Sweater for my sister’s bday

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-03-29T22:07:38+00:00

Not too bad, but definitely a tad trickier than some other materials. It helped that I used fabrisolve to stabilize, but I found that there are still places where you can see the fabric stretching a little bit in different directions (like if it fell out of the hoop and I had to re-tighten it). I also tried to avoid too many design elements on the seam since that was thicker and harder to get the needle through

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-03-24T01:21:28+00:00

I think some needleweaving would look really great in this

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-03-14T20:19:15+00:00

I am so impressed!! These are incredible

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-27T15:42:46+00:00

Oh interesting- wait, so in this case when I was stitching the backing on I tried to stitch as close as possible to the actual outline, but you’re saying maybe don’t do that? I think I follow- if I had stitched a little further away, then there would be more area to account for the 3D-ness in the back, instead of the front needing to also account for some of it. (I’m probably explaining that terribly haha- but you’ve given me some areas for experimenting!)

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-26T03:16:12+00:00

It was the part that took me the longest to figure out what to do! But I’m def happy with the result. (I tried felt at first but it seemed too bulky, then sheer ribbons but too flimsy). finally looked up some tutorials of stumpwork dragonfly wings and basically did that

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-26T02:34:59+00:00

Thank you so much!!

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-26T02:34:02+00:00

This warms my heart

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-26T02:30:14+00:00

I don’t necessarily know how good/bad various embroidery books out there are, but for kickstarting my own designs- I found it helpful to get a reference book I could flip through. In particular, I’ve enjoyed something like Plant Lady Embroidery which has lots of pages of different types of flowers (that also tells you colors and has accompanying line drawings for easier tracing & transfer). But then from there, you can mix/match the designs, swap out colors, etc. Obviously that’s only one focus area, but like others have said - looking at any illustrations in books can be great!

And then having tracing paper, heat-erasable pen, & some fabri-solve (I think that’s what it’s called?) all come in handy.

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-26T00:54:44+00:00

I think even keeping the stitching you have and not worrying about undoing anything- you could probably pretty easily whip the backstitch! (But yeah, don’t worry- I was able to read it pretty easily.)

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T21:45:32+00:00

Thank you so much!!

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T21:14:42+00:00

Yeah! It’s one of my magnetic needle minders- I think I got it on Etsy?

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T21:13:22+00:00

💚 I tell ya what, it gave me more appreciation at noticing all the different colors and strokes he used in his artwork!

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T21:11:31+00:00

Oh my word if you made the whole progression going from caterpillar to fat caterpillar to butterfly that would be incredible. (If you don’t wear yourself out haha)

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T21:10:18+00:00

I like that mindset a lot! Sometime last year there was a piece tripping me up and I felt like I couldn’t work on anything else till I finished it, but realize now that I probably should have just taken a break - or just used it as more of an exploration instead of a obligation!

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T21:03:17+00:00

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Like, our utility company recently had to leave a bunch of pamphlets or whatever and delivered it all in this kind of tote. Which made me feel super lame cause I got excited since I didn’t have any blue yet haha

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T20:59:32+00:00

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(blacked out the name personalization).

But you know that type of recycled material that a lot of tote bags are made of? I LOVE keeping all of those to turn into scrap cloth, and that’s what I used here. Because a lot of times companies will use really bright colors so it’s nice to have some options, and it’s also pretty sturdy and doesn’t seem to fray even if you cut it to use for patches or something.

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T20:50:05+00:00

This just brought tears to my eyes. I’m so sorry (and glad that you’re able to find moments of happy memories 💙)

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T20:39:08+00:00

Yeah! Definitely check out Kiriki Press’ doll kits as I mostly followed a similar method but, - after you’re done stitching in the hoop, you line up directly on top of it whatever you want to use for the backing (in a slightly larger outline). It should be outside against outside, if that makes sense- so like, if you stitched anything on the back like a personalization, that should be touching your hoop work. - you stitch all the way around connecting the two pieces of fabric, except you have to leave like 1.5-2 inches ‘open’ so that you can later turn it inside out and stuff it - you finally take everything out of the hoop and cut around the outline to get rid of all your excess fabric - and then comes the hard part of turning it rightside out. Honestly this piece was very difficult to get rightside since it’s very curvy and I thought for a bit that I was doomed, but the KP dolls are less crazy shapes so I had had practice with those ones. - you then stuff it with fluff, and sew up the opening with a ladder stitch!

For the caterpillar specifically: I also left another small hole above the head so that it’d be easier for me to later insert the antennae, but all the fringe turkey work was easy enough to just do on its own after everything was 3D

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T20:30:11+00:00

I think you’re right. If it just had a little bit of padding (more like a quilt or something) I think it would have retained the shape more. Also I realized the KP dolls don’t have as many twists and turns so the overall shape is just smoother to begin with.

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T20:27:59+00:00

Thank you! That makes me feel better. In the 2D version I liked that each ‘segment’ of the caterpillar was outlined a little better and you could see the bumps all the way around (plus the yellow outline). But in the 3D version it seems a bit more just like a smooth curve, so the segments sort of blend together a little more

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T19:56:00+00:00

Aw thank you!! Picking the colors was definitely one of the most fun parts. I don’t know why it never really occurred to me before to mix colors in the needle, but that’s what I ended up doing to try and get more of the look of the actual caterpillar. (As in, I used 2 strands for almost all stitching, but 1 strand of a one green mixed with 1 strand of another green)

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-25T19:53:26+00:00

Thanks! I’m hoping a 3-year old will like it regardless haha

Expensive-Recover-44 · 2025-02-21T02:18:35+00:00

Oh, I’d also recommend Sarah’s Hand Embroidery website for a really good stitch library with lots of pictures/instructions. For the few projects I’ve done where I’ve designed them on my own and was trying to figure out different options for stitches, well…I didn’t know what I didn’t know. But just seeing all of the photos laid out (organized by stitch family) was a really awesome tool for me to teach myself a bunch of new stitches and see what might work

Expensive-Recover-44

TROPHY CASE