Spring Bird Embroidery Pattern+ Tutorial.

September 18, 2013

Spring Bird Embroidery Pattern+ Tutorial.

I am so excited to be over here today. Because I can’t wait for the warmer weather to finally return, I thought it would be fun to share a spring-inspired embroidery pattern .

Last year, I was a contestant on Project Run and Play and my winning look just so happened to be adorned with tons of embroidery, which is a fun hobby of mine. (You can read more about the winning outfit here.)

I love sewing clothes for my kids and then adding the surprise element of hand embroidery. In my opinion, it becomes an instant “heirloom” that I know my kids will treasure when they get older.
It certainly doesn’t always have to be as complicated as what I made for Project Run and Play. It can be as simple and as easy as you would like it to be. For my post today, I created a fairly simple outline drawing where you only need knowledge of a very easy “Back Stitch.”
Supplies:

Download and print the cute birdie and banner template: Spring Bird Embroidery Pattern (PDF file)
An article of clothing (either handmade or store bought)
Pencil, fabric chalk, or embroidery transfer paper
Embroidery hoop
Embroidery needles and embroidery floss

Trace the bird/banner template onto your fabric using your method of choice. I usually just trace using a light colored pencil or chalk because it is easiest. There are also special embroidery transfer papers, but they can be expensive and I don’t always have them on hand.
In order to get the bird on both sides, simply flip your drawing over at the other end and trace it again.

Using simple back stitches, stitch the entire outline of your birds and banner with whatever colors float your fancy.

Here is a simple tutorial I wrote up for doing a basic back stitch:

Continue doing back stitches until your entire piece has been outlined. For this project you could leave everything simply outlined. However, I also added some fun stitching in parts of the banner, such as seed stitching and french knots, which I plan to explain on my blog soon.