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satin stitch repair

satin stitch repair to monogram

What is it about hanging threads that we just can’t leave alone? It never ends up good, especially with decorative stitches. One quick pull and half a letter is gone in an instant.

I’m not a big fan of satin stitch. It requires a precision that I just don’t have in me these days. I actually considered fixing this with thread. The thought was so mentally painful that I put it off for months. Then one day I thought to try embroidery floss. Brilliant! Once finished, I can hardly tell the difference. Not the neatest job, but it looks great from across the room.

I once saw a woman doing satin stitch embroidery on a windy day at the park. That’s dedication. Her work was beautiful.

Anyone else out there have a talent for tiny perfect stitches?

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new skills: satin stitch and cross stitch

June is a hard month for me to have a craft blog. I’m busy with birthday, Father’s Day, and anniversary gifts. Throw in the occasional June wedding and there’s not a lot of time left for non-secret crafting. Most of this month’s posts will probably be close-up shots. At the end of the month, I’ll do a full reveal!

Project #1 required two new stitches for me: satin stitch on the machine and cross stitch by hand. Both are taking a lot of practice.

My machine’s tension is very sensitive. One millimeter in the wrong direction and I get a tangled mess. Here is the wrong side of my practice fabric. The one on the bottom left was the best I could get.

satin stitch

Here are the finished stitches before pressing. (The iron was off at this point and I was too lazy to turn it back on for a photo.)

satin stitch

Here are my attempts at cross stitch. After my first two tries I went back to what I know best: the running stitch and back stitch.

embroidery

I think the single strand cross stitch initial is my favorite, though. I just need a little bit more practice.

satin stitch