I was really scared about launching my Kickstarter campaign, but it has been incredible. Thank you to everyone who has supported my dream so far – my haberdashery will definitely be opening!

I thought I’d share a quick post about my Kickstarter today as there are 7 days left to pledge to help me open up my dream bricks-and-mortar haberdashery shop at my studio. Currently, 141 people have made a pledge to support it and it’s 844% funded – how amazing is that?! I was honestly so nervous about launching my Kickstarter campaign because I had absolutely no idea what to expect. My initial target was £500 (to be able to buy shelving for the shop) and I planned to add another goal of £500 for wheelchair ramps and some signage. The first target was smashed in 41 minutes!

Kickstarter launch video

When I launched my campaign, I shared this video on YouTube to share a bit more about it. You can see the space and I talk you through what my plans for the shop are. Since filming, I’ve been decorating a bit more (and had a few days off) so I’m planning to do another video soon! With the extra funds already pledged, I’m planning to purchase a till system that works with my website, some new blinds and window vinyls. It’s looking bright and colourful already! Once I’ve received the money from Kickstarter, I’ll be working hard to open towards the end of October (exact date TBC).

Click here to pledge!

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has pledged, shared and liked my campaign. I’ve been speaking to lots of local people recently and it’s lovely to know that people are excited. YAY! It ends at 17:59 on 10th September 2021.

If you have any questions, please do get in touch. Everything in the shop will be available online too, so if you’re not able to visit in person then I’ve still got you covered!

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So today I’m really excited to tell you more about the recent big commission I was working on. It was this Top 50 Stitches booklet with Love Embroidery magazine, and it’s free with Issue 16 in July!

It’s SO hard not being able to share things when you’re working on a commission, especially when it’s this exciting! This free booklet contains so much embroidery goodness. And if you’re joining in with The Happy Stitch Project then you’ll definitely want to pick up a copy! It includes step-by-step photos and instructions to be able to stitch the Top 50 stitches, and if that wasn’t enough there are 3 mini rainbow-themed projects for you to stitch too. Yay! This booklet is sponsored by Anchor thread, and they kindly sent me the thread to be able to stitch this. It’s stitched in an 8″ hoop, and I’ve painted this in one of my favourite shades called ‘Alfie’. You can find the painted hoops here in my haberdashery.

Subscribe to Love Embroidery magazine today!

Subscribe to Love Embroidery by 29^th June to receive my exclusive Top 50 Stitches booklet! Master the art of modern embroidery with this essential 64-page guide, including rainbow-inspired projects, step-by-step tutorials, expert tips, templates and more. This is ONLY available with issue 16 of Love Embroidery magazine, so sign up here today to get yours! By clicking on this link you will receive 6 issues for £9.99 which is a bargain (UK only) I can’t wait for you to read it! I’ll add more to this post once the issue is out in the world.

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If there’s one phrase that sums up how I currently feel about a lot of stuff it’s this one. Because I’m basically ‘making it up as I go’! It seemed like the perfect quote for this week in The Happy Stitch Project. It has resonated a lot with my Instagram followers too!I’ve been chatting with a friend about what she might want to do in terms of setting up her creative business (she’s a brilliant crafter and has a lot of options!), and it came up then. I think when I was a musician I had more of a clear plan. I worked towards my goals, practiced everyday and ended up in a job that I loved. But when I left that job it all got thrown up in the air. There was no clear plan, I didn’t know where I’d end up and it took me a while to let goof not having that clear map ahead. Now I completely embrace it,  the it has taken a long time to get there! Who knew I’d end up being an embroidery artist?! No me, that’s for sure! I’m definitely making it up as I go.

This week, we’re learning seeding stitch. It’s basically two straight stitches stitched close together, and it’s

Making it up as I go: materials

A 12cm (5″) embroidery hoop – mine is hand painted in the shade ‘Beryl’

A piece of white linen fabric, roughly 20 x 20cm

DMC threads – I have used the colours from my rainbow brights thread pack

An air erasable pen

Needle

Small sharp scissors

Larger pair of fabric scissors

White perle thread to finish the back

Project template – click to download the free pdf!

Watch this week’s tutorial videos

Find the stitch tutorial here:

Watch the full project tutorial here:

I loved stitching this stitch – it’s really relaxing once you get into a groove with it. I used back stitch and French knots for the text, so go back to those tutorials if you need to. You may know seed stitch already, which is where you used single stitches quite close together to fill in a space. It surprises me how much overlap there is in terms of names for stitches, and also how different stitches can have the same name! It’s a bit confusing, but stick to the terms you know if you know them already. Let me know how you get on with this design!

You may also like…

This pumpkin, lemon and poppy seed loaf (a bit unseasonal, but it’s one to save!):

Pumpkin lemon and poppy seed loaf

Make some felt paper chains:

Perpetual paper chains

Stitch Brick and Cross stitch from week 19:

Brick and cross stitch hoop

Find all of the previous projects for The Happy Stitch Project here.

The post Making it up as I go appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

Brick and cross stitch hoop: materials

A 10cm (4”) Embroidery hoop (I’m using a hand painted hoop in Prince)

A piece of fabric – I’m using a piece of pink linen

Template – click here to download the free pdf!

Some DMC thread (this is shade 3837)

A needle

Small scissors

Some larger scissors

Perle thread to finish the back

Watch this week’s tutorials

You’ll find this week’s stitch tutorial here on YouTube – I’m doing it freestyle here, but I’d recommend tracing the pattern and seeing which method you prefer. Drawing the design onto the fabric definitely makes it neater!

Watch the brick and cross stitch hoop project tutorial here:

Want some more inspiration?

Brick and cross stitch is really versatile, even though it is a set, repeated pattern. If you fancy experimenting a little, why not try one of these projects?!

• Stitch the pattern around the neckline of a top, or maybe add details on the cuffs too
• Create a stitched picture with different patterns (use the Alphabet project from Colourful Fun Embroidery for inspiration
• Make a stitched bookmark
• Stitch on a denim jacket like we did in week 2 with this project

I’d absolutely love to see what you stitch, so don’t forget to share it with me! I’m @hellohoorayblog on Instagram

You may also like…

This post where I have a natter with Hannah from Hannah Hand Makes!

A natter with…Hannah from Hannah Hand Makes

These hot cross buns (which I should have made at Easter but forgot this year!)

Mini chocolate and orange hot cross buns

Make these super fabric covered magazine files:

Fabric covered magazine files

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This week in The Happy Stitch Project, we’re learning long and short stitch. It’s a beautiful stitch for shading, so you can achieve an ombre effect with different shades of the same colour, or blend different colours together. Our project this week is long and short stitch lettering, and I’ll show you how to stitch long and short stitch in blocks and around the curves. Yay!

Long and short stitch lettering: materials

A piece of patterned fabric, roughly 22 x 22cm 

A 12cm (5″) embroidery hoop

An aqua trick pen

Templates – click here for the free download!!

DMC thread in shades 3845, 3843 and 3842

A needle

Some small sharp scissors (I use these Fiskars ones and they’re fab!)

Some perle thread to finish the back (although I haven’t finished the back yet )

Watch the long and short stitch letting tutorial

You’ll find the stitch tutorial video here, and I quickly talk you through the basics of the stitch:

The full tutorial is here:

https://youtu.be/ZajU3HOJBYA

It’s a slow stitching video this week, which I haven’t done in a while! So make yourself a cuppa and I’ll talk you through the lettering. Feel free to pause and go back, or stitch along with me! I stitched the first letter before filming so that you can use it as a guide. If you have any questions along the way, do ask in the comments below or get in touch via Instagram or by email.

If you use Anchor thread instead of DMC, no problem! I’ve got a conversion chart right here.

You may also like…

This Crafty Colour Palette for some colour inspiration!

Crafty Colour Palette #4

These fabric covered letters:

Fabric covered letters

Read all about the magic of the to-done list:

The magic of the to-done list

Stitch some alternative lettering with this design from earlier in The Happy Stitch Project:

Do your thing embroidered hoop

The post Long and short stitch lettering appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

This week in The Happy Stitch Project, we’ll be mastering the bullion knot! I tried these a couple of weeks ago and failed. It was so frustrating, and I thought that I might not ever be able to stitch them! But I’ve actually worked out why that is now (after a big discussion with my friend Louise, who works a few hours for me, yay!), so I can pass on a few tips to you as you give this one a go.

So, I think the first thing to say is that mastering the bullion knot will take a bit of patience. You’ll need good light, and you should try to make sure that you’re not too tired when you start doing them. You’ll need full concentration levels, so a cup of tea and a biscuit may also help! I used 3 strands of thread for my bullion knots, but you might want to try using more if you wish. During my first attempts, I wondered if the number of strands was affecting my ability to stitch them. But I think it was more the stitcher than the stitch that was the problem!

Mastering the bullion knot

You can watch this week’s tutorial video here on YouTube:

It will also be on IGTV later today (I usually post around lunchtime there). The sampler design used in the main photo at the top of this page is the one I use in my IGTV videos – it was designed by Helen from @unicornfactoryuk, who is taking part in The Happy Stitch Project too! Helen kindly put the templates together for a free download, which you can find here. It’s not too late to join in if you fancy getting started.

Adding bullion knots to our knot sampler

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been busy moving into my studio (more on that in another post). This has meant that I haven’t done additional videos to show me adding stitches to the knot sampler hoop. But I’m mostly set up now, so you’ll be pleased to know that there is a video for bullion knots – yay! You can watch it here:

It has been brilliant seeing your knot sampler hoops so far! I know that some of the knots have proven to be a bit tricky (we’re looking at you, Danish knots!). Please remember that with this project, you don’t have to stitch everything and you don’t have to love all the stitches. I’ve said before that I found that herringbone stitch really didn’t come naturally to me, and I know that this will take practice for me to make it look good. That’s absolutely fine! We all have our favourites and others that we won’t really use once we’ve done it a few times. The most important aspects of The Happy Stitch Project are learning together, learning from our mistakes, and learning to embrace the whole process – even if we don’t get things right the first time. Or even the second, third, or twentieth! Don’t forget that you can find all the posts via my links page, or through the blog section of the drop down menu at the top of each page.

Find my projects in Love Embroidery and Be Creative with Workbox this month!

I don’t think I’ll ever get over the excitement of seeing my work in print, and this month I have projects in two magazines! The first is these wonderful positive pin badges, which I designed for Love Embroidery magazine. This is my first commission for them and I am so excited! I have read craft magazines for YEARS, and to be actually designing for them is really a dream come true. Yay! The retro floral patterns and lovely colours will be a perfect spring project. I also have the little hoops available here in my haberdashery too You can buy a copy here or subscribe here.

My Keep Going hoop is also in issue 199 of Be Creative with Workbox, and it made the cover! So exciting! You’ll find all the info, instructions and template in the magazine. It is also available as a kit here if you prefer. Sadly, this magazine won’t be continuing after issue 200. It’s such a shame – I recently discovered this wonderful magazine, and it’s so sad that there won’t be any more. If you love a magazine then do keep buying it!

You may also like…

This post about how to stitch French knots:

Adding French knots to the geo hoop

This sewing machine cover:

Sewing machine cover

Make a delicious cake this weekend!

Nigella’s chocolate olive oil cake

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This week, we’re adding Danish knots to the knot sampler that we started last week in The Happy Stitch Project. They take a little practice, but once you’ve got the knack then you’ll be stitching them in no time!  The Danish knots are triangular in shape, and they’d be great for filling in other shapes or for using in borders. I’ve just stitched them in one colour on my knot sampler, but you can use as many as you like! If you missed last week, we stitched cable stitch around the edges. You’ll find the knot sampler templates in this post if you want to join in. I’m also going to stitch French knots in the smallest circle at the top – this week was super busy so I didn’t get the chance, but that’s okay! Work at your own pace too

Watch the Danish knot videos from week 14

The Danish knot stitch tutorial is here:

And the project tutorial (where I add Danish knots to the knot sampler hoop) is here:

The Hello! Hooray! studio is coming

So this week has been super busy for me, because I finally completed and signed the lease on my new studio space! Yay! I’ve been working on this for several months now, but with the pandemic it has taken slightly longer than I’d hoped. But the solicitors have done their thing and I got the keys yesterday morning (nope, not an April fool!) and I can’t wait. I’ll be writing a separate post about that once I’ve decorated, but keep an eye on Instagram to see decorating progress in the coming week

You may also like…

This teapot kit by Nancy Nicholson was really fun to stitch:

Nancy Nicholson – teapot sew kit review

Make these treats in time for Easter this weekend:

Mini Egg rocky road

Find out more about my book or buy a copy here!

Introducing Colourful Fun Embroidery!

Find all the posts from The Happy Stitch Project and other useful links here.

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This week in The Happy Stitch Project, I’m showing you how to stitch a cable stitch. It’s a bit like stem stitch from week 8, but you alternate the sides of the loops when making the stitches and this gives a slightly thicker effect.  Cable stitch is also known as alternating stem stitch or side-to-side stem stitch, and that makes complete sense! Although it is a bit confusing when stitches have a lot of different names isn’t it?! Just knowing that there are a few different names can help when it comes to identifying them.

The design that we’re working on from this week is something that we’re going to be building on over the next few weeks. I really wanted to learn some knots, because I only know one and that’s the French knot (from week 4). It felt like a good time to learn a few more! I thought it would be fun to stitch them all on one project, and this is a fun way to display them in a sort of sampler. As I said in this week’s project tutorial video, I wanted to come up with a snazzy name for it but I couldn’t – so ‘knot sampler’ it is!

How to stitch a cable stitch: materials list

A 15cm (6″) embroidery hoop

Some white linen fabric, or quilting cotton

An aqua trick marker pen, or another semi-permanent method of design transfer

Some DMC thread – I’m using shade 3810 here

Needle

Sharp scissors

Templates (click here to download)

Watch the tutorial videos

Watch the cable stitch tutorial here:

Watch the video for this week’s hoop here:

Step 1

Trace the design onto your fabric, and then place the fabric in your hoop. Thread a needle with 3 strands of embroidery thread, knot the end and trim the excess.

Step 2

Stitch a cable stitch around the edge of each circle as shown in the video. I have found that smaller stitches work best for curved edges – have a play around and see what works best for you!

What’s next?

So over the next few weeks, we’ll be learning different knots each week and filling in the circles. You could choose one of the circles this week and fill it in with French knots if you like – it doesn’t matter what colour you choose, just pick a circle and get stitching! If you want to see any of the other posts from The Happy Stitch Project, you can find them all here or via my links page.

You may also like…

See how we added French knots to the geo hoop earlier in The Happy Stitch Project:

Adding French knots to the geo hoop

Make your own floral buttonholes:

Make your own floral buttonholes

Or have a go at painting some simple watercolour birthday cards:

Watercolour birthday cards

The post How to stitch a cable stitch appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

This week’s hoop design for The Happy Stitch Project is a spring mandala with picot and tulip stitch, stitched in a gorgeous spring-inspired colour palette.  I love the symmetry of mandalas and this is the first one that I’ve ever designed! I knew that picot stitch  and tulip stitch would work really well for this sort of pattern, so once I’d come up with the centre pattern with the tulips I built it up from there. Picot stitch is also known as long tailed link stitch, because like many other stitches it has two names! If you can stitch a link stitch, then you can stitch a picot and a tulip too. Yay!

Spring is my favourite season, and this spring mandala is a lovely way to show off those beautiful tulip stitches. I have stitched this mandala in just one colour (which is unusual for me!) and I think it looks fab. But this design would look amazing in a variety of colours, so use as many as you like!

Spring mandala with picot and tulip stitch: materials list

Some good quality cotton fabric (I’m using some quilting cotton here)

A 10cm (4″) hoop to display and a 12cm (5″) hoop for stitching (or a 15cm/6″ for stitching in if you’re stitching the larger version)

A method of design transfer – I’m using a Sublime Stitching pen and some transfer paper here, but you could use something semi-permanent if you prefer

Templates – click here to download the pdf

Some embroidery thread (this is DMC 3851, which is available here)

Needle

Sharp scissors

Some perle cotton to finish the back

Watch this week’s tutorial videos

You can watch the picot and tulip tutorial video here:

The project video for the spring mandala hoop is here:

Step 1

Transfer the design onto fabric using your preferred method of design transfer. Place the fabric in the larger hoop for stitching. Thread your needle with 2 strands of thread (I’m using 2 strands throughout here).

Step 2

Stitch the tulips in the centre first, being careful not to pull the thread too tightly or it will go out of shape. When complete, stitch the centre circle with small back stitches.

Step 3

Work outwards with your stitching to complete the design (see video to see how I stitch the pattern between the two big circles in the design).

Step 4

Once the stitching is complete, finish the back and it’s ready to display.

I hope you enjoy stitching this spring mandala as much as I did!

I can’t wait to see your creations, so please use the hashtag #TheHappyStitchProject on Instagram and I’ll be able to see it. I’m catching up a bit this week after a tough week, so I’m sorry if you’ve shared something over the past week and I haven’t commented yet. Lockdown life has taken its toll a bit over the last week and the juggle is real! Thanks so much for joining in – it really means the world. Have a good week!

You may also like…

These geometric roll-up blinds:

Geometric painted roll-up blinds

Make a delicious Easter treat with this recipe:

Mini Egg rocky road

Make your own creative family manifesto:

Our creative family manifesto

Treat yourself to some lovely new DMC thread!

DMC mouline stranded cotton

Read all about my first book, Colourful Fun Embroidery!

Introducing Colourful Fun Embroidery!

The post Spring mandala with picot and tulip stitch appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

What a week it has been. Everything feels really heavy at the moment doesn’t it? I said this last week in my newsletter too, but it still applies: it’s okay to take time out and switch off if you need to. Hopefully, this little woven rose bouquet hoop will provide you with the perfect crafty antidote to the world this weekend.

I’ve been juggling so many things this week with an approaching deadline, that I’m only just putting this post together after lunch on Friday when it has normally been live for several hours! I had always planned to try to get ahead with The Happy Stitch Project, but this hasn’t happened yet – I’m hoping that I will be able to at some point but equally trying not to put too much pressure on myself. I still need to add some text to my chain stitch spiral hoop that I made last week, and I’m hoping to do that this weekend too.

I decided to stitch this project in a bright, fresh palette which is perfect for spring. I really love this blue fabric, and the colours really pop on it! I’ll be displaying it in a hoop the same colour, but I didn’t have it painted in time for today. It’s the ‘Azure’ shade of the hand painted hoops in my shop if you fancy it, and the other materials are in my haberdashery too – see below for the details and keep scrolling for a photo of the hoop colour!

Woven rose bouquet hoop: materials list

18x18cm piece of quilting cotton – this is Aero Blue from the Pure Solids range

12cm (5″) wooden embroidery hoop (will be displayed in a hand painted hoop in ‘Azure’)

DMC stranded cotton thread in the following shades: 335 (dark pink), blanc (white), 3839 (cornflower), 3851 (green) and 604 (light pink)

An aqua trick marker, or your preferred method of drawing onto fabric

Needle and small scissors

Some perle thread to finish the back (not shown on the video this week, but you can see it on this tutorial). Shade 793 matches this fabric perfectly!

Flower templates – this design in my hoop is freehand, but you can download a template to create your own here.

Watch the tutorial video for the woven rose bouquet hoop

Find this week’s project tutorial video here:

And if you want to watch the stitch tutorial video first (to see a 7-spoke web being stitched in real time), you’ll find that here:

Step 1

Place your pre-ironed fabric in the embroidery hoop and tighten the screw to secure in position. Take your aqua trick marker (or similar pen) and draw on a bouquet design. If you prefer, you can use the templates to help – see materials list above for the link to download.

Step 2

Thread a needle with 6 strands of 335, the dark pink shade. Using a straight stitch, stitch over the spokes of one of the webs before weaving around the create the rose. Repeat with any remaining roses in your bouquet.

Step 3

Stitch the white daisies with 6 strands of blanc thread for the petals, and add some little French knots in the centre. Use 3 strands of the cornflower blue thread (shade 3839) for the knots.

Step 4

Stitch stem stitch for the stems of the flowers, using 3 strands of shade 3851 (I think I said this is shade 959 in the video, but it’s actually the darker 3831 – sorry!).

Step 5

Use 6 strands of the light pink (shade 604) to tie a ribbon around the bouquet. Stitch a few stitches over the section where the stems overlap so it looks like they have been tied together. Adjust the bow once tied, and add a tie stitch at the end of the loops if you need to secure them in place.

Share your stitching!

Don’t forget to share your makes with me – I’m @hellohoorayblog on Instagram, but you’ll find me on Facebook and Twitter too. Or drop me an email if you prefer! I can’t wait to see your beautiful bouquets this week.

You may also like…

These rose shortbread hearts make a lovely gift:

Rose shortbread hearts

Make a bouquet with real flowers with this simple tutorial!

Tutorial: how to make a floral bouquet

These perpetual paper chains are a brilliant project:

Perpetual paper chains

Or bake your own bread – it’s easier than you think!

Bake your own bread

The post Woven rose bouquet hoop appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

We’re embracing a bit of freestyle design and stitching with this chain stitch spiral hoop! It’s a perfect project for using some of your loose ends (the useable bits of thread left over from other projects) and it’s so relaxing to stitch. It’s week 10 of The Happy Stitch Project – can you believe we’re in double figures?! Thank you so much for all your lovely messages this week It has been brilliant to see so many lovely projects, and to hear that lots of you are feeling more confident in experimenting with new stitches and your own designs. That’s what this project is all about! So this week, I wanted to create something that would allow us all to be free in our approach to the design and not worry about any imperfections (you might find this post interesting if you’re trying to let go of ideas of perfection).

Chain stitch spiral hoop: materials list

10cm (4″) embroidery hoop

18x18cm piece of fabric – I’m using linen here, but a good quality quilting cotton would work well

An air erasable pen

Some of your loose ends threads, or a chosen selection of thread if you prefer

Needle

Small sharp scissors

Watch the tutorial videos here!

If you’d like to watch the stitch tutorial video first, you’ll find it here:

And you can find the chain stitch spiral hoop tutorial here:

In the video I mentioned that I have a thread conversion chart on my blog if you need it, and actually I have two! There’s an Anchor to DMC chart and a DMC to Anchor chart for your reference if you need it.

Step 1

Position your pre-ironed fabric in your hoop, and tighten the screw to make sure it’s firmly in position. Take your air erasable pen, and draw a spiral shape – start in the middle here as it’s easier to see where you’re going that way!

Step 2

Thread a needle with 3 strands of embroidery thread, and trim the excess. Start your chain stitches from the edge and stitch towards the middle. I’ve used the darkest red first, and have worked through the rainbow colours towards the middle.

Step 3

When complete, you can finish the back of your hoop and display it as it is. I am actually going to be stitching some text on the inside of the spiral this week, as I think it will look really nice! I’m planning to use the air erasable pen again to write something out by hand, and I’ll also display it in a hand painted hoop too but I still haven’t decided which colour to use for that yet.

You may also like…

Sticking with the spiral theme, you might enjoy this yummy recipe:

Spiral courgette tart

Make some beautiful heirloom perpetual paper chains:

Perpetual paper chains

Find the previous project here:

Do your thing embroidered hoop

And if you need any of the links to the other posts from The Happy Stitch Project, you’ll find them on my links page.

The post Chain stitch spiral hoop appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

After three weeks of stitching this hoop together, this week I’ll show you how to stitch a star stitch in The Happy Stitch Project so we can finish this lovely, motivational hoop!  I have really enjoyed stitching this piece, and I don’t know about you but I have found it has been lovely to keep coming back to it over the past few weeks. There’s something so nice about being able to put it down and pick it up again – it’s one of my favourite things about hand embroidery. It’s something I talk about a bit in my book, but I feel like my love for this aspect of embroidery has grown even more this month.

Last week (which was week 8) we learnt how to stitch a stem stitch. It has been brilliant seeing you try it out over on Instagram, and I’m so pleased that the loopy technique helped! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you’ll have to watch the tutorial on YouTube. I have definitely got better with practice! Thanks so much for sharing all of your photos – it really does make me so happy to see you enjoying the creative process during these difficult times.

How to stitch a star stitch

Watch the tutorial here:

In the tutorial, you’ll notice that star stitch is kind of two stitches in one! By making the horizontal and vertical lines, you can stitch a stitch that’s known as the St George Cross (which makes complete sense!). We aren’t learning this as a separate stitch in the project, but I thought it was worth mentioning in car you fancy using it at some point.

Watch me add star stitch to the Do Your Thing hoop here:

As you can see, I’ve used white thread on the white fabric to create the star stitch here. I have wanted to try this on something for ages, but as my projects are usually full of colour, I haven’t got around to it before now! I really love the effect of it – it is subtle but the stars still stand out. It was the final colour from the perfect pastels thread pack which I used for the rest of the project, so it was good to make sure it wasn’t left out. I really want to experiment with this more so I’m sure it will pop up in a future design.

Happy stitching!

I’m really looking forward to seeing you try out this stitch this week – don’t forget to tag me @hellohoorayblog on Instagram. And do let me know if you have any questions along the way.

Have you seen the first kit to accompany The Happy Stitch Project?

The Brighter Days Are Coming kit is the perfect way to put all your new stitches into practice! This kit gives you the right combination of freedom and guidance to create your own piece. Use the tutorial videos to help you to stitch your own design

You may also love…

My best-selling Keep Going kit is a lovely kit to work on over time:

https://hellohooray.com/product/keep-going-hand-embroidery-kit/

Or try a slightly smaller version with this design from my book, Colourful Fun Embroidery:

https://hellohooray.com/product/one-step-at-a-time-embroidery-kit/

If you need a thread conversion chart, I’ve got you covered:

DMC to Anchor thread conversion chart

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This week in The Happy Stitch Project, we’re learning how to stitch a stem stitch. I’m wondering why I haven’t learnt this one before to be honest, as it’s such a lovely stitch! Here it is in red on the sampler designed by Helen from @unicornfactoryuk – you can download it here.I have added it to the edges of the Do Your Thing hoop that we started last week when we learnt arrowhead stitch. I really love the look of the stem stitching around the edges because it makes it pop so much! I have really enjoyed practising it this week, and I have managed to perfect my technique as I’ve gone along. In this week’s tutorial videos, I started by stitching this stitch in a couple of different ways. But as the week went on, I came up with a third one that works much better for me! Rather than changing everything I’ve just added it to the project video, because I want to show you an honest account of how I’m learning these stitches. We get better with practice and that’s a good thing! I’d recommend giving each one a try and seeing which technique works best for you. I’m really happy with my loop technique because I feel like I can get much more even stem stitches by doing it this way.

How to stitch stem stitch: tutorial videos

Watch the stem stitch tutorial video here:

Watch the project video here:

If you missed the first part of this project, you’ll find all the info and free templates here.

Next week, we’ll add some more embellishments around the edges with another new stitch. I’ve decided to put this in a peach hoop (the ‘Peaches’ shade) to match shade 20 from the perfect pastels thread pack that I used in the project, so you’ll get to see that next week too! I hope you’ve enjoyed learning stem stitch this week – don’t forget to share what you’ve been stitching on Instagram by tagging me @hellohoorayblog

You may also like…

Try making these yummy breakfast bars this weekend:

Nigella Lawson’s breakfast bars

Make your own floral buttonholes like we did for our wedding:

Make your own floral buttonholes

Treat yourself to a Keep Going embroidery kit!

https://hellohooray.com/product/keep-going-hand-embroidery-kit/

The post How to stitch a stem stitch appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

I picked these words for this week because I’ve been hearing lots of small business friends saying that they’re suffering with the dreaded comparison at the moment. But it’s not just people who run a small business; anyone can feel it, and life in lockdown is making this more difficult. I think because everything is online at the moment, it’s easy to only present the best bits on social media. It’s something I talked about this week in this blog post. So this hoop is designed to be a little reminder to us all to keep doing our own thing. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing; we’re all on our own journey and doing what works for us. Just keep doing you!

Do Your Thing embroidered hoop: materials list

17cm (7″) embroidery hoop

A piece of white cotton or linen fabric, measuring 25 x 25cm (10 x 10″)

Templates (click to download)

A permanent method of design transfer, such as a Sublime Stitching pen and hand embroidery transfer paper

DMC shades from perfect pastels thread pack – next week we’ll also use shade 03 to stitch around the edges of the letters

Needle

Some embroidery scissors

Watch the Do Your Thing embroidered hoop tutorial video

Watch the arrowhead stitch tutorial here first if you want to practice first.

Step 1

Trace the templates (see the materials list for the link to download) onto the fabric using your chosen method. If you’re using a heat pen and transfer paper, check out my tutorial video here. Place your fabric in your hoop.

Step 2

Thread your needle with 3 strands of the first colour of thread. Starting at the bottom of the letter ‘D’, stitch arrowhead stitches moving upwards and around in the direction of the letter. Think about the direction as though you were writing it and follow that! Make sure you don’t stitch over the lines around the edges, as we’ll be adding stem stitches around the edges next week.

Step 3

Repeat with the remaining letters, until all of them are filled in. And that’s it for this week! If you don’t want to add stem stitch, you could always stitch a back stitch around the edges instead this week

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See my hand stitched social media icons!

Hand embroidered social media icons

See one of my first ever embroidered banners here:

Embroidered banner

Make some simple decorations for your home with these fabric covered letters:

Fabric covered letters

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Love is in the air in week 6 of The Happy Stitch Project, as we’re stitching this super cute herringbone stitch ombre heart hoop! I love the effect of ombre colours, and it’s something that I come back to time and again because it’s just so effective.

But you don’t have to use ombre colours if you don’t want to! This design would work well in rainbow shades, a mix of colours from your loose ends jar or even just in one single colour. Have a play around with what you have – or treat yourself to some new DMC thread colours if you fancy! I had a piece of white quilting cotton left over from a previous project and decided to use this here, but you could stitch it on any plain or patterned fabric that you already have.

This project uses just one stitch, which is herringbone stitch. Herringbone stitch is another new stitch for me this week! I have stitched it for the first time ever on camera in the YouTube tutorial, so you can see how that went when I did it freestyle. I had definitely improved by the second time in my IGTV video, but it’s one that I’ll need to practice. I was keen to test out the stitches by drawing on some lines to see if that helped, so that’s where this project comes in! If you’re a complete beginner then I’d definitely recommend drawing them on. You can see on my YouTube tutorial that it was a bit wonky the first time around without any guide (which is absolutely okay!), but if you want to feel confident that they are even and level, then definitely draw some lines on first. You’ll notice that mine haven’t quite disappeared yet – that’s okay! Sometimes it just takes a bit longer, and I didn’t have enough time to leave it before taking photos for this week’s post.

I’m using a really lovely selection of DMC threads for this project which work so well for ombre stitching. They are the same colours that I used for the Keep Your Hopes Up hoop in my book, Colourful Fun Embroidery, because the pinks just blend so beautifully. You’ll notice that my stitches aren’t 100% even here, and that’s absolutely fine! It’s about the overall effect of the blending of colours and stitches here, so don’t worry if yours are slightly off too. This is the first project I’ve ever made with this stitch so no, it isn’t perfect by any means. But the process of stitching was wonderful, and this project is well and truly helping my creative block no end! So don’t worry if it’s new to you and if you feel like it’s wonky. We’re learning new things together, making progress, and (most importantly) having fun!

Materials list

A 12cm (5″) embroidery hoop

Some white fabric – I’m using some quilting cotton here, but linen would also be super

Some embroidery thread – I’m using DMC shades 601, 602, 603, 604 and 605

A transfer pen – either an air erasable pen (like I’m using here) or aqua trick marker would be great

Heart shape templates (click here to download)

A needle

Some small sharp scissors, plus a bigger pair to trim the fabric

Some perle thread to finish the back of your hoop

Watch the herringbone stitch ombre heart hoop video tutorial!

If you’d like to watch the herringbone stitch tutorial first, click here.

Step 1

Secure the template to a flat surface, and place the fabric over the top. Carefully trace the design onto the fabric with your preferred choice of pen (trace the heart and the lines).

Step 2

Thread a needle with three strands of the first colour, 605. Start stitching your herringbone stitches on the second row down, before stitching the top row in the same colour. Follow the shape of the edge of the heart as you go – see the video for tips!

Step 3

Once the first colour is complete, move down the heart shape from lightest to darkest shades. I stitched two rows of 605, two of 604, one of 603, and then two each of 604 and then 605 at the bottom.

Step 4

If you wish, you could stitch a back stitch around the edge for definition. I decided to leave mine without an edging, as I like the look of how the herringbone stitches create the shape.

Step 5

Finish the back of your hoop using your preferred method (mine is in the project video). Ta-dah! It’s ready to display or give as a gift to your Valentine!

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you may also like…

Make some yummy rose shortbread hearts – a perfect handmade gift:

Rose shortbread hearts

If you’ve enjoyed stitching this herringbone hoop, you might also enjoy this project from week 3:

Link stitch geometric hoop

Give your craft project some extra love with these pins:

Heart shape extra long pin wheel

The post Herringbone stitch ombre heart hoop appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

In week 5 of The Happy Stitch Project we’re learning fern stitch. This is the first new stitch that I’ve learnt for the project, and I’ve designed this fern stitch wreath hoop for you to create something simple but beautiful. Add your own text or design in the centre to customise it!

I actually really loved stitching this stitch. It’s simple, but really effective! I can see myself using it in lots of designs, and it even features in my new hand embroidery kit too. Yay! I stitched this up in no time in a 10cm (4″) hoop, but you could easily make this much bigger if you wanted to. The templates for a 12cm (5″) and a 15cm (6″) are included in this week’s newsletter for subscribers. Sign up in the footer if you don’t want to miss out!

Fern stitch wreath hoop: materials list

10cm (4″) embroidery hoop

Some white linen fabric, roughly 18×18 cm (pre-ironed)

Wreath template (click here to download)

An aqua trick marker, or your preferred method of design transfer

Needle and thread (I’m using DMC 701 here)

Small sharp scissors, plus large ones to finish the back

White perle thread

Watch the tutorial video on YouTube!

The full tutorial project for this hoop is available on YouTube – written instructions can be found below. You can also watch the fern stitch tutorial here.

Step 1

Take your template, and secure it to a flat surface with some tape. Place your fabric on top, making sure it is in the centre, and use your aqua trick marker (or similar) to trace over the design.

Step 2

Place the fabric in the hoop and tighten the screw. Thread your needle with some of your thread (I am using 4 strands here), and then starting at the top, stitch a horizontal stitch………….

Step 3

Repeat these fern stitches all the way around the hoop, until the design is completely covered. Add your own design in the centre at this point if you wish – see the ‘Make it your own’ section below for some ideas.

Step 4

Reposition the fabric in the hoop if not quite central, and then tighten the screw at the top. Remove any unwanted pen lines with the water pen.

Step 5

Finish the back of your hoop as desired – the video shows you how I like to do this but you can do it any way you like!

Make it your own

I love to make suggestions for how to make projects your own! Each project in my book, Colourful Fun Embroidery, has a section to do this. Embroidery is a really personal thing, as is any handmade item, and it just makes it personal to you. Here are some suggestions for this hoop:

• Stitch the leaves in a different shade or shades of green – simply thread the different colours through the back (a bit like I did in the link stitch geo hoop with the French knots)
• Stitch a floral design in the middle, or include some flowers in the wreath itself
• Include a quote or a name in the centre – use an air erasable pen for shorter text that can be stitched quickly. You could even use the text from the sprinkles hoop in week 1 (if you print the templates slightly smaller!)

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Make your own felt Christmas wreath with this step-by-step tutorial:

Felt Christmas wreath

For a sweet treat, try this Mini Egg rocky road:

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Or get some colour inspiration with Crafty Colour Palette #3:

Crafty Colour Palette #3

And find out more about my You Tube channel here:

Hello! Hooray! is now on YouTube!

Stitch this beautiful One Step at a Time design from Colourful Fun Embroidery:

https://hellohooray.com/product/one-step-at-a-time-embroidery-kit/

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I’m a little bit late with this post for week 4 of The Happy Stitch Project – I’m so sorry! Life is just really hectic at the moment, which is ironic considering we’re in lockdown and aren’t going anywhere…but the juggle is very real! Anyway, this week we’re adding French knots to the geo hoop that we stitched last week.

The main takeaway from this week is that I don’t want you to be afraid of French knots! Once you’ve learnt this method, you’ll be stitching them super fast in no time. It’s a good idea to watch the French knot tutorial video first if you haven’t seen it yet. Just remember: needle closest to you, thread furthest away! This will all make sense once you’ve seen the video.

Watch the French knot tutorial video

In this video, I’m using 3 strands of standard embroidery thread (which is now available as individual skeins in my shop – yay!). To make the French knots bigger or smaller, you can either wrap round more or fewer times, or use more or fewer strands of thread. Have a go, and experiment with sizes so you feel comfortable with it.

Back to the link stitch geo hoop

So last week I started stitching the link stitch geo hoop – and I finished the link stitches this week! It was so therapeutic actually. I’m really loving doing all of these tutorials for you, as it gives me time to stitch which is always a good thing! It also felt really nice to put something out there into the world that wasn’t finished. I share WIP photos all the time, but this was slightly different. I hope it helps you to feel more positively about WIPs!

Once the links were finished, it was time to add in the French knots. I decided that I’d only add them in the places where four complete links met, and I’m happy with that in terms of the design. Feel free to do more if you wish, it’s entirely up to you!

Watch the video showing how to add the French knots to the geo hoop

To see how I added the knots to this design, watch this tutorial video. I am still using only two shades of perle no.8 thread here, DMC 959 (turquoise) and 793 (cornflower). I decided to contrast them by adding turquoise knots to cornflower link stitches, and vice versa.

I think the overall effect of this is really quite pleasing! The link stitches aren’t perfect, but the perle thread is quite forgiving. Once the design builds up a little, you can look past them. If you don’t have any perle thread, you can use 3 strands of standard thread for the same thickness.

Have you joined in with #TheHappyStitchProject so far?

I’d love to see what you’re making! So please tag me @hellohoorayblog and use the hashtag #TheHappyStitchProject Look out for the next tutorial coming on Friday. You can also find stitch tutorials on IGTV now – I’m using the super Happy Stitch hoop templates designed by Helen from @unicornfactoryuk

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Catch up with The Happy Stitch Project and make the project from week 1 – a super sprinkles hoop.

Sprinkles hoop for The Happy Stitch Project

Delving into the archives when I started the 100 Happy Days project:

100 Happy Days

Check out my colourful craft room tour (from when it looked way tidier! )

Colourful craft room tour

Make some delicious spicy parsnip soup!

Spicy parsnip soup

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The Anchor to DMC thread conversion chart is here – yay! I compiled a DMC to Anchor version last summer, and this has been on the to-do list for a while. It will be super handy if you’re joining in with The Happy Stitch Project!

This chart is perfect for any stitcher who needs to reference between the Anchor and DMC brands. I made reference to this chart in my new book, Colourful Fun Embroidery, and it’s a very useful thing to have if you need to convert colours between brands. DMC is my go-to brand, but I do have some Anchor colours and so it’s helpful to know where they match up if possible! This chart includes all of the DMC standard floss colours, including the new shades that were released a couple of years ago. However, there are no accurate alternatives available for these shades, as indicated on the chart. If they ever become available, I’ll fill them in and let you know! Also, please note that the chart does not include any DMC Colour Variations floss, DMC Light Effects or DMC Shaded (variegated) floss.

How to use this conversion chart

To use this thread conversion chart, simply find the number of the Anchor colour you have in the left-hand columns marked ‘Anchor’. The DMC alternative (or alternatives, in some cases) is given in the right-hand columns marked ‘DMC’. Some Anchor colours have more than one suggestion because there is more choice in terms of DMC shades, and some of these do not have exact matches. All colours are correct at time of publication.

The chart is A3 in full size, so that you can print it out in a size that’s readable (there are a lot of shades!). If you don’t want to print a copy, it easily converts to a readable size if you’re viewing on a pdf viewer. I’m viewing it on an iPad here, but you can easily view it on a phone and just zoom in to be able to view the details.

Download your Anchor to DMC thread conversion chart

Click here to download your pdf copy of the Anchor to DMC thread conversion chart!! I hope that you find it really useful when you’re completing your embroidery or cross stitch projects. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @hellohoorayblog if you’re using this chart or stitching one of my projects!

If you’ve enjoyed this post, you may also like:

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Post updated 15th January 2021.

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