Love Embroidery Issue 33

Love Embroidery FRESH IDEAS WITH THREAD Maybe it’s the colder weather that has us reaching for our yarn-like threads and packing our hoops with texture to run our fingers across. Maybe it’s just all the knitwear we’re wearing that’s inspiring our makes! Either way, we’re finding lots of joy right now in experimenting with more tactile styles of stitching, and mar velling at all the deliciously dense details you’ll find in this issue. Starting with Kseniia Guseva’s stunning snowy mountain scene, which is bursting with wintry colours and cosy layered stitching. Turn to page 40, to see for yourselves……

Winter warmer Hannah Doodle’s little pud is the spot-on stocking filler. It’s a cup of comforting tea, a Christmas pudding, and a Kawaii-inspired character all rolled into one handy pincushion that will be well loved by any crafter. So, if you’ve completely run out of time to make all your gifts by hand this year, you’ll be pleased to know Hannah makes these pincushions to order so you can still get those handmade points. Shhh, we won’t tell anyone! www.hannahdoodle.co.uk Deck the halls Allow us to introduce you to Lia Griffith’s crafting membership. Not only does a pass give you access to the templates and instructions to make fabulous festive projects like this felt bauble garland (yes, please!), but you’ll also get an extensive project librar y, monthly workshops and…

For your project book, turn to p85 W e’ve all been there! Made a list of presents as long as our arm that we’re absolutely without a doubt going to make by hand this year… but then reality, and that silly ol’ thing called ‘time’ kicks in and, suddenly, that list is looking a little daunting. Take some pressure off with our new booklet of quick-to-sew projects! They’re every bit as filled with gorgeous handmade details as other designs but take half the time. So, you actually can enjoy a cuppa or two while you make them and get them neatly wrapped up in time for the holidays or any other special occasion – using the reusable fabric wrap on p32 of the booklet, of course! Whether you make for…

In with the old… We’re all about the sustainable wardrobe here on team LE – and we know you all are, too. That’s why we’re more than a little excited about Alexandra Stratkotter’s – of Florals and Floss – new (and first ever!) book, The Embroidered Closet. As you might have guessed, it’s all about the DIY wardrobe, with tutorials for how to pick the right fabrics for patching and mending, guides for the best threads to use, tips on shopping thrifty, and enough beautiful botanical-themed projects to inspire a whole year of fashion-based stitching. Thankfully, there’s not long to wait as it’s out this month (November)! See more: www.floralsandfloss.com | Order a copy: www.abramsbooks.com…

MATERIALS Linen fabric: 50x50cm, sage DMC Stranded Cotton: 1 skein each of 600 (fuchsia), 720 (dark orange), 730 (dark olive), 733 (olive), 741 (orange), 815 (burgundy), 890 (dark green), 909 (emerald), 930 (dark blue), 3816 (blue-green) Embroidery hoop: 18cm diameter Iron-on adhesive: 45x45cm, 20x20cm Cotton drill fabric: 20x20cm, dark green Wooden ring: 30cm diameter (we used an old embroidery hoop) Glue gun (or strong craft glue) Craft knife Basic embroidery kit STITCHES USED Couching Stitch, Full Knot Stitch, Satin Stitch, Split Stitch, Straight Stitch NOTE Find the template on p71. W e’re going to predict that whatever was next on your to-stitch list just got bumped! Packed with gloriously modern foliage like ferns and eucalyptus, as well as berries and blooms that provide unexpected pops of colour, this incredible wreath…

W hat’s immediately striking about a Magnus & Quill embroidery design is the rich texture and abundance of undulating threads. You are urged to lean in, to reach out and touch. That same irresistible curiosity is what set Canadian designer Chantel Christine on her stitching path a few years ago. “It was the thread that sucked me in,” she confesses with a smile. “I was at the craft store and kind of on a whim was like ‘look at all this pretty floss!’ I picked a handful of colours. Of course, when you go embroidery floss shopping you don’t just get one. So I had a fistful and I’m like ‘I don’t even know what to with these’, so I Googled embroidery.” She bought supplies and a new passion was…