Blooming Bookmark---Part 2

We will see steps 3 and 4 today.

Step 3: Now, with everything set, you are ready to start the embroidery. With two strands of the darkest shade of pink sew buttonhole stitch around the edges of the flower pattern. Buttonhole stitch is used here to avoid frayed edges when the flower is cut out from the fabric. Place the buttonhole stitches very close together.

Step 4: Before you start the shading, observe the flower and find the order of working the flower. When you shade the flower, first shade the petal which is underneath all the other petals. Marked as A in the photo below. Next, petals marked as B, and then petal C. And at last, petal D, which is on top of all the other petals.

You can find steps 1 and 2 here

Free Embroidery Project---Blooming Bookmark---Part 1

I would like to share with you the step-by-step tutorial of the embroidery project Blooming Bookmark.

Materials needed for this project are:

Cotton fabric (two layers)
Embroidery frame
For long and short shading: Three or four shades of threads that belong to a same color group (I used three shades of pink--Anchor nos. 050, 052, and 054)
For french knots at the center: Two or three colors of your choice.
Satin ribbon
Backing fabric

Step 1: Trace the pattern on the first (upper) layer of the cotton fabric, using any tracing method of your choice.

Step 2: Mount the fabric (both layers) on the frame. (To do long and short shading, your fabric should be fixed drum tight). Assemble the threads for shading.

Step 3: To be continued tomorrow.

Blooming Bookmark

Yes, the long and short shaded flower turned into a bookmark. I guess you like this idea. This could be a lovely gift to a dear one who is a book lover.

You can also attach the flower to one side of a paper bookmark and place the bookmark into a book such that only the flower peeps out at the top.

If you do the long and short shading using silk threads you can hang it on the Christmas tree as an ornament. You can make 10 or 20 flowers like this, attach those to a ribbon, and use it as a decoration.

The flower can be appliquéd into kids’ dresses or can be attached to a hairclip, headband, or bracelet as Deepa (http://deepashome.blogspot.com/) and Lakshmi (http://sadalas.blogspot.com/) suggested.

It can also be attached as a pendant to your necklace.

Do you have any other ideas? Please do share them here. I will post the bookmark tutorial tomorrow.

And The Winner Of The Give-Away Is...

Hi all,

I am happy to announce the winner of the book "Embroidery Designs" by Nirmala C. Mistry.

The winner is Anwesha. Congratulations Anwesha! Please send your contact details to my e-mail address flora.flowers.boo@gmail.com. I hope you are going to love this book.

I would like to thank the other three participants for their interest and enthusiasm. Thanks Lakshmi, Kasthuri, and Megan.

My special thanks to Lakshmi for writing about this give-away on her blog.

I wrote the names on four slips of paper, folded them, put them into a bowl, and asked my daughter to select one. With gleaming eyes, she took one on which Anwesha's name was written. My kid must have had fun really! She was all smiles when she gave the paper to me.

I will come up with another give-away when I the number of followers of my blog reaches 25.

And I have completed the long and short flower. Any guesses still of what I am going to do further?

I Am Making An Embroidered...Guess What?

Today I am going to keep you all guessing. From the photo below, you know that I am embroidering a flower with long and short shading. I am going to make something using this flower? Can you guess what?

If you really want to know, check back with me in a few days. I have something up my sleeve.

There are only two days left for the conclusion of the give-away. Join in soon if you want to own the pattern book.

Tunic Decorated With Shisha Mirrors

I don't see much progress in any of my current projects. So today I want to show you the shisha mirror embroidery I did on a tunic two years before. The shisha stitch you see in the photo is the easiest one of all types of the shisha stitch. I have used square-shaped mirrors for this tunic.

P.S.: Please don't forget to check my previous post about the embroidery pattern book give-away. You can join if you are interested.

Book Review And Give Away---Embroidery Designs

Are you searching for simple, vintage kind of embroidery patterns or border designs or elegant floral patterns for your projects? Then this is the right book for you. Yes! "Embroidery Designs" by Nirmala C. Mistry has more than 400 patterns.

 The front and back covers of the book have a lovely paisley design intricately embroidered.

The book contains 132 pages. The patterns in the book are grouped according to the type of stitches that could be used on the designs. Color plates of some of the embroidered designs are displayed from pages 2 to 16.

 At the beginning of each section, stitches are introduced with clear drawings and instructions.

There is a variety of patterns: flowers, birds, butterflies, animals, cartoons, decorative patterns, border designs, and so on.

There are simple to very intricate designs in the book. You can use the designs for any type of embroidery.

Are you interested in shadow work, cutwork, or cross stitch? You have patterns for these too in this book.

I bought this book in a local craft store. I don't find it listed in Amazon.

And here comes the first ever give-away on Flora's Colors. Yes! I am going to give away the book "Embroidery Designs" by Nirmala C. Mistry. I have two copies of the book. One is for my use and I am giving away the other new book.

To participate in this give-away,  all you need to do is this. In the comment section under this post, please provide the link to your blog (although the link appears with your name) and write a sentence or two on what you would like or look forward to read in Flora's Colors. This will help me write more interesting and useful posts in the future.

The give-away ends on March 10. The winner will be announced the next day. The book will be sent to the address provided by the winner.

Friends, I would be happy if you mention this give-away on your blog to help others get a chance to participate. This giveaway is open to all of you embroidery enthusiasts around the world.