I (Teri) love snow—the beauty of it blanketing the ground, as well as the uniqueness of each individual flake. Indeed, the embroidery and embellishment Kara used on the two snowflakes she made using the same pattern (see Snowflakes for Free!) gave each its own special "personality." Both started with the same cream wool, but the variation in threads, beads, ribbon, and even the background created two unique flakes, much like the snowflakes of nature.
Of course, I knew that I would have to try one of my own. My mind's eye saw something even different: a free-falling snowflake that I could hang on my tree. My tree is done all in gold and white, so I collected materials that I thought might work to create a fitting snowflake for my ornament.
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| Collecting materials |
I settled on just the small, flat sugar beads and the Kreinik Very Fine #4 Braid in gold. First, I cut out the pattern and traced it onto the wool—twice. Because I would not have a background on which to stitch the embroidery outside the flake, I added the small diamond between the points of the snowflake. I used fly stitches to embroider the center spokes of the snowflake with the gold thread on one of the flakes. I added a bead to the center, just to reflect a bit of light. Then I put the two snowflakes together and used a knotted blanket stitch to secure the edges, using the gold braid and adding a bead between each stitch. I went around the outside first, and then did the inner diamonds. Initially, I envisioned adding the extra stitches around the snowflake with beads, but I quickly realized that they weren't really needed. (And I had beaded quite enough, thank you!)
I truly wasn't sure I was going to love this version of the snowflake pattern until I was finished. I didn't back my wool, so I had to be careful with my stitching so that the edges didn't unravel. So you may wish to consider adding a light fusible interfacing to the back of the one you embroider. However, I will say that no matter how carefully I traced and cut, my two wool snowflakes did not match. But since wool is so forgiving (and giving), I was able to stitch it into submission and make them match. I'm not sure that would have been as easy had I backed them with interfacing. If anyone tries it, let me know how it works!
All that being said, when I was finished, I gave it a pressing with some steam, which flattened it out nicely. And guess what? I loved it! Those beads catch the light just perfectly. And I think it fits rather nicely with my tree decor.
You can find the free pattern for this snowflake on the post Snowflakes for Free! And you have until Monday night (12/12 at 12) to enter the giveaway for a kit, described in that post. We hope you enjoy making your own unique versions of this flake. We would LOVE to see your results! Please share your stitched snowflakes with us on our Facebook, Instagram, or Google+ pages!
LET IT SNOW!!
Lovely!
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