Love Embroidery Issue 12

The colours we choose to fill our lives with can have an enormous effect on our mood. Whether it’s wearing a new outfit or treating yourself to a bunch of flowers, adding some brighter shades to your surroundings can give you a real boost. And what better way to play with colour than with a needle and thread? At this time of year, I just love to pull out all my favourite threads and get a bit experimental with my stitching. Anything can become your canvas: a scrap of pretty fabric, some old denim jeans, a long forgotten pair of espadrilles… the possibilities are endless! This month, I’d like to encourage you to feel brave and go bold with your embroidery. Try a new technique, switch up the colour palette…

Once upon a time These enchanting illustrations have jumped straight out of designer Jessie Chorley’s notebook for you to stitch. Each one is screen printed onto soft linen that’s safe to pop in the washing machine – making them a great choice for embellishing items that will see a lot of wear. You can patch them onto clothing or sew them into blankets. The template pack comes as a set of eight, with two of each design included. www.loopknittingshop.com Beautiful blues Soothe your soul with this ink-inspired floral hoop from The Little Posy Print Co. Worked using DMC ombré thread, you’ll be pleased to know this elegant design is deceptively easy to stitch – plus, the kit comes with handy video links to help you through any stitches you might not know. Perfect for…

Sarah Godfrey has made stitching on sheer fabric beginner-friendly in her new book Organza Hoop Art – with 12 striking projects to try! £12.99 | Landauer Publishing Learn how to use embroidery, patching, darning and more to repair and restyle your clothing and homeware in Noriko Misumi’s Mending With Love. £12.99 | Tuttle Publishing Beverly McCullough explores the joys of decorating with vintage vibes in her new book, Retro Stitchery, full of vibrant and quirky projects to make. £16.51 | Martingale Publishing…

FRAMING IN A HOOP Press your finished embroidery on the wrong side to avoid flattening the stitches. Trim the fabric into a circle that’s slightly larger than the outer hoop. If you want to back your hoop neatly, place the inner hoop onto a piece of felt and cut around it. Mount the fabric back into the hoop in the same way as when you were stitching, but making sure the design is central within the inner hoop and the screw is positioned at the centre of the top. Work running stitch around the edge of the fabric and pull tightly to gather the fabric behind the hoop. Pin the felt over the back of the gathered fabric and stitch into place by hand using either small whipping stitch or blanket…

Mindful making We’ve dipped and dabbled in the punch needle technique before, and although we were pretty much head over heels for it already, Sara Moore’s fern design has tipped us over into full obsession. Those earthy tones, paired with the simplicity of the fern silhouette, are just so soothing to look at – not to mention to stitch. The relaxing repetitive motion of needle punching is almost meditative. And Sara’s beginner’s kit, with everything you need inside, will guide you through all the basics of the technique so you can get started on your needle punch journey straight away. www.wholepunching.co.uk…

MATERIALS • Cotton blend sweatshirt: turquoise• Stranded cotton: see NotesbSoluble stabiliser• Medium-weight fusible interfacing• Embroidery hoops: 10cm and 15cm diameter• Fusible cotton twill patches x2 (for finishing, optional)• Basic embroidery kit STITCHES USED Backstitch, Fishbone Stitch, French Knots, Lazy Daisy Stitch, Satin Stitch, Straight Stitch, Whipped Backstitch, Woven Wheel Turning a plain sweater into a fashion centrepiece might seem like a magic trick, but Jenny makes it easy with her clear step-by-step guide. These colourful blooms will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a buzzing wildflower meadow on a sunny spring day – boasting vibrant shades at every turn to lift your spirits high! You can find all the stitch guides you’ll need to make this floral beauty on p67. 01 Begin by cutting out and applying fusible interfacing to the inside of the…