Yakkeks Embroidery Diary
I decided to move all my embroidery posting into this space. That way I can wax as long as I want about my process and thoughts and all that stuff without clogging up the #DIY channel with it.
The goal of this thread is to share the thoughts I have on my projects, but absolutely feel free to ask questions, give feedback and so on.
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To get things started, here is some stuff I did in the last two weeks or so:
There are also a few "dry run" attempts that I left unfinished, as they just were not working out.
Current project are the sperm whales on tthe hems of the jeans. I finished one leg today and will do the other tomorrow during daylight. Did a bit of a beginner mistake in that I just drew the sperm whale free hand on the hem and did the stitching without making a template I could mirror to make sure the other whale looks sufficiently similar. So I took a piece of paper and a soft pen and did a rubbing of the already embroidered whale, copied that rubbing on a piece of cardboard and reverse engineered a template that way,
The alternative would have been to do the other whale in a different posture (so it would have been intentionally asymmetrical) and I did some test drawings of that, but none of them worked out, so here we are 😅
What im realizing though is, that you don't have to stress out too much about symmetry, because when worn the shape of the fabric will distort everything anyway.
Also to be clear: This is intended as a Moby Dick reference lol
My experience starting out with embroidery:
Doing embroidery, at least at the relatively simple level I am doing it at right now, is actually shockingly easy. It requires some patience, but otherwise the entry level is quite low. Basically all you need is embroidery yarn (don't take sewing yarn!), embroidery needles (your gonna need pointy ones for embroidering fabric, they are basically slightly beefier sewing needles), a hoop (not strictly necessary but makes things easier) and some kind of way to pre-draw the design before embroidering (I use a wash-out fabric pen, but there is also special iron-on felt that you can print your design on, iron to the fabric and it will dissolve when washing in the machine). And then you basically decide which stitch and yarn colour you want to use to do the outline of the pre-drawn design and off you go! I would recommend doing a few test runs on fabric scraps that you can turn into patches before you move on to garments, but I think it took me a few afternoons till I felt comfortable moving on to my clothes.
So cool to watch how prolific youve been! Newest project rocks 🐳
prolly have to slow down once work hits again next week, but I still have a bunch of ideas lined up that I wanna do eventually.
But it was really meditative to do smth creative with my hands while listening to podcasts.
i love the whale
The whale is adorable
moby richard
Thank you! :blushcatto:
This is also kinda why I got into embroidery: I felt that my wardrobe was lacking a more whimsical/cute element.
I got into fashion a bit more than a year ago, kinda building my wardrobe from the ground up. Being new to fashion and primarily exposed to menswear stuff meant that I gravitated towards darker colours and solidly coloured items. And while I greatly enjoy the shape of the pieces and the quality construction a lot of it has, it felt lacking in a way. Too serious, too somber. The reason Im drawn to westernwear is not the hypermasculine ideal of the cowboy, but the fact that most of it is pretty unisex. Westernwear can be a pretty joyful and silly affair, with pretty boots, embroidered shirts and so on. Also the appropriation of the cowboy as a queer icon deeply speaks to me.
Getting into embroidery was a logical solution to that issue, as it allows me to take those well fitting, practical and durable garments and turn them into something a bit more playful, less serious. Embroidery seems to be the primary mode of choice for westernwear ornamentation, so that felt coherent. But it also works for the occasions where I like to channel more punk/rock/metal influences, as these subcultures have a pretty solid diy culture, so embroidery does not feel out of place for them,
At the end of the day it also just feels very rewarding to have another mode of engaging with fashion beyond a purely consumption oriented one. And being able to truly customize your own clothing just feels very good.
I finished the second leg of the jeans today, maybe I do a small ship on one of the pockets tomorrow, but after that the work week starts so I will have a bit less time. Which is fine I guess. I think I spent my 2 week break quite well and managed to overcome the initial hurdle of getting into a new hobby. Now it will be much more easy to just pick something up when i feel like it, work on it for an hour or so and then do something else instead.
i hope you know you have inspired me to go buy the materials to start embroidery
Did you have to be mindful of what size hoop you got in order for it to fit the legs of your pants or are standard sizes generally fine?
Mine is 8'' across and I also have a small one. I think in terms of sizing you should get one that is less wide than your hem
Every day the temptation to embroider something with Ivy vines just to post in #waywt with the question "Is this Ivy?" grows stronger.
do it for the bit
I eventually will, just undecided on what garment i wanna put it.
a pair of like…surplus fatigues would be killer
(mostly because i like the imagery of specifically having done it to a piece that was going to or had gone to see combat, considering plantlife is often a symbol of peace)
that would be very punk, but it also would be pretty green on green
true…
Im realizing that deciding which motive to do on which piece of clothing is the hard part in this. Currently im simultaneously drawn to nautical motivs like sea critters (thinking about doing a giant squid, either on the jeans or on my denim jacket) and very classical floral ornaments (the ivy thing is an extension of that) and i need to navigate that.
ooo
also i did have a thought about the green on green - you might be able to pull it off with a thread that’s darker or lighter than the fatigues
I could see you doing a nice shell motif! Both nautical and geometric, fills a corner of a garment or a yoke nicely much like the classical floral ornaments. Victorian shellcraft and sailors folk art as inspo seems compatible with your aesthetic.
Thats an interesting thought. Im gonna do some research and tests on that!
I think i might do the Ivy on a pink snap button shirt I already have. But the milsurp embroidery in a punk way is a good one I will def keep in mind.
@Yakkeks how did you get started with embroidery?
Honestly, I just got myself some embroidery supplies (I think I listed what I used a few posts above) and started drawing shapes with the wash out fabric pen on some denim scraps I had laying around. That way you can just try out different stitches and techniques and see what works for you.
I found the short tutorials on different stitches by this channel to be rather helpful: https://youtu.be/BslGFb4L7To?feature=shared
Cutesy Crafts
YouTube
How to do a Chain Stitch
Learn how to do a chain stitch following this video tutorial. This is an easy stitch for adding a decorative touch to your piece. It can also be used to make letters with embroidery.
Learn more about chain stitching here: http://bit.ly/38AZXm4
Grab my Stitch Sampler Beginner Embroidery Kit here: https://bit.ly/3j8OgrO
Get the free embroider...
I think starting with some simple motivs on fabric scratches is ideal motivationally because you don't have to worry about mucking it up too much, but if it turns out nicely you can still cut it out and use it as a patch.
Cool!
Hoping to get started on a pink snap button shirt this afternoon. Also starting to think about what to do with my outerwear.
I def wanna do my lee rider at some point, but my mind really is drawn to the Loro Piana Linen/Wool blazer I thrifted last fall.
I don't think im really gonna wear it in its current form bc i does not work with my current wardrobe. But having the Lapels embroidered in a fun way might make me like it...
Also doing DIY embroidery on a quiet luxury blazer that was propably north of 1,5k retail and that i got for 10€ just feels very fun in a irreverent way.
jesus fucking christ. I just looked up what the retail on these is and i vastly underestimated it bc its 3,5k
Fuck quiet luxury
First realization on that project: That blazer has an "F" in the dry-clean circle, so im gonna need yarn that is dry cleanable with the "F" chemical (whatever that is), bc all of mine has the "P" Tag...
starting with the Ivy vines on this shirt.
first set of vines are finished, gonna add a second set on the yokes and then im gonna add the leaves..
Lets hope I left enough space for the leaves - bc I did not plan this out thourougly. I just drew some swirlies and went to town lol 😄
oh they’re CUTE
looks amazing!!
Original plan was to go for Ivy leaves, but i could not find a way to do these in a way that looked good, so I went for normal leaves. Not 100% happy but im still pretty early to this so Its okay if stuff is imperfect. All part of the learning experience. I think I will still enjoy wearing this shirt more when im finished than I did before, which is the important part.
I guess im just taking buds mantra "don't think, just do" to heart and just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks and what I can learn from the process.
Anyway, thats todays diary entry. Propably wont get around to finish this till Saturday.
Also silk-linen shirts are a pain to embroider on. Fabric slips to much and is too flimsy for a klutz like me.
The shirt got done yesterday, gotta throw it in the wash and then I can regal you with a fitpic of the finished product.
I already have my next project ahead of me, because my gf wants the back of her fav corduroy flares embroidered with some cute lil flowers for her bd present.
I really tasted blood in regard to the whole DIY thing. Im forcing myself to stick to embroidery for this year, but once I got a solid base in that, I want to either get into knitting or perhaps even sewing my own stuff.
I got a great pair of flared trousers in navy wool that I wish I had in some sort of corduroy - cuts perfect, fabric is so-so. Pants in general feel pretty hard to find.