Throwback Thursday - 2007 Part 04

In today's #throwbackthursday edition I'm going to describe the process of embroidery on paper using the example of a card I made in March 2007.


Embroidery on Paper Card #1

This example of embroidery on paper came from the book New Ideas with Embroidery on Paper by
Erica Fortgens.

First, I made a working photocopy of my chosen design. This way I had the opportunity to change the size of the original pattern in the book. In this case, I enlarged the original design, making it 125% of the original.

I then attached the photocopy to the card stock using a couple pieces of light-tack tape to hold it in place. The card stock I used looks like parchment paper, but is thick like a greeting card.

I placed the card stock and design stack on top of a foam piercing pad and used a special piercing tool to prick the design through both layers. This creates the holes used to embroider.

After the holes were made, I removed the photocopy from the card stock. Following the directions in the book , I embroidered from hole to hole to create the design. In this case, I used DMC Light Effects floss #E3849, a fiber that has a lot of sparkle.

The ends of the threads are held in place on the back of the stitching with tape. Because of this, the backside of embroidery on paper pieces tends to be messier than the backside of pieces stitched on fabric. These embroidery on paper designs stitch up very quickly.

To do the finishing work, I used another piece of the same card stock to create a card blank. I cut a circle in the front of the card. Then using double-stick tape, I adhered the design to the card so it showed through the circle. I then cut another piece of the card stock just a tad smaller than the front of the card. Again using double-stick tape, I adhered this smaller piece of card stock over the back of the stitchery to hide all the mechanics.

I have all the specialty tools for this technique. But if you don't have the special piercing tool and the foam pad, you can use substitutions. To pierce the holes, use a fine, sharp needle. Use a stack of corrugated cardboard to protect your work surface in place of a foam pad. When I did my piercing, I placed the pad on top of a self-healing cutting mat to be sure I wasn't poking holes in my table top.

Erica Fortgens has published a number of embroidery on paper books. She does beautiful work. The book I used is not for beginners, but it wasn't too difficult to figure out the patterns. In this book she teaches how to use the embroidered pieces with paper that you have embossed using brass templates. I recently bought some of these brass templates in hopes of trying more intricate designs. I truly enjoy these beautiful, small projects and am sure to do more.

Next time I'll share the other embroidery on paper projects I finished in March, 2007.

Throwback Thursday - 2007 Part 05

Today the Wayback Machine returns us to March 2007 when I completed more embroidery on paper cards.


Bird House Card

This is the third card from the embroidery on paper kit. The bird house doors were stitched in the round. The gold borders of the houses are simple straight stitches.

I used this card as a "Welcome to your new home" greeting.

I mentioned last week that the backs of embroidery on paper cards are not as tidy as embroidery on fabric. Below is an example of a card back. The stitches are long, the thread carries for quite a distance, and there are bits of tape all over the place holding down the thread ends. This is to be expected, and is also why the backs are always covered on the completed cards before sending them. This kit came with lining papers for the cards. The finished result is quite professional.

Baby Carriage Card

The design for the next card in the kit was to welcome a newborn. This particular design had extremely simple lines to embroider.

25th Anniversary Card

This is the final design in the embroidery on paper kit. I find the circle around the "25" to be very pretty and effective.

In the next edition #throwbackthursday, I'll move on to projects from April 2007 which included more embroidery on paper, some counted cross-stitch, and some crocheted hats.

Throwback Thursday - 2007 Part 03

I was a busy stitcher in March of 2007, completing nine projects. Here are the first five:


Furr-Ever Friends Giraffe

This was a stitch-along project for my charity stitching group. Participants chose a chart from the Furr-Ever Friends leaflet by Gloria & Pat.

I already had the giraffe in my stash so I offered to stitch it. I was able to complete a chart I'd been hoping to stitch for quite some time. As a bonus, I got to take part in a charity quilt project. 

Skating Reindeer 2

I got such enjoyment from stitching a skating reindeer ornament in January that I decided to stitch another in March 2007. I began stitching this while on a trip with my daughter Jodie in Boise, Idaho. She was in a math competition. This reindeer, designed by Kate Mawdsley, was donated to charity.

Skating Reindeer 3

Looks like I was on a skating reindeer roll. This reindeer from a World of Cross Stitching magazine is adorable for being so chubby and shaggy. This was another ornament donated to charity.

Wedding Card

This is an example of a new-to-me technique I wanted to try in 2007, embroidery on paper. It's one of projects I had in my stash, waiting for me to give it some attention. Embroidery on paper (cardstock, really) ended up becoming one of my favorite kinds of needlework.

This card was from a kit. The design was pre-printed on the cards. Using a special pricking tool and foam pad, I made holes in the card stock. The embroidery is done from hole to hole to create the design, much like string art.

This second image shows some of the detail of the design. Here you can easily see the small holes I created in the card stock.

It was nice to learn the technique using a kit by Erica Fortgens. Since then, I used a book of embroidery on paper designs to make other cards. I've also found free patterns on the internet. 

If you don't have the pricking tool and foam, you can also use a needle to prick the holes and a stack of corrugated cardboard to protect your work surface.

Tulip Card

Here's another card from the same embroidery on paper kit as the Wedding Card. It uses a similar flower motif in the design.

The kit I bought was an All Occasion Card Kit with five different designs:
* Wedding
* 25th Anniversary
* Baby
* New Home (or Spring)
* Thinking of You (this tulip design)

For the remainder of March, I continued with my exploration of embroidery on paper. I'll share those projects on my next edition of

Stash Run

If you spent any time with me in my studio, you'd come to realize I have enough stitching stash for about three lifetimes. So for the last few years, I've been fairly selective about the amount of new charts, kits and threads I add. This year, I've only added to my stash collection once -- while on vacation where I visited Country Crafts in Greeley, Colorado.

After finishing my pillow yesterday, I realized that I never did share the treasures I gathered. Better late than never.


These two Lizzie*Kate charts caught my eye. Dog Lessons for People is the piece I finished yesterday. I picked up It's A Boy Thing! because it's a great chart for boys that is more cute than sickeningly sweet. I like it's contemporary vibe.


Here are two seasonal charts that caught my eye. The first is a chart called by Trick or Treat Bags by Crab-apple Hill. This company has some really nice designs. I recommend stopping by the website. The pattern I bought contains three simple designs to embroider using a stem stitch or backstitch. Then you attach the stitching to some felt, and the whole caboodle to some little muslin bags you whip up. Unfortunately, these are not iron-on designs, so I will need to trace them onto fabric. But it ought to make for a quick stitch. Hmmm. It's a week until Halloween ... maybe this can be my next project.

For Valentine's Day (or my anniversary?) I bought Design and a Heart by Hob-Nobb Designs. I saw this worked up as a shop model. Really sweet. Stitch a grid. Stitch eight patchwork hearts along the outside squares. Stitch the heart button that comes with the kit in the center. Viola! Very sweet. This could make a cute cube or maybe even a greeting card.


Next are two beaded Christmas ornament kits from Mill Hill. These ornaments are made of beads, treasures, charms and stitching on perforated paper. Silvery Tree has a star charm for the tree top. Snowflakes has a snowflake treasure. If you've never tried a Mill Hill bead kit, I can recommend them. Nice easy projects with good results. I was enamored with the blue, white and crystal these two kits embrace.


Next up? Two kits where the designs captured my heart. The first is a Dimensions Gold Collection Petite kit called Single Rose. This is one I'll stitch and keep for myself. The colors and style of this design match my home decor. I don't know that I'll stitch it any time soon, though.

Happily Ever After Wedding Record is another small Dimensions kit. Like It's A Boy Thing! (above), this is a contemporary design for a special occasion. That's a nice change from some of the sappier and more ornate wedding designs available. (I've been known to stitch some of them, too!) I couldn't find this kit on the Dimensions website (weird!), but Overstock.com has it for a very decent price!


Lastly, I bought this book of embroidery on paper designs called Alphabet and Festive Motifs by Joke and Adriaan De Vette (serious, the name is "Joke"). I enjoy embroidery on paper as a way to mix up the kind of stitching I do. This book has some very classy designs, especially for Christmas. Now to decide which of the folks on my Christmas card list are "Nice" and will receive one of these special cards.
:: pondering ::


When I got up to the counter, the gal told me about a special promotion that was going on with the cross-stitch shops in the greater Denver area. They had a special where if you visit each shop within a certain number of days, you receive a cute Christmas pouch and some special charts and doo-dads. I was not going to be able to visit all the shops, but because I spent nearly $100 that day, she gave me a Christmas pouch anyway! How sweet!

I was almost out the door when I turned around for my last purchase. Another little beaded Lady of the Evening! You have a sneak peek at this coin purse in the photo above, but I'll give her a post unto herself in the future.

Throwback Thursday - 2007 Part 06

The Wayback Machine takes us to April 2007 today when I worked in a variety of needlework genres.

Preemie Hats

Do you like my model? My sister Eleanore gave me this doll over 50 years ago. When I saw the hats, I thought they'd fit my doll just perfectly!

The charity group I was part of in 2007 expanded from doing only cross-stitch quilt squares and bookmarks. We also started knitting and crocheting hats for premature babies. The hats were donated to neo-natal wards in various hospitals around the country. This crochet pattern was shared among group members. The hats stitched up in less than two hours.

After seeing these hats, my then teenage daughter, Jodie, learned to crochet. She used her community service hours as crochet time. This allowed her to help others, and keeps her schedule extremely flexible. She is now a more skilled crocheter than I am, and often gives crocheted gifts to others.

Embroidered Bookmarks

After making the embroidery cards from the kit the previous month, I thought I'd turn my hand to making bookmarks using the embroidery on paper technique. I used the book New Ideas with Embroidery on Paper by Erica Fortgens. I stitched the bookmarks on parchment card stock using a purple fiber, DMC Light Effects E718. I find the contrast of the purple fiber on the blue card stock quite effective.

It took me a while to decide on how to finish the cards. The backs really did need to be covered. I considered attaching the card stock to felt, but I wasn't sure glue would keep the two pieced adhered to each other. I didn't want to take the extra time to stitch the card stock to the felt. Besides, then I'd still need to hide knots.

I finally decided to use some pretty purple watermarked scrapbooking cardstock. I used double-stick tape to adhere the two layers of card stock together, pressing them together well. Then I cut the purple card about 1/4 inch wider than the blue.

I donated the bookmarks to a charity literacy project.

My Dear Friend Kathy

This was another square for a flower-themed charity quilt. Most of this square is stitched in cotton floss. The blue which outlines the petals and stem is a sparkly metallic.

I love the bright colors and the painted texture of these flowers.

Preemie Cap and Chemo Hats

Here is another preemie cap and a couple other hats for kids facing chemo. I crocheted one for a small child, and one that will fit a teenager. These hats were also donated to various hospitals around the country.

It's heartening to note that at about this time, my photography skills began to noticeably improve. I received an updated digital camera and had given myself an assignment to take lots of photos each day, then post the best one on my blog. I bought some special filters and an extension tube that allowed me to begin learning macro photography. I also bought a light cube which allowed me to take photos with filtered light and solid backgrounds. 

As a side note, I'm a bit astounded to have evidence of the number of projects I created for charity and gifts in 2007. At the time, I was going through a major mental health crisis. I'm certain that this handwork and my creative photography project helped give me focus in those rough months.

Throwback Thursday - 2007 Part 10

These are the last three small projects I completed in September 2007


Wannabee Crab

This tiny quilt square is another donated for a charity quilt. Our group decided to make another quilt from Dale Burdett's 23 Wannabee Bears from the Seashore. As a change of pace, we chose a seafoam green aida instead of the usual white ground cloth.

I stitched a fish pattern from this book before. All the charts are adorable! The shading is wonderful and brings the pieces to life. I'm a big fan of this designer.

Thank You Cards

In August 2007, I received a very special gift of five books inscribed by the author Sid Fleischman. The personalized sentiments were lovely. I thought that such an outstanding gift deserved a special card of thanks made with care.

I decided to create these cards using embroidery on paper. I designed these cards as a combination of computer design and two motifs from Erica Fortgens book New Ideas with Embroidery on Paper.

I stitched the first card with a blue metallic floss. And though I liked the blue-on-blue effect and centered design, I decided to try something a little different with the second card.

On it, I stitched the words with green metallic floss. Then I added the two flower motifs to the left, stitched with two strands of cotton floss. The flowers add just a bit more sweetness to the design. I sent the second card to the author.

Tipsy Tree

This sweet ornament is the first I stitched from the 2007 edition of Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament Issue. I stitched with DMC stranded floss instead of the specialty threads called for. For the sparkly "lights," I used a white metallic floss. For the ornaments I used some red rocailles beads from my stash.

The chart called for a star charm to be stitched on top of the stitched star. That way the weight of the charm "pulls" the treetop over. I didn't have a charm, but the impression still works. This ornament was donated to a charity project.

I completed nine small projects in October, 2007. I'll share at least half of them next time.

My Studio

I spent two hours puttering around in my studio yesterday, watching Globe Trekker, and tucking things away. When I got done, my studio looked in pretty good shape (for a work space), so I thought I'd snaps some pics and show you around.

First, the overview:
Click any picture to see a larger version of the image.

My studio is in the basement of our home. It started as a giant storage room, about 15 feet by 22 feet. Concrete slab floor. Just studs and very little insulation. No ceiling. But it did already have a nice bank of shelves. The entry to the room is finished. Here's my gallery of cross-stitch pieces. Most are seasonal, and I change them out to the main floor of our home during the year.

The other side of the hall has some of my giraffes. My daughters made some for me. I bought the print on the right at an art festival. The giraffe was my mom's favorite animal. I stitched my first giraffe 15 years ago after she died. To me, they are a symbol of someone willing to "stick their neck out" for others. I don't collect giraffes, exactly. But they do seem to find me.

 On the door of my studio is this photograph. Is says, "Artist of the Everyday."

We converted the storage room to a studio on the cheap. All the furniture was re-purposed from other places in our home. The walls are all pegboard painted pink, then sponged white on top. To me, it's like being in the clouds. The color helps me feel creative. I still have no proper ceiling, but I did paint the overhead space white, and added pink stripes to the bottom of the floor joists. The floor is still concrete, but I do have an area rug near the door.

Standing at the door, this is what you see. A wall of white muslin curtains covering the shelves on the left.

Straight ahead is my main work table and bookcases that hold fabric. Under the only window is a cork board with project ideas and my folding/rolling cutting table.

To the right of the cutting table is my sewing desk and tool box. The far wall has shelves filled with supplies and my gift wrap center. The last wall has file cabinets, a desk, another work table, a treadle machine and TV.

Now for a closer look:

Behind the wall of curtains are four sections of deep shelving. I've opened up the end where we store our holiday decorations. The other shelves hold yarn, projects in bags all ready to start, partially finished projects, knitting and crochet supplies, fiberfill, the iron, scrapbooks, memorabilia, etc. I have most things in labeled plastic bins or cardboard file boxes.

The cubby holds bolts of fabric, hanging fabric and a few more holiday decorations. The glass-fronted bookshelves hold folded fabrics sorted by type of fabric and color. The bins on top have fat quarters. The file boxes hold ribbon and lace. You can also see some of my embroidery hoops and Q-snaps hanging there on the left. My main work table has a magnifying light and holds my current cross-stitch project and my stitching tools.

I don't know if you can tell, but I have a few prisms hanging over the lace curtain. At the right time of day, I get rainbows on my walls (just like PollyAnna!) The cork board has notes for my upcoming projets. Currently on my cutting table is an old scrapbook/journal and the plastic tub holding supplies I use for AuralArtists projects.

The next table is my sewing center. There are my cutting rulers, mason jars full of my grandmother's buttons (my grandmother was a seamstress), my sewing machine and thread. Next to that is my serger with thread cones on the wall above it. You can see my stitching floor stand there on the floor. Next to that, my huge and lovely tool box, all nice and organized. (Yes, the tools are MINE, all mine!)

On the far wall is this series of shelves crammed full of supplies. The first holds sewing notions, patterns, books and sample fabric books from a furniture store. Next, some power tools, card-making supplies and beading supplies.

The third unit has glass etching, catalogs, artist trading cards, scissors, glue, hot glue guns, pens, pencils, markers, and other basic craft supplies along with some stencils, polymer clay and painting supplies. The final shelves have DMC, Anchor and another off-brand line of embroidery floss along with perle coton and other specialty fibers. There are also a couple bins of aida and evenweave fabrics for cross stitch and more stitching tools and accessories.

The bottom cabinet holds most of my photography supplies. On top are supplies for matting and framing my stitchery.

In the corner you'll find my gift wrapping station. Rolls of ribbon on the wall. Rolls of paper are in the bin. The bags are full of gift bags and tissue.Tucked behind the file cabinet is mat board and foam core for framing. The 4-drawer file cabinet holds cross-stitch patterns and books filed by subject.

The desk is full of desk-y things. It's nice to have a place where I can keep my paper cutter, label maker, and mini light table always at the ready. The drawers mostly hold stationery and cards.

Above my desk I display my "Ladies of the Evening." I have a soft spot for beaded evening bags. Almost all of these were picked up at thrift stores or re-sale shops. My best find cost about 68 cents! There's a mix of vintage and new bags. I like that no two are the same. Fun shapes. Interesting bead patterns. They are each little works of art.

Coming out from the wall at a right angle is my second work table. When I have people to craft with me, we use this table because we can sit on three sides. This is also where I have my portable photo studio. I have a full-spectrum light hanging from the ceiling. I have a photo cube with several colors of back drops. I can set my little studio up right there on the work table. The big curtain is something I sometimes use as a background when taking portraits.

The little 2-drawer file holds more bond paper, card stock, and colored construction paper for paper crafts.

Finally, there's my dad's treadle sewing machine. His dad was a tailor. When my dad worked in Grandpa's shop, they used treadle machines. So when Dad found this at an auction, he had to get it. It's not fully restored, but is quite pretty.

And my TV sits on an end table that holds my quilts (I've opened the doors so you can see them). Three quilts are from my grandmothers. A couple are my daughter's baby quilts.

I've obviously dabbled in a LOT of different crafts and needle arts. I seem to go in cycles. My first love was fashion sewing. Then crochet. I've tried knitting about three seasons in my life, but still haven't gotten beyond the basics. The biggest and longest stint has been counted cross-stitch. But I'll give most any craft a try. Right now, my main focus is photography (pun intended).

It's awfully nice to have a place where I can have all the supplies I need at hand, and room to spread out to follow my crafting whims.

Of course, all of it gets better when my daughters get to craft with me!

Flourish on Red

Here's another simple embroidery on paper design. The flourish is stitched with a subtle variegated green floss on bright red cardstock. Simple and effective.

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This piece is based off a design in New Ideas with Embroidery on Paper by Erica Fortgens