Foolproof Freeform Embroidery: Exploring Your Creativity with Fabric, Threads & Stitches

This Christmas, I was delighted to receive “Foolproof Freeform Embroidery: Exploring Your Creativity with Fabric, Threads & Stitches” by Jennifer Clouston. As someone passionate about embroidery, I couldn’t wait to dive into its pages and share my thoughts with you.

The book is beautifully presented, with vibrant images that immediately draw you in. Clouston’s reputation as a textile artist and tutor is well-established, and this publication further cements her expertise in the field.

Clouston begins by introducing 45 foundational stitches, each accompanied by clear, step-by-step instructions. This approach is perfect for both beginners and seasoned embroiderers looking to refine their skills.

What sets this book apart is its emphasis on creativity. Clouston encourages readers to experiment with unconventional backgrounds and to “audition” threads to develop unique color palettes. Her organic approach inspires one to blend traditional stitches with modern flair, resulting in truly personalized embroidery art.

Versatility: The book explores multiple surfaces for embroidery, including textile art, slow stitching, fabric journals, and crazy quilting. This variety ensures that embroiderers of all levels find something that resonates with their interests.

Inspiration: Clouston’s personal anecdotes and insights into her creative process provide motivation to break free from conventional methods and embrace experimentation. Her guidance feels like having a mentor by your side, encouraging you to unleash your imagination.

“Foolproof Freeform Embroidery” is more than just an instructional guide; it’s an invitation to embark on a creative journey. Whether you’re looking to expand your stitch repertoire or seeking inspiration to create unique embroidery art, this book is a valuable addition to your collection.

I’m thrilled to have received it as a gift and look forward to applying Clouston’s techniques in my future projects.

For a closer look at the book and some of its projects, you might find this video helpful:

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If you’ve been cross stitching for a while, you might have heard of this hack before, but for our newer stitchers I wanted to mention it since I came across it again recently on the Koekoek blog.

One of the potential problems with working with cross stitch fabric is that it is woven, so it can fray along the edges while you are stitching. If your fabric is bigger than you need for your project this is merely annoying, but if you’ve cut your fabric to the size you want your project to be when you frame it, you don’t really want to lose a lot of fabric on the sides.

There are lots of potential ways to stop this fraying, including stitching the edges with blanket stitch, but if you don’t want to take that kind of time on something that other people will never see, an easy way to stop the fray is with painter’s tape.

My mom used to do this on her projects (I think she used masking tape, not painter’s tape, but it’s the same idea) and it is helpful, especially if you’re working on a big project that’s going to be exposed to potential fraying for a long time.

Of course you’ll want to remove the tape when you’re done stitching, and then you can finish the edges in another way or just tuck them inside your frame, depending on how you plan to finish the project.

I also sometimes use tape to position a project in a frame, like I did with this upcycled yarn wrapped picture frame that has a cross stitch piece in it. Painter’s tape is nice because it removes easily and cleanly and is easy to reposition if you need to move your project around or you decide you don’t want it framed like that any more.

Learn all the details of this technique over at the Koekoek blog. And let me know what you do to stabilize the edges of your projects while you’re stitching!

[Photo: Koekoek]

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