Showing posts with label embroidery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label embroidery. Show all posts

Thursday, December 26, 2013

how to create the perfect holiday stocking

so as you may or may not know, we're celebrating our holidays a little late this year.  not till the 28th.  right now we get away with just not doing anything on the 25th, but in later years we're going to use the "Santa asked for volunteers to celebrate later so that he can get to more people in one night".  that means that i'm just now getting around to getting the stockings finished.

but they are AWESOME.

so here is how you create absolutely perfect holiday stockings:

step one :
              have access to an amazing embroidery machine....  or my mother. seriously, she has the most outstanding skills in the embroidery department.  she does it all, tshirts, blankets, polo shirts, even patches.  she has mad skillz.

step two:
              take down the hideous curtains in the man cave, do not let your husband know what you're doing with them, just mysteriously walk out of the room.  put up new curtains.

step three:
              get embroidery files that perfectly encapsulate the inner Santa of each member of your household.  for this, i went to UrbanThreads and downloaded their Santa Surprise design pack and a freebie that they offered a few weeks ago.  (honestly, if you like embroidery even a little, check their website every week, they have amazing freebies ALL THE TIME)  have your (my) mother embroider the files onto the horrible curtains.

Astro Santa for Bam

Pirate Santa for Hubby

Sparkly Japanamation Santa riding a Unicorn for Dallas

Skellinton Santa for me



 Shameless obsequious picture of my sewing area.  or as i like to call it "the dark corner of the basement"



step four:
                  cut the freshly embroidered files into a vaguely stocking like shape


step five:

                 sew them together, adding the almost obsessive amount of vintage lace and trims i have stashed away instead of fur (actually, the boys have a really neat vintage fur ribbon....  1960's).  don't forget to add a loop.

all four together


piratical goodness

 super cute vintage tatted lace.  


i'm not sure why mine is sideways, but it seems par for the course.

step six:
               fill with Terry's Chocolate Oranges, walnuts, bits of candy, and trinkets.


i'm pretty proud of the stockings.  i meant to make them last year, but never got around to it.  i can't wait to see the kids' faces on our Christmas morning when they see them.  

              

Friday, October 4, 2013

Frigga blanket

Today was cleaning day.  First the dining room, cleaned and the floor polished.  Then the living room.  All furniture moved and the floor cleaned and polished.   I got this amazing stuff at Lowes called Bona.  Im not getting paid to say this, but if you're in the market for floor cleaning supplies,  check them out.  Non toxic, biodegradable,  and they really work.  Again,  im not paid, I just love their stuff.  I got the low gloss this time, and im thinking high gloss when we polish again. 

I posted a picture on instagram of the floor mid-polish, and that sparked a conversation with my friend Kate about the amount of ass-kickery Frigga does in the house cleaning department.   We started talking about honoring her, and, well, Frigga in general.  While this tweetversation was happening, I was putting furniture back in its rightful place, and also getting out and airing the blankets for the season (we tend to keep he heat low and bundle/cuddle up during the winter) which got me thinking.   I have an overwhelming need for a Frigga blanket.

So I made one.

One of the many and massive benefits of ownig an embroidery machine is thst you want something.... you can do it.  This awesome company Urban Threads (again, im not getting paid) that has amazing embroidery files.   I forget what this file is called,  but she certainly fit the bill.   So I made this blanket.   Im thinking of putting some like it up at my etsy shop. 

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Wordless wednsday - tiny top hat edition

I love my embroidery machine.  As if you couldn't tell.  But I'm really loving the... unexpected things that it can do.  Like make lace. 
take these parts


sew them together like this


and this


then put them all together, but hopefully take a picture that comes out right way up