I’m going to lighten my posting load just a bit for the rest of the month, I think, so you may see fewer words, but hopefully the photos will supply their own stories.

Several of you asked about this throw pillow after seeing it in the sneak peek on Friday. Yes, it is an embroidered family portrait of sorts. I was inspired by one I found on Pinterest, which was far, far outside of my budget. So I cut up the last of my linen, sketched out similar drawings (because I liked their style), and machine embroidered in black thread. It’s the first time I’ve tried the “free motion” sort of machine embroidery. I like—and it’s just my style (sketchy) when it’s done!

For several years now, I’ve been aware that I am drawn to a certain style of embroidery, both to look at and to stitch myself, when I’m just doing freehand designs. I never knew what to call it other than “folksy.” But then I came across the book Scandinavian Needlecraft by Clare Youngs, and suddenly I said, “Oh! So that’s what it’s called!”

When, right before vacation, I whipped up a linen pouch with a vintage sheeting lining, I recalled a project from the book and determined I would add it to the pouch when I had the time. I didn’t transfer the exact pattern, but freehanded it onto the fabric with my pen and then added a few bits of my own.

I promised myself I would be intentionally “crude” in my stitching, which really amounted to not letting myself pick anything out. I didn’t want the stitches to be even or the overall composition to be perfect, and it definitely isn’t—which makes it just right!

Have a good weekend!

Here I am, working on a pile of mending and fixing that has been sitting—quite literally—for at least two years.

Like the pair of Summer pants that had a slight stain on one of the pockets. I did some freehand embroidery in the same color family as the stain to disguise it. The pants have always fit great and were perfectly good otherwise, so why not?

Good for me, right?

Except the reason I’m working on these is because I have actual to-do’s with deadlines in preparation for our vacation next week, and I’m procrastinating. I must do unecessary-at-the-time, two-years-dusty things first, right?

What?

You may recall I felt the need to freehand a roundy embroidered piece.

So I did.

I used a fresh, blue linen and some very pale perle cotton and just went ’round and ’round until I felt like it was done.

I backed it using this technique, and I like how it adds a little surprise on the back of the piece with the happy yellow dots.

This piece is listed in the shop, and for you DIYers, there’s also a pattern available.

Happy weekend!

I decided to draw up a pattern for the new embroidery, which I’ve just finished. I’m particularly pleased with a new finishing technique I’ve discovered, as it adds a nice pop of color to the back. (And if you’re like me, you like little surprises like that!)

I’ve decided to wait to unveil the embroidery until I get the pattern finished, so I’ll be working on that tonight. Come back Friday for photos of the finished piece and more details!

Kootoyoo is the place to be for creativity and inspiration. So, what are you waiting for? Click on over!

This time I’m feeling the cool, fresh blue of the linen and a pale blue perle cotton thread. It’s nearly finished and then I’ll pop it in the shop.

Creative this, that, and the other is free for the viewing at kootoyoo!

This is the aforementioned slightly (deliciously) wonky mini quilt.

I did a raw-edge applique for the girls’ clothes, some simple stitching, and a little bit of special finishing to the yarn ball.

I don’t normally do a lot with blue, but lately it’s been appealing to me, especially the way it brightens this particular piece.

The blue fabric came from my mom’s basement, and the green was something my four-year-old picked up while we were shopping. She chose green for me, since it’s my favorite!

Both the quilt and the pattern for the embroidery are available in the shop. Now that I’ve gotten these done, I feel ready to move on to the next thing. What a relief!

Here’s one of the two embroideries I finally finished up this week. I kept it simple, using single strands of thread on a rough linen and a lacing technique (in bright red perle cotton thread) to mount it.

Both the original embroidery and the pattern, if you want to make your own, are in the shop.

Have a good weekend!

This week I’ve got a simple embroidery ready for its last stitches. Then I’ll finish it up—I’m thinking a cushion, or a mini quilt, or … hmmm, not sure yet.

When it’s done it’ll go into the shop, along with a pattern you can use if you want to make one for yourself!

It’s back to work for me. How’s your week’s start?

I’ve been working on finishing an embroidery based on a recent illustration. For some reason it’s been slow going, I think because once I’d finished the drawing, I moved on mentally. It was done, and I didn’t really feel like reworking it.

I did carry on, and it’s ready to be finished off into a mini quilt and put in the shop. I think from now on, though, I’ll be keeping my illustrations and embroidery designs separate unless they’re really begging to be translated more than once.

For creative inspiration and wisdom, click over to kootyoo and have a peek!