DIY Heart Embroidery Sampler Piecework Pillow

Inspiration: DIY Heart Embroidery Sampler (For Beginners)

I had most of the supplies and I wanted to learn embroidery so I can repair some clothes.  This seemed like a simple enough start, and along the way, I decided it will be the centerpiece of a quilted piecework pillow I will give as a gift.  Then I will paint or draw the same design for a subsequent gift to the same person.  Now I have seven such paired gifts in mind. 

Materials 

• A huge box of embroidery floss in a variety of colors (that belonged to a favorite aunt)
• Small, pointed, sharp thread scissors
• Fabric scissors to cut fabric, optional
• Embroidery needles
• Needle threaders, optional
• Hoops of various sizes, 8" for this project (a gift for which I'm grateful)
• Squares of various solid color cotton fabrics I got for free, cut to 10" x 10" or 12" x 12"
• A long, thin loop turner, optional (not pictured here)
• A container for the project and supplies (not pictured)
• Pencil, pen, chalk, or colored pencil to transfer the pattern (not pictured)
• A pattern (linked below)
• Paper cutter or paper scissors--do not use fabric scissors on paper or they will get dull faster

 

Step 1:  Gather supplies. 

Pattern
A sampler pattern gives you the opportunity to learn several new stitches and attempt to make straight lines with them.   This heart pattern doesn't require any curves and starts off with seven of the simplest stitches.  It also uses seven different thread colors.  I printed mine out and trimmed 1.25" off the top and bottom of the paper with a paper cutter according to the directions in the Inspiration link.  Your pattern size will determine the hoop and fabric size, but you may have some leeway, so you may choose to slightly shrink or enlarge your pattern as you desire.

Embroidery Floss
Choose a pleasing combination of seven different floss colors that will contrast or coordinate with the fabric color you choose.  I think I ended up with ten different colors because some in the box were quite similar.

Hoop
Choose your hoop size so you know how large to cut your fabric square.  I'm not impressed with the tensioning ability of these hoops (I either can't tighten the screw enough by hand, or this fabric is too slippery).  Next time I'll try using a rubber band to help with friction between the hoops, and I'll have to cut the fabric a bit bigger for that.

Needle
The needle needs to be large enough to make threading it easy enough, but I think mine's too large and makes holes in the fabric that allow the knots to pass through, unless I double knot the end of the floss.

Fabric Scissors, Thread Scissors, and Paper Scissors or Paper Cutter
You may need fabric scissors to cut the fabric.  It's easier to have dedicated scissors, but if you're not worried about your edges being rough, it may not matter.  Don't use fabric scissors on paper if you do have a separate pair, or they dull faster.

The thread scissors need to be sharp enough to easily snip the thread and small and pointed enough to snip a stitch if you have to remove some of your work.

You will also need paper scissors or a paper cutter to trim your pattern.

Loop Turner, optional
I used this to re-knot some trimmed work where the knots spontaneously came undone.

Fabric
I've since learned there's cloth that's specifically woven to make such projects easier, called Aida weave.  The fabric I chose is a stiff yet flexible looser weave than most calico, and not well suited to the beginner I think, but it was free and I didn't know any better.

I washed, ironed, and cut several squares of various pastels, and ultimately chose a medium grey and a palette of green threads.  I should have cut them slightly larger than my pattern paper.

Container
I have a small box that fits everything including my current project.  This makes it easy to tidy up without putting everything away.

Writing Utensil
The pattern transfer link (below) discusses several options and how to choose them.  I used a 7H graphite pencil, which in retrospect was a bad choice for a medium grey fabric.  I should have used a light colored pencil or perhaps chalk; I have many options of both.  The other issue with the fabric was that it stretched as I sketched on it.  A softer lead may have distorted the pattern less.

Step 2:  Transfer the pattern.

There are several methods for transferring a pattern.  I taped my paper and fabric to my window on a
sunny day and used a 7H graphite pencil as discussed under Writing Utensil.  I now know I should have chosen differently.  I may also need a brighter light if I'm going to use this medium grey fabric again, or I will somehow have to intensify the pattern printing.

I've added my final version of the pattern to my notebook, shown at right.

Step 3:  Prepare the hoop and fabric. 

I had to search online for more details because the Inspiration guide wasn't sufficient for my hoop and fabric, but I didn't keep that link.

Step 4:  Begin stitching. 

I found the Inspiration link had excellent step-by-step tutorials and followed them.

Step 5:  Continue stitching. 

I accidentally skipped line 7 on the right and would have seven subsequent lines of Running and Back Stitches, I tried French Knots—and later learned that’s one of the hardest stitches.  It was ugly, so I added a modified Back Stitch and tacked down some of the larger knots, and now it looks like some sort of leafy vine.  Not my favorite, but much better without having to remove the work.  French Knots are the worst to remove, at least so far.

I’ll add one more Chain Stitch to finish the right side.

I redid lines 1 & 2 because they were so crooked, and have lost what little of my pattern I could see, so I tried a variation of Back Stitch that allows me to make the stitches more even and in a straighter line.  I try to align my needle with my existing line for the subsequent stitch, and that's been keeping the Back Stitch and Running Stitch lines straighter.  For the Back Stitch itself, I start at A (as shown in the linked Inspiration tutorial, but then insert my needle at B, and poke the tip of the needle through C before I pull the thread through.  This allows me to use A as a midpoint, so my stitch lengths are more even.

I’ve been using up short pieces in some cases, since that’s what my aunt wrapped around the top of some of her cards. That pertains to my star problem. After I finished the Chain Stitch on the left, I noticed two Stars had come undone, as well as some of my top knots, where I’ve tied off at the end of the line.  I don’t know why this is happening, but since I’d already trimmed the thread, it wasn't long enough to rethread the needle and tie it off that way.  Luckily I have a long thin loop turner (pictured above) and figured out a solution. (I can’t find a video and I don’t know how to describe it—maybe I can do pictures later.) So I’ve been leaving my ends longer and using the loop turner to weave the tails back through my work.

Step 6:  Finish stitching. 

I have more lines of stitches than in the original design in order to keep the overall heart shape after the penciled drawing faded to uselessness.

I added some stitches not included in the original because I messed up the order of some of the specialty stitches and didn't want too many of the simpler ones grouped on the outer edge. 

This also allowed me to repeat, and thus to practice, the French Knots and the Threaded Running Stitch.

 

 

Step 7:  Design the piecework pattern. 

My mom has leftover scraps, pre-cut squares and triangles, that she won't use, so I can select from those for free. 

I used a giant sheet of graph paper, from a pad I also picked up for free, and drew grid lines every 2" -- the approximate width of a sewn square.  Using her rotary cutter, mat, and ruler, I used another sheet to cut 2" squares and cut half of those into "half-squares", so called to differentiate these triangles by those called "quarter-squares."  I laid those out until I had a design approximating a heart.

This is a pillow that will be 16"x16", or 8x8 squares.

I used another sheet of graph paper, and transferred one-half of the design to that -- I can mirror the layout this way.  I can make four 4x4 blocks, two upper and two lower, the right ones mirroring the left.  This way I can use the other half of the paper, as well as the other side, for later layouts.

Step 8:  Determine the pieces needed. 

I transferred the design to a grid-dotted notebook (not to scale) for easier reference, and summed how many of each shape I will need in what hues and tones.

I sorted through her thousands of scraps and hundreds of fabrics first by general color, then separated each hue (here, green and grey) roughly by shade and tone.

I tried to choose unique fabrics for each piece; in some cases used a striped piece cut vertically and one on the diagonal; in other cases used the reverse of a fabric if it looked enough like a true print.

There are 94 total pieces in this pattern, and at least 90 unique fabrics for this face.  This is not including the backing that I will quilt the face to, or the background for the embroidery, which I will applique in the center of the piecework, or the back of the pillow itself, which will be one large piece.

 

 Step 9:  Incorporate into piecework. 

Details

Step 10:  Quilt pillow front. 

Details

Step 11:  Finish pillow. 

Details

 

WORK IN PROGRESS