Do you applique'? I find that when I do applique', I usually add some type of embroidery to my work. Whether it is simple veins on a leaf, a stem for a flower, eyes to a person or animal, a short line from a 
poem or a quotation or textural element - most of my applique' quilts include embroidery.
I love adding texture to quilts. It's not as difficult as you may think.
Here, simple straight rows of a variation of red and burgundy thread adds dimension to the piece. Notice how the look changes with the color of the background fabric?
It's a simple process... load your needle with 2 or 3 strands of floss, then take small stitches in either a straight line or scattered area. Repeat... over and over. NOTE: This is easy work to do while watching television.
As a quilter, I collect embroidery thread just like I do 
fabric, only it is much less expensive! I try to keep it organized in a little case, and label each card that I wind it on with the number of the floss color. I stick with DMC so they are all the same quality.
What have YOU embroidered lately? Share with the Michigan Quilts! readers using the comment section below. Feel free to include a link to a picture of your own embroidery. We will love you for it!
Hi Caron,
ReplyDeleteMy friend, Nancy, always kept her floss on cards just like yours. It's a very nice system, but I never cared for the way the floss always ends up being kinked when it came off of the card. Plus, I like to pre-cut my floss before storage so those cards weren't practical for me. I use the LoRan Mastercard system, which works well for my purposes. I have three organizers stuffed with about 35 Mastercards shown here:
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii60/SusanInTexas/Cross%20Stitch/IMG_1441.jpg
I inherited a bunch of floss from a friend, then bought some more, so I have almost all the colors of DMC. I remember spending about a week of evenings cutting the floss and loading the Mastercards. I called it making my OCD work for me. lol I really like the Mastercards, though LoRan has changed the organizers on me now that I need to buy another one 8(.
Your embroidery is lovely!
All the best,
Susan