Free Motion Embroidery…I am addicted!

Recently I released the free machine embroidery course (otherwise known as free-motion embroidery, free-hand embroidery, or as Kirstie Allsop said the crack cocaine of the craft world). It is where you use a darning foot & the feed dogs are either covered or lowered, depending on your machine, and you are in complete control of moving your fabric. In a way you are drawing with your sewing machine & the great thing is you can often do it with a basic machine.

Stitch samplers that lead on to pictures

Above is a picture from a recent course. We started with a couple of sampler pieces machined onto calico. This allows for getting to know the sewing machine, & gets you accustomed to moving the fabric. Some people like to work within a sewing hoop, but as I am an artist I’ve always done what feels natural, and for me, it is easier to move just the fabric. This also allows me to work on large pictures freely.

Afternoon Tea

I think that half the fun is choosing what fabrics to use, & a great thing is that you can use up all your scraps on small pictures or intricate parts of a larger picture.

This almost appliqued and drawn over technique is very addictive, as I found out. I love how cute the pictures are & think the appeal is in the simplicity…

Corgi in a bandanna!

Eggs is Eggs

Click Click…a picture for my office!

Beach Huts

These pictures show one way of using free-motion embroidery, there are many other ways such as painterly techniques, embellishing felt work and what I would call a more traditional embroidery picture…but they are for another blog post.

Anyone can do this so…Go on…lower those feed dogs!