Tiny Embroidered Hearts Tutorial with a Valentine Giveaway

At last!  I have finished the pincushions with the tiny hearts!  I wanted to have something made up to show you how I sometimes use these tiny embroidered hearts...along with showing you how I stitch these hearts.  And, now I have!!!  And, as promised...there is a GIVEAWAY also.  So, this post is in three parts.  First, how I stitch the hearts.  Second some samples of work I have done using these tiny hearts.  Third....the GIVEAWAY!

 

PART #1

I have drawn three hearts on this piece of muslin.  Why three?  Who knows?  One would do.

I don't know an easy way to show you how I do this.  I know there is an easy way...but it's beyond

 me - the electronically challenged person - so hang in there with me.  I'm sure you will 'get it' without any trouble.  In fact, you probably already know how to do this.  I guess you should just humor me so I can think I'm doing a good job!

So, choose the size heart you'd like to stitch.  To be honest....I think the tinier they are, the prettier they are.  This one is a quarter inch high and about the same wide.  TINY.  I love making them, although I have to say since I have not been sewing for quilt a while....I almost had to re-learn how to do it and my hands and my eyes definitely know I'm older, so these hearts aren't quite as "perfect' as they used to be.  I'm happy to report that nothing is really perfect...so it is what it is.  I'm using two strands of DMC floss here.  If I'm making a really tiny heart, I'll only use one strand.  And, I use the thinnest, strongest needle I can put my hands on.  Yes, I have marked the heart on the fabric.  Sometimes I use a pencil and sometimes I use a permanent pen.  This heart is permanent.  I think it challenges you to do your best work, usually, that is.  I'm sure some of you can stitch a heart without marking anything.  Sorry to say, I'm not that person.  I mark.  And, am using a Satin Stitch.

I begin by coming up from the back either at the point of the heart, or the dip of the heart.  I really don't think it matters.  Then, I  insert the needle in the opposite place.  I like to keep all the thread on the front of the work, so you will notice in all these photos, I go down and come up by making the next stitch almost touching the previous thread.  Hopefully, you will see that.  You can carry the stitch across the back of the heart....and I do on a teeny-tiny one, but on this size and up, I don't carry thread across.  They just seem nicer that way.  If you do carry the thread across the back, your heart will be thicker and puffier.  Perhaps you would want that.  I'm not going to say much more, thinking you can get the idea just by looking at the photos.

 

 Did that help you?  If not, feel free to contact me and ask questions.....but I bet you "got it."

 

I stitched these hearts just so you could see how they look in different sizes.  Like I said, I like the tiniest ones the best.  You'll notice I have two that say "padded with felt."  I'm not too crazy about that size...but if you want to make them....they do look better if they are thicker and fluffier....so I often cut out a piece of felt (cut into the exact heart shape and size, either glue or stitch it to the background, then do the Satin Stitch over it all.  Don't even try this with the teeny ones!

 

Here are a bunch of little ones I just drew freehand...all TINY....and in my mind, much easier that the large ones.  I have a fondness for long skinny hearts, but, truthfully, they are harder to keep 'neat.'

 

PART #2

 These are all the tiny heart samples I made for this tutorial....with the ones in the hoop - the ones I tried my best to photograph as I made them.

 

  Some examples of my teeny-tiny hearts in pieces I have made over time.

This is on a little doll quilt. 

 

 I stitched several over the surface of that little quilt...which is about 10" x 12" in size. 

 

 Here is a four inch crazy quilt pincushion....with one tiny heart.  All if needed, really.

 

 This is a crazy quilted needlecase I made way back when.  And, this may have been one of the very first tiny embroidered hearts I ever made. 

 

 A bird ornament also made long ago.  I did several of these...they flew away, of course!

 

 I made this pin the month after September 11th.  Actually, I lost one at the Houston quilt show and this is a 'reproduction.'  So to speak.  The hearts are stitched with a variegated thread, as are the stripes in the flag.

 

 This is the little quilt, the bird, the pincushion, the needlecase and the flag pin...all bunched together. 

Can you guess what my favorite colors are?

 

PART #3

 The GIVEAWAY!  There are three little pincushions I made shown here, and I actually just this minute noticed the Heart pincushion didn't make it into this photo, so there FOUR pincushions I am giving to FOUR of you.  (I'm keeping the muslin one.)

 

 This one, I am keeping.  Well, I have to have some reward for all this work!

 

 Just a little close-up!

 

 GIVEAWAY #1

 

 GIVEAWAY #2

 

GIVEAWAY #3

 

GIVEAWAY #4

 If you are interested in winning one of these pincushions....please leave a comment on this blog post and I will choose FOUR Winners on Wednesday evening, February 18th.    Kindly make sure I have a way to get in touch with you....and, no, you don't get to choose which one you might win...sorry....that would just complicate my life way too much!

I hope you enjoyed the Tutorial!  By the way, I have been asked to do a Tutorial on the Chain Stitch Pincushion I showed a few posts back...and I will do that in March.  Should be a lot easier for me and less photos in that one....so, I hope you will check it out.

Until next time,

♥♥♥

Hearts I have Made, Revisited

 

So, while I am embroidering tiny hearts, I thought since it is February, I'd show you some hearts I have made over the last few years.  There are more, but this is a selection, and most of them now live with other people, in fact, were made for them.   This one, about six inches long, embroidered on felt, well, I still own it.  And, there is a black one further along, that I still have.  The rest live elsewhere.  I hope you enjoy seeing them.

 

 Silk ribbon embroidery on Battenburg lace.

 

This is, if I remember, a piece about ten inches square, maybe twelve. A

pillow, sold long ago.

 

 This little blue pincushion, also gone....lives in California. More silk ribbon, on painted linen.  I think it is three inches square.

 

 An ATC card, also long gone.  One of those tiny hearts I'm now working on...this whole piece is about 2 1/2" x 3 1/2."

 

 I've made many of these over time.  I hope they still bring pleasure to those receiving them.

 

 This is that black one I mentioned....I'm pretty sure it is the first crazy quilt heart I made.  Hard to see in this photo, but the background actually is four different pieces of black fabric.  This one is about three inches long.

 

A lot of beading on these.  Part of the fun (and also the work!) of course!

 

 Another tiny embroidered heart on this one!

 

 These vary between five or six inches long.

 

 Really red!  Used a red heart butterfly necklace on this one, without the chain, of course!

Another embroidered heart, too.

 

Variegated thread on these tiny embroidered hearts.  

 

 I'm a fool over leaves!  Love stitching them everywhere!

 

Red and Black.  Another embroidered heart.

 

  

 Another ATC card.  With more hearts.  And, those leaves!

 

This embroidered heart was made with a different take on the French Knot, this one has a 'tail.'  You know I have a weakness for French Knots......

 And, there you have them....Hearts I have made over time.

Well, February, and all that!!!!

Until next time,

♥♥♥

Broken, But Still Beautiful

 

 Do you remember this pie plate from long ago?  Shown here on the plate stand.  I was so excited when I found it at the flea market as I had never seen a pie plate exactly like it.  In fact, not one anything like it.  Later, I found a matching plate in my cabinet.  Who knew?  Just beautiful!!

  

Here it is again....later that year....so pretty!   And, then came the move to another house....

 

And, look what happened!  Yes, the lovely pie plate got broken in the move.  And, it was MY fault.

Made me sick, as the minute I picked up the box it rattled.  Not a good sign.  And, in it, the broken plate.  Along with that piece was a candy dish with birds, and a tiny bowl.  Why is it always the things you love that get broken and not just any old plate or bowl?

 

 I could not bring myself to throw away all the pieces, so I gathered them all together and put them in this vintage McCoy dish.  Green, my favorite color, and the pieces looked good in it, so I decided to add all the broken pieces - pie plate, candy dish and bowl - and I'd just continue to enjoy seeing them in my new home.  One way or another.

 

Such a shame!

 But, no crying over spilt milk...they are only 'things.'  I said that to myself several times.

 

Just things. 

 

Looks like life, doesn't it?  Well, like mine....broken - but still beautiful!

  

Someone loved this long ago.   And, I do too.

 

The candy dish.  

 

 The birds are so cute!

 

Here is the bowl...from an old photograph.  The pitcher is fine.  They are English...very dainty and delicate. 

 

 The bowl.  Darn it!

 

I have this vintage McCoy dish....decided all the pieces would look good in it....so there are my rescued pieces.   Living in my dining room as a reminder of their former beauty.  Fragments of my other life, it seems.

 

  

 

Here, carefully placed....to be rearranged time and again, over and over, as I please.  Still a delight to behold.  At least in my eyes.  A memory, really, of days gone by and treasured.

Until next time, 

♥♥♥

Vintage Pink, Rejuvenated

 

It was probably months ago that I showed this room....or this part of the room.  After that blog post, I received an email from one of my blog readers who emails often.  She was interested in the pink lamp in the photo.  So she asked about it and since it has a story, as most things do, I promised to tell about it 'one day soon.'  Well, it wasn't soon, but Gari Ann, I hope you see this!

  

I found this little vintage Pink lamp in the flea market, of course.  At the time, I thought it was the sweetest little thing and really wanted to buy it.  Not really surprising, given what I am usually doing.  The 'story' part is this.....I could tell the lamp was just dear....except that it was covered in black hand prints, smudges and streaks.  It was only $7, so I stood there trying to figure out if I could clean it if I bought it because it would be useless as is.  Standing there for a little bit debating the issue with myself, I finally decided that the price was right and it would be SO cute all cleaned up...well, I'd take a chance.

Would you have?

  

This is a photo I took earlier, without the light on...as you most likely saw it months ago.  Even in very poor light, the lamp is so cute!

 

After the purchase, I brought it home,  took the shade off and had a good look at it.  It's all glass, with hand painted flowers, just the sweetest thing!  By the way, I don't think this lamp shade is the one that came with it....but it looks pretty good with it, so I'm not searching for another one.  So, back to the story.  I tried everything to clean this lamp.  Windex.  Baking soda, Lemon juice.  Vinegar.  Dish detergent.  Hand soap.  Everything.  Feeling bad that it wouldn't come clean,  I put it away for a few days.  For some strange reason....and actually, having mostly given up on making the lamp worthy of keeping....I decided to try one more thing......

 

 THIS! 

 Now, who would expect this to clean a painted glass lamp?  But....I did exactly as I would do with a piece of silver....and what a surprise.....off came all that black without much effort at all...and it looked as good as new.  I couldn't believe it!  And, that is the story.  From potential garbage, to this beautiful hand painted vintage lamp.  Who knew?

  

 It seemed to do no damage at all, just made it look great. I was dumbfounded.

  

And, very happy!!

 

What do you think?  I will try it on something else should the event ever arise.....and I'm so proud now of my vintage Pink lamp....and shade too.   Gari Ann, hope you aren't disappointed in my little vintage PINK, rejuvenated!

Next time, expect another story on something vintage with a different outcome....which may also surprise you!  (Or, knowing me, maybe not!)

Until then, 

♥♥♥