This project was a tiny bit painstaking, I’m not gonna lie. It wasn’t difficult or complex, but let’s just say that embroidery is not really my forte and my thumbs were definitely a tad sore after I finished! But I’m pretty darn happy with the result so it was absolutely worth it! Can’t have beauty without sacrifice, as they say..
Materials:
Antique Prismatic Graphic – any image, photograph, or artwork will do (I found mine on Pinterest).
12” x 12” Canvas Corp Stretched Burlap
Embroidery Thread – I chose 2 slightly different colors of blue
Embroidery Needle
Nice Linen Paper or card stock of your choosing.
Velum-like Paper – you can use only the above paper and print directly on it.
Are you ready? Let’s get started!
I printed my antique Pristmatic Color Chart Graphic on an 8×10 velum like paper. I cut the image into a square that would fit nicely on my Stretched Burlap and cut another slightly larger piece of linen paper to act as a border for my image.
Using a glue stick I gently glued the velum-like paper onto the linen paper and then glued them both to the stretched burlap, just slightly in the corners. I wasn’t trying to actually adhere them perfectly but wanted the graphic to stay put while I got busy with the embroidery!
Beginning with the darker of my two embroidery thread colors, I started to sew a running stitch in a fairly wide and loose pattern. This is the most basic of stitches and other than attempting to properly space and run them, this should be pretty easy to do.
It isn’t perfect, but it’s perfect enough to give it just a bit of that handmade feel. That’s good enough for me!
Once I ran my first color all the way around, effectively securing both papers to my stretched burlap, I began with my second and lighter color on the outer edge. This last border is only sewing the linen paper in place and not both as the first border did.
You can see that I was pretty careless during this embroidery session, ending in a few tangles…but ultimately when I finished the second border stitch I had a bit of thread left and made myself a little hanger by tying it off appropriately on the back side.
Here is a close up of my not so handy, handiwork! Exciting right? Just think of all the things you might embroider onto canvas or stretched burlap!
For those of you who might have been following along on my site with my office transformation, this is another piece of the puzzle and works perfectly with my abstract sunset painting and suits my theme of crafting quite well, in it’s subject matter. After all who is a color chart more perfect for, than a designer or art minded individual! Yay!
