Flora's Colors

Embroidered Neck Design---Progress

2012-01-27T12:51:00.001+05:30

This is my progress so far on the neck design.

Can you spot the difference between the two flowers?

I did long and short shading on both the flowers. However, in the first flower I did not split back into the previous rows of stitches. Instead, I started the stitches in the new rows from the endpoints of the stitches in the previous row. I guess this method is most commonly used in East Asian embroidery. The second flower was done by splitting up the previous row's stitches. The difference in these two methods of working the long and short stitch have created different effects.

Happy New year!

2012-01-01T09:32:00.002+05:30

Hi friends,

Wishing you all a happy and an amazing new year! Here is a new free hand embroidery pattern for you.

You can use this design not only for hand embroidery but also for fabric painting or other crafts.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T00:12:00.002+05:30

Merry Christmas to all of you my dear friends!

May this day be filled with lots of fun, happiness, togetherness, and sharing.

Embroidered Neck Design---Progress

2011-12-22T18:18:00.004+05:30

Do you remember this one? I kept this project aside due to shortage of threads. Now as I have the threads ready, I have decided to start it again. I have made just a little progress. I have stitched some leaves in the design and am going to stitch the big pink flower on the right side.

I have five UFOs as of now---this neck design, embroidery on two sarees, a pillow cover, and a doily. I hope to finish all these soon.

Free Hand Embroidery Pattern --- Rose With Leaves

2011-12-21T14:51:00.001+05:30

Here is a free hand embroidery pattern. You can use it on whatever project you do. You can rotate the design and use it as a corner motif on handkerchiefs. You can outline the design as in red work or fill it with L&S stitch or any other stitch of your choice.

Embroidered Reversible Bag

2011-12-19T09:29:00.002+05:30

I would like to share the images of the bag I embroidered a few weeks ago. I made it into a reversible bag and gifted it to a little girl. She was so happy to have received it. You can find the how-to-sew tutorial on my sewing blog.

When you turn it inside out, it will look like this.

Here is the close-up of the embroidery.

Embroidery Pattern Book Give-Away Winner!

2011-12-12T06:17:00.001+05:30

I am glad to announce the winner of the embroidery pattern book give-away.

It is Happygirl of All Things Pretty.

This time I used the random number selector to select the winner. I didn't count the usual lovely comments from other readers, repeats in comments, and the comment I made myself.

Congratulations Happygirl! I hope you will love this book. Please send your address to my e-mail id flora.flowers.boo@gmail.com.

Thanks to everyone for showing such a great enthusiasm to participate in this give-away. I was delighted to read about your favorite types of embroidery. I wish to learn some of them which I do not know.

I will post my own patterns at least one a month. So keep reading my blog!

Give-Away---Winner Will Be Announced Tomorrow

2011-12-10T13:23:00.001+05:30

Thanks to everyone who participated in the give-away. I was not able to announce the winner yesterday as I was busy with my young one's birthday celebrations. I will announce the winner tomorrow. Sorry for the delay.

Embroidery Pattern Book Give-Away

2011-11-24T10:11:00.001+05:30

I am so excited to see the 25th follower on my blog and it is time to announce the give-away. The winner of the give-away will receive a pattern book by Nirmala C. Mistry titled "Embroidery Designs: Flowers and Butterflies." Here is a glimpse of the book.

Front cover:

Back cover:

The book has 120 pages. There are lots and lots of lovely flower and butterfly designs. All the flower designs are big, full-page designs. Butterflies range from small to big.

This book also contains colored plates of some patterns present in this book, a Tools and Materials section, and a glossary of stitches.

The patterns range from simple to intricate. You can embroider these motifs on anything from hankies to wall-hangings to tunics to saris. You can use them for fabric painting as well.

How to participate in this give-away?

You need to answer this question: Which type of needlework is your favorite? For example, is it long and short shading, Brazilian embroidery, applique work or any other type of embroidery. Please provide your answer in the comments section.

If you wish to appear "anonymous" then please provide your name under your answer. Simple isn't it?

The give-away will end at 9 am EST on 9 December 2011 which is a special day for me. We are celebrating my daughter Dhanya's birthday on 9th December.

Are you all ready? Hope you would love to grab this book. I was so happy when my first give-away winner Anwesha e-mailed me (in March) that she received the book in good condition. And I would be happy again to send this book to the next lucky person who can be any one from you.

2011-11-12T04:51:00.001+05:30

Hi friends,

I hope everyone is fine. We have shifted to a new place and that's why a long hiatus from blogging. To refresh up myself I have started a new quick project ((I hope it would be a quick one because it does not include L&S stitch). This would be a small embroidery design on a bag which I am making as a gift. The fabric I am using is a kind of silk cotton. I traced a simple pattern and started the embroidery yesterday. Here are the pictures.

This is what I have done so far.

The stitches I am using are buttonhole stitch for the leaves, fly stitch for the flowers, and French knots for the flower centers, and I am using variegated floss for the flowers.
Note: I am still waiting for the 25th follower on my blog and am ready to announce the next give-away. It's a pattern book again. Watch out for the give-away!
My hearty thanks to all my followers and visitors for keeping my blog still alive on the blogosphere.

Free Neck Embroidery Pattern

2011-09-08T03:17:00.002+05:30

Here is a simple neck embroidery pattern for you. I drew this freehand and then traced using a graphic software. This is my own pattern. You can use this to embellish your tops, blouses, or tunics.

My stitch preference would be my favorite long and short stitch. You can also fill the design with chain stitch or split stitch or with the stitch you prefer. For the circles scattered around, you can use sequins of different sizes. I hope you will like this design.

Chain-Stitch Flower

2011-07-02T11:43:00.000+05:30

Yesterday when I was cleaning the closets, I found this cushion cover. I remember I started this embroidery some months ago and discontinued it for a while in order to work on the other projects and I totally forgot it. When I found it yesterday I wanted to work on this piece again, because I thought doing some simple outline embroidery in between a time-consuming project (especially involving L&S) would be a refreshing choice.

I am using only three types of stitches in this: chain, satin , and French knots. This could be lovely if done in redwork style.

Decorative Pattern on Doily---A little progress

2011-06-24T12:57:00.004+05:30

I have made a little progress on the decorative pattern. I can spend no more than half an hour a day for this, however, I am happy that I making a steady progress. Here are the pictures!

Blooming Bookmark---Part 4

2011-06-13T13:38:00.003+05:30

Sorry friends. I've been “out of action” for a while... I haven't had even a little spare time for over a month.

I found some time today to finish the tutorial.

Step 7: After we are done with the second row we are now going to start the third row which is also the final row. Thread one strand of the darkest shade of pink in your needle. Bring up your needle by splitting the center stitch of the second row and down at a point on the inner edge of the flower. Continue this on the left side and then the right side. Now you have completed shading petal no.1.

Step 8: Repeat Steps 5 thru 7 in all the petals. First Petals labeled as B, then C, and at last D.

Step 9: Fill in the center of the flower with french knots with different shades of threads of your choice. I used yellow and brown shades.

Voila! Your flower is done!

Step 10: We should now cut the flower out from the fabric. Make a slit from the edge of the fabric and toward the outer edge of the flower. Carefully cut the fabric on the edges making sure you don't run your scissors into the buttonhole stitches. This will spoil the whole thing.

Step 11: Follow the photos below to make a loop at the top of the flower.

Sew buttonhole stitch to cover the loop.

Insert a 8-inch long satin ribbon and make a knot at the loop. The ribbon should be of same length on both sides of the knot.

The blooming bookmark is ready now. You can use the flower in other creative ways too.

Did you like this tutorial? Please let me know through your comments.

Blooming Bookmark---Part 3

2011-05-03T11:25:00.005+05:30

Dear friends,

I should say sorry to all of you for taking a long break from blogging without informing you all and without completing the Blooming Bookmark tutorial. I feel bad for keeping you waiting. I visited my mom, dad, and siblings last month and stayed at our home for quite some time. I had a very nice time there, however, I didn't find enough time to update the blog. I returned home last week, and after a month-long hiatus I managed to write on my blog only today.

Let us continue with the next step of the tutorial.

Step 5: We are going to start the long and short shading on petal A. I have used three shades of pink for this petal. Before starting the first row of the soft shading, draw guidelines for direction using a pencil. Then outline the petal with split stitch with the lightest shade of pink. Using the same shade, work long and short stitches with one strand of thread by carefully following the guidelines drawn. It is always better to divide the petal into half vertically, and start from the center and work on the left side of the petal. Upon completing it, start again from the center and work on the right side. Work your long and short stitches as closely as possible. The long and short stitches need not be such that all your long stitches are of same length and all your short stitches are of same length. You can vary the length of your stitches to give a natural appeal to the flower. For example, think of painting with a brush. If your strokes are of same length and the direction is only from top to down (and not from the sides) then your painting won't look natural. The same thing applies here as well. The image here shows the completed first row with long and short stitches of alternating lengths.

Step 6: Select the next shade to make row 2. Using one strand of this shade, work the second row of stitches. First, split up through the end of the center stitch of the first row and down into the fabric. The length of the stitch should be similar to the length of the long stitch of the first row. Work only long stitches in the second row and vary their length slightly. As u did in row 1, divide the petal into half vertically, work the left side first and then the right side.

Blooming Bookmark---Part 2

2011-03-19T12:58:00.005+05:30

We will see steps 3 and 4 today.

Step 3: Now, with everything set, you are ready to start the embroidery. With two strands of the darkest shade of pink sew buttonhole stitch around the edges of the flower pattern. Buttonhole stitch is used here to avoid frayed edges when the flower is cut out from the fabric. Place the buttonhole stitches very close together.

Step 4: Before you start the shading, observe the flower and find the order of working the flower. When you shade the flower, first shade the petal which is underneath all the other petals. Marked as A in the photo below. Next, petals marked as B, and then petal C. And at last, petal D, which is on top of all the other petals.

You can find steps 1 and 2 here

Free Embroidery Project---Blooming Bookmark---Part 1

2011-03-16T10:41:00.002+05:30

I would like to share with you the step-by-step tutorial of the embroidery project Blooming Bookmark.

Materials needed for this project are:

Cotton fabric (two layers)
Embroidery frame
For long and short shading: Three or four shades of threads that belong to a same color group (I used three shades of pink--Anchor nos. 050, 052, and 054)
For french knots at the center: Two or three colors of your choice.
Satin ribbon
Backing fabric

Step 1: Trace the pattern on the first (upper) layer of the cotton fabric, using any tracing method of your choice.

Step 2: Mount the fabric (both layers) on the frame. (To do long and short shading, your fabric should be fixed drum tight). Assemble the threads for shading.

Step 3: To be continued tomorrow.

Blooming Bookmark

2011-03-14T15:09:00.004+05:30

Yes, the long and short shaded flower turned into a bookmark. I guess you like this idea. This could be a lovely gift to a dear one who is a book lover.

You can also attach the flower to one side of a paper bookmark and place the bookmark into a book such that only the flower peeps out at the top.

If you do the long and short shading using silk threads you can hang it on the Christmas tree as an ornament. If you will be able to make 10 or 20 flowers like this, they can be attached to a ribbon and and used as a decoration.

The flower can be appliquéd into kids’ dresses or can be attached to a hairclip, headband, or bracelet as Deepa (http://deepashome.blogspot.com/) and Lakshmi (http://sadalas.blogspot.com/) suggested.

It can also be attached as a pendant to your necklace.

Do you have any other ideas? Please do share them here. I will post the bookmark tutorial tomorrow.

And The Winner Of The Give-Away Is...

2011-03-13T10:38:00.002+05:30

Hi all,

I am happy to announce the winner of the book "Embroidery Designs" by Nirmala C. Mistry.

The winner is Anwesha. Congratulations Anwesha! Please send your contact details to my e-mail address flora.flowers.boo@gmail.com. I hope you are going to love this book.

I would like to thank the other three participants for their interest and enthusiasm. Thanks Lakshmi, Kasthuri, and Megan.

My special thanks to Lakshmi for writing about this give-away on her blog.

I wrote the names on four slips of paper, folded them, put them into a bowl, and asked my daughter to select one. With gleaming eyes, she took one on which Anwesha's name was written. My kid must have had fun really! She was all smiles when she gave the paper to me.

I will come up with another give-away when I the number of followers of my blog reaches 25.

And I have completed the long and short flower. Any guesses still of what I am going to do further?

I Am Making An Embroidered...Guess What?

2011-03-10T11:33:00.003+05:30

Today I am going to keep you all guessing. From the photo below, you know that I am embroidering a flower with long and short shading. I am going to make something using this flower? Can you guess what?

If you really want to know, check back with me in a few days. I have something up my sleeve.

There are only two days left for the conclusion of the give-away. Join in soon if you want to own the pattern book.

Tunic Decorated With Shisha Mirrors

2011-03-03T17:50:00.005+05:30

I don't see much progress in any of my current projects. So today I want to show you the shisha mirror embroidery I did on a tunic two years before. The shisha stitch you see in the photo is the easiest one of all types of the shisha stitch. I have used square-shaped mirrors for this tunic.

P.S.: Please don't forget to check my previous post about the embroidery pattern book give-away. You can join if you are interested.

Book Review And Give Away---Embroidery Designs

2011-03-01T18:09:00.009+05:30

Are you searching for simple, vintage kind of embroidery patterns or border designs or elegant floral patterns for your projects? Then this is the right book for you. Yes! "Embroidery Designs" by Nirmala C. Mistry has more than 400 patterns.

The front and back covers of the book have a lovely paisley design intricately embroidered.

The book contains 132 pages. The patterns in the book are grouped according to the type of stitches that could be used on the designs. Color plates of some of the embroidered designs are displayed from pages 2 to 16.

At the beginning of each section, stitches are introduced with clear drawings and instructions.

There is a variety of patterns: flowers, birds, butterflies, animals, cartoons, decorative patterns, border designs, and so on.

There are simple to very intricate designs in the book. You can use the designs for any type of embroidery.

Are you interested in shadow work, cutwork, or cross stitch? You have patterns for these too in this book.

I bought this book in a local craft store. I don't find it listed in Amazon.

And here comes the first ever give-away on Flora's Colors. Yes! I am going to give away the book "Embroidery Designs" by Nirmala C. Mistry. I have two copies of the book. One is for my use and I am giving away the other new book.

To participate in this give-away, all you need to do is this. In the comment section under this post, please provide the link to your blog (although the link appears with your name) and write a sentence or two on what you would like or look forward to read in Flora's Colors. This will help me write more interesting and useful posts in the future.

The give-away ends on March 10. The winner will be announced the next day. The book will be sent to the address provided by the winner.

Friends, I would be happy if you mention this give-away on your blog to help others get a chance to participate. This giveaway is open to all of you embroidery enthusiasts around the world.

Stitch Tutorial---Shisha Mirror Stitch-Version 1---Continued

2011-02-28T13:55:00.001+05:30

Step 3: Now we will start working the shisha stitch. This version is similar to a buttonhole stitch but with a little variation.
(a) Bring up the needle at a point on the circle (marked as point A in the image) you have drawn around the shisha mirror.

(b) Pull the thread through point A and then insert the needle at point B.

(c) Bring down the needle and thread (not the entire thread, only up to 5 cm) at point B. Come up again at point C close to the shisha mirror. Do not pull the entire thread at C (only up to 5 cm as before).

(d) Now pass the needle under the base stiches as shown in the image below.

(e) Pull the needle and thread. You will now get a stitch similar to a buttonhole stitch. This is your first shisha stitch.

(f) To work up the next stitch, bring the needle down at a point next to B (this is marked as point D in the image below).

(g) Now bring the needle up at point E close to the mirror.

(h) Pass the needle under the foundation stitches and pull the needle and thread. Your second shisha stitch is done. Continue this until you cover up the entire circle.

Step 4: If you are running short of thread in between, follow the steps below.
(a) Pass the needle under the foundation stitch and toward you.

(b) Insert the needle under the last stitch by slightly pushing the stitches to the left. Secure the thread on the wrong side with a knot, or work two or three running stitches in the space that is to be covered by the stitches. The running stitches will be secured when you sew the remaining shisha stitches.

(c) Bring up the needle with the new thread at a point close to the shisha mirror and in between the last two stitches. Pull the thread and repeat steps 3(f) to 3(g).

Your shisha stitch is done:

The back side of the work will look like this.

Step 5: You can spice up your work by working decorative stitches, beads, sequins, or anything you like around your shisha stitch. I worked up chain stitch around.

I hope you liked this tutorial. You can work the stitches either as closed buttonhole stitches or open buttonhole stitches. Please let me know if you have any queries or comments.

Stitch Tutorial---Shisha Mirror Stitch-Version 1

2011-02-27T18:44:00.004+05:30

Today I would like to share with you the shisha stitch tutorial. Shisha Mirrors are available in various shapes and sizes.

There are many versions of shisha stitch. Here I show you how to sew shisha stitch version 1.

Step 1: Spread some fabric glue on the back of the shisha mirror and stick the mirror on the fabric. Allow it to dry. If you do this step, your shisha mirror won't slip away when you sew the stitches.

Step 2: Now you need to do the foundation stitches. Before starting this step, draw a circle with a pen or pencil around the shisha mirror. This will serve as a guideline for sewing the shisha stitch.

Follow the images below to sew the foundation stitches.

I will show you how to sew the shisha stitch tomorrow.

My First Attempt At Fabric Painting

2011-02-24T23:14:00.007+05:30

My younger sister gifted me an embossed fabric painting kit titled "Radha and Krishna on a Swing" few months ago. The kit contained an embossed picture on a black color felt fabric, brush for painting, and glitter fabric paints. It was very easy to do. I finished it within one hour. However, it took almost a day for the fabric paint to dry out completely.

Although I was happy with the final outcome, I felt that the facial features were not quite expressive (especially Radha's). However, I was not able to redraw them because the drawing was strongly imprinted.