Who Needs a Pattern?

'Tis the season for giving—and decorating! But as the weather chills and winter comes upon us, it is also a great season for stitching. This year, I (Teri) decided it might be fun to do some free-stitching and practice my spontaneous designing (not my forte), using some felted wool from old sweaters and whatever threads and beads I had on hand that made me happy. I tend to do better with a plan, but I allowed myself to play with various stitches and combinations, trying new threads and just having fun. Here are my results.

A gathered lace flower surrounded by pearly beads remind me of a snowflake. I gave this one to a friend before she left for her Florida winter, so she could be reminded of the snow she'd be missing.

I gathered an assortment of threads that I had been given, but had not yet tried, as well as my bin of beads. I cut wool circles of about two inches, and smaller pieces to stitch in the center, and I was ready to play. Above, the results are under my tree on the embroidered tree skirt that my mom lovingly stitched for me some thirty years ago.

The center circle is attached using a knotted blanket stitch with alternating long and short spokes; a bead added between each stitch. It is edged with a blanket stitch.

The sweater design inspired the embroidery on this one, accented with crystal and bugle beads and knots. Rayon thread gave a bit of luster to the knots and the blanket stitches around the edge. 

Bugle beads create the star with a glass bead in the center. The rest is blanket stitching.

Rayon thread is used for the blanket stitch around the diamond, which is stitched with a ribbon flower made of 1/8-inch ribbon lazy daisies with a beaded center. 

The green center is attached with a beaded blanket stitch, filled with herringbone stitch and surrounded by seed stitches and a feather-stitched snowflake.

Rayon thread adds luster to the lazy daisy flower in the center. The ornament is edged with a knotted blanket stitch, with beads added between each stitch. 

The bugle beads surround a glass bead to create an eight-pointed star, this time with wool thread colonial knots on the ends of the beads. On the edge, I added larger, triangular beads every third blanket stitch. I made a knot before and after the bead.

Here, my shape is not an exact circle but more of a teardrop shape. In the center circle, I stitched three bugle beads and used pearl cotton to stitch a knot in the center and detached lazy daisy stitches between each bead. To attach the circle, I used a blanket stitch, alternating the direction of the spokes. I then added wool colonial knots between the spokes in the circle and at the tip of the spokes outside of the circle. I edged with a knotted, beaded blanket-stitch.

The pearly bead star is centered with a pearl cotton colonial knot—the same thread used to attach the diamond. (Well, almost a diamond; those little shapes tended to shift on me.) Rayon/metallic thread (Dazzle, by Wonderfil Specialty Threads) gave some sparkle to the chain stitch and colonial knots, as well as the knotted, beaded blanket stitch around the edge.

Finally, I used a small herringbone stitch with the rayon thread to attach the center circle. Pearl cotton and small beads created the feather-stitched snowflake in the center. The ornament is then embroidered with pearl cotton chain stitches and rayon herringbone stitches and colonial knots.

The possibilities are endless. I could have kept on stitching these little gems, but other seasonal obligations are curtailing my creative time. Most of these little ornaments have already be given to friends. They make fun little personal gifts and would make great gift tags as well. 

The best part is that because the wool tends to be pretty thick when you felt sweaters, you don't even have to back them. It is pretty easy to hide the thread ends in the middle of the wool, and I just used a thick thread for the outer edge to make it look neat. The only problem is that I hardly dented my felted sweater wool stash—so more fun awaits. Maybe I'll have to make some mittens, too!

 

With a few more ornaments, my Charlie Brown tree might be transformed!