Furry Nice Embroidery Class--Week 4

I mentioned in a previous post that I had signed up for Follow the White Bunny's Furry Nice Embroidery Class.  The first three weeks of the class were easy, giving people time to find the supplies and transfer the fabric onto the pattern.

Week 4 coincided with the end of the school year.  I was finishing up class work for a certificate at the local university, dealing with an uptick in activity at my student organization-based job, and then my husband and I went on vacation.  My online class stitching slipped through the cracks.  Oops.

Luckily, there is some leeway with pacing for the online class, and I am finally able to do some furry stitching.  Here is how my little polar bear looks at the end of Week 4.

Eventually, he is going to get all of his fur filled in, a colorful new scarf, and flowers.

This project is a lot more delicate than what I am used to doing.  I am working with one strand of DMC cotton floss at a time.  I can't pull the thread very tight, otherwise it creates holes in the fabric.

The pattern deliberately leaves the polar bear's face and body free of any lines in order to allow for free-form stitching.  We have guidelines on what directions the stitches should be in so that the bear can have a life-like appearance, but there is no "wrong" place to put a stitch.  This is a big leap of faith on my part.  I had to keep assuring myself that this would be a polar bear in my style, and it didn't need to look exactly like the original.  So far, my crafty friends are impressed.  My friend Angela said that it has the feeling of a sketched drawing.  Cassie said that if I didn't enter it in the State Fair, she would cry.

The polar bear still has a long way to go before it is done, but I am learning a lot about texture and shading.  Stepping out of my comfort zone will give me more tools to use in the future, and that can only make my work better.

Project Round-Up--5/27/2014

I finished the last class of my certificate program.  My university-centered job has started its summer lull.  We just got back from a relaxing beach vacation.

You know what that means, don't you?

MORE TIME FOR STITCHING!

Now, all of this free time to craft can be too much of a good thing.  Without precautions in place, the day might come where my husband will come home to find me unconscious, buried under a pile of craft supplies.  In order to make sure that I give each project the attention it deserves, I am utilizing the power of HabitRBG to keep me on track.  I set up my first negative habit--from now on, I will lose points if I start a new project when I already have a work-in-progress in that category (knitting or embroidery.)

So far, I have finished the April and May squares for the Once Upon a Time Sampler.

April--Goldilocks and the Three Bears

May--Jack and the Beanstalk

I like the Beanstalk square because Jack looks just like my nephew!

Other updates:

• The Torah mantle I've been working on is a lot more challenging than I expected.  It is made out of a white satiny fabric with a floral pattern woven in.  This fabric was meant for wedding dresses.  That makes it difficult to stitch on--it's like I have to do embroidery on top of satin stitch.  I'm having to adapt the design I was planning to do by changing the stitches and ways that I transfer the pattern onto the fabric.
• My end of the year tasks have delayed my ability to start the polar bear pattern for my class, but I plan on starting after I work on the Torah mantle.

Furry Nice Embroidery Class--Weeks 1-3

Nicole's Furry Nice embroidery class began a few weeks ago.  The class focuses on techniques to give embroidered animals a more textured appearance. The first several weeks are devoted to gathering together the supplies and transferring the pattern.  I got a white cotton in a slightly heavier weight that I normally use in order to support the denser stitching.  Then I used my light pad to transfer the pattern.

 First, I laid the pattern on the light pad and held it in place with painters tape.

Then I laid the fabric on top of the pattern and secured that in place with more tape.  I turned on the light board and used a pencil to trace the pattern onto the fabric.

Now I am ready to start stitching up this adorable polar bear!

Fair Enough, Part 5: La Resistance Lives On

It's hard to believe, but the deadline for the Iowa State Fair Fabric & Threads competition is only three months away!

In order to inspire more people to enter their work, I have started a State Fair Takeover Facebook Group.  It's a place for us to remind each other of deadlines, bat around ideas, encourage each other, and plotting world domination.

My group is focused on the Iowa State Fair, but there is no reason that you can't start your own groups in your respective states.  Have you visited your own state fair?  What is the competition like?  Does it need some new blood to shake things up?

Happy Birthday to Me!

As you can tell from this clip of the Ramones on the Simpsons, it's this blogger's birthday today!  I'm getting some crafty gifts this year.  Tomorrow is the start of Nicole's Furry Nice embroidery class, which is like the gift that keeps on giving . . . for seven weeks.

I also got this light board from my parents.

I think that's the reflection of a Bob's Burgers episode.

When you plug the board into an outlet and switch it on, it emits an even source of light.  Then you can use the flat surface and bright light to trace patterns onto different surfaces.  I'll use it to transfer patterns onto cloth, which will be necessary for my upcoming projects.

Instructions in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and . . . Dutch?

Thank you to everyone who helped make my birthday so special.  May this be another year of crafting success!

Project Round-Up--4/1/2014

With rough March weather this year, the square from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Once Upon a Time Sampler was especially appropriate.

The pigs are adorable, and I love their unique knitted sweaters.  And with this square, the first row is done!

Next week is the start of my online class, Furry Nice.  Keep watch here for some adorable, fuzzy animals.  The class is full now, but Nicole is planning on offering another class in the fall.

I recently discovered a new source for patterns, Satsuma Street.  These designs are colorful, retro-inspired patterns that look great framed or sewn into a pillow.  The "Little City" patterns are especially cute, and would make a great gift for a globetrotting friend or relative . . .

Online Embroidery Classes

You've taken an embroidery class, and you are hooked.  You are stitching up all of the samplers that you can, you are telling all of your friends about your fantastic new hobby, and your weekends are starting to resemble a scene in a Jane Austen novel.  (In the Jane Austen Drinking Game, this would count as "Display of Womanly Skill.")

But soon, you develop a tolerance.  You start to crave the harder stuff--complicated stitches . . . other historical and international stitching styles . . . actually turning your embroidered work into an object.  You would gladly keep taking classes until you've drained your textile hobby budget.

And that's when you realize that you have taken the only embroidery class available in your tri-county area.

It's a crushing feeling, and that's if you could find a beginner class at all.  I was able to take a class at my local craft store because the owner happens to be interested in embroidery.  When my mom expressed interest, I looked on Google to see what classes were in her area.  After sifting through the useless "custom embroidered logo" entries, the only classes I could find were in little independent craft stores in the downtown of her nearest large city--a 40-minute drive on a good day, or a train ride.  Though Michaels and Joann Fabrics both carry embroidery supplies (usually languishing in the farthest corner of the store), I have yet to find any that offer embroidery classes.

That is where online classes can fill the void.  These have become more common in recent years, and are especially convenient for embroidery because you can work on your project in front of the computer.  classes can take different forms, depending on who is putting them out.

Large websites like Creativebug and Craftsy publish classes in the form of videos.  Subscribers can either pay a monthly fee to access all the classes they want, or pay individually for each class.  The classes here are a step-up from free video tutorials on YouTube, filmed with high quality equipment, adequate lighting, and higher resolution.  The videos are divided into chapters so that it is easier to go back and find specific parts to watch.  I find that visual lessons are very helpful for beginners, because it helps to see the steps being performed.  With videos, you can also rewind it as many times as it takes to understand a step.  Rebecca Ringquist of Drop-Cloth Samplers has several great classes up on Creativebug, including one that covers the stitches on her original sampler.

Individual teachers can use a different method, releasing each "class" as a PDF document with detailed instructions for completing the lesson.  The teacher makes herself available by e-mail for questions.  Sometimes the teacher will open a private Facebook or Flickr group for all students taking the same class.  In this virtual classroom, students can share pictures of their works in progress and ask each other questions.  While the class might last a few weeks in terms of releasing the PDF lessons, the group is open for several months so that students can progress at their own pace.  This style of online class is good for embroiderers who have mastered the basics and want to learn additional skills.  (If you find it easy to learn stitches from diagrams in books, that will work in your favor.)

For a birthday present, I am treating myself to an online class from one of my favorite embroidery bloggers, Nicole of Follow the White Bunny.  She designs patterns inspired by illustrations in children's books.  Her class, Furry Nice, will cover the techniques necessary to stitch small animal portraits.  I can't wait for class to begin on April 10.  Other students have been introducing themselves in our private group.  Nicole is from the Netherlands, and other students are from the USA, Norway, Australia, and the UK.  Even though we are worlds apart, we are able to introduce ourselves and visit each others blogs.  It really is starting to feel like a class.  I feel so lucky to be a crafter in the Internet age, when I can overcome geography and limited resources by clicking on a link.