Doodle Stitching

A few weeks ago I decided to try my hand at embroidery.  Well, try my hand again.  I vaguely remember doing a bit of embroidery when I was younger – something on a tea towel maybe?  I can’t remember exactly.  So one day I was killing time in my local JoAnns and came across this sweet book:

Of course I didn’t have a coupon with me (I always forget them!) but I bought the book anyway, as well as some embroidery floss and a small hoop. 

It didn’t take me long to decide which little design I wanted to try first.  I used the enclosed CD to get the image on my computer and enlarge it to the size I wanted.  I used a  blue (water soluble) marking pen (and the window) to trace the image onto a piece of Kona White from my scrap bin. 

Then I got to work.  My 5 year old “helper” decided he should unwrap the floss and throw away the “wrappers” so I now have no idea what colors I used. 

In the book, Aimee shows all of the needed stitches with easy-to-follow diagrams and descriptions.  For this project I think I only used two or maybe three different stitches and once I got going it was really easy – and really relaxing!

When it was finished I decided to turn the little embroidery piece into a 12” mini quilt and hang it on this Ackfeld Wire table stand. 

Have you seen these table stands? My mom sent it to me for my birthday and I love it – it’s the perfect size for a mini quilt and it fits so nicely on my top shelf in my sewing room.  

It was nice to do some hand work for a change and take a step back from some of my larger projects.  Do you do embroidery?  What do you do with the final project?  Pillows?  I want to do more but I’m just not sure what I would DO with it!

By the way, you can see more of Aimee Ray here in her shop and on her blog.