Tag Archive | tips

Upcycle it With Embellishments

Mar25

I am happy to say that I am now a teacher for C&T Publishing online learning platform, Creative Spark! I have a new lecture, Upcycle it with Embellishments.

Upcycle Pre-Loved Clothing and Accessories

With trends like “thrift flipping,” where people find unique ways to repurpose secondhand goods, learning to add embroidery and embellishments to fabric is a key skill in transforming dull or out-of-style finds into unique wardrobe staples. In this online course, I will show you how to give your current wardrobe or thrift store finds a unique look with hand or machine-stitched trims, embroidery, and vintage treasures. I hope to inspire all of you makers to reimagine your preloved and current stash.

Download the handout and follow along with the video and demos. I show you how to take an old tie to create a rose corsage; create new embellishments with unused jewelry parts; add lace, yo-yos, buttons, and pins; and cut a doily to make a lace appliqué. In each demo, you’ll learn essential embroidery and ribbonwork tips and techniques, such as knowing what dyes and glues to use and when to use them.

What you will learn

  • Add embroidery stitches to enhance a design or repair damage.
  • Sew on a collection of buttons or use vintage jewelry to add interest or a theme.
  • Turn an unused item like a tie or lace table runner into something wearable.
  • Hand or machine stitch lace or ribbons to the bottom edge of a vest or jacket to extend the length or to add interest.
  • Hand stitch ribbonwork flowers, doilies, and lace to add a feminine touch, hide a hole or a stain, or add design interest.
  • Your Course includes access to videos, downloads, the Creative Spark private community, and discussion with your instructor. Your course content does not expire.

Bonus

+ This course includes a 9-page handout to refer to throughout the course. The handout includes instructions for a few projects as well.

Sign up for Upcycle it with Embellishments!

Happy Stitching and Thrifting to you! ~Christen

Tips on Tuesdays and National BUTTON WEEK, Day 2!!!

Mar14

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe! And in honor of National Button week March 13-19, 2023 I thought that I would share a few of my favorite buttons, and buttons, and lots and lots of buttons.

Tea today is just a cup of JO, though my cup is fitting as I want to talk about Hats and to be more specific, novelty “hat” shaped buttons. I think that these are some of the funnest buttons I have in my collection.

Well Hello Dolly

Well Hello Dolly: This piece started these two printed doll panels, which came in a little gift box. The two ladies, Alice and Jeanne, were supposed to be cut out, stitched, and stuffed. But I couldn’t do this because I fell in love with the printed floral sections on the panels, which would have been discarded, so instead, I just cut the panels into blocks. I pieced the blocks with vintage floral jacquard ribbons from the 1940’s, along with narrow satin, picot edge, and novelty print ribbons. I decided there was never going to be a more perfect venue for my hat and flower button collection! Other embellishments include vintage celluloid pins, leaf trim, and ribbonwork flowers.

Measured Party Foul: A machine quilted base of pieces of left-over fabrics and a gifted bag full of selvage edge strips becomes the back-ground for a collection of whimsical friends. An old tape measure was used for the body of each bird, with fun googly eyes, rickrack legs, laundry pin wings, shoe beads and buttons, and more hat buttons! Other embellishments are rickrack and ribbonwork flowers, vintage buttons, glass mushrooms, vintage tin pins, and metal charms.

Vintage Glass Hat Buttons
Vintage Plastic Hat Buttons
Vintage Plastic Hat Buttons
Vintage Plastic Hat Buttons
New Hat Charms
New Shoe Buttons, Beads, and Charms

Tips: Where to Find the Good Stuff

  • For vintage items like the “hat” shaped buttons, search on eBay, you will have a broad range of vendors that specialize in vintage items, as well as the novice seller, who is “de-stashing”.
  • Check your local thrift and charity shop stores, they may have a sewing and craft section.
  • Check to see if there is a vintage swap meet in your area, sometimes these are held monthly, or yearly.
  • For the newer items like the hat charms or shoe button, bead, or charms, check your local craft store, or favorite on-line source.
  • And be patient, don’t be discouraged if you don’t find these items right away, this collection took me several years to acquire.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Jan17

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

tea cup

While I was sipping my chamomile tea today, I got to thinking about crochet lace gloves and accessories, imagining a ladies’ tea from an era when you actually wore gloves. What a nice thought to have! I was lucky enough to find the gloves and reticule on eBay, for a moderately reasonable price. I was also lucky that they were not discolored in anyway, which I can’t say for other pieces that I have rescued! That brings me to today’s tip, cleaning your vintage laces.

crochet purse and gloves

Tip: Cleaning Your Cotton Laces

Clean like colors together in the same wash bath. Use a medium/warm water for light colors, warm/cool water for bright colors, and cold water for dark colors. Use a delicate cleaner such as Restoration Linen Cleaner or Mama’s Miracle Linen Soak.

  1. Fill a tub full of water, add the cleaning product, swish the water.
  2. Place the lace in the water, making sure there is room for the bits and pieces to move around.
  3. Soak the items for 25-30 minutes, then RINSE well.
  4. If the water is still dirty, repeat the wash and soak process.
  5. Once the lace is clean, drape each length over a plastic hanger, or lay out on a cotton bath towel.
  6. If pressing is necessary, use distilled water in the spray bottle with your iron set on the lowest temp.
  7. Press with the wrong side down, and be mindful to not crush any raised pattern.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Jan10

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

tea cup

Tea today is going to be Ambrosia Plum, just because the name matches the colors in my mug! Hah! The calendar is an old one, but the colors here too seemed appropriate. And as luck would have it, I am wearing a purple sweatshirt. Styling it here at my desk!

So, let’s talk about color and design. I think that everyone who creates asks this question: what colors should I work with, what design should I use? When my students ask this question, I suggest to start with colors that please them, or match their home decor, because if you start with something you don’t like, it is just that much harder to finish!

Wild Persimmons 13 1/2″ x 13 1/2″

Wild Persimmons

This is a gallery piece featured in my book Beaded Embroidery Stitching, by C&T Publishing. I used it as an example to explain my design process. For me, each project has a story to tell, and all of the parts and pieces you chose to create with, help to tell that story. I chose a crazy-piece base design, because my fabrics were all very small or scraps left over from other projects. Notice how the colors of the base, differ slightly than the embroidery and embellishment materials. In some cases I used both lighter and darker components, allowing these pieces to be seen as well as the pieced fabric base.

Tip: Have a Plan

Once you have gathered all of the components for a project, make a swatch card of fabric, threads, and beads. Then decide how to tell the story, through color, design, and the components you chose.

  • Theme/title: this may start with the colors that you choose, or the embroidery or embellishments.
  • Color: the colors of the palette can be traditional, subtle, or complex.
  • Fabric: this is the most important component, but should not overpower the embroidery and embellishments.
  • Construction: is determined by the quantity of fabric you have, and the piecing techniques you want to work with.
  • Embroidery design: the embroidery and embellishments can follow the design of the base, or flow around the design.
  • Embroidery materials and embellishments: select a variety of threads, beads, and other components to work with.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Dec20

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

kitchen christmas tree

Tea today is “Yogi Green Tea”, sipping and smiling as I nibble on the shortbread that I just made. I use the recipe in the Joy of Cooking, which was a gift from my friend Jeri (many, many, years ago). The book is falling apart, and the binding is no longer attached to the cover, but I wouldn’t trade it for all the world. It is special to me.

Another thing that I find special, are the memories of making sugar cookies, using aluminum cookie cutter molds as a kid. I have been collecting molds from thrift stores, garage sales, or on eBay, where ever I can find them. I decorated this wire tree with cookie cutter molds and old Christmas light-bulb ornaments. The bulbs had belonged to my mom and dad, and were used on our tree when we had growing up.

My tip today, is to use an item/s that you find special to you, and incorporate them into your daily life.

vintage cookie cutter ornaments
vintage cookie cutter and Christmas light ornaments

Tip: Ornaments from Recycled Treasures

Note: Always practice safety when using a glue gun. Keep a glass of water on hand to dip your finger into just in case you burn yourself.

Cookie Cutter Ornaments

Gather together a collection of vintage aluminum cookie cutter molds. Follow the directions below for each ornament.

  1. Cut an 8″ length of 1/4″ ribbon. Fold and tie this into a knot, for the loop.
  2. Glue the center of the loop on top of the cookie cutter mold with a low temp glue gun.
  3. Cut a 12″ length of 5/8″ ribbon. Tie this into a bow.
  4. Open up the loop of ribbon, and glue the bow on top of the center of the loop.
  5. Glue a purchased ribbon flower on top of the bow.
  6. Use the loop to hang the ornament.

Light-bulb Ornament

Gather together a collection of vintage tree bulbs. Follow the directions below for each ornament.

  1. Curve one end of a metal ornament hook to fit over the top metal portion of the bulb.
  2. Glue the curved portion of the hook to the bulb with a low temp glue gun.
  3. Glue one or more purchased ribbon flowers on top of the curved portion, with a low temp glue gun.
  4. Use the hooked end of the ornament hook to hang the ornament.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Nov29

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

Tea for Tuesday

Tea today is a cuppa English breakfast tea, with a splash of milk, and my favorite breakfast in the world. My hubby was a doll and made French toast for me this morning. What a guy! As he was cooking, I was getting my beading project laid out on the work table, so that the colors are organized and ready for today’s project.

I am working on a small piece this week, a beaded heart, from my class Beadoodlery. These little brooches make nice gifts, and give you a place to display your beading talents.

When I teach a beading class, I talk to my students about the types of threads that can be used and how to work with them. Below are a couple of tips that I would like to share.

Beading Threads: Silamide, Nymo, S-lon
Thread Holder

Tips: Beading Threads and Needles

Threads

  • Silamide comes either on a card, or on a spool, which makes it easy to cut off a length and thread through the needle. I use the June Taylor thread holder for the spool, which also has a convenient place for your scissors and needles.
  • Nymo and S-lon come on a small bobbin, which truthfully can fly across the room at any moment while cutting off a length of thread. UGH!

To counter act that issue, and to prevent my spool from becoming the latest cat toy I use these ideas.

  • If you have an unused lipstick holder, it makes for a great storage case for those small bobbins. You can pull out a short length of thread from the color that you choose, close the lid, then pull out the length of thread you want to work with.
  • Another trick, is to pin the bobbin onto a pincushion with a T-pin. Hold onto the pincushion, and pull off the length of thread that you want to work with.

Needles

  • Use a refrigerator magnet to keep your needles organized while working on a project
  • To store your needles, cut an empty plastic bead tube, to fit the size of your needles. Take the cap off the cut end, and place it onto the short end of the container.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Nov22

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

chamomile tea

Tea today is Chamomile, just sippin’ and enjoying the quiet morning. In the last few days we have seen clear autumn days and crisp clear nights with a myriad of stars on display. This is certainly the time of year that I find myself sitting on the couch with a good book, and a warm snugly blanket.

Speaking of books, if you are like me, you probably have a few titles stacked up, next to your favorite chair or by the couch. I usually use a different book mark, for each of my favorite authors.

For my Tony Hillerman novels, I use an old postcard with a picture of Canyon de Chelly. For Mary Stewart’s series on Merlin, well of course it would be a picture of Stonehenge.

For this book by Laurie R. King, I am using a packaging label (black “Link Soul” label below). The cardboard is sturdy, and it has a nice tie, that drapes out of the pages.

Tip: Re-purpose Packaging Labels

My tip today, would be to recycle and re-purpose cardboard and paper that we might not have thought useful. I have all manner of packaging labels saved up in my workroom, waiting for the day that I can find a way to re-purpose them.

Cardboard Templates
Cardboard Thread Saver

Medium weight cardboard pieces can be used for patterns, such as yo-yo templates, or embroidery designs. If one side is blank, then you can write down the description of the pattern. You can even use labels that are already the shape that you need, such as this round Valdani thread label.

Medium weight cardboard is sturdy enough to punch holes into the edge. You can do this to create a thread saver, to attach and organize loose strands of floss. If the packaging is relatively free of text, then list the brand name, and color number of the threads.

Label with extra pages
Travel Sewing Kit

If you are lucky enough to find a particularly unique label like this one, you could use it to create a travel sewing kit.

  1. Remove the black thread at the top, and replace it with a length of rattail cording. Before putting a tie at the top, attach your travel sewing scissors.
  2. Cut out two pieces of felt for your needles, and glue theses to the inside front and back of the book.
  3. Punch holes into the two inside pages, for loose strands of floss.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

Tips and Tea on Tuesdays

Nov8

On Tips and Tea on Tuesdays, I will cover a topic and hopefully provide you with some tips that will be helpful! And just as an afterthought, tea may occasionally be a cup of Joe!

tea cup

Today I am sitting with a cup of Earl Grey (cheers to Jean Luc), keeping warm and toasty with my feet clad in my husbands socks, and my comfy, cozy, slippers, hmmm! I got to thinking more about storage. Now that the days are shorter, I find myself spending a few hours a day in my workroom, organizing my smaller components.

Often I store beads, buttons, and embellishments in small plastic bags, or in small jewelry or other types of cardboard boxes. When I am working on a project, and I have a large group of small objects to work with, I want to see what there is to use.

Tip: Use storage containers that are open, like ice cube trays, or a painter’s palette, so that you can compare the components with each other. These are relatively inexpensive, and stack nicely.

Happy tea drinking and stitching to you! ~Christen

PS: If you have any questions or thoughts, just leave a comment! See Tips, Tricks, the Basics, for more helpful ideas.

National Embroidery Month: 2021

Feb19
Embroidered and Embellished
Beaded Embroidery Stitching
The Embroidery Book

In honor of national embroidery month I wrote several articles for C& T Publishing’s blog. Here are two articles that I wrote with the help of several fellow authors.

In the first article Embroidery Tips and Tricks, I asked them to share their favorite tips, here is what they shared.

In the second article What’s Your Favorite Stitch I asked them what was their favorite stitch. To my surprise enough everyone had a different stitch!

I hope that you like them!

Happy Stitching ~Christen