If you’ve been reading Needle ‘n Thread for a while, you know I have a great love for long and short stitch and needle or thread painting techniques. The techniques of thread painting – and especially of long and short stitch – can often be intimidating to new stitchers, or even to old! It helps to delve into thread painting with a little project, and here is a perfect one to get you started.
You also know, if you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, that I have a great admiration for the work of Trish Burr – and this little thread painting project comes straight from her. You can find it on her website, Trish Burr Long and Short Stitch Embroidery. If you haven’t seen her beautiful website – oh, do take the time! It’s just a pleasure to spend time browsing there!
If the holiday crunch has let up for you, now might be the time to take up a wee little project, just for the fun of it, and perhaps to learn a new technique. Trish’s free long and short stitch project is just the perfect size – it’s a beautiful little pansy, and it comes with a pattern, all the supplies you’ll need listed, as well as step-by-step photos as the piece is completed.
Isn’t it pretty?
Just for the sake of relaxation and something different, I thought this would be a fun weekend project – maybe something I could work on with my niece, who wants to learn the ins and outs of thread painting. But low and behold, a little needlework emergency came up on my end, and I have a “volunteer” project I must complete by this Monday night. I’ll show you that, but not right now, as I’ve got to plan it, transfer a design and get stitching. I think the next three days will be spent embroidering – very simple line stitches of text – but I’ll show it to you as I make progress on it and tell you what it’s about.
Other than that, I’ve got another project on the books, due January 4th, that’s been heaps of fun so far, but now I’m getting into the nitty gritty details, which would be fine without the Tuesday deadline hanging over my head – but that’s ok. I think I work best under pressure! I’ll be sharing this other project with you, too!
So that’s what’s going on in my life, now that the holiday crunch is over – it’s just a different kind of crunch!
I hope you have a chance to enjoy the weekend and relax a bit with friends and family – Christmas isn’t entirely OVER yet, you know! Now’s the chance to enjoy it, really!
Have a great weekend!
Thank you for this link….I have been looking at your work and thinking about trying this.
If you want some variety, try padding the petals, either just the edge with several strands of floss (4 to 6 whole strands of 6 strand floss) well coached down along the outside edge of each petal. You can also pad going across the width of the petal, but I love pansies padded on the edges. Anneg in NC.
PS Mary, Your Christmas projects are fabulous!
I hope you will let us know how your neice liked her handprinted fabric.