Last Minute Gift - Super Easy Lavender Embroidery Embellishment

Here's an idea for a really easy hand-embroidered embellishment you can whip up in an afternoon with only four colours and three stitches! I put it on two pillowcases for my Mother Outlaw, but it works on tea towels, needle cases, bookmarks, little zipper pouches, just about anything! Plus you can easily put a little monogram or name underneath, just use a printout of a cool font!

Here's a few pics of what I did, plus a pic of how you can make the pattern.
What you'll need:

• Embroidery floss - darker purple, lighter purple, bright green, and pink
• Embroidery needle and small scissors
• Embroidery hoop - I prefer a seat frame so I can use both hands, but that's optional
• whatever you're embellishing

The lavender embroidery is on the top part of the opening of the pillowcases.

 

 

 

 

It really is as easy as it looks. 3 lines, 3 ovals and a bow.

Click on image to get a better look.

Use 4 strands of floss. Do the stems first in a split stitch.  Then use 2 strands of each purple for the lavender tops, making lots of french knots.  The bow is chain stitch.


That really is it! If you do embroider something, make sure you put it on the flickr! It's a great way to make a personal gift but not have to spend days working on it! And it's one of those things you can make up ahead of time and keep around as an 'emergency gift', too. As always, if you have any problems or questions, email me!

In more personal news, Savi was meant to go to her dad's in Illinois for Xmas, but with all the weather she wasn't able to go.  So she's staying home, which, if I'm really honest, makes me both happy and sad.  Happy because it's weird having Xmas without her, and it's awesome she'll be here to unwrap her pressies and hang out with us and stuff.  But I was kinda looking forward to having a mini-holiday with just me and Buzz...  With her flying as an unaccompanied minor, we don't have the ability to change her flights online, and we can't even get through to BA to stay on hold for 2 hours waiting to talk to someone.  I really wouldn't wish this on anyone.

So on Sunday, since we were already awake and our plans were dashed and there were MANY tears, we (read: Jenna) decided to go finish our Xmas shopping.  I'm really glad we did as it was a brilliant diversion. Plus we got everything done! Just as I thought we were homeward bound, though, Savi expressed a desire for a Build-a-Bear.

I don't know if you've got any experience in that particular shop, but to describe it as intolerably annoying is to give it too much credit.  They blare snippets of music at you in an attempt to persuade you to spend more ££ by buying a noise-making device to have stuffed unceremoniously in your bear.  The machine they use to stuff the bears is like 4 Hoovers going at once. And an outfit costs as much as the bear (£10-18) even though, as far as I could see, no outfit on sale could possibly have cost over 25p to make.

Savi watching as the chick operates the Parent-Torture Machine.

Neither Buzz nor I can understand Savi's obsession with Build-a-Bear.  We've bought one every year for her, sometimes even making her spend her own ££ on it, and she still wants another, and another, ad infinitum... It takes forever, it's total chaos in there, they always try to manipulate you to spend a bit more, then a bit more, which I find really offensive, the tills weren't working properly, and in the end I declared that this is the last time we're paying for a Build-a-Bear adventure.

 

 

Are we done yet?

Buzz wondering how long we've been in this purgatory...

But I bet we end up buying another one before next Christmas. At least she's happy, though.  At 7 o'clock Sunday morning I thought she would never stop crying!

Hope you are all well, and your Christmas plans aren't too affected by this crazy weather!