dropcloth rainbow wheel embroidery sampler and 12wt aurifil
Hand Stitching

Dropcloth Color Wheel Sampler Progress

20 Comments

With an infant sleeping and nursing much of the day, and still the help of my husband around the house, I’ve been making good progress on my Dropcloth Color Wheel embroidery sampler. Over the weekend, I received some new colors of 12wt Aurifil (thank you, Alex!) so I now have all of the necessary colors to complete this sampler. I’m already thinking about what I’m going to embroider next, and can’t wait to use the thread for hand–or even machine–quilting, too!dropcloth rainbow wheel embroidery sampler and 12wt aurifil

dropcloth rainbow wheel embroidery sampler and 12wt aurifilThis is my first time trying embroidery, so I’m learning the stitches as I go. YouTube is an amazing resource, isn’t it!? So far, blanket stitch is still the trickiest for me. My favorites are Algerian Eyes, Coral Knots, and Backstitch. In browsing other embroidery samplers, I’m noticing that there seems to be an endless list of stitches to try, but I want to try them all! Admittedly, I’m a bit frightened by French Knots, but will tackle them next. I chuckled at the fact that I was sewing the couched stitch while sitting on the couch (is there a couch-related reason for the name?).

rainbow of aurifil 12wt threadThe more I use the 12wt Aurifil, the more impressed I am. I’m a complete beginner at embroidery, so there may be benefits of using a floss or perle cotton thread that are unknown to me, but the smoothness of the Aurifil makes it a dream to stitch with. There’s no unraveling or splitting, and the thread is thick enough to make an impact with only one strand. The colors, of course, speak for themselves: vibrant, bold, and shiny.

rainbow of aurifil 12wt thread and dropcloth samplerI have only a few sections remaining, and then comes the fun of deciding what to do with this once it’s finished. My initial instinct is to finish it in the hoop, but I’m tempted to stitch it into a larger mini quilt for a more finished display.

If you stitch embroidery samplers, how do you finish them?

I’m linking up with Freshly Pieced’s Work in Progress Wednesday and Molli Sparkles Sunday Stash (hello, shiny new Aurifil!).

 

 

20 thoughts on “Dropcloth Color Wheel Sampler Progress”

  1. That’s so pretty! You should check out the Sublime Stitching website, see the how-to tab. I learnt how to do French knots from there and they are SO easy! I think your sampler would look beautiful as a mini 🙂

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  2. I saw this on your IG and thought, “Did Kitty make that?” I love it and am hopping over to Etsy to purchase one for me. I have been wanting to do some slow sewing this summer. And, like you, I have really never learned to hand embroider. It’s been on my list for a while.

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  3. It looks wonderful, Kitty, and you’ll handle the French knots easy-peasy. One trick I learned was after you wrap the thread around the needle before putting it back in where you came out, hold the thread taught as you place it back in the hole and pull it thru. They come out perfect every time! XOXO

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  5. I’ve done a lot of cross stitch and finishing depends on what I want to do with it. Sometimes they get framed and hung on the wall, sometimes I put them on the top of boxes, and sometimes I treat them as part of a quilt. Finishing your embroidery in the hoop would look great, but so would an expanded piece with more stitches in a second circle or square. Good luck with this piece, it is really wonderful.

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  6. French knots are not so bad once you figure out to which side you need to thread back down through. This looks like some really yummy thread to work with. I’ve never done a sampler, but my vote is to put it into some kind of mini quilt with some additional handing quilting to tie it all together.

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  8. so lovely Kitty. fun to have a project that you can work on in little bites (in between babe and kid time-I remember those days well).

    Hillary

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  9. I love seeing your pictures of baby in lap with embroidery on Instagram 🙂 I think couch stitch comes from the other definition of “to couch” meaning “to lie down,” so you’re lying down the one thread with the other. [Confession: I just had to look up that definition. I thought it actually meant “to nestle between,” which would apply for both the stitch and the furniture I guess haha, but it seems I am just making up definitions.]

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  11. Your sampler is a wonderful rainbow, just beautiful. I have never tried the Aurifil 12wt. I have tried their floss which I love but it is really thick, I think I need to get some 12wt and try some embroidery.

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  13. This is pretty. So glad Baby is giving you time to stitch! All that colorful Aurifil 12 is a treat for the eyes.
    French knots are so fun! Don’t be frightened!! (I don’t really embroider, but I know how to do a couple of stitches, and the french knot is one of ’em 🙂

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  14. This is gorgeous! I’ve been meaning to break out my 12wt and do some embroidery, but it’s so hard to find the time. I love that you jumped right in to this. I found that most of the stitches weren’t too difficult to pick up, but it’s a matter of practice with everything. The French knots can be a bit of a pain, but you’ll get there.

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  15. Hi there!
    I just wanted to hop over and thank you! I’ve been selling a few of these colorburst samplers lately, and a few customers have let me know that I have you to thank- so THANK YOU!

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  18. It is funny. I have been watching this develop on Instagram but have only now got a sense of scale. It is much smaller than I thought. It could be a stand-alone hoop or the centre of a round colour wheel, perhaps?

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