yarn do the talking first!

I wanted them to look as much like they do in nature as I could so I went searching for photos of Al Arfaj, and I found the perfect image:

I printed it in the size I needed it to be for the panel and traced the main lines on to some thin paper and pinned it into place on the panel.

Then, I used some regular sewing thread to stitch all of the stems through the paper.

After it was all stitched, I tore off the paper so I could follow the thread stitching lines to stitch with the yarn.

The stitching lines appear very faint in the photo, but they were visible enough to stitch easily.

I chose the shades of green from the variegated yarn so they would show up well on the background, cutting the yarn and changing colors wherever necessary.

Once the stems were embroidered, I pulled out all of the sewing thread.

I used the photo as inspiration for where and how to stitch the flowers. I tried a few techniques for stitching the flowers, and decided on one that would give the most realistic look. It involved stitching a rather thick base of petals, then cutting some of the stitches and separating the strands of yarn to give a fuzzy appearance in the center of the flowers.

This method was a great way to stitch the flowers as realistically as possible!

My Crochet Design Aesthetic

In a previous post, I began indirectly talking about my design aesthetic. Knowing your design aesthetic is a very important part of being a designer. I believe that sometimes people who follow your design work often can tell you what makes one of your designs uniquely yours, even before you can yourself! Often, a significant amount of designs need to be in your portfolio before your aesthetic becomes apparent.

I have had several people tell me that they knew a design was mine in magazines, even before they knew I had designed it! This makes me very happy. It reassures me that I do have a recognizable style, even though I feel I can't always put my finger on what that style is. I do know that there are certain design elements/ details that I like to include in my work.

In my last post, I mentioned that chain links have been a popular theme in my work. That got me thinking about what other themes/ techniques I often use in my work.

I love to mix techniques, and embroidery embellishment often finishes off my designs. My all time favorite embroidery stitch is the Lazy Daisy. It is the stitch I most often use to embellish my designs.

I put together a collage of some of my designs that feature this stitch.

Beginning from the top row, from left to right:

En Fleur Cowl - Ruffles Wristlet - Antoinette Ring

Middle row, from left to right:

Little Genevieve's Belt - Mademoiselle Necklace - Monarch Necklace - Chinois Scarf

Bottom row, from left to right:

Sunny Day Skirt - Festival Hairband Stand - Caravan Kerchief

Petals Collar

Photo by Tailor Made Publishing

I am thrilled to have my Petals Collar featured in this Month's Issue of Inside Crochet, issue 56. It is a fun project that combines a few of my favorite techniques: surface crochet, slip stitch cords, and embroidery.  Inside Crochet's styling is so beautiful. I love how they illustrated that the collar could look elegant on a woman and sweet on a little girl. The power of styling! Besides being an excellent project to practice techniques, it is also a great way to use up bits of yarn you may have as it doesn't require much of any color.  I am looking forward to seeing some project photos on Ravelry to see it made up in different color combinations!

Photo By Tailor Made Publishing

This pattern is now available for download from my Craftsy and Ravelry pattern stores.

My fairy shawl

This is a bit of a diversion from crochet, but I thought it was relevant as I very often embellish my crochet projects with embroidery.  In a recent post , I  mentioned some fairy embroidery transfers I got in a vintage magazine.  I had the idea to embroider them on a wool shawl.  It was quite a challenge because I couldn't iron them on as you would on cotton fabric.  I also wanted to keep the transfers intact.  So, I traced them onto a water soluble material and basted them onto the shawl.  I stitched through the material, and then carefully cut it off after I finished.  I was going to use water to remove it, but that proved too messy.  It wasn't an easy job, but I was determined to have these lovely fairies on my shawl!  I get the most comments on the hair.  I did a series of French knots to achieve this look.  I used Brazilian embroidery thread as I had quite a stash of it from a class I took.  I am glad that I still have the transfers intact, because I would like to use them again for some greeting card making.  Either drawn to look like embroidery, or with an actual embroidered piece that can be used in some manner by the person who receives the card.

Purses to match

My daughter is a purse collector, so everytime she gets a new dress I like to make her a matching purse.  I pick out an element of the fabric print and use that as my inspiration.  I usually use a combination of crochet and embroidery.  For the green floral basket purse, I used a large tapestry needle to do a buttonhole stitch around the top edge, so I would have a base to crochet into.  I traced some of the flowers from the dress and cut them out of felt and added embroidery and sequin details and stitched them with invisible thread to the basket.  I also stitched one of the felt flowers to a clip for her hair.

The black purse is the newest addition to her collection.  It is entirely crocheted with embroidered accents to emulate the fabric print. 

These are fun small projects that make the outfit special and I love that she really appreciates it when I make her something.