Hi all, we have a treat today – a guest post from designer/author Linda Permann. Her lovely new book, Crochet Adorned [1], just hit stores—and to celebrate, Linda is sharing with us a how-to for adding crochet embellishments to purchased clothing.
Check it out below, and be sure to read all the way to the end to learn how to enter our giveaway for a FREE COPY OF CROCHET ADORNED!
Here’s Linda to take it away:
One of the things that can make or break your crochet embellishment project is the craftsmanship in the sewing. Sewing, you say? Fear not—simple sewing is all it takes to attach embellishments, and I'll walk you through how to do just that. In Crochet Adorned [1], I talk about different techniques for applying trims and embellishments, but for this post I am going to focus on hand-sewing, which is what I recommend for beginners.
STEP 1 Before you even grab the needle, you need to lay out your design. Pin the flowers in place and then try on the garment to see if it suits you. At this point you can make small adjustments to the placement.
STEP 2 Now you are ready to sew on your flowers. You can either use thread that matches the yarn or thread that matches the garment—matching the garment does make it look nicer on the inside, but, you have to be a little more careful so that your stitches won't show. Thread your needle and double knot the thread. Make a small stitch on the wrong side of the sweater and pull the thread through almost all of the way so that you have a small loop. Bring your needle through the loop twice and pull taut to knot. I do this at the beginning and end of each embellishment, just to make sure they stay in place.
STEP 3 Insert the needle on the back side of the sweater and come up through the sweater and the flower, just under the V of the stitch.
STEP 4 Insert the needle under the V of the next stitch (following the flower's edge) and back through the sweater, pull taut. Although this thread is a contrasting color to the yarn, it's barely noticeable when you stitch the flowers in this way. Sew all around the edge of the flower, being careful not to catch any extra layers of the sweater, and always checking to make sure that you have pulled your thread all the way through.
If your thread does get in a tangle (hey, it happens!), cut it just before the tangle then undo a few stitches until you have a sufficient amount of thread left to tie a knot. Knot it, then continue sewing with a new piece of thread.
If your garment is stretchy, periodically tug on the motif and thread so that you maintain the stretch of the garment and make sure the flowers don't pucker.
STEP 5 If you want your flowers to overlap the edge of the garment, simply sew through the backside of the flower and the edge of the sweater to secure the edges.
STEP 6 For larger flowers, sew an "X" shape across the bulk of the flower to secure the center stitches. Here, you'll want to run the needle in and out of only the back side of the stitches on the flower so that the thread won't show on the front side.
That's really about all there is to it! I made this sweater to wear on my KATU appearance, see it in action here [2]. For more tips on embellishments, from crocheting them to applying them, check out Crochet Adorned [3]!
Back to Brett: Aren't Linda' embellishments gorgeous? I love this idea for recycling hand-me-downs, covering stains, or just sprucing up plain garments. It's a great way to save money on buying clothes and infuse your wardrobe with crafty flair.
To get you started on your own embellishments, we're giving away a copy of Crochet Adorned. Just leave a comment in the comments section, answering this question:
What item would you most like to embellish with crochet?
We'll pick one lucky winner at random. The winner will be chosen 5pm EST on Wednesday, August 26, so leave your comments now!
