A Growing Collection

A free hand embroidery project I did this week. I just went for it using some of my vintage romance comics for some inspiration. 

Since my last post I've noticed that my embroidery projects have turned into a nice collection. Its been about a year since I started embroidering. I started out with one of my favorite stories as a child "Princess and the Pea". I found a super cute pattern on Etsy that served as a great stitch sampler. It was a perfect pattern for a beginner and allowed me freedom for some creativity too. I recommend purchasing the pattern if you wanna give embroidery a try. The pattern can be purchased on Etsy from the shop Follow the White Bunny for a good price!

The first of many embroidery projects!

A little one for my youngest son. I used his birthday as the elevation level instead of the actual height. 

A sentiment toward my favorite time of year. 

This snowflake has some metallic french knots to add some sparkle. The finished product from my last blog post. 

My collection fits perfectly on the interior wall of my nook. I've been looking for something to fill this space and these to the job beautifully!

Here are some sites to check out for some embroidery inspiration!

Sublime Stitching - Truly isn't your grandma's embroidery

they have their own line of Sublime Floss too. The colors are absolutely beautiful and perfect for any project! I'll be looking for any excuse to use them.

September House - Has some super cute modern embroidery patterns. I'm in love with the snow angel pattern! I'll be working on that sometime soon.

Follow the White Bunny on Etsy! Where I got my fun Princess and the Pea pattern. I love the fur in this  red fox too. 

Everyone needs to check out this site MaricorMaricar even if you don't have an interest in embroidery I think everyone can appreciate the intricacy and beauty of the work done by them. Take a look at this post from their blog. I'd love to try something like this when I get better. 

- Hannah

Reading and Learning

I’ve been doing a lot of reading these days and finally made it to a book I’ve been sort of hesitant to read, but excited at the same time. I’m reading Grow Your Handmade Business by Kari Chapin. I love the way she writes and how easy she is to follow.  For as intimidating as starting a business sounds initially, she does a great job of easing you into it with excitement. I read Handmade Marketplace by her too. That was the book that got me really into being myself through my work instead of trying to do things people had expected of me. Since reading her book I’ve learned more about myself and what I’m really interested in.

So far, there are a lot of great things to be read in this book. I’m only officially the first chapter in (I love to skip around in these sort of books, but I really do read the whole book eventually ) and the words “be brave” have stuck out to me the most. It may be because I have a special place in my heart for the word brave (it’s my youngest son’s middle name). Being brave is such a good thing to have stuck into my head through this journey. I’m excited to try new things, why not have courage to do things they way we want to and not how we’ve only seen them done before.

I like the idea that all the things we make are one of a kind. Since we repurpose materials it’s unlikely that any piece will look just like another.  It leaves room for creativity ALL the time. Rachel and I are constantly coming up with new ideas and we aren’t pressured to keep to one particular path.  Between the two of us inspiration comes from so many different sources, we never really know what we are going to pick up next and make something awesome out of it.

-Hannah