This post is part two of my series, ‘How to make a cafetiere cosy’. However, you can also still follow this tutorial for any sewing project you would like to use with thread sketching; the process is the same and it is a very creative skill to acquire along your sewing journey.
You will need:
- Stitch ‘n’ tear or similar removable stabilizer
- A further stabilizer to give your work some strength (I used felt to help with insulating my coffee pot, but anything will do including more stitch ‘n’ tear)
- Needle and tacking thread
- Sewing machine and thread
- An embroidery or darning foot for your sewing machine
- A copy of the picture you plan to thread sketch
Begin by attaching stabilizer to the back of your work. For my cafetiere cosy, I wanted an extra layer of insulation so I cut a piece of felt to the same size as my cosy and tacked it in place.
Next, trace your desired design onto a piece of stitch ‘n’ tear (or other removable stabilizer). I found its best to keep your picture to a simple outline, as you can add further detail later once the stabilizer has been removed. As my cafetiere was inspired by my Creative Sewing Challenge theme for the month, ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’, my design was a little bee drawing.
Tack your stitch ‘n’ tear in place, and use free motion embroidery to sew over your design. If you’ve never done FME before, you might want to check out my post ‘Learn how to do Free Motion Embroidery in 7 Simple steps‘.
Once the outline of your drawing has been recreated in thread, you can remove your stabilizer. With stitch ‘n’ tear you gently pull your paper away (you might need some tweezers to remove any tiny scraps of paper from between stitches).
If you want to, you can now revisit the embroidery and add some extra details. Keep your original picture in sight to help with this, but its also ok to keep it simple if you are new to thread sketching.
And there you have it, a lovely embroidered image for whatever project you are working on. With my cafetiere cosy now embellished, embroidered and nearly complete, my final task was to assemble the final product; click here for part three of this tutorial if you want to find out how to do this too.
And as I mentioned, this whole project was inspired by June’s theme for my Creative Sewing Challenge. This is a free challenge open to anyone who loves to sew; you sign up to receive a new prompt each month, and I share ideas and inspiration tied to each theme. It’s simply a way to help us sewing enthusiasts find time to further this lovely hobby we are all share. Find out more here or sign up below:
And here’s a lovely pin to save for a rainy day (perfect sewing time!)
