Mindful Doodle Embroidery

I was going to wait to do this blog until I had created a few more pieces but I thought why not post one now and then a progress one later on !
I love sewing – obviously – but I hardly ever sew if I’m not at the machine. And like many I struggle to sit in the evenings without doing anything with my hands (and brain!!) so I’ve been meaning to start some cross stitch, embroidery or similar for aagess!

On Instagram I’m constantly drooling over beautiful embroidery and recently saw @SewYeah creating amazing pieces which she called Mindful Embroidery … and I loved it so much! So eventually I gave it a go …

She uses little shapes and off cuts of vinyl ironed onto a piece of fabric. I bought some Happy Fabric vinyls last year at The Handmade Festival and also won some Cricut vinyls (available at Hobbycraft ) before Christmas and have been stuck on how to use them … so I’m so glad to have found a use! Especially for all the little pieces that you get left with when you’re cutting out for other projects!
I used a variety of colours and textures including flocked, glitter, holographic and solid colours too … I think it create a really interesting look.
I also used my Cricut Heat Press that I won – it was my first try using it an it’s so simple and effective!! I’ve used it a lot since tis project as it’s really simple to use and the regulated temperature helps hugely with the vinyl transfer …

Once you’ve arranged these on the fabric and pressed them into place the embroidery begins !

I’m not that experienced when it comes to hand embroidery as I’ve always done more freemotion machine embroidery but I was eager to give it a go. The good thing about this is that you don’t have to do any stitches in particular places so you are free to make little mistakes as it won’t be hugely noticeable!
So I tried to be as free as I could without thinking too much about the embroidery … just choosing a colour and sewing! I hoped that this would help me create a more random, doodle like piece.

The finished hoop turned out really lovely … I just love the combination of different textures and colours! And it seems that somehow I managed to create a little fly like creature as part of the design!!
To finish it I just trimmed the fabric down and used running stitch around it to draw in the fabric. I’ve now got it sat on my shelf and I love seeing it as I walk into my bedroom!

I really enjoyed the process … it was so much easier than I expected which allowed me to relax and not concentrate on it! I can definitely see it being a craft that could be done on the train, in the car and, as I do, in front of the TV. I enjoyed it so much that I have already started another … this time a slightly bigger piece which I’m going to make into a cushion (below) ! I also had a brainwave that I could add patches to clothes – I think it would look super cool on denim maybe on a skirt or denim jacket … the world is my crafting oyster !!
I’ll be sure to post photos of my finished pieces on Instagram and maybe I’ll write another blog soon …