japanese cross stitch embroidery kits

i am super excited to let you know about these cross stitch zakka kits from clover that are in the shop!
they are beautiful kits with high quality and perfectly selected materials.
flickr set here

qiang embroidery

starting in a few hours from now (since it's after midnight, with a full moon, and i will have to get up well before the sun rises) i will be heading off to china for a week.

it's a research trip for school and we will be visiting the area of sichuan that suffered badly from the earthquake 2 years ago. it's an area that is home to the qiang people, an ethinic minority in china, who have an extremely rich tradition of embroidery. i'm not sure how much i will be able to blog, but you can bet that i will keep my eyes open for crafts.

the photo above is from sandyahyu on flickr.

a new kogin embroidery book

i just added a new lovely kogin embroidery book to the shop. i've posted about kogin before, and i am still interested in exploring this craft more.
i like this book because the projects are simple and useful, and showcase the beautiful kogin patterns.
a full set is of photos of this book is on flickr.

weekend crafting: kogin

this weekend i finally got around to a project i've been planning to do for months: kogin embroidery! i used some cotton towels with a loose weave, and some sashiko thread i had on hand. technically kogin thread is a bit coarser. basically kogin is a type of counted thread embroidery.
i was inspired by this book, which is in the shop, and here is a complete flickr set.
i used one of the most simple designs, but there are so many more i would love to try.kogin is kind of traditional embroidery from the northern part of japan. originally used as a form of darning or reinforcing work clothes, the patterns became and beautiful and intricate decoration. like the related embroidery sashiko, kogin is most commonly done with white thread on a indigo blue background.
but i love this book also and especially because of the way it shows how to use the kogin techique on contemporary objects. another example of the perfect blending of traditional and modern in japanese craft.

a little holiday sashiko work in progress

a few designs i've been working on, i'm loving the dark navy linen background for sashiko thread.so far i think i like these trees, that are made up of lines rather than outlines,

and this snowflake turned out ok, maybe next time i'll do it less free form and draw out the the design first.

i have plans to turn these designs into ornaments, i'll show you how they turn out.

pine branches ornament

Pine Branches Ornament, originally uploaded by jennybubbletime.

this wonderful ornament was embroidered by jennybubbletime, spotted on flickr.

snowflake embroidery by resurection fern

just beautiful, including a tutorial. from resurrection fern, via craft gossip.

current inspiration-needle felting embroidery book

i am so inspired by this book. maybe it's just my recent fascination with embroidery combined with my long love of felt, but i think the combination is brilliant. just added to the shop.

i've tried something similar on my own several years ago, but this method (these are the how-to photos from the book) show a very precise process of needlefelting directly onto the fabric, and then applying some soap and water to get a more smoothly felted surface...
and then the final details and touches with the felting needle.

there are so many detailed and colorful projects; there's a full flickr set here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/feltcafe/sets/72157622847355110/
i want to try this technique as soon as possible, maybe on something with a holiday theme...

stitched by edward and lily

i love the sweet little sewn drawings by rebecca of edward and lilly, like this hound dog here.
and look, now she has these precious fabric ornaments for sale in her etsy shop!

stitch ideas magazine, vol. 10

this new issue (vol. 10) of the japanese magazine stitch ideas or sutichi idées is perfect for inspiring all sorts of plans for stitching projects. these are just a few photos from this magazine, which is seriously chalk full of wonderful projects. full flickr set here.i especially love the ones that are from fairy tales,

and everything that's embroidered on linen (lots!)
and these sweet little red cross stitch ornaments.

it's in my shop for now, but i wanted to remind you all that if something is temporarily sold out, i can usually get another one for you!

sewn/drawn

recently i've been noticing embroidery and stitching, and thinking about how stitches are like drawings. these soft mushrooms are from das kaninchen.
seen from above.
amazing embellished mittens and hat by dadaya
and a simple yet compelling design from moth and squirrel.

my second sashiko sampler, nowaki pattern

this was my second sashiko embroidery project.
again, i used a sampler, which is great because it has the pattern printed on the fabric, in wash-out ink.
these are a few of the available patterns for sashiko samplers for making a small cloth towel. they are all classic sashiko motifs, the one i did is on the right: nowaki, or wind-blown grasses.
another nice thing about the sampler is that it shows the order to stitch the different lines.

sashiko thread is a little thicker than regular embroidery floss. the sashiko needle is fairly long.
for sashiko, you use the needle to load as many stitches as possible, then pull the thread through.
this is the traditional sashiko thimble, it's worn like a ring and has a flat, round dish. i didn't use a thimble at all the first time i tried sashiko. this thimble was fun to wear, and maybe it made the sewing just a little faster, but i think you can do sashiko without a thimble.
in process
this is what it looks like on the back. the one important thing when doing sashiko is to make sure to leave a little extra tread so that the finished work will lay flat.
done!

dana robson of aquarabbit

dana robson of aquarabbit makes beautiful mixed media creations, with a winning combination of vintage maps, gocco printing, and embroidery.

she has a showcase here on the website the beholder (that i just discovered). you can see more of her available work on flickr, and she has an etsy shop too.

if you're in seattle, you can see her works right now at the fabulous bluebottle gallery.

(thanks justin!)