• Oct. 22, 2008 - A Homemade Christmas-Embroidery

A Homemade Christmas....it makes me think of simple times and heartfelt gifts.  When the girls were little, every Christmas we would watch Little House on the Prairie's Christmas story when Laura and Mary were little.  The Ingalls family made sacrifices so that they could give meaningful gifts to each other, many of them handmade and by the end of the movie the whole Ingalls family was laughing or crying with joy.  It was such a sweet story.    I have always enjoyed making homemade gifts, different crafts, homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, etc. So with Christmas time coming I try to think of different items that can be homemade.  I usually don't make anything elaborate, just simple and heartfelt.  This year I am working on some embroidery pieces.  Nothing complicated, just some simple sayings with some vines playing around the edges for "extra beauty".  This is such an easy and simple project, it can travel with me and be picked up and worked on whenever I have a few minutes. Here are a few of the supplies that I use; embroidery floss, muslin and a fabric marker.  I use the Mark-B-Gone side of this marker.  It will disappear with a light misting of water.  If you use the disappearing ink side, the markings may disappear before you are finished.  Trust me on that one. I start out with a quote or scripture and play around with it on the computer. It is easy to experiment with it by changing the font and size. Microsoft Word and Photoshop are what I use.  Photoshop is a little more flexible if you put each word in a different layer.  I print out my finished version on regular printing paper. Next I tape the paper to a sunny window and then tape muslin over it.  Take the Mark-B-Gone marker and copy the design onto the muslin. You can also do this on the counter if you can see through the muslin. I take another piece of muslin the same size as the one with the design on it and layer them together.  It makes such a difference in your finished piece if you put the two layers together.  With just one layer you can see the threads in the back.  Put the muslin in an embroidery hoop and you are ready to stitch. I pick out the colors of thread that I want to use and decide what stitches I will use.  I usually use 2 strands of the floss, on the above picture I used 3 strands on the word Joyfully so it would be a little bolder.  I use an embroidery needle, they have bigger eyes and not too sharp of points. I use a simple stem stitch, french knots, and daisy stitches most of the time. You can click here for a nice embroidery stitch guide. The vines I usually just do freehand, but you could easily draw them out before stitching. I also keep in mind what frames I might have on hand.  I try to get frames from rummage sales and just spray paint them to make them go along with the stitching.  You can also get inexpensive frames from Walmart or Hobby Lobby.  The final steps are misting it with water to get rid of the Mark-B-Gone markings and then iron it from the back side.  Attach it to a piece of foam board by taping it on the back side or sewing the edges together on the back, or using a spray adhesive. Here is one I did a couple of years ago.  I did the words free hand and only used one layer of muslin and you can see the threads on the back through the material.  This one is much larger.  It is in an 11 x 14 frame.  I entered this one in our local fair and it won first prize in the Miscellaneous Embroidery division.  You can see the threads on the back on this one, too.  So make sure you double your muslin before you begin. To see more Handmade Christmas ideas visit Emily Rose at simplyvintagegirl.com.

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