It’s no secret that we LOVE hand embroidery!!

When we stop to THINK about it, we like it in all fashions, shapes, and forms. . .

From “old school” forms . . .

To a more “modern approach” . . .

From a LOT of embroidery . . .

To just a little of it {less IS sometimes more} . . .

While we have shared some”inspiration” of different embroidery forms, we wanted to give you a few more options – many that we are anxious to try.

The main thing to keep in mind is: BE CREATIVE! There are really NO RULES while incorporating hand embroidery!

You decide on the type of stitch, how many strands of floss you use, the size of the stitch, the combination of colors within stitches, and the position of those stitches. Each one of these factors determine the overall “look” of the garment.

The Birthstone Dress

We have a Pinterest board, dedicated specifically for embroidery stitches, techniques, and inspiration.

While we wish we could incorporate hand work on all of our creations, we find it to be an impossible task!

Here are some embroidery ideas that are on our “sewing bucket list” . . . or ones that are just too cool NOT to share:

Starting small . . . BUTTONS!

How cute are these embroidered fruit, using some simple stitching and buttons??

Or, check out this post full of “embroidered button” inspiration – we are drooling over some of these ourselves!

And, finally, how about using buttons as sea shells . . . washed up to shore? AMAZING!

French knots: One of our STAPLES in embroidering.

Here is an “Anthropologie Knock-Off” idea, using French knots instead of beadwork.

If “French knot” inspired work interests you, HERE is a pinterest board devoted solely to just that!

Another “Anthropologie Inspired” piece might interest some of you, as you begin to think about another school year {or tuck the idea away for Valentines Day}.

All it takes is a little back-stitching, running stitch, and possibly a stem or split stitch.

Many sewists like incorporating words in their creations, but again, it’s all in the manner of presentation.

Working with felts and embroidery is another interesting concept!

We love the bright, bold colors . . . and various stitches displayed in the small pieces of felt!

Or, what if you took a printed fabric and focused on particular piece of it . . . like THIS:

Then, you could always dye your fabric after creating your embroidered design, as seen HERE:

One of the first types of “handwork” we did was cross-stitch, yet never in a million years would we have thought to incorporate like these examples:

A Gingham Cross-Stitch

Galactica for Boys {or men . . .}

And, as everyone knows . . . boys present more of a challenge with anything sewing related, much less handwork! Some of the best ideas {according to us} seem to be generated around a favorite movie / movie quote, a child’s interests in school {math, science, chemistry, constellations, treasure maps, subway maps, geography / travel, etc.}, or any general interests the child might have . . .

Just remember: Hand work for boys CAN BE DONE!! You just have to “get creative!”

Shadow work displays well on bibs, daygowns, or collars. HERE is another site that has excellent references to collar embroidery!

Flowers always strike a chord with people!

And, depending on the “embroider’s decisions”, create varying looks in the process!

Embroidered Flowers, based on the child’s drawing

Yumiko Higuchi flowers

THEN, WE CAN’T FORGET . . .

Sashiko is on the rise as well!! Time-consuming, but soooo effective!

Ombre embroidery anyone??

For a little “razzle dazzle” . . . add some beads to your stitching, and voila:

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!!

Like, for instance, by using negative space embroidery to effectively convey a message.

Also, embroidery doesn’t have to be “light and airy”.

Here are a few examples of embroidery on a coat:

 Embroidered Coat with Bunny

Embroidered Gold Coat

So, as you can see, embroidery can be used ANY WAY you can imagine – spanning the seasons, fabric types, and designs! Our only warning we give is: IT IS A TOUCH ADDICTING. . . once you start that first stitch, you might never want to stop!!

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