Aaaaaaand…. we’re off! It’s time to begin our Harvest Hues stitch-along right here on Needle ‘n Thread!
Harvest Hues focuses on creating embroidered autumn-themed leaves utilizing a spread of autumn colours, with a number of beaded accents for a little bit of sparkle.
We’ll be ending the leaves with interfacing and coordinating felt backing, in order that they can be utilized individually or in teams as a part of fall decor.
When you’ve stitched a primary leaf, you’ll be capable of take all that you just’ve discovered and apply it to any leaf form with any colour scheme for any season!
If that is your first stitch-along on Needle ‘n Thread, please learn this text, which can inform you what you’ll be able to anticipate from Harvest Hues as we progress by the mission.
As soon as we have now the mission underway, I’ll be making a mission index for Harvest Hues to be able to simply discover it on Needle ‘n Thread, for future reference.
In case you are a member of the Needle ‘n Thread Group on Patreon, you’ll discover the primary installment already posted in a useful PDF formatted for straightforward printing and downloading. Members additionally obtain a number of extras on the mission, reminiscent of further leaf designs. For the Devoted and Avid ranges of membership, you’ll even have entry to no less than one tutorial video.
You possibly can discover the supplies equipment for Harvest Hues accessible right here. It contains sufficient provides for no less than three leaves: the linen floor material for the embroidered leaves; interfacing; three totally different colours of wool mix felt, full skeins of embroidery floss, a tube of beads, the required needles, and florist wire for for the leaf stems.
The benefit of the supplies equipment is that you just’ll have all the mandatory provides available to observe alongside simply with the mission, with out having to hunt for and supply the provides your self.
The Leaf Design – PDF
That is the design for the essential leaf for Harvest Hues. It’s supplied as a PDF obtain under.
Within the PDF, you’ll discover that there are two leaves, every a reflection of the opposite. In case you are embroidering three of the identical leaf, you’ll be capable of simply change the course of 1 leaf. In fact, if you happen to need all three to face the identical course, that’s effective! I discover that they have an inclination to fashion higher, although, if all three leaves are usually not curving in the identical course.
Harvest Hues Design Obtain (PDF)
The leaf prints about 5″ from base to tip. Please select “precise measurement” (or “100%” or “no scaling”) in your printer dialogue field to make sure that your leaf design prints on the appropriate measurement.
Supplies Record
Floor Cloth: Manuscript Vellum (within the US) – a part of the “Legacy” line from Entry Commodities; exterior the US, search for Graziano 6262 in “Melange.” 12″ sq. piece, minimal.
Interfacing: Pellon 40 sew-in stabilizer – sufficient to again every leaf
Wool-blend Felt: Wool or wool-blend felt in a craft weight (2mm or 3mm). Keep away from acrylic craft felt, as a result of it tends to be a bit too flimsy and it doesn’t minimize with as clear an edge – roughly 5.5″ x 4″ for every leaf
Threads: DMC stranded cotton within the following stable colours: 12, 434, 666, 720, 725, 741, 801; and DMC Variations in 4066
Beads: Miyuki silver-lined flame pink delica beads, colour #0043
Needles: #9 crewel; #26 tapestry
Florist Wire: green-wrapped florist wire in 18 gauge or larger – 8″ per leaf
Different Instruments: Hoop or body, scissors, switch pen or pencil, gentle field or sunny window, tape, and ending instruments reminiscent of pins, clips, and the like. A pair of needle nostril pliers / cutters can be useful for manipulating the wire. We’ll focus on ending instruments after we get up to now of the mission.
Switch & Set-Up
Iron the linen floor material to take away any creases. You should use a lightweight mist of water to do that. You don’t want to pre-wash the linen.
When you have a favourite switch methodology, be happy to make use of it.
To switch this design, I discovered it best to hint it, however it’s also possible to use a printable and water-soluble switch medium like Sulky’s sticky fabrisolvy for such a stitching. That is as much as you!
Nonetheless you propose to switch, you’ll must group your leaves within the heart of the material with about 1″ of area between the leaves at any level. You have to a scant 1/2″ seam allowance for ending, so don’t place your leaves too shut collectively.
Nonetheless, they must be shut sufficient to let you hoop or body your material.
I used two pairs of 11″ stretcher bars to make a sq. body, and I pinned my material on high of the stretcher bar body (slightly than wrapping it across the sides).
When you really feel you want more room round your material for accommodating a hoop or body, observe the ideas on this article for extending the dimensions of your material for hooping or framing.
I traced the design onto my material, utilizing a lightbox and a Micon pen, measurement 05, in gentle grey. When you participated within the Autumn Hearth stitch-along and bought the supplies equipment, the pens supplied in that equipment will work effective.
Group your leaves in order that they match within the heart of the 12″ sq. of linen, with 1″ between any sides that come shut to one another.
I laid the leaves out on the sunshine field and taped them in place.
Then I centered my material over them and taped my material on all sides to forestall it from shifting.
Earlier than I started tracing, I laid my body on high to check the location, to verify I’d have sufficient room round all edges for tacking the material to the body and likewise for snug stitching.
Evenly hint the design onto the material. Attempt to not “sketch” in brief strokes however as a substitute to attract in steady gentle line.
It’s not essential to hint each component on the design. For instance, I didn’t mark the dots that point out bead or knot placement (any of the tiny black dots). I additionally didn’t mark within the crossed trellis traces on the trellis-filled sections. I’d slightly “eyeball” the location of laid stitches as I am going as a substitute of counting on drawn traces.
When you’re completed tracing, you’ll be able to then mount your material onto your embroidery body or into your hoop.
In case you are utilizing a hoop, you may get away with a hoop as massive as about 10″ (though I believe it is a stretch), if the ring is skinny. In case you are utilizing a thicker hoop, your hoop will must be smaller than 9″.
A 6″ hoop will accommodate particular person leaves, however you have to so as to add the beads to all of the leaves as soon as all of the embroidery on all of the leaves is full. You’ll want to maneuver the ring round as you sew.
And that’s the set-up for the mission! In fact, when you’ve got your favourite strategies of preparation, switch, and arrange, be happy to make use of them. It’s at all times simpler (and dare I say “safer”?) to work with strategies you’re already conversant in!
Coming Up
Within the subsequent installment – which can be printed subsequent week – we’ll start stitching the leaves!
Keep tuned!