Product Release: DIY Embroidery Kit In The Woods

I am thrilled to share my latest DIY Embroidery Kit with the world. This kit is great for beginners who have never tried embroidery or for more advanced folks who want a quick/fun project. 

The design was inspired by the wonderful feeling of being emmersed in nature. The front of the notebook features original illustrations of a geometirc bear and abstract sunset. I grew up in the piney woods of East Texas and we get some awesome sun sets there. The notebook holes are laser cut to make it easier to sew (like connect the dots). 

EACH KIT CONTAINS:

• 1 tree and sun laser cut notebook

• 1 geometric bear laser cut notebook 

• Quality red and teal thread

• 1 needle

NOTEBOOK DETIALS:

• Notebook size: 3.5" x 5"

• Cover- Kraft paper 100% recycled

• Inside- Blank white paper 100% recycled

• 32 pages

One feature I really like about this kit is that there are lines connecting the laser cut holes, so there is no confusion of where to stitch. It's so nice to stitch these up without referring to pattern.

Sneak Peak: Prototypes For New Embroidery Notebook Kits

I have some new ideas for pocket notebooks that I'm trying out. My process usually works out where I try out several ideas and then pick the best. For this prototype, I print out the design on paper, tape in place, and then poke holes with a needle (it's kind of hard on my fingers, but its worth it). After the holes are made, I stitch it up, which is by far my favorite part. I love the satisfaction of seeing a design come to life. 

My Feet & My Embroidery

You can purchase this kit here.

Screen Printing For New Embroidery Kit

I've been super busy getting all the details figured out for my newest kit. Here are some shots of me screen printing. Stay tuned for the finished product.

Do It Yourself Magazine Feature

The holiday issue of Do It Yourself magazine featured my "Oh Deer" Embroidery Kit. The magazine is chock-full of cute DIY projects, mostly around the theme of home decor. Pick one up at your local book store to get some inspiration for the holidays.

Behind the Scenes: My Embroidery Kit Factory

For those of you that are waiting on Tea Towel Embroidery Kits, I wanted to share some snap shots of the process of getting these kits together. Firstly, this is the luscious red thread bobbins waiting to be packing into a kit.

I'm a little embarrassed to share this photo. It looks kind of like I'm just moving in, but its just project explosion from the tea towel kits.At least the kitty found a nice place to hang out.
My late night print session.
This contraption, we call him Steve, is a portable oven. His job is to set the ink to 324 degrees.

Product Launch: Introducing 2012 Calendar Tea Towel D.I.Y. Embroidery Kit

It's been a long time in the process, but here it is! I had so much fun with my tea towel last year, that I decided to bring it in to 2012. Wonderfully, my longtime love of embroidery has been well received by the ETSY community in the form of my STICHIES Kits. I thought it time to carry that passion over and expand into the world of tea towel calendars, a functional and beautiful addition to any kitchen.

The kits take approximately 8 - 14 hours. By the end of the kit, you feel confidant about the stitches (back stitch, lazy daisy, and the french knot). It is calming and meditative, a nice way to spend an evening. And it's really a nice feeling to lay back after completing a number and see your hard work translated directly onto the canvas.

The kit was designed for both beginners and advanced stitchers. The instruction guide goes over each stitch if you need that and I'll be creating in dept tutorials on the blog detailing each stitch. I've been compiling some good little tips through the process.

My test subject was a complete rookie, but by the end of the 2012, he felt the urge to keep going and fill in the CuriousDoodles logo and fill in his families' birthday dates. Apparently he sped up as his stitching got better and he just couldn't stop.

Part of the reason why I am interested in making kits, is because there is a lack of modern/relevant designs for embroidery. Sure, there are loads of vintage embroidery patterns which I adore, but it is a bit of dying art that I would like to see come back. I combined modern typography with dense organic stitch work. I started with big helvetica block letters and filled them in with intertwined vine work creating a different read from across the room vs. up close-up. Check out my blog post with some of the early sketches/prototypes. I did several revisions to the design once I started stitching up prototypes to come up with a design that is appropriate for the capabilities of needlework.



The towel comes with a hang tab in the upper right corner for easy hanging.

The completed kit would be a wonderful keep sake gift for a new baby or a wedding. It also makes a wonderful gift for crafty friends and family (especially those you feel have a little too much time on their hands).

Progress Update: Stitching up the Tea Towel

I have been stitching ferociously the past few days trying to get this baby done. I'm almost there!

Printing Tea Towel Embroidery Kits

The tea towels have been screen printed. Hooray! Here are some shots of me at The Pull printing.
The printing process went fairly smoothly. The large format print was a little bit tricky, but we figured out a way to make it all work. Now its time to stitch it up. I'm excited to see the final project complete!

Wall Art made With Nails and Rope

I'm liking the subtlety of these DIY wall art kits. You can buy the kits here. I think a map of some sort would be interesting imagery for this technique.




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2012 Tea Towel Sneak Peak

Here are some snap shot of my progress on the design for the 2012 calendar tea towel. This year it will be an embroidery kit.

This is me sketching in my local coffee shop. I'm using helvetica as a guide for my lettering. The little circle blooms ended up not working out as well for embroidery so I changed the blooms to look like this.

I'm also testing which colors look best with the design in this shot.
Stay tuned for more progress shots.

DIY Embroidery Holiday Deer Card Kit

The weather is perfect for crafting a STITCHIES kit and snuggling up by the fire this holiday season. The deer and the border pattern is screen printed in silver water based ink which looks sophisticated. There are black dots that are printed on the card that act as a pattern guide for the embroidery stitching. This would make the perfect gift for someone that has everything already, or for a crafty friend that enjoys a little project. It also looks great framed.

How does it work? First, punch the little black dots out with your needle. I prefer to start with the border first, but I recommend doing what make sense to you. Then, divide your thread into two 3-strand groups. Tie a knot and start stitching! The dots will be a guide for where to stitch. I've stitched a couple of these up and they take about 1-1.5 hours to make.

DIY STITCHIES KIT INCLUDES:

• 1 Holiday Deer Screen Printed Card on 100% recycled craft paper

• 1 green envelope (square flap)

• 2 Needles

• Quality teal embroidery floss

• Instructions

• Zip-lock bag organizer (great for on-the-go projects)

These kits are ready to ship out from my shop. Click here to order.

Oh Deer Holiday Embroidery Project Prototype

I was doodling with my deer character this past weekend. I was thinking about making this one into a DIY kit, but I'm worried that the cost of having the holes lasered will make them too expensive to customers. Would you be willing to poke your own holes if it meant the price point would go down a couple bucks? Please leave a comment. I would love to hear your opinion.

DIY STICHIES Embroidery Card Kits

I am so excited to share my first line of DIY Embroidery kits in my etsy shop!

Embroidery + Minimal Typography + Beautiful Paper= STITCHIES

This kit is perfect for the DIY-er exploring emerging niche of modern embroidery. Each card is laser cut to make it easier to sew (like connect the dots). They are made out a beautiful recycled paper with a subtle woven texture and matching envelopes. STITCHIES are oh so tactile and will be treasured far longer than the usual electronic correspondence.

If you love the look of these cards but don't want to do the sewing, I have some sewn cards ready to ship in the shop.


What does the kit come with??
• 5 laser cut cards and matching envelopes
• Needle and quality red thread
• Instructions
• Zip-lock bag organizer (great for on-the-go projects)


Here is an example of what one the finished cards looks like.


So I've been a little quiet on the blog lately. That is becuase I have been busy making lots of new stuff for the shop. Thank you for being so patient. I will be sharing more of my latest projects over the next week.