Cut Off Shorts With Sugar Skull Embroidery

We've all cut off our jeans into shorts, right? We don't really need a tutorial..... I will say this though, I like sew a zig zag stitch right above the cut legs to keep the fraying under control. Also, I've been seeing this cute method of cutting a triangle into the side of the leg, to loosen up the leg. So cute! 

I thought these plain shorts could use a little colorful embellishment. So I embroidered on a sugar skull! So fun :)

Here is the plain front. I love the double buttons.

Dia De los Muertos shorts

See the triangle on the side?

Dia De los Muertos shorts

I don't have a tutorial for this but there are some great ones out there on the web. I found Sarah's Hand Embroidery Tutorials which looks like it would be a great help. For this sugar skull, I only used the back stitch, the french knot and the lazy daisy. I didn't follow any patterns, only grabbing bits and pieces from different images. Here is a great place to find patterns.

Dia De los Muertos shorts

What do you think? Would you wear a sugar skull on your butt?

Hunger Games Embroidery

Hey, all, I did this last year after I saw the first Hunger Games movie. I made fast work of the printed trilogy but not before I embroidered this on to a vintage denim jacket. 

Hunger Games themed denim jacket

Hunger Games themed denim jacket

Hunger Games themed denim jacket

Hunger Games themed denim jacket

I CAN'T WAIT for the second movie! May the odds ever be in your favor :)

In Progress Projects (and a Peek at Casey James and JT Hodges!)

I've got some cool things that I've been working on. I'm doing a little "assembly line" embroidery (if that is even possible), finding cool stuff to stitch and I will add the backings later. Like usual, I am finding the coolest stuff on Graphics Fairy.

The Graphics Fairy

The Graphics Fairy

The Graphics Fairy

And here is my embroidery. 

Bonne Nuit embroidery

Bonne Nuit is French for good night. So I just had to add a falling star. What night isn't good when there is a falling star included? Wouldn't this be adorable on the wall next to the kids' beds? I might have to make some in different colors.

Bonne Nuit embroidery

I just love this 1889 Paris Expo antique advertisement. The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 and had served as the entrance to this world fair.

1889 Paris Expo embroidery

1889 Paris Expo embroidery

Can you see it? I did use silver-gray thread to enhance the Grand Prix writing.

1889 Paris Expo embroidery

Here is my trio. I have another Expo embroidery under way as well. That little heart will be shown off later.

In process trio

 Oh, and a little something else that I have been up to. I went to see Casey James and JT Hodges. You do remember Casey from American Idol, don't you? I know I'll never forget ;-)

Casey James

Casey James and me

And up and coming country crooner, JT Hodges. His hair is unbelievable.

JT Hodges

JT Hodges and me

I don't know how these guys do it.....they look so good while I look so thrashed. I might need to start using Visine at these things....

Teal Beret with Embroidered Flower

This beret began as a Talbot's sweater. I was really undecided on whether I should cut it up as originally intended or try to sell it on Ebay. Its cute enough, used to be my size (lol!) and was made of 97% wool and 3% cashmere. Such a pretty sweater. Awww, what the hell, I cut it. I couldn't be happier with the results! One adult sized beret and one toddler size, soft and colorful. And if I play it right, I could end up with leg warmers or boot socks too!

This one is the teen/adult size. Love how flexible the stretchy band is :)

Teal beret upcycle

Teal beret upcycle

I freestyle embroidered the flower on using a back stitch. And layered the buttons for contrast. The bottom button is brass colored and came from a denim dress. This teal button was perfect! I don't remember what it came from but it was all alone, no matchies.

Teal beret upcycle

Teal beret upcycle

This beret is so soft and luxurious. I can imagine that I would never wear it, just hold it and pet it all day.

Teal beret upcycle

Bird in a Tree Embroidery ~ Wool Upcycle

I have been meaning to do this for a long, long time. But, you know, life gets in the way. I love using embroidery threads as "paint". I have been wanting to incorporate colored fabrics in my "paints" to add texture without having to kill my hands and wrists with hours and hours of intricate stitches. Besides that, I have boxes of wool left over from failed projects. Upcycling is meaningless if I end up throwing it all away, right?
Here is my wool birdie in a tree.

Bird in a tree embroidery on wool

I used a piece of a felted gray sweater as the backing. Some brown sweater for the tree. Blue for a bluebird. And green leaves.

Bird in a tree embroidery on wool

I used coordinating thread colors to embroider the pieces on. I used a blanket stitch for the branches. The vine stitch for the leaves.

Bird in a tree embroidery on wool

If you look really closely, you can see the bird's wing stitched in there.

Bird in a tree embroidery on wool
 

I did get a little bit special with the bird, using a satin stitch for the beak and a french knot for the eye. Uhhh, and I totally forgot the name of that cute twisty looking stitch for the legs. 

Bird in a tree embroidery on wool

I love how it's a feminine motif but done in a more masculine fashion. This would look just as at home in a den or library as it would in any girlie room.

Bird in a tree embroidery on wool

What do you think? Think you could sneak it into your guy's cave or garage and not have him snarl his lip at it?

Embroidered Ballerina

I saw this beautiful ballerina on The Graphics Fairy.

The Graphics Fairy

I drew her out on my drawing tablet and printed it out. If you follow Angel Stitch Broderie on Facebook you would have seen my super hi tech transfer method. Here it is again:

Embroidered Ballerina

I like the colors she is wearing so I kept the color palette as it is in the original image.

Embroidered Ballerina

Except I gave her red hair!

Embroidered Ballerina

Embroidered Ballerina

I double wrapped the hoop in ivory tulle. I added a turquiose ribbon to the top for hanging . . . . .

Embroidered Ballerina

. . . . . .and I backed it in this beautiful teal fabric.

Embroidered Ballerina

Classic Truck and a Song Lyric

I was listening to my boyfriend, Frankie Ballard, today and his song, Get On Down the Road, is as catchy as the rest of the songs on the album. In the chorus he sings

"So I, I better get on down the road

As fast as I can go

Gonna let these big wheels roll

And crank up that radio

And pull my hat down low

And get on down the road"

So of course, in pops a classic truck into my head. So I google classic truck. And I find this beauty.

1965 Ford F-100

Swoon!!! So I draw it.

Ford truck

I used my new Adesso drawing tablet. Clearly I need more practice on that thing.

Ford truck

Then I went all high tech and lined up the fabric to the print out of the drawing and held it up to a window and traced the image.

Ford truck

I realized that the words on the print out were much too small so I free handed them in pencil to the fabric. Ummm, yeah. Kind of wonky. I swear I haven't been drinking today . . . . .

Ford truck

Oh well. I made it for myself. And my boyfriend, Frankie. I have no idea what I am going to do with it yet. Maybe frame it rather than stretch it over a hoop? I'll bet it would be cool to make a rustic barn wood frame and display it in that.

Ford truck

See? Boyfriend.

Miss you Frankie. Come back to California soon, k? Mwah.

Frankie Ballard

French Themed Little Girl Embroidery

Here is what I get for spending so much time on Pinterest. So many francophiles on there that I cannot help but be influenced by it!

I wrote Le Fille in pink slipstitch cursive and added a darker pink dress. I satin stitched the dress' sash in the same light pink that I wrote the words in. I backed it in a pale pink cotton and added a pink ribbon to hang.

French embroidery for girls

French embroidery for girls

French embroidery for girls

French embroidery for girls

I wrapped the outside of the hoop with very pale pink (think traditional ballerina tutu and slippers pink) gauze. Its just too bad that my baby girl is 14 and won't want this anywhere near her room....

French embroidery for girls