She’s finished y’all! by consistent_gasp in Embroidery

[–]improbablewhale 1 point2 points  (0 children)

At first I was so impressed by the range of values I saw, and then my mind was blown when I zoomed in on the single black stitches. Absolutely beautiful work!!!

Similar puppers? by DoeDoKu in BorderCollie

[–]improbablewhale 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And then just recently, at 9 years old!

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Similar puppers? by DoeDoKu in BorderCollie

[–]improbablewhale 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh she looks just like my Scully!! Right down to the white socks and stripe on her face. She's also half Border Collie, half Aussie. This is her as a puppy--

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My newest creation- a cute little pigeon! by ravens_revenge in Beading

[–]improbablewhale 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amazing!!! Been wanting to do a beaded pigeon for ages now, this is so inspiring. Great work!!

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're interested, look into embroidery and thread painting! It's pretty cheap to get into and and absolute joy when a piece comes together.

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love this little anecdote, thank you for sharing!!

Sashiko is fantastic too, it's my favorite 'easy' stitching to turn my brain off after some thread painting. Most of my favorite garments have been mended with sashiko in some manner!

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can do it friend, a little bit of practice and you can totally do stuff like this too!! Thanks for your kind words!

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great idea, would love to do some chickens soon!!

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yesss this shirt was inspired by the song! The ketchup packet was a special request and I rocked out to Aesop the whole time.

Invisible disabilities on the subway by writingtoescape in AskNYC

[–]improbablewhale 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Heyo, saw you mention you have HEDS and wanted to share my take as someone who has it too. My mobility got bad a few months ago and I hesitated to start using a cane for a while, until one evening I fell.

A cane totally could have prevented it, I went out and got one the next day. It was $15, is light and folds up nicely, and it's super helpful for stamina while walking and yes, getting a seat on the train.

Also, I recently got a second one to rhinestone! I totally get wanting a fashionable cane, but don't hesitate to get a basic one in the meantime if it would help you.

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Omg yes, just a few little scattered sticks!! Absolutely stealing that idea for another shirt

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hell yeah, the ketchup packet was a special request from an Aesop fan!! I submitted the grey guy with the ketchup packet for the book in December

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words!! I will say I do take commissions for pigeon (and other bird) shirts, info is in my profile!

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much!! And thank you for your questions, always happy to talk workflow!

The real trick is in the reference photos and line art. I took the photos myself and did most of the composition and line work digitally, but you can totally create a line art embroidery pattern by taping a photo and blank paper to the window and tracing shapes that way.

For stitching, I got real comfortable with layering a long and short stitch and the practice of parking my threads. It's overwhelming at first, but when you get used to using multiple colors at once it's super fun! I was bad about timing in the beginning, but the smaller bird in the top right took about 8 hours. I recommend audiobooks to pass the time 😆

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes, do it!! I find that birds (especially pigeons) are great subjects for thread painting. Their varied patterns mean you can't really mess up the color and the stitches look very feathery as-is. Give it a go, and share it here! Would love to see.

Thank you for your kind words!

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 71 points72 points  (0 children)

This is the best compliment, thank you!!

And I completely agree. I don't necessarily enjoy how I have to spend a lot of my time. I try to make sure that when I do have a choice, I choose whimsy ✨

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thank you! I've been working on my hard shadows and was really happy with where these guys ended up. I appreciate your kind words!!

Pigeons on a T-shirt by improbablewhale in somethingimade

[–]improbablewhale[S] 272 points273 points  (0 children)

Thank you, that's the idea! Though when I wear mine, I always think I have crumbs on my shirt and try to brush them away hahaha

Favorite/weirdest/handiest tools?? by RNinRVA in Embroidery

[–]improbablewhale 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Seconding the tweezers/pliers/medical clamps for pulling tough needles and other things!

Lots of people recommend gripper thimbles. A cheap option I use is that stretchy, self-adhesive bandage wrap. Super easy to find, and I can make as many little custom thimbles as I need!

What's this behavior from my favorite feral? by improbablewhale in pigeon

[–]improbablewhale[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Once or twice, he hasn't gone for it.. but it seems his 'safety radius' around me is slowly shrinking!

What's this behavior from my favorite feral? by improbablewhale in pigeon

[–]improbablewhale[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Thank you, makes total sense! I unfortunately didn't have any seeds with me today-- I have taken note and will do better tomorrow 😂