Bring greater dimension to a floral entry wall with embroidered motifs on blooming fabrics.
Our floral entry Sea Floral wallpaper from York Wallcoverings is an eye-catcher and we didn’t want to cover it up too much with artwork. Instead, we opted for a lacy mirror and framed fabrics.
To create the outlined motifs on a floral fabric, you’ll need a rectangular scrap of fabric, an embroidery hoop, embroidery floss in matching or coordinating colors, scissors, an embroidery needle, double-sided tape or a staple gun and staples, and a wood frame.
Choose a fabric with bold blooms or other graphic motifs. Give dimension to the florals by outlining them in a stem stitch with matching or coordinating colored embroidery floss.
The stem or outline stitch is great for (obviously) outlining a motif and works very well around curves. It’s one of the most commonly used stitches in embroidery. To create the stem stitch, bring your thread up through the fabric at the left end of your design (A). Keeping your thread below your needle, push the tip back into the fabric about a half-inch to the right (B) and bring the needle back through a quarter-inch from where you began (C). Pull the thread through.
Push the needle into the fabric another quarter-inch along (D) and up at the first downward stitch (B) and continue along your line, keeping your stitches as even as possible.
In the real world, it looks more like this. Follow the outline of the floral motif and you won’t go wrong.
It’s an easy stitch to maneuver around corners.
Little dots of color in the pattern are just the spot for a group of French knots.
The French knot, an ideal stitch for representing floral buds, can be tricky but is easy once you get the hang of it. If you’re new to it, practice it a few times on a scrap of fabric before adding it to your design. To make the stitch, bring your threaded needle up through your fabric (1). Hold the needle point away from the fabric with your right hand (2).
Use your left to wrap the thread around the needle twice (3). While holding the thread taut, push the needle tip down into the fabric very near the thread you brought up (4).
Avoid placing your needle into the same hole or your knot may come out the other side—annoying to say the least.
Slide the knot down the needle to the fabric surface, keeping the thread taut with your left hand (5). Lightly holding the knot with your left thumb, slowly push the needle through the fabric (6).
The trick is keeping the thread held snugly but not so tight the needle can’t pass through.
Pull the thread to form the completed stitch (7). Repeat (8) to form a series of flower buds.
Sounds complicated, but once you’ve done it a few times, you’ll have French knots popping up all over your design.
Remove the fabric from the embroidery hoop and press out any wrinkles. If you need to iron near or behind the stitching, lay the fabric face down onto a fluffy towel and press the back of the fabric so that you don’t flatten your embroidery.
Fabrics can be framed two simple ways. You can use a two-sided tape on the edges of the fabric and lay the frame to center the motif. Press in place, ensuring the fabric remains flat. Or, lay the frame face down, center the fabric, also face down, and staple the fabric to the frame, again ensuring it’s evenly stretched.
Hang a group of framed fabrics in unique frames married by a similar finish like these distressed wood examples.
Like this look? See more ideas from this cheery entry in our last post.
© Caruth Studio