Here's a little bit of stitch entertainment to start this blog post!
Rooster and chicks in stitches!
Click the arrow and wait a second or two for the stitches to show.
Click the arrow and wait a second or two for the stitches to show.
Earlier this month I contributed a tea towel project posted on Stitching Sewcial, the official Brother blog. It featured the redwork design you see above. My version of farmhouse chic, it's stitched on a hemstitched blank towel from Dunroven House, combined with color matched decorative stitches and a strip of fabric. Be sure to check out the entire project HERE, and don't forget to download the Free design courtesy of Brother. You'll find additional redwork designs available for purchase on Brother's digital download site, iBroidery.com.
Chances are good that your local sewing machine dealer also has multiple design collections with a redwork theme. Dakota Collectables has produced some of my own personal favorites.
Chances are good that your local sewing machine dealer also has multiple design collections with a redwork theme. Dakota Collectables has produced some of my own personal favorites.
Machine made Redwork embroidery is a quick way to dress up plain lightweight fabrics such as linen, muslin, and Osnaburg cloth. Most often, designs are just one single color, stitched with a straight stitch traveling more than once in the same spot. Typically low in density and therefore lightweight, for most fabrics you'll still need stabilizer to support stitches during embroidery. Light weight tear-away works well for many projects. Just be careful to gently remove stabilizer at the end, and avoid distorting the stitches.
Wash away mesh is another option, simply cut away excess when finished and then wash out the remainder.
You can certainly use these designs on heavier fabrics but avoid any fabric with nap or the stitches will get lost in the fibers. No matter the fabric, the best hooping method is to layer the two stabilizers together. Secure between the inner and outer ring of the hoop with fabric and stabilizer taught in the hoop.
Liquid designed to stiffen fabric temporarily and then wash out is one more way to beef up the fabric for this light weight style of stitching. CLICK HERE for a Free Let's Go Sew tip sheet on using liquid stabilizers.
If your fabric needs a more permanent stabilizer consider cut-away, or if it's suitable for your project a medium weight fusible interfacing works well.
Wash away mesh is another option, simply cut away excess when finished and then wash out the remainder.
You can certainly use these designs on heavier fabrics but avoid any fabric with nap or the stitches will get lost in the fibers. No matter the fabric, the best hooping method is to layer the two stabilizers together. Secure between the inner and outer ring of the hoop with fabric and stabilizer taught in the hoop.
Liquid designed to stiffen fabric temporarily and then wash out is one more way to beef up the fabric for this light weight style of stitching. CLICK HERE for a Free Let's Go Sew tip sheet on using liquid stabilizers.
If your fabric needs a more permanent stabilizer consider cut-away, or if it's suitable for your project a medium weight fusible interfacing works well.
Days of the week kitties from the book titled Redwork from the Workbasket by Rebecca Kemp Brendt.
Redwork designs are such a joy to stitch! They’re simple designs, but Oh . . . the stories they tell! Ranging from farm animals to nostalgic items, to cute images of boys and girls at play, and so much more!
My friend Rebecca Kemp Brendt authored a book on the topic of redwork. Titled Redwork from The Workbasket, her book includes 100 designs from The WORKBASKET®, a classic magazine with a 60-year crafting tradition.
In the book you’ll find lots of inspirational projects accented with redwork designs.
All 100 designs have been digitized for use with an embroidery machine! Each of the designs is available in multi formats for machines, plus .jpg and .pdf files, making this collection as appealing to hand stitchers as it is to machine embroidery enthusiasts!
Note: I'm the proud owner of an autographed copy of this book. I just recently learned that it's in short supply. If you can't snag a copy online contact Rebecca directly through her Facebook page. I believe she has a few copies available.
Note: I'm the proud owner of an autographed copy of this book. I just recently learned that it's in short supply. If you can't snag a copy online contact Rebecca directly through her Facebook page. I believe she has a few copies available.
As you may well know, there’s a resurgence of hand stitchery out there. Many of us came to machine embroidery by way of a hand sewing background. Personally, I’m more machine oriented these days, but I value the time-honored techniques and the portability hand stitchery affords.
Redwork designs are as American as apple pie. Becoming popular in the mid 1800’s, the “red” in the redwork is part of the history of this homespun look. Research into production methods for creating the historic “Turkey red” thread could consume an afternoon but suffice it to say that in this bygone era American stitchers were happy to finally have embroidery floss that wouldn’t bleed into their fabric. Colorfast red thread allowed for embroidery motifs to be transferred onto fabric and stitched into pretty little pictures with simple outline stitching. These motifs proved to be popular for quilt blocks, tea towels, pillow covers and other common household linens.
In the 1870’s iron on transfers were developed. This eventually led to the availability of Penny Squares commercially produced and sold for a penny. Popular for quilt making, they were also perfect for teaching children how to handle a needle and thread. I can just imagine how much fun it was to stitch over those line drawings, seeing them come to life and turn into pretty little pictures.
Amazingly, we still see these in online needlework catalogs, available from online sites such as Colonial Patterns Inc., craft stores, and even in your local Walmart fabric department. somewhere in my stash I have a package of Aunt Martha's transfer designs similar to the days of the week kitties seen above. Who knows! Perhaps this summer I'll spend a few leisurely hours returning to my hand embellishment roots, relax with some hand embroidery, and wind down by stem stitching a few embroidered redwork blocks. It’s likely that I’ll add some trim finishes by machine. After all, I can’t stay away from pushing that machine embroidery start button for very long! How about you? Have you converted totally to embroidery by machine or do you still dabble in had worked techniques from time to time? I’d love to see your answers in the comments below.
In the 1870’s iron on transfers were developed. This eventually led to the availability of Penny Squares commercially produced and sold for a penny. Popular for quilt making, they were also perfect for teaching children how to handle a needle and thread. I can just imagine how much fun it was to stitch over those line drawings, seeing them come to life and turn into pretty little pictures.
Amazingly, we still see these in online needlework catalogs, available from online sites such as Colonial Patterns Inc., craft stores, and even in your local Walmart fabric department. somewhere in my stash I have a package of Aunt Martha's transfer designs similar to the days of the week kitties seen above. Who knows! Perhaps this summer I'll spend a few leisurely hours returning to my hand embellishment roots, relax with some hand embroidery, and wind down by stem stitching a few embroidered redwork blocks. It’s likely that I’ll add some trim finishes by machine. After all, I can’t stay away from pushing that machine embroidery start button for very long! How about you? Have you converted totally to embroidery by machine or do you still dabble in had worked techniques from time to time? I’d love to see your answers in the comments below.
RSS Feed