Friday 27 September 2013

stitched blooms blog tour and giveaway!

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I am really excited to be today's stop on Carina's blog tour for her wonderful new embroidery book Stitched Blooms!

I met Carina Envoldsen-Harris back in 2008, just six months into this blogging lark! We both joined up to a handprinted swatch swap on Jesse's blog, exchanged handprinted swatches and have been friends ever since.

Since then we have stayed in touch and continued to cheer each other on in all our crafty pursuits, despite the many miles between us - she lives in the UK and I'm in Australia.

Carina is talented in more than a few areas, but I've always especially admired her original embroidery and her distinctive colour sense. Carina's unique embroidery designs are somehow both modern and traditional, and showcase her Scandinavian roots. 

I posted way back in 2009 about my love for embroidery (and featured Carina's work amongst others in that post) and have a jampacked embroidery board on my pinterest page, but somehow I've never really got that far at doing some myself!

So not only is it a real honour to share this book with you, it has also been just the nudge I needed to really make a start at embroidering, to make a finished project.

Stitched Blooms is the perfect book to take you from early baby steps to more complex designs. It's very accessible and the great thing is that Carina gives you not only detailed instructions for some wonderful projects in the book, but also provides an extra 237 motifs on CD, for you to mix and match, size up and down depending on your project. All those lovely blooms to inspire!

To practice I started with two of these motifs, lovely leaf patterns, which I sized and positioned together. I used back stitch to outline these and found quickly I love the meditation of the stitching, its one of those perfect projects that you can do with half an eye while life spins around you.

Gaining confidence from my little leaves, but resolving to make my stitches smaller and more consistent, I moved on to the simple Pom-Pom Luminarie project from the book. Luckily I had all the embroidery threads and some white cotton fabric in my stash. Sadly no pompom trim (must change that!) but I used this cute mini rickrack I've been saving. It fits my little jar of quilting pins perfectly and looks so cute on the shelf. Switch it for a little battery tea light and you have a beautiful light source.

I love that embroidery is so quick and easy and inexpensive, yet it gives items a really unique and handmade quality which would be perfect for gifting. I'll definitely be doing more, in fact I'm starting to see the world in embroidery patterns this week. I can't wait to experiment, and try my hand at some other projects from the book. I can see some hand stitched Christmas presents in my future.

Carina's colours are always distinctive - clean and bright, without being overwhelming. I was so pleased to see the section on colour in the book where she explains colour theory in simple and interesting terms. Even better - for today's giveaway you get the chance to win a set of seven embroidery flosses in one of her beautiful colour palettes.

All you have to do to win is leave a comment below, international entries welcome. If you have time I'd love to know if you have embroidered before or whether you're a newbie or wannabee like me! I'll leave it open till Wednesday next week. Please leave a contact email address in your entry.

And if you have been wanting to get into embroidery, but something has always stopped you, this book could be the spark to start you on those first baby steps to making handsewn items to keep or give away. Hmmm, I'm just thinkin how sweet one of Carina's stitched blooms would look on a little white onesie for a new baby!

p.s. So happy my spotty fabric makes a little appearance in Carina's sewing pouch project above!

32 comments :

  1. I would love to win this - currently I am wearing my embroidery 'L' plates, it would be lovely to learn some new stitches/be inspired by Carina - back stitch is well and good, but I'd like to get fancy (ha!).
    I love the pop of the needle when I pull it through taut fabric. Really love it.

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  2. What a lovely giveaway. Thanks for the chance to win :)

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  3. I really want to learn how to embroider.

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  4. love to embroider and stitch, haven't done it for a ehile but happy to be motivated to head back in that direction again

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  5. This book looks so lovely! And great for a newbie/wannabe embroiderer like me. Thanks for the chance to win this pretty book.

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  6. I love Carina's book. Her designs are so sweet. I have been embroidering now for about 2 years. I love to cross stitch too and I find embroidery a good way to loosen up after the tightness of cross stitching.Thanks for the opportunity to win this book!

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  7. This past summer I was sorting through my Gran's linens and I was surprised to find the most beautiful old embroidered tablecloths, napkins and hankies. All hidden at the bottom of the drawer, too special to be put out and used. I wondered about their history, about the women who had so patiently and carefully put needle and thread to cloth. Such a wonderful art, and something that I hope to pick up. This book would help. Thanks for the chance.

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  8. This book looks really wonderful! Gorgeous designs and patterns, thanks so much for the chance to win! mprantner at gmail dot com

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  9. I am an experienced embroider - however it has been several years - but I am inspired to get back to it! I'd love to win this book -- thanks for the opportunity!

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  10. This looks a great book - I love the embroidered blouse!
    I would class myself as a newbie!

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  11. I am an experienced embroiderer and love Carina's fresh/traditional approach

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  12. What a gorgeous book. I can imagine it would get well thumbed at our place.
    ps - you would never know that was your first stab at embroidery! Beautiful.

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  13. I haven't embroidered for a long time. My mom taught me when I was 9 or 10 years old and we worked side by side many times. It always made unique and very personal gifts :) Time to get back to it, it seems!
    Thanks for the opportunity! (I found you via iHanna's blog)

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  14. I have been looking for some 'botanical' crafty ideas of late, so this would be perfect :)

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  15. Looks like a great book! I learned to embroider since two years ago or so.

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  16. I have not embroidered in a while. This book and some floss is just what I need to rekindle my craft! Thank you for the giveaway!! Cindy (scgiL2@aol.com)

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  17. I would love to try some more embroidery, I have only tried it once or twice.

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  18. I started out with cross stitch but I've since fallen in love with embroidery!

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  19. I adore embroidery and Carina's designs! thank you for the review and giveaway!

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  20. I am just a newbie.. but would love to gain some more skills with these adorable patterns!

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  21. This book is amazing. Thanks for the give away!!

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  22. Love stitching and would like more time to get into it.

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  23. This book looks wonderful. I would love to have more ideas for embroidery. Thank you for the giveaway. (scgiL2@aol.com)

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  24. I know a couple of stitch types, but could and would like to learn more!

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  25. I've done a lot of needle point but I've never really embroidered before but this book seems so inspiring! -- Elizabeth

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  26. Your embroidery is so cute, it looks very pretty with the candle glowing in it too, thanks for the giveaway. I have stitched before but it has been awhile.
    smjohns63 at yahoo dot com

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  27. I did a little embroidery as a pre-teen/teenager but haven't since then, so I guess I'm still a beginner.

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  28. I've been embroidering since I was eight.

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  29. I enjoy embroidery ... although I'm not talented with it. I don't know the proper stitches and my stitches aren't always very equal ... but it's fun to me. I would love to win a copy of this book and have some cute new flowers to stitch on the jeans I am working on now! Thanks for the chance!

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  30. I've been a bit obsessed with embroidery lately. I want to out it on everything. So far it's mostly made it onto pouches and things for swaps. I haven't kept anything I've made. I learned how to do it in about grade 6, then we broke up but the last few years we've mended our relationship ;)

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  31. I have just started embroidery. I've been working on a kit but now its nearly finished & I'm hooked! I'm a little overwhelmed thinking about what to do next so Carina's book looks like it might be a good thing to look at!

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