Backstitching Embroidery Tutorial

About a year and a half ago, I figured out how to do hand embroidery and I have been selling "framed stitcheries" in my etsy shop.  A friend of mine asked me to teach her, so I snapped some pictures of a piece I am working on that will look the the one above when I am all done.  (If you find that my pictures are not phenomenal, I am blaming most of it on the dreary weather.  The rest I blame on rushing through it to get back to a cranky, teething baby.)

Materials:

~embroidery hoop

~fabric

~warm'n'natural batting

~DMC floss

~embroidery needle

Step 1:

I always trace my design by holding my paper and fabric up against a (clean) window so that I can see through the fabric to the design on the paper underneath.  You can also tape them on if it is something more detailed or you can't hold it still.

I use batting underneath my fabric when I can to give it more stability and so that you can't see the threads behind it.  Then I put them together and place it in an embroidery hoop.

For the floss, I separate out 2 strands (it comes in 6 strands twisted together if you but the little 35-cent DMC floss at your local craft store).  Then I just thread it through the needle and knot the end. 

Now you are ready to go!

Step 2:
This one was already started, so ignore the "bel" there. 
Poke your needle up through where you want to start.

Step 3:
To begin... JUST this time... take a regular stitch.

Step 4:
Pull that through all the way and then comes the tricky part.  Poke the needle back up through about the same distance ahead as your first stitch.  You want to keep them as even and as close in size as possible.  There will be a little gap between where you are pulling the thread back up and the first stitch.

Step 5:
Now, put the needle back in at the end of the first stitch you took.EXACTLY at the end of that stitch or else you will have gaps and it won't look as nice.

Step 6:
Pull the thread all the way through, and then come back up again a stitch-width in front of the one you just did.  Just keep going backwards like this, keep the stitches as close in size as you can, and don't leave gaps between your stitches.  Pretty easy once you get the hang of it!

I have also been using this technique to hand embroider Easter basket liners.  I love the way this one turned out (she chose great colors). 

I hope you found this tutorial at least a little helpful.  Now I have to get back to weaving.  Hippity hoppity, Easter's on its way!

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Chicken and Waffles

Chicken and waffles is a very common meal around these parts. I can remember the first time I met someone who was not a "local" and had never had chicken and waffles. I was shocked and horrified! I thought everyone ate chicken and waffles.

It is really just good, homemade waffles topped with cooked chicken and gravy. You can figure out how to make the cooked chicken and gravy on your own, but here is my awesome recipe for homemade waffles (seriously, only the best of my recipes for you guys!):

Waffles
1 cup flour
3 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup milk
3 eggs (separated)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Mix the dry ingredients together.  Add milk and egg yolks (beaten).  Stir in oil and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold the egg whites into the batter.  Pour batter onto hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown.

I suppose that you can make these for breakfast as well.  I bet they would be great to freeze and pull out on busy mornings.  Sadly, not too long ago one of my kids said, "You mean you can eat these with syrup?"  Umm... I guess we eat chicken and waffles more than syrup and waffles.  =)



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Whole Lotta' Girliness Goin' On!

I have been a horrible, slacking blogger lately.  Please forgive me.  I have been doing a lot of crafting in the last month or so, but I haven't been posting what I have been making since it is just a lot of little things mish-mashed together.  Mostly, I have been making things for my girls.

I made these baby shoes for Grace, but they turned out too wide and too low on the sides.  I tried to fix them, but they still don't stay on her feet.  I am going to try to adjust the pattern and I will use elastic instead of ribbon.  Sometimes you must chose between cute and functional. Just like grown-up shoes.

I also made Grace a taggy blanket with this ADORABLE fairy flannel.  She would still rather chew on one tag on a stuffed animal, though. Figures. 

For no particular reason, I made an fabric matching game with some of the squares I cut when I was purging my stash last year. 

I used scraps from the Pinkalicious dress to make these satin flowers.  I am in love. :)

I turned them into headbands and made some purple ones, too.

BUT, on the purple ones I made the leaves out of fabric and batting and quilted a line down the middle.  I like it better than the felt and I think it will hold up better, too.

My daughter got invited to a birthday party where they were getting their hair and nails done, so I made the birthday girl a Buttercup bag in her favorite color.

The green fabric on the leaves is the same print to match the purse and my daughter helped make some sparkly, purple hair clips to go with some other purple things that we bought for her.

OK, some camo to cure you from girliness-overload.  I used some of those same squares from the pile to make handwarmers for my son.  They are just filled with rice, and since he is always wanting to buy handwarmers, I thought he might like these.  It is so hard to find anything I can make for a 12 year old boy.  Well, except food.  He loves that. 

And, your sneak peek for the week... the Easter basket reed I dyed.  I am LOVING these colors!!!

(flattened baskets courtesy of Physical Chemistry and Cabelas)
These are some of the multi-color ones I made.  I am hoping to get some pictures today and get them listed in the shop soon.  

The kids have a four day weekend and we are celebrating two birthdays tomorrow, so it will be craziness for the next few days.  BUT, I took pictures while cooking a few things lately, so I hope to share some step-by-step recipes (think freezer ideas) maybe next week.  You know, things I can make that the guys like, too.  :)

Snowy Sneak Peek Friday

Wednesday we were supposed to get a dusting of snow.  We got a bit more than that, and Thursday morning, the sun was shining so brightly that I just HAD to get out and take pictures.  

pretty blue skies!

my wishing well

See how sparkly it is???

The dog managed to sneak in almost all of my pictures it seemed.

love the way it rounded up on top of these old flowers

SUNSHINE!!!

the old lattice

love the way it sticks to the pine trees

the wood pile

poor confused daffodils...

 And here is your sneak peek for the week...

On Tuesday, Mom and I did some bargain hunting and I also picked up fabric for a gift and also for my girls' Easter dresses.  They had the same cute print in 4 different colors- pink, purple, yellow, and green! As soon as I got it hung on the washline, it started to snow.

I am linking up over at StudioJRU's Sneak Peek in the Studio Friday!

SWEET!

The girls and I did a little Valentine craft project yesterday (and it isn't even February 13th!  How 'bout that!)

I saw these cute Tshirts made by using a paper doily as a stencil in the latest issue of Family Fun.  I love the lacy stencil look of these and now I want to make some pillow covers with this technique, too!

Later, we made these footballish whoopie pies (idea courtesy of Pinterest) and watched the big game.  Well, most of us fell asleep and I didn't really pay attention until the exciting finish, but anyway, YAY Giants! :)

Oh, and I am throwing in a cute baby picture to show off that little tooth poking up there!

Pretty valentinesy things, chocolate, and a cute baby.  Seems like a sweet blog post to me! =)