Crochet

Patterns, projects and techniques

Embroider Your Crochet

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From time to time, we all need to embroider something on our crochet.  It might be the tiny facial features to complete an amigurumi animal or a kid’s name on a hackysack.  Unless we already possess excellent embroidery skills, embroidery can give us some problems.

Enter Rebecca and her excellent embroidery tutorials.  She is offering wonderful free lessons over a period of weeks so we can practice and master her simple instructions.  Once we’ve followed Rebecca’s tutorials, we’ll find that bit of embroidery will be very easy for us.  Plus, we’ll bookmark her site and be able to reinforce our skills down the line when we need a refresher.

Try this.  Make a simple hotpad and have it ready to work on.  Practice your new embroidery skills on that hotpad and you’ll then have a very attractive sampler to remind yourself of your accomplishments.  Embroidery floss is very inexpensive when used in the small quantities required for most of our purposes.  But, a variety of threads can be used for embroidery.  Rebecca will be your guide!

Comments

  2. Ha-ha chuckle! Sooper Sweeeeeet! I find that after so many years that go by, I get a little rusty on my embroidery and it takes a practice piece for me to get my memory back! With a hook, I can Doodle all over the place with it, but sewing, (embroidery) I have to follow the rules. (Smile)

Have you read?

Crochet Christmas Dove Ornaments With a Printable Gift Poem

There is something especially lovely about a handmade gift that comes with a few thoughtful words. These crochet Christmas birds pair a folded yarn ornament with a decorative poem card, turning a little crochet project into a keepsake.

The design has a rounded head, a tiny embroidered eye and beak, and a forked tail. A broad overlapping section forms the wing, giving the bird that folded, origami-inspired appearance. It is a simple-looking shape with plenty of handmade charm.

A Crochet Bird That Doubles as a Gift Topper

What appeals to me most is the idea of using the bird twice. Tie it onto a wrapped present as a gift topper, then let the recipient hang it on their Christmas tree afterwards. The wrapping gets recycled, the ribbon goes into somebody’s “far too useful to throw away” drawer, and the bird becomes part of next year’s decorations.

Cream would be a lovely choice for a Christmas dove, while cranberry red, sage green and dusty blue offer a different seasonal look. Keeping the wing plain lets the crochet texture and folded layers stand out.

For a personalised crochet gift tag, an embroidered initial is a sweet addition. One small letter gives the ornament a purpose without needing to squeeze an entire name onto the wing.

The Printable Christmas Dove Card

The accompanying printable brings the gift together. Watercolour-style holly, evergreen branches, berries and gold accents frame the card, with space above the poem for attaching the crocheted bird.

The original Christmas poem shares wishes for peace, joy and love, then invites the recipient to hang the dove on their tree. There is also a “With love from” line, so the finished card feels like a complete little present.

I would print it on firm cardstock and attach the bird with a removable thread or ribbon loop. That way, the recipient can lift it off the card easily when it is time to decorate the tree.

It is a thoughtful Christmas gift concept, especially for crafters who enjoy making small decorations with a personal touch. The bird and poem card belong together: a little handmade ornament, a Christmas wish, and something to bring out again next December.