Painting pictures with thread

December 12, 2025 at 8:58 pm (Creative arts, Learn something new, Stitchery)
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I’ve been having a lot of fun lately with thread painting, which is just a simpler version of embroidery. It’s exactly as it sounds…you outline a picture onto fabric, and then you “colour it in” by straight stitching with thread. (In this picture, I also used the very simple french knot stitch for the flower centers.)

Embroidery involves many different stitches to master. Thread painting is generally the use of one stitch—straight lines sewn over and over again to fill in the picture. 

You can also thread paint a more complicated picture by using a variety of colours to indicate shading and other intricate details, as you would with a painting.

The sky’s the limit with the art you can create—any picture that you can trace is fair game. To transfer an image onto a piece of fabric, I first trace the image onto plain white paper, then I place a sheet of carbon tracing paper between the fabric and the picture (you want to make sure that your layers don’t shift while you’re tracing, so you’ll want to secure the edges of both the fabric and the picture page to your work area—I do so with a bit of masking tape before I begin tracing) and retrace over the image on the page so that the tracing paper transfers it directly onto the fabric. From there, you fit your fabric piece into a simple wooden hoop, and you’re ready to begin stitching.

You can find a ton of thread painting tutorials online to give you a good idea of the process, as well as lots of ideas to stoke your imagination.

I spend some time choosing the colours of embroidery floss that I want to “paint” with. I also have a pack of embroidery needles on hand, and a small pair of scissors to use.

For this project, I wanted to stitch a simple flower bouquet, along with a nice saying in stitched lettering. 

I used straight white stitches for the daisy petals, gold french knots for the centers, and more straight stitches in two tones of green to fill in the leaves. More straight stitches to highlight the flower stems. I decided to add two bumble bees by filling in two tiny pencil-drawn ovals with black and gold stripes.

I traced my saying at the side using a fancy lettering template, and just outlined it in black floss, along with a few french knots to make the lettering more interesting.

Once finished, I left my picture in the hoop, and placed it on a small wrought iron stand. Your hoop art can be displayed anywhere—on a counter top, a shelf, an end table, etc.

There are lots of other creative uses for your finished thread paintings—worked into patchwork quilts, sewn onto clothing, used to decorate tote bags, framed and displayed on a wall… the ideas are endless.

I have found this craft to be incredibly relaxing to work on, and the beautiful results are so rewarding. 

What I know for sure is that there is much happiness to be found in discovering a creative passion that you can lose yourself in—you will find your life enriched in so many positive ways. 

8 Comments

Easy to crochet a classic scarf

December 3, 2025 at 8:05 pm (Crochet & Crafting, Learn something new)
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I discovered this pattern on the website Jo to the World ( https://jototheworld.com/classic-scarf-crochet-pattern ) and loved the result.

This pattern is easy enough for a beginner to try, and very relaxing to work on. The sc/dc pattern results in an attractive, textured look and also creates a lovely scalloped edging without the extra work of adding separate edging rows at the end.

I used Loops & Threads Soft & Shiny yarn, which I’ve never used before, and found it to be super enjoyable to work with. The finished result is soft and warm. I definitely plan to use it again with other projects.

Yarn: one ball of Loops & Threads Soft & Shiny acrylic, 311 yds/6 oz/285 m/170 G, in Burgundy

5 mm hook

Approx. 6” W x 48” L

sc = single crochet; ch = chain; dc = double crochet

Pattern: Ch 31

Row 1: sc in second ch from hook, ch 2, 2 dc in next ch, *skip next 2 chs, sc in next ch, ch 2, 2 dc in next ch; repeat from * across; turn (from here on, work into the ch-2 spaces instead of the stitches).

Row 2: ch 1, (sc, ch 2, 2 dc) in first ch-2 space, *(sc, ch 2, 2 dc) in next ch-2 space; repeat from * across.

Repeat Row 2 until scarf is 48” or desired length. Fasten off, leaving a long tail to seam both ends together to make it into an infinity scarf.

Finishing: With right side ends together, working on the wrong side, use a whipstitch to seam the ends together as evenly as possible. Fasten off and weave in end.

Enjoy!

4 Comments

What to make with a bunch of dried fall leaves?

November 21, 2025 at 6:07 pm (artwork, Creative arts, Learn something new)

This past fall, I enjoyed collecting a variety leaves during my daily walks around the neighborhood. My intent was to collect the nicest ones I could find, dry them, and experiment with some crafting ideas over the winter months. 

As I typically do, I went overboard and collected a bin full of them—all sorts of shapes, sizes, colours. One more bin of stuff to add to my already overloaded craft room shelves!

I have a thing for owls, so I wanted to play around with using the different shapes of the leaves to create my owl.

Dried leaves are very fragile, so I had to work carefully laying them out until I arrived at a pattern I was satisfied with. Then, very slowly, I used a glue gun to attach the pieces together. For the eyes, I used two acorn caps.

I also continued experimenting by painting a couple of leaves with mandala designs in acrylic, then sprayed them with a clear preservative finish.

It was a fun way to preserve my good memories of the fall, and I plan to incorporate my owl and mandala leaves into a future art project.

4 Comments

Engulfed in crocheted snowflakes

January 20, 2025 at 7:21 pm (Crochet & Crafting)
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I had the urge this Christmas to experiment with crocheted snowflakes, so after digging through my pattern collection, I crocheted up a storm (excuse the pun :). 

I had so much fun making them, I decided to turn them into ornaments that I could distribute to the family, neighbours and friends I visited with during Christmas week.

After crocheting them, I dampened then blocked them. Once dry, they needed to be stiffened, so I made a mixture of Elmer’s glue and water, soaked each one, then sprinkled sparkles on the right sides. Next, I laid them out to dry overnight. The glue and water mixture works wonderfully to stiffen them into easy-to-hang ornaments.

A long time ago, my mother was throwing out an old chandelier, so I kept all the crystals “just in case I needed them for a future craft”… and guess what? They were perfect for adding some extra zing to each snowflake. Sometimes it pays to be a craft supply hoarder! LOL

I attached crystals to dangle at the bottom of each snowflake, and then I added either a fancy hook or a ribbon at the top for hanging.

I also made some snowflake photo frames as gifts.

Couldn’t resist making a couple of Christmas gnome ornaments to add to the collection…

While I was on a roll, I also made some snowflake coasters…

6 Comments

A creation that was written in the stars

November 25, 2024 at 10:00 pm (Creative arts, Stitchery)
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If we live our lives with open minds, we will discover that every once in a while, the universe sends us a message that—although it seems to be—is by no means a coincidence. 

In recent years, I’ve spent a lot of time studying much of the long-term research on near death experiences/life after death, reincarnation, and the physics behind the energy that we and everything around us are comprised of. I’m now convinced that there are powerful forces at work in a myriad of ways that we still have yet to fully understand.

Which brings me to the story I’d like to share about my most recent needlework project.

I’ve always enjoyed working on creative projects. I’ve pursued everything from needlework to fine arts, and I often shop for new supplies to stock up on. 

Twenty years ago while at a Lewiscraft store (remember that?), I was drawn to one particular cross-stitch kit among many hanging on the shelf. It was of a pair of little angels—a boy and a girl—and I felt a strong urge to buy it even though I was deep into my quilting-addiction phase and really didn’t have time to work on a cross-stitch project. I stuck it in my shopping cart anyway. When I got home, I put my new purchase into one of my “to-do-later” bins, and promptly forgot all about it.

Fast-forward to 2023… I was now a grandmother of two-year-old twins—a boy and a girl—the lights of my life. One afternoon, I decided to dig around in my stack of “to-do-later” bins to refresh my memory of what I’d collected over the years. Lo and behold, when I pulled out the cross-stitch kit of the angels that I’d bought twenty years ago, it was like a glass of cold water in the face. The illustration of the angels in the kit was identical to my grandchildren. I was floored. I snapped a picture of it and texted it to my daughter, who was also floored by the resemblance. Right then and there, I realized that I absolutely had to get to work on this cross-stitch project as an heirloom gift to the twins.

Little did I know that, twenty years ago in a Lewiscraft store, the Universe would send a message to let me know that two little angels were destined to become a part of my life in the future. 

There are no coincidences.

My little angels!

8 Comments

Reworking a crochet project

November 7, 2024 at 8:26 pm (Crochet & Crafting, Learn something new, Stitchery)
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I posted some of my recent “makes” the other day, but in hindsight, there was one that I wasn’t particularly happy with. It was the neck warmer … love the colours, but the style is plain and the more I looked at it, the more bored I became with it.

So I decided to attempt a rework, and if it didn’t turn out, I’d just scrap it.

I pulled apart where I’d seamed it, played around with the shaping, and then secured a few points in place to retain the style. Added three coconut shell buttons and, Voila!, a much more stylish cowl.

Goes to show … all is not lost if you’re not happy with how a project turns out. There are ways to change things up if you want to give it a try.

1 Comment

Been busy crafting

November 3, 2024 at 7:20 pm (Creative arts, Crochet & Crafting, Stitchery)
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Too many projects to do, never enough time! I’ve been neglecting my blog because of a busy schedule, but I’m hoping to make an effort to post more often.

Here are a few projects I finished recently…

Wanted to use up this ball of self-striping yarn, so I made a simple neck warmer, just crocheting a pattern of shells to fit my desired size of rectangular shape. Seamed at the shoulder, then added three buttons to cover the seam. A cute winter accessory!

Saw a cute pattern at a website called Nana’s Crafty Home https://nanascraftyhome.com/crochet-slouchy-beanie-pattern/ It looked interesting, so I thought I’d try making both the hat and the neck warmer. It was very easy…basically a parallelogram (a crooked rectangle) that you seam together. I loved the colours of yarn that I used for both.

See you again soon!

3 Comments

Bouncing Baby Blanket

April 12, 2024 at 5:50 pm (Crochet & Crafting, Learn something new)
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I like to offer flexibility in my patterns when it comes to choosing colours, so I’ve indicated the yarn colours as just “light” and “dark” so that you can choose whatever coordinating colours that you’d prefer. I made my blanket with light and dark coral colours, along with an ecru-tinged cream.

Materials:
Blanket is approximately 30” x 30” / Each square is approx. 7”
Yarn: Colour A (light colour); Colour B (coordinating dark colour); Colour C (white or cream)
8 mm hook
Make 8 squares with Colour A, and 8 squares with Colour B.

Circle in a square:
With Colour A, ch 4, use sl st to join last ch with first ch to make a ring.
Round 1: ch 3 (counts as first dc), 11 dc in ring, sl st to 3rd ch of ch-3 to join (12 dc)
Round 2: ch 3, 1 dc in same sp as ch-3 (counts as first “2 dc”), 2 dc in each sp around until you have 24 dc, sl st to 3rd ch of ch-3 to join.
Round 3: ch 3, 1 dc in same sp as ch-3, *1 dc in next sp, 2 dc in next sp; repeat from * around until you have 36 dc, sl st to 3rd ch of ch-3 to join.
Round 4: ch 3, 1 dc in same sp as ch-3, *1 dc in each of the next 2 sps, 2 dc in next sp; repeat from * around until you have 48 dc, sl st to 3rd ch of ch-3 to join. Fasten off Colour A and attach Colour C.
Round 5: With Colour C: ch 6 (counts as dc + ch-3) (place a marker in 3rd ch of ch-6 to mark the top of your first “dc”); 2 dc in next sp (first corner made), *1 dc in next sp, 1 hdc in each of next 2 sps, 1 sc in each of the next 4 sps, 1 hdc in each of the next 2 sps, 1 dc in the next sp, (2 dc in the next sp, ch 3, 2 dc in the next sp—corner made); repeat from * around until you reach beginning ch-6, dc in same sp as ch-6, sl st to marked ch-3 to close.
Round 6: (will use sc around to finish): *(sc into ch-3 sp, ch 2, sc into same sp—corner made), sc in each sp across to next ch-3 sp; repeat from * around, sl st to beginning sc to close. Fasten off and weave in end.

Seam the squares together as shown in chart below.

Border: Attach Colour B with sl st in any corner sp, 2 sc in corner sp, *sc in each sp around, with 2 sc in each corner sp, join with sl st in first sc and fasten off. Attach Colour C and repeat with sc around, then attach Colour A and repeat around. Fasten off and weave in end. Block blanket to 30” x 30” to finish.

3 Comments

Fabric Art Sweatshirt

March 21, 2024 at 7:59 pm (Creative arts, Learn something new, Stitchery)
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Some bleach splashed on the front of one of my favourite sweatshirts and instead of tossing it, I decided to mask the bleach stains with some fabric art. I’m a person who hates throwing stuff out…I like to try and come up with repurposing solutions instead, if I can. This project turned out to be a lot of fun… and now I have a brand new sweatshirt to wear!

To begin, I drew a butterfly template and then selected the different colours of fabric that I wanted to use for each piece. I used my template and carbon tracing paper to draw all of the little pieces onto my fabric, as well as drawing the base butterfly shape onto a piece of black fabric.

Then I cut out all the pieces and used a dab of fabric glue to set them into place on top of the black butterfly base. Unfortunately, the fabric glue seeped through on a couple of the pieces, but as I like to say whenever I make a mistake, “It’s not perfect, and neither am I!”

Next, I used a the smallest zig zag setting on my sewing machine to sew around the edges of each little piece. Was planning to do it by hand using a blanket stitch, but got impatient and just used the machine instead. Once all the little pieces were stitched down, I sewed the body of the butterfly into the middle, then attached some tiny black leather antennae to the head. I also stitched around the entire edge of the butterfly with a copper metallic thread, and added a few sparkly beads here and there. Last, I set my finished butterfly applique over the largest bleach stain, and hand-stitched it securely in place.

Next, I decided to make a fabric flower to cover the other stain. Again, I drew out a template of a sunflower, then chose the pieces of fabric that I wanted to use. As I did with the butterly template, I paired it with carbon tracing paper to trace all of my pieces onto the fabric.

Once everything was traced, I cut out and basted down the stem and leaves onto the sweatshirt to keep them in place until I was ready to sew them permanently. As you can see in the photo above, I had cut out each little petal piece, intending to sew around them while they were laid out in place, but then I realized that it would be a bit of a nightmare to blanket stitch around the edges of each piece by hand, while also trying to keep them in place, so I ended up trashing all of those and starting over. I redrew all the pieces onto more fabric. Then before I cut anything out, I used the smallest zig zag stitch on my sewing machine to sew around each drawn piece on the fabric. THEN I cut each little piece out, around the outside of the finished zig zag stitch. All I would have to do now is position them, baste them down, and sew them into place by hand. Once I finished sewing the stem, leaves and petals into place, I sewed brown coconut shell buttons in the center of my sunflower. I also added little wasp and ladybug buttons.

I wanted to fill a bit more space on the sweatshirt to balance things out, so I decided to embroider a saying beside the flower. I chose a beautiful nature-themed saying to go with my butterfly and flower. Using a white dressmaking pencil and a small ruler, I used the simplest of fonts to hand-draw the saying right onto the sweatshirt. Then I embroidered the outlines with a straight stitch and filled in the spaces with a back and forth chain stitch. I used tiny beads for the punctuation.

My perfectly imperfect sweatshirt is now ready to wear again!

5 Comments

Crocheted Winter Cowl: Chardonnay & Merlot

February 11, 2024 at 12:59 am (Crochet & Crafting)
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This Chardonnay & Merlot cowl is deliciously warm and also looks great! You can style it in a couple of different ways. Read on for the pattern…

Materials:
Feel free to use any Chunky yarn (3.5 oz/100g/180 yds/164 m), one ball each in your choice of two complimentary colours (A) & (B) (I chose one ball of cream and one ball of deep wine)

6 mm hook

2 medium-size buttons to match either of your yarn colours (instead of having to make button holes, your button should be able to fit through any space in the cowl)

Finished size approximately 18” L x 9” W

Instructions:
Using Colour A: Ch 34

Row 1: 2 dc in 3rd ch from hook, *sk 2 chs, (sc, 2 dc) in next ch; 
repeat from * across, sc in last ch, ch 3, turn.

Row 2: 2 dc in first st (same sp as ch-3), *sk 2 sts, (sc, 2 dc) in next st; 
repeat from * across, sc in last st, ch 3, turn.

Row 3+: Repeat Row 2 until piece is approximately 18”. End last row with sc in last st, but don’t ch 3. Fasten off. Now you’ll crochet the other half of the cowl.

Attach Colour B to sc just made, and ch 3. Then continue with Row 2, repeating the same pattern until this piece is also approximately 18”. Fasten off and weave in any loose ends. Sew on buttons as shown in photo above.

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