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

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

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!)

You may also like…

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:

Mini Egg rocky road

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/

The post Fern stitch wreath hoop appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

This link stitch geometric hoop is the perfect project to practice your link stitches! It is designed to be something to work on over time, and I know you’re going to love seeing the geometric pattern build as you add more stitches.  This design is for week 3 of The Happy Stitch Project, and you just need a few materials to stitch this. I have used perle thread for this hoop, as I prefer to use it for link stitches. Perle thread is mercerised (which is the term that I could not remember when recording the videos!) which means that it doesn’t split like the standard DMC embroidery thread. No 8 perle is the same thickness as 3 strands of standard thread, so it’s great for a project like this. You can use 3 strands of standard thread for this design if you want to – just do whatever works for you! I do have some perle thread in my haberdashery now in case you want to add some to your stash

If you don’t want to use a plain fabric for this, have a look in your stash and see what you already have! You could easily add some link stitches around some dots on a dotty fabric – or be really inventive and add them to another pattern. Don’t forget to share your stitching with me @hellohoorayblog!

Materials

I have used a 15cm (6″) hoop for this project (the one in the video is hand painted in the Alfie colour from my shop)

A 24cm x 24cm piece of white linen fabric or a good quality quilting cotton like this one

A 1cm dotted grid template – I downloaded mine here

A pencil

An Aquatrick marker pen (or another method that has some permanence)

Needles – a couple are useful, one for each colour! You’ll find a variety of them here.

Perle thread – two contrasting colours in No. 8 size (available in my haberdashery). I’m using shades 959 and 793 here. You’ll eventually need some to finish the back of the hoop, but we’ll come to that next week…

Watch the link stitch geometric hoop video

If you’d like to watch the link stitch tutorial video first, click here!

Step 1

Secure the printed dotted grid template to a flat surface. Take the inner ring of your embroidery hoop, place it on top and then draw around the inner edge with a pencil.

Step 2

Place your fabric on top of the template, and then use your Aquatrick marker (or similar) to mark on all the dots that appear inside the circle. Remove the fabric once complete, and place in your embroidery hoop.

Step 3

Thread a needle with some of the first colour of perle. Select a dot as a starting point, and stitch a link stitch up to the next dot along. Secure with a small tie stitch. Repeat a further three times from the starting point, so a cross shape is formed of four stitches in the same colour. Carefully tie off at the back.

Step 4

Thread the other needle with the other colour perle thread, and repeat step 3 but directly next to the cross shape you have already stitched. The ends of the link stitches should touch.

Step 5

Keep stitching alternate colours to build up the pattern (see video). Eventually, the whole hoop will be covered in this pattern.

What’s coming next week?

So if you watched all the way to the end of the video, you’ll know that I am going to be working on completing this hoop over the coming week. We’ll also add a few more little details to it in the form of French knots, which is the stitch we’re learning in week 4 of The Happy Stitch Project – yay! Don’t be afraid of French knots, as once you’ve got the knack you’ll be a pro in no time!

If you’ve enjoyed reading this, you might like these…

Geometric meal planner

Perpetual paper chains

Geometric painted roll-up blinds

And if you missed the first project, here’s where you’ll find the sprinkles hoop.

The post Link stitch geometric hoop appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

I have been absolutely delighted to see lots of people joining in with The Happy Stitch Project this week. It has been so amazing to see you all enjoying some creative time, and so many of you learning a new skill. It feels like the perfect craft for 2021 to bring us a little peace, calm and creativity. These little moments and pockets of time are truly going to be invaluable for us all. Here in the UK as we are now in our third Covid lockdown, and I’ve had lots of lovely messages from people saying that they are looking forward to making time for themselves, and that’s really so important. It’s hard to believe we’re only seven days in to 2021 and everything has gone completely crazy!

Earlier this week, the lovely Helen from The Unicorn Factory shared a hoop design in her Instagram stories, which she had put together to be able to make a sampler for The Happy Stitch Project. It has 52 sections, and Helen said that she was going to use it to practice each of the stitches that we’re learning throughout the year. I just think this is the most brilliant idea! So I got in touch to ask if I could share them with you, and I’m very pleased to say that she said yes (thanks, Helen!).

Helen is a surface pattern designer, and you can buy fabrics from her beautiful first collection (called Rainforest Joy) on Fashion Formula and Spoonflower. I love the colours she has used in this collection, and they complement each other so well. Go and give her a follow on Instagram too!

Happy Stitch hoop templates

Helen has very kindly put the documents together for the Happy Stitch hoop templates, so they’re ready for you to download and print!  You can either stitch in an 20cm (8″) or a 25cm (10″) hoop, depending on what you feel most comfortable with. You can print both at 100% on A4 – the larger size will get chopped off slightly when printed, but the lines are clear enough for you to be able to draw this on anyway.

Click here to download the 20cm (8″) templates

Click here to download the 25cm (10″) templates

Week 1 project – in case you missed it!

Did you see the design for week 1 of The Happy Stitch Project? It’s this lovely little sprinkles hoop – I have loved seeing your creations over on Instagram this week. Keep sharing, as I’ll be sharing my favourites each week! And don’t forget that if you need some sewing supplies, you can find lots of lovely things in my haberdashery. Hoops are now available, and more things coming soon!

Have you stitched anything this week? Let me know in the comments! The week 2 stitch tutorial and project will be available tomorrow – yay!

You may also like…

Enjoy stitching the Do Your Thing hoop from week 7 of The Happy Stitch Project:

Do your thing embroidered hoop

Try out the first kit from The Happy Stitch Project here:

https://hellohooray.com/product/brighter-days-are-coming-kit/

Try out your own 100 Happy Days – perfect for practising gratitude:

100 Happy Days

The post Happy Stitch hoop templates appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

This Sprinkles Hoop is the first design for The Happy Stitch Project and I really hope that you enjoy making it to practice the first two stitches, straight stitch and back stitch. I am thrilled with the response to The Happy Stitch Project so far, and we have only just begun! Thank you for all your comments and messages, it’s really brilliant I can’t wait to see what you stitch this year!

The sprinkles hoop for The Happy Stitch Project

Anyway, let’s talk a little bit more about this hoop. The Sprinkles hoop for The Happy Stitch Project was designed as a reminder to hold on to hope as we move into 2021. Last year was so tough, and holding onto hope seemed impossible at times. It still feels hard now, with everything that’s going on in the world doesn’t it? But I’m trying my best to focus on the positives (being creative is one of them) and so the sprinkles here represent the chaos in the world, with the word ‘hope’ standing out in the middle as a reminder that it is still there. We can do this, 2021!

This design brings together the two stitches that we’ve learnt (or revised, if you know them already!) in week 1 – straight stitch and back stitch. It can be stitched in a couple of hours, or you can take your time over it, and please remember that you should stitch at your own pace and do what works for you. There’s no pressure to finish this week, just enjoy the process

Materials list

For this project, you will need the following materials:

• A piece of cotton fabric – I am stitching in a 10cm (4″) hoop and have used an 18x18cm piece, but you can use a larger piece with a larger hoop (see video!)
• A 10cm (4″) embroidery hoop (coming to the haberdashery this week!)
• Needle
• Small pair of sharp scissors (the ones in the video are available here) plus a larger pair to finish later
• A selection of embroidery thread – I have used my loose ends here, but you could use any colours (rainbow or pastel would work well)
• An air erasable pen
• Templates (click to download) if you wish, or just freestyle it!
• Some perle thread to finish the back (this will be in my haberdashery this week too!)

Watch the tutorial video: Sprinkles hoop for The Happy Stitch Project

Full written instructions are below if you prefer, but you can watch the video here:

Step 1

Take the template and place the fabric on top. Using your air erasable pen, trace over the lettering carefully. Then position your fabric in the hoop, making sure that the tension is just right (don’t pull too tightly so it’s out of shape, but don’t leave it too loose either).

Step 2

Thread your needle with 3 strands of embroidery thread (you may find a thread conditioner helpful, as mentioned in the video). Tie a knot in the end, trimming the excess so that it doesn’t accidentally come through the front as you stitch! The, use a small back stitch to stitch the lettering (see my tutorial video for back stitch here).

Step 3

Add the sprinkles by stitching straight stitches in different colours around the edges. You could use your loose ends of thread for this – these are little pieces of thread saved in a jar or a box from previous projects, which minimise waste. You’ll need to use all 6 strands for the sprinkles, to make them stand out.

I started by stitching 3 of each colour sprinkle, and then went back and added more where there were gaps. You can either do this freestyle like I did in the video, or by drawing the lines on first. Just do what works for you!

I personally found that it was best to tie a knot at the end of each sprinkle and trim before repeating the process, as this avoided seeing lines of thread through the front of the fabric. This is around 13:10 on the video if you want to see.

Step 4

When the embroidery is complete, position the fabric so you are happy with how it looks (you could always iron the edges but NOT over the stitching!). Tighten the screw at the top of the hoop, and turn over to the back. With a larger pair of scissors, trim the excess fabric to around 2cm (just under 1″). Thread your needle with a length of perle thread the circumference of the hoop, and tie a not in the end but don’t trim the excess. Stitch a running stitch around the edge of the fabric, pull and tie a knot or two to secure. You’ll find this section from 15:41 on the video if you’d like to watch to see how I did this.

Ta-dah!

A beautifully simple hoop, which will hopefully give you lots of joy to stitch and some comfort during the rest of 2021 and beyond Newsletter subscribers have already received some alternative words to stitch, and with an air erasable pen you can easily make this project your own. I’d really LOVE to see what you stitch, so do share with me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter – or drop me an email if you’d rather.

So what’s next?!

Next week, we’ll be doing my favourite stitch – satin stitch! It’s the only stitch in my Keep Going kit, and I use it in the Sunbeams kit too. It’s so versatile and lovely and I know you’re going to enjoy it! As you can see above, I’ve got the next few weeks mapped out – January will be the rest of the stitches that I know, and then from February we’ll be learning together. And I can’t wait!

As I said before, please let me know if you have any comments or questions. I’d love to hear what you think and how you’re getting on!

The post Sprinkles hoop for The Happy Stitch Project appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

Welcome to The Happy Stitch Project! I’m so excited to be launching today – yay! This whole project basically came about when I got stuck in a creative rut a couple of months ago, and I knew that I wanted to come up with something to get me out of it. It was during a period when I felt a bit lost and unmotivated creatively, and that’s never a great place to be in (but trusting in the process is key and I know that this will get me out of it). The last few weeks have been crazy busy (for which I am truly thankful!) but it didn’t leave me much time for being creative, and I felt like I didn’t know what to work on next anyway. Over the last couple of years I’ve come to understand that when I feel a bit lost, learning something new can help to encourage me to get creative again. It always feels like a big kickstart to get me going again, if that makes sense?!

So I decided to go big or go home and take on a year-long project in 2021. I went from feeling lost to feeling hugely motivated and excited before I’d even done a stitch! And I think this is a good sign, so I’m really hoping that it will not only get me going creatively but also encourage you to get involved as well – whether you’ve stitched before or not!

What is The Happy Stitch Project?

So in a nutshell, I am going to be learning (and teaching you!) a new embroidery stitch in every week of 2021. This is a project that you’ll be able to join in with in a way that suits you. It will be something that you can dip in and out of, use either as a refresher or as a way to learn completely new stitches. You’ll get to see all the outtakes of me learning new things along the way too – I really want to show you the full process throughout, whether it goes well or not! I have always done this on my blog and it’s a really important part of how I work creatively. We learn such a lot when things don’t quite go to plan, and I try to embrace this as much as possible. I’d love to encourage you to do the same!

There will be lots going on as part of the project, including:

• Blog posts full of ideas, tips and tricks
• Tutorial videos on YouTube and IGTV
• Free digital patterns for you to try out
• New kits available to purchase throughout the year
• Newsletter subscribers will also receive additional free patterns throughout the year – you can sign up in the footer or via the popup too!

Watch on YouTube!

The first videos are live on YouTube already – yay! You’ll find an introduction to the project below if you’d like to watch me talk about it The first two stitch tutorials are on there (you get a bonus one this week as it’s the first week!), so we’re starting with straight stitch and back stitch. I’ll be writing additional blog posts for these as well, so stay tuned.

The project in more detail

I really want #TheHappyStitchProject to be an exploration of stitching for us all, and something which encourages you to explore hand embroidery a little further. There are a few things that are super important to me, and I wanted to highlight them individually:

Work at your own pace

One of the key things about The Happy Stitch Project is that I want you to work at your own pace. Comparing your speed to other people can take some of the joy out of it, and I want this to be an enjoyable project for you! Try to enjoy the process, however fast or slow your stitching is going. There’s really no rush at all. Also, there isn’t a test at the end so remember that you don’t have to complete each week! Simply dip in and out and take what you need. You might skip a few weeks if you feel like you’ve mastered those stitches already. The content will be available afterwards anyway, so you can always come back later. It’s okay to change your mind!

You don’t have to be an expert

In my book, Colourful Fun Embroidery, I talk about using only a small number of stitches to be create a variety of different pieces. I only use about 5 different ones in my book, which are the stitches I have used for basically all of the projects I have ever stitched, and I’ll let you into a secret…they are actually the only ones I know! That’s right – I wrote a book, an ACTUAL BOOK that I am so so proud of, and I only used 5 stitches. Which firstly goes to show how how versatile hand embroidery is, and secondly that you can produce beautiful pieces without knowing everything there is to know about embroidery. I’m here to remind you that you don’t have to be an expert to get started; you certainly don’t need to be an expert to join in with The Happy Stitch Project. (Also if you haven’t got a copy and you’d like one, you’ll find them here!)

You may wonder why I’m telling you this, in a world where Instagram and social media in general presents us with perfect stitches and expert crafters. Well, I guess what I’m getting at is that this is a learning process for me as well as for lots of you, and that is absolutely okay. Being open to this is a really important part of being creative – we can’t expect to learn anything unless we are open to learning. We can’t become more expert at something until we learn and practise (and practise some more!). Making mistakes is key to this process, as we often learn more from making mistakes – or at least by allowing ourselves to see mistakes as a way to explore and develop creatively. Whatever stage of the creative process you find yourself in, keep going. You’ll get there, just trust in the process! 

There is more than one way of doing things

One of the things that I find frustrating about the creative world is that there can sometimes be this idea that there is only one way to do something. I firmly believe that there are plenty of ways to do things to achieve the same or similar results! You may find that I am teaching you stitches in a different way to how you’ve learnt before – you don’t have to follow what I’m doing, keep doing what you’ve always done if you have a technique that works. Feel free to adapt my methods in a way that suits you – we’re all different and that’s a good thing!

Get involved

This project isn’t just about me learning or teaching you new stitches – I’d love to see what you’re stitching too! Use the hashtag #TheHappyStitchProject and tag me @hellohoorayblog on social media because I would LOVE to see what you create! Please feel free to ask questions as well, as I’m happy to help.

Use what you have

I really want you to be able to make the most of materials and tools that you already have, so raid your fabric stash and see what you can use! I have a huge stash and I’ve been working on trying to use more of it before I buy anything new where I can. But, if you do need some additional supplies then I have loads in my haberdashery. Really excited to say that I have my first fabric available (only in one colour at the moment as we have no space here!) and more will be available soon. So if you do want to treat yourself to new supplies then that’s absolutely okay – no judgement here (and I’ll probably start doing the same haha!).

Are you ready to get started?!

Let me know if you’re joining in! I am so excited to feel inspired by learning new things, and by what you’re all stitching too. If you have any comments or questions, you can leave a comment below or get in touch by email, through Instagram or Facebook. Let’s make 2021 a happy, creative year!

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