In these posts I want to share some of my favorite pieces, which will include wall hangings, small works, pillows, purses, and just because pieces. The piece below is form my book Creative Embroidery, Mixing the Old with the New.

Bella Fleur Mouchoir (Beautiful Flower Handkerchief): The base of this wallhanging is made from a group of vintage floral printed hankies that I found in a green satin bag in my mom’s “delicates” drawer. I combined the hankies with scraps of vintage feed sack and cotton fabrics from the 40’s, with new cotton fabrics. I created a border of crazy- and strip- pieced fabrics, and I used satin ribbons to hide the raw edges. I embroidered stitches around the edges of the hankies and ribbons and the seams of the pieced fabric.

I embroidered this piece over several months, making sure to add embroidered and embellished details to each seam and open space. I was able to use almost all of the embroidery stitches that I included in the book, that utilized the threads that I chose to work with.

I made ribbonwork flowers using vintage cotton bias tape and woven ribbons, and fabric yo-yos from the left-over bits of vintage feed sack and cotton floral fabrics. This piece is adorned with vintage and new plastic buttons, and new novelty buttons.

Materials Used:

• Perle Cotton: #8 and #12
• Cotton Floss: 2 or three strands
• Additional threads: tatting and crochet cotton in various weights; cotton floss
• Embellishments: Glass seed beads, plastic charms, vintage and new buttons
• Flowers and Fabric: Rosette, crinkly flower, fuller flower, yo-yo

Embroidery Details:

• Border Row Stitches: Backstitch, blanket stitch, blanket stitch up and down, blanket and chain stitch, blanket stitch closed, blanket stitch up and down, chain stitch, chain stitch double, chain stitch spiny, chain stitch zigzag, chevron stitch, coral stitch, cretan stitch, cretan stitch looped, cretan stitch up and down, cretan stitch with chain stitch, cretan with feather stitch, crossed wing stitch, cross stitch row, feather stitch, feather stitch cobwebbed, feather stitch double, feather stitch looped, feather stitch single, fern stitch modern, fishhook stitch, fly stitch fancy link, herringbone stitch, herringbone stitch twisted, shell stitch row, snail trail stitch, stem stitch
• Detail Stitches: Cross stitch, cross stitch twisted, fleet stitch, fleet stitch with loose knot, fly stitch, fly stitch with French knot stitch, fly stitch with lazy daisy stitch, French knot stitch, lazy daisy stitch, lazy daisy with bullion tip stitch, lazy daisy with French knot stitch, looped tendril stitch, pistil stitch, shell stitch, stamen stitch, and straight stitch
• Flower and Shape Stitches: Bell flower stitch, buttonhole circle stitch, fly stitch flowers, French knot stitch flowers, lazy daisy stitch flowers, spiderweb: corner stitch, straight stitch flowers, whip-stitch star
• Embellishment Stitches: Clustered buttons, curved wing butterfly, embroidered buttons, single bead stitch, stacked bead stitch, stitched 2-hole buttons, stitched 4-hole buttons

Happy Stitching to you all! ~Christen