I am Nancy from Do Small Things With Love and I am so thrilled that Desiree is allowing me to share my Satin Stitch Christmas Tree Pillow with you all today.
Like Desiree, I love beautiful things, especially when they are my creation. My creative medium of choice is needle and thread. Oh, I know what you’re thinking–only old ladies embroider! And, while it might be true that the median age of those currently needle-pointing is on the older side, I firmly believe that embroidery can be hip, modern, artistic and, more than anything, creative. Embroidery is so much more that just counted cross-stitch, and I hope that this Christmas project helps to convince you of that.
And so, grab your needles and let’s get stitching.
Here is how to make your own Satin Stitch Christmas Tree Pillow
Supplies:
Embroidery Hoop
Neutral, Non-Stretch Fabric
Green Embroidery Floss (lots of shades)
Iron-on Interfacing
Water Soluble Marker
Ruler
Green Cotton Fabric
Batting
Sewing Machine
The beautiful part about embroidery is that, for the most part, it is fairly simple. Yes, it can take some time, but this project, and many embroidery projects I feature on my blog, are beginner friendly. Really, as is this project. Here are the steps to make your own satin stitch Christmas Tree pillow.
- Prep Your Fabric: Take your non-stretch neutral fabric and iron on some interfacing to the back. This will give it some strength as you stitch.
- Draw Your Outline: Then, pull out your ruler and water soluble marker. Draw the outline of your tree onto the fabric. I wanted the subtle changes in the shades of green to be the real hero in this piece, so I went with a simple triangle shape. Make sure to measure when doing this step, so your tree is exactly symmetrical. Then, once again using the ruler, draw lines throughout the tree to mark off the different sections.
- Stitch…and Keep Stitching: Place the fabric in an embroidery hoop and get stitching. For this entire project I used a Satin Stitch. Satin Stitch is just a fancy way to say a stitch that fills in an entire area. As you can see in the completed project, the Satin Stitch is a series of parallel long stitches that stretch across and entire given area. The needle comes up on one edge, and goes down the the far end. And repeat…and repeat..and repeat…. I like to use three threads at a time when I use the satin stitch. As I went I used a variety of shades of green and worked to make sure my stitches in each section were going in different directions. Satin stitch is the only stitched used in this project, so once the entire tree is filled, you are done!
- Make the Pillow (optional): I made my Satin Stitch Christmas Tree into a pillow by simply framing it with fabric, sewing on a back and stuffing it, but the display options are much broader than this. Often times I just leave my embroidery creations in the hoop I stitched them in and display them. It’s totally up to you!
So, it is true, embroidery projects, like this one, take time, but they are not overly complicated. If you have yet to ever attempt a project like this, I really encourage you to! Get your needle and thread out, turn on a movie, put your feet up and get stitching. That happens to be my favorite way to relax!
It’s been a joy being here, and I’d love for you to stop by my blog and check out a few of my favorite projects:
Embroidered United States of America
Thanks again,
Embroidered Portrait with Felt Flowers
Thank you so much Nancy for visiting with us today… I am loving all of these projects!
I want to personally invite you all to visit Do Small Things With Love… You are going to love her blog!
I’d also love for you to follow Nancy on facebook, twitter, pinterest, instagram, google+.
Thank you friends for hanging out with us today!
Make sure to comeback here right at midnight…
Black Friday is coming early to The 36th Avenue this year…
I have a HUGE surprise for you!
See you later!
Besos!
Nancy and Desiree
Wow! I love the embroidery. Haven’t seen that in a long time….
Inspiring….
hugs x, Crystelle
Crystelle Boutique
So beautiful, I haven’t done any sort of “proper” embroidery for years but this really makes me want to pick up my needle and look out my threads.
This is absolutely BEAUTIFUL !!
Reminds of what my Mom used to make 🙂
LOVE this! I need to get out my embroidery set! I miss it!
Gorgeous and I think I could actually do this!!
SO cute! I LOVE it. Thx for sharing!
Nancy, this is simply beautiful! I feel like the satin stitch would be a great “gateway” into embroidering for me. I love the finished look…and there’s so much room for creativity. Thanks for sharing!
This turned out so so lovely! It’s almost like cross-stitch color blocking. Thank you for sharing with us!
Love these Nancy – they are amazing!