The Butterfly Pinpad Finished
Materials Laid Out
At long last I have finished the embroidery on the Butterfly Pinpad. The embroidery was simple enough – chain stitch, French knots, and satin stitch, worked either with a fine metal thread or pale green silk thread but the fine stitches gave me aching arms during the tennis elbow episode, so everything took longer than I would expect. Then of course I had to get started on finishing it. The reason it took me so long to wind myself up to it was – as some of you may have guessed – that glue was involved!
Tying A Bow
In fact, on this occasion, I cheated – if you can call it cheating when an embroideress uses her needle and thread! I chose to lace the butterfly itself, and the silk backing, onto their card supports, rather than attaching them with glue.
I found the ruched edging almost impossible to keep straight and even – perhaps I simply didn’t make the gathering threads quite even enough. Even squiffy, though, it looks quite luxuriant!
The bows were quite hair-raising to do, as well – tiny, made of very fine silk ribbon, and a little inclined to flop. I tied my fingers in knots, several times, as I made and attached the four of them!
Butterfly PinPad Finished
Another View Of The Pinpad
Now that it’s finished, I’m pretty pleased with it, all the same, although I can’t imagine I’ll ever be able to bring myself to stick pins in it…
Oh, that’s really lovely!
Just lovely.
I’ve made one as part of the TT Casket course, and planned to store my lace pins in it – only sticking the pins through the ruching on the sides, rather than the top. I don’t know if that’s just me being weird tho.
Its beautiful! I love it that you went ahead without the glue — you are a true stitcher!! I don’t think I’d want to stick pins in it either!
beautiful.
I know exactly how you feel about using glue on embroidery. I have a lid I want to attach some embroidery to. It would look best glued but I just can’t do it, so I’ve used blue tack and stitched a cord over the join. Your pin cushion is beautiful.
It’s beautiful …… and I couldn’t stick pins in it either!!
He’s gorgeous. And I don’t think it can be called cheating to do it the harder way! 🙂
That is such a lovely finish. I think the ruching looks just right being slightly uneven, like a valance round a four poster bed! And good for you, finishing it with needle and thread rather than glue. I really don’t think glue and fabric mix!
I hope you can hear me cheering from here. You ditched glue!!! Yay for you….glue and embroidery terrifies me. This is stunning and I love the image ‘tying a bow’…those pleats…sigh….
A touch of love and art piece. So pretty !
Not sure how I missed this, but it’s really gorgeous!
Didn’t appreciate the stitchery until I clicked for big. Beautifully done! I don’t think I would use it as a regular pin cushion, but I would get some beautiful pins – perhaps with glass heads or something…? and I would stick about 3 in one corner and then display it.