Monday, 21 April 2014

Vintage pyrex embroidery hoop



Hello! How are you? I hope you're well. It is my second week of study break today and since I managed to catch a cold on my second day of study break, I have achieved very little! However, I started being able to breathe properly again over the weekend, so I made this little hoop to show you ^___^ 
 

I really like how it turned out, I think it looks so retro and cute! ^___^ I was inspired by this project from Flora and Purl but I'm linking to a pin rather than a blog post because for some reason Blogger will not let me actually look at the website! Silly Blogger. 
 

Anyway, I decided I would try to make an embroidered version of my Snowflake Blue dish, because the pattern is relatively simple and recognisable and because it's one of the few pieces that I have both the top and bottom of ^___^
 

I had a tiny thought that maybe I would continue to make hoops of some of my favourite pyrex designs, so I added a label to this hoop. This way, if I do end up making more, I can have a little pyrex hoop gallery with the names helpfully included to match up to the actual dishes ^___^ Stitching text is still not my most favourite thing to do, so I wrote this out on paper first and then just stitched over the top.
 

This is a 17cm diameter hoop (or about 6.5 inches) so it's quite small and therefore rather cute. The hoop is a (possibly) vintage one that I found at the op-shop; I really love finding embroidery hoops while thrifting because they are usually only a dollar or two each and you can sometimes find some really interesting ones ^___^ I love the faux bois plastic used for the front of this one, and the pretty metal hanging loop.
 

I finished off the back with some red felt and a simple running stitch. This is basically how I finish off every single hoop I do, so nothing really to see here ~___^
 

The floral fabric is 100% cotton and is brand new, although I think the pattern feels a tad retro, don't you think? I only used about a quarter of the fat flat to make this hoop, so I've still got a bit to work with, once I think of another project for it ^___^

 
The pyrex is made from felt and embroidery thread and was really very simple to make. I drew a picture of the dish onto paper and then cut around it to make a template. I made sure to include my slightly wobbly lines, as that was one thing I really liked about the inspiration piece ^___^ I used two strands of DMC for the outlines and the scallops (which is just a modified lazy daisy) and then a single strand for the snowflakes and the dots. I added crosses in the scallops because I can't do french knots - they are my downfall! If you can do french knots, you could probably make a much more accurate facsimile of this pattern ^___^


I'm very disappointed that my first week of study break was essentially a wash, because now I really must spend this week doing all my homework which doesn't leave much time for crafting! I am working on a couple of crochet projects, and hopefully I will have at least one of them finished before International Star Wars Day as it is, you guessed it, a Star Wars project ^___^ I'm doing both these crochet projects in 100% single crochet stitch so they are taking me agggggeeessss. I am a very impatient crafter at times, so it was good to start and finish a quick project to keep my motivation levels up! Anyway, it's time to hit the books!

Lisa xx

6 comments:

Tanya said...

super cute! you have some mad embroidery skills, i especially love the text you added.

i never knew how to finish embroidery! I have a cross stitch half finishes from a million years ago and its so messy on the back it was worrying me!

Lisa said...

Thanks Tanya! I must tell you, my embroideries are *never* neat on the back! But it doesn't bother me very much, because it's the back and if you cover it up no one will ever see it anyway ^___^ This site (http://www.flossandmischief.com/how-to/frame-your-needlework-in-a-hoop/) has a great tutorial on finishing up the back of hoops if you're keen to know more ^___^

Samantha Hughes said...

gorrgeous! two of my favourite things, pyrex and hoops. i'm going to have to keep my eyes open for hoops at my local op shops ;)

Lisa said...

Thanks Sam! I will tell you a secret - op shops are really good for finding craft supplies. Especially knitting needles, for some reason! ~___^

Kate said...

I LOVE this Lisa! I'm a total pyrex whore and have actually been planning to do some pyrex themed embroidery hoops myself. You beat me to the punch and did an amazing job! Love it to bits!

Lisa said...

Thank you Kate! I would love to see your take on embroidery hoop pyrex! There are so many wonderful designs, I don't know if I'll be able to stop at just one hoop ^___^