June Round-up

June Round-up

New month, new plans! But before we dive into July, it's time to sum up the previous month on Stitch Floral :)

Embroidery tips


This month I payed special attention to choosing and taking care of embroidery needles in the post 10 things to remember about hand embroidery needles. The topic seems really important to me, since needles are such an essential tool in hand embroidery, that we just can't do without it. How to take care of the needles, how to prevent the possible problems, how to choose the fitting one for the new project – all these issues I tried to cover in the post. If you have any extra tips on keeping the needles in check and avoiding any disappointment connected with it, please share your know-how's :P

Another topic that I picked up in June was the thread tangling andhow to prevent it. There are plenty of tips on this subject, but if I were to choose a couple of most effective for me personally – that would be following the back of my embroidery with fingers and letting the thread have a rest. I like to remove the needle from the thread, stroke it a little with my fingers, straighten it and just let it lie on the surface of the fabric for a bit and relax :)

Also, if you are an embroidery books junkie, you'll want to check the 26 free vintage embroidery books post. I picked the ones that are most worth attention, but actually the source is rich on all sorts of embroidery books and magazines, so be careful when you plunge there – you might lose the track of time!

My creations


Last month I didn't post much of my stitching, because there's a project I'm working on behind the scenes. But I actually embroidered some quick pincushions which you might notice here and here on IG:


They're so lovely and tiny, Ive completely fallen for them :) I didn't choose the best fabric for them, though, turned out that needles leave quite the holes in them, so now they serve more as a decoration and an eye-candy for me :)

But I posted one of my old creations: The Dogrose heart. It was a delight to take it out of my stash of “completed but not yet utilized” embroidery pieces and do some photo shoot for it. Especially since it was the season for the wild roses to bloom around in the streets.

Buttonhole series


June turned out to be a Buttonhole month here with a total of five posts dedicated to this versatile stitch. I already expressed my affection to this stitch few times, and I guess the number of posts that I prepared to cover it speaks for itself. But I really really want to encourage everyone who didn't yet learn it, to take a closer look at the Buttonhole stitch and try it out, and I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

The Buttonhole series start with the basics where we spoke about the technique of working the stitch, as well as its functionality and touched upon the confusion around its name. In the post about Buttonhole stitchvariations we had a look at how the conventional buttonhole stitch can change its appearance if you apply slight modification to the basic routine of working it. As an example, I showed three variations, but there are actually much more, so if you have a wish – that's an interesting topic to research :) 

Buttonhole stitch is usually used as a border stitch and for attaching applique to the fabric, but apart from that, it's a great stitch for filling the shapes! The thing I love the most about using buttonhole as a filler stitch is that it creates a nice outline with its “ground side”. We also spoke about two ways to start a new thread when you are working buttonhole stitch. One is pretty straightforward and the most common, although has certain drawbacks in my opinion. The second one is pretty easy as well and grants a neat surface of your work without any visible joints, although takes just a tiny bit more effort. Maybe? I don't really think it's that bothersome, it just takes one extra minute :P

Finally, I shared the freebie – PDF pattern with tutorial for some additional practice in working buttonhole stitch :)

What about July?


This month I want to cover satin stitch and long and short stitch here on Stitch Floral. These will be the last basic stitches for the Library. Also, as always, I'm preparing new embroidery tips and I already have a new pincushion in mind. So many plans, actually, I just hope I have the time and the mood for everything! I was in a kind of slump in the end of June, hope the new month will see me more productive :)


How was your June? Was it rich on stitching and brought you some exciting results? Any new plans for July? Share in the comments!  

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