A Bit Of Buttoned Whimsy

June 01, 2014

Sewing and stitching are my favorite ways to be creative, but there’s a certain part of my brain that clamors for just a little more dimension. Way back when, I was inspired to create polymer clay bees and bugs to add to my silk ribbon embroidery. Those little buttons were the perfect finish–and the beginning of Just Another Button Company!

Who knows how many batches of ladybug and bee buttons we’ve gone through in the last 18 years? But some things don’t change– many of the same buttons are a perfect fit for our new Woodland Whimsy stitcheries.

Seven fanciful forest friends are created with simple embroidery stitches, then we add buttons and some other fun dimensional elements. Each stitchery features a familiar animal in an unexpected setting–the hedgehog is knitting, the possum is reading a book and the rabbit is riding a bicycle. Most of the stitching is done with two strands of embroidery floss, but for the animals, we used Simply Wool from The Gentle Arts. The Hedgehog lines are a just a bit wider and softer than the other details. There’s a little perle cotton too for the knitting needles.

The tree branches are filled out with leaves cut from Weeks Dye Works felted wool–lots of greens. Then there are the buttons…from Just Another Button Company and Hillcreek Designs. The old favorites– ladybug and bee –are there, but so are some new ones. The Woodland Owl sports a houndstooth button on his vest and the acorns have herringbone caps. Join us for some needlework fun–all of the designs are in our new little book– 7 Stitcheries with a Bit of Woodland Whimsy. Rachel and I have provided complete lists of the floss colors and full-size patterns for tracing the designs, plus instructions for a couple of finishing ideas.