Hello! A brief break from sewing to do something a little different – embroidery! I started doing some embroidery projects a couple years back, but never anything too complex and I mostly followed patterns I got from Etsy. As a result of this hobby, I have quite a few skeins of embroidery thread, embroidery hoops, and aida cloth at the bottom of a few craft bins on my supply shelves. Because I am the middle of a move, a bunch of those supplies resurfaced when I was setting up the crafting space in my new apartment!

One of my friends came by to check out my new place and she brought over her watercolor set, so I got to test out a crafting trend that I’ve been dying to try – watercolor embroidery. I love the look of mixed media projects and it adds such a unique extra dimension to fiber art.

Here are some snapshots from a quick watercolor embroidery project and how you can accomplish the same!

Supplies:

• watercolors (a cheap palette is okay!)
• brushes
• cup for water
• aida cloth or some type of woven cloth
• embroidery hoop! I am using a tiny wooden hoop from Joann fabrics
• pen – I use Pilot Frixion pens because the ink lifts when under heat
• embroidery thread and needle of your choice!

Ensure at this step that your cloth is taut within the embroidery hoop for a smooth surface while painting

Start painting one layer at a time! It’s easier to go with lighter shades first and then layer more pigmented colors next. Make sure to clean your brush before using other colors.

after this step, I used my blow dryer on high speed/heat to make the drying process faster! I then used a pen to draw out the sailboat. A little embroidery and you’re all done! I used 2 single threads together for my embroidery – usually in skeins, 6 threads are twisted together.

Ta-da! Display your handiwork and admire regularly!

What are your favorite mixed media projects that you’ve tried?

Danica ❤