Cruiser Bicycle Crewel Embroidery

One of the new pieces I made for the re//STATE event this past weekend was a cruiser bicycle in a vintage oval frame. I’ve made a cruiser bike in the past, and was feelin’ the itch to sew up another one.

 The frame I used for this piece matches the frame I had my most recent Michigan piece in as well.

I was really happy with this piece- the vintage style bike fit well with the vintage and rustic feel of the frame. 

I finished the piece just in time for all of the bikers to come out of hiding for the summer, now I just need to get my bike fixed so I can join them!

You can see more photos in the shop where this piece is up for sale.

xoxo.

Build A Better Block: re//STATE

Hello everyone!

I haven’t updated in a couple of weeks, but for very good reason! This past weekend I participated in Build a Better Block: re//STATE in my city, Grand Rapids, MI. It was a really fun event that I was so happy to be apart of. It took place on State Street with the idea of showing what the street could potentially be like if shops, restaurants, and other businesses filled the empty buildings that take up most of the street. I’ve worked on State St. for just over five years now, so it was really great to see the street flooded with people for the first time.

This was also my first time every being a vendor at an event, or even selling my work in person! Now I’m hooked and I can’t wait to do another event.

My space was a Parisian-Style box that rested on a concrete fence that was painted with chalkboard paint!  I was obviously very excited about it!

There are a few pieces here that I haven’t shared yet, so I’ll be featuring them individually throughout this week. A few of them are still available too, so those will be up on Etsy too when my shop reopens this week! 
 Bryan made patches using a few different linocuts he carved up. They turned out pretty awesome and still has a couple left if anyone is interested ($3 each or two for $5)!

 There was some yummy food from the food truck, and this was my favorite. Quinoa, Kale, Pumpkin Seed, Siracha, and fire roasted bean nachos!

I was also lucky enough to have the best helpers there with me this weekend!:
Bryan and our roommate Lauren sat with me pretty the entire time both days, besides when they were awarded breaks to the beer garden! They’re the best. My lovely friend Carrie came down for a few hours one of the days too. Thanks, Carrie!
On the second day of the event my dad and Bryan took advantage of an empty alley way next to us to practice their fly fishing skills.

(source)
The second day I split some of my space with my co-workers wife who spins some seriously beautiful yarn. She just got some rabbits, so soon she really will be doing it all herself! Hopefully soon I’ll have a project to share with some of it that I got from her!

All and all it was a really great weekend and it was wonderful to meet so many other like-minded individuals in the community!

xoxo.

Michigan Embroidery on Acid Wash Fabric

Today I have another piece to share that I did on fabric that I acid washed. This time around it is a Michigan embroidery on brown fabric, placed in a thrifted oval frame.

 The thrifted frame works well with this piece, as it gives it an antique feel.

 I did a double layer of the back stitch because one line was just too thin and it just sort of got lost in the frame.

I’m really happy with the way this one turned out. I have a second frame that is exactly the same, and I’m working on a cruiser bike (similar to the one I made in the past) to go into it. I’ll have that to share next week!

xoxo.

Home Sweet Home Embroidery Wall Hanging

Recently I played around with acid washing fabrics, and I was pretty happy with all of the results. This piece of fabric turned out to be one of my favorites.

One of my girlfriends pointed out that it turned out looking like clouds with the acid wash, and I have to agree. I embroidered the message “home sweet home” next to a simple outlined house.

I hung the embroidery from a stick that I painted, and backed the fabric with a piece of tan denim to make it a little heavier. My thoughts were that this could be a piece hung by your front door or entry way as a welcome message.

This piece was a fun one to do because it was so different from anything else that I have made. I have another stick to paint so I’m thinking I’m going to make another piece similar to this one.

xoxo.

Embroidered Clutch Collaboration Piece and Giveaway

A while back I was contacted by Beth of the wonderful DIY design blog Lula Louise. She is amazing with the sewing machine, and has tons of tutorials on her blog for anything from jewelry to dresses. I was pretty excited when she asked me to do a collaboration piece when I checked out her blog and was able to see how talented she is.

We ended up deciding on a clutch, and after sending photos of our sketches and discussing color palettes via email this is what we came up with:
I did the embroidery on the outside of the clutch, and Beth did the construction and the running stitch on the inside. It turned out pretty cute, right?

In honor of our collaboration we are giving this clutch away to one winner! You can find out how to enter over on Beth’s blog (Lula Louise). This giveaway is open today (May 1st, 2013) through May 15, 2013.

xoxo.

DIY: Embroidery Hoop Pin Cushion

A couple of weeks ago I was trying to brainstorm how I could make a pin cushion that I could attach to the wall by my sewing machine. In the past I made one that I could wear on my wrist, but I felt it got in the way. The ones I had made for the table (out of a mason jar) always got knocked off, so I was on a mission to find an alternative. I decided to keep it simple and go with a pin cushion out of an embroidery hoop.

Here is what you need to make your own:

Once you gather your supplies you just need to follow a few simple steps…

Step One:

 First get your embroidery hoop and cut two pieces of fabric with about an inch extra all the way around. One piece is for the front, and one piece is for the back.

Step Two:

 Next you make a sandwich out of your pieces so far. On the bottom is your back piece of the embroidery hoop, then your back piece of fabric, about a handful and a half of stuffing, your front fabric, and lastly the front piece of the embroidery hoop.

Step Three:

 Once your ‘sandwhich’ is put together take your needle and thread and sew in a single stitch all the way around (twice) to tighten the fabric). Knot and cut.

Step Four:

 Take your piece of felt, cut to size of the embroidery hoop, and hot glue to the back to hide the mess.

That’s it! Next just hang and sew!

 

Happy Sewing!

xoxo.

April Giveaway Winner Announced

Hello everyone! I’m going to keep this short and sweet today because I have a flu bug and the more I write the less sense I will most likely make.

The April giveaway of the “Celebrate” embroidery is now closed and we have a winner!
Lorraine M., you are the lucky winner of this piece!
Please send me an email (toocrewel AT gmail.com) to claim your prize.

Thanks to everyone who participated!

xoxo.