Today is one of those winter days I am not fond of... it's cold, raining and the roads are icy. A good day to be in the studio.
A good day to sit by the fire with a nice cup of tea and do some Kantha Stitching. I have also heard this stitching called, Big Stitch or Running Stitch.... My friend from South Africa taught me...
All you need is two pieces of fabric - fat 1/4's are a great way to start and then you can turn it into a cute pillow. Embroidery thread or pearl cotton for stitching, and a needle. (I personally need a needle threader sometimes) and some scissors. Thread and needle for a quick basting.
This is one of my in progress pieces... I am going to turn this into a pillow once the stitching is all done. One of the great things about this technique you can put it down and pick it up months later without worrying about a pattern...(my current problem with knitting projects)
If you are working on something bigger than a cocktail napkin you are going to want to baste the two layers together. You can use a few safety pins or needle and thread. Using a needle and thread stitch the two layers together with large stitches, you don't need a ton of basting just to keep the two layers from slipping while you get the first few rows of Kantha stitching done.
Cut a 12" ish length of thread. Knot the end and either nest it between the two layers or through both layers so the knot is on the back. Your first row you will want to be straight. I fold my piece and finger press a line to follow when I am stitching. Very scientific!
It is this simple....
Now for all the fun things I am making or have made....
I think this will be a table runner when its all stitched...
Little cocktail napkins!! These remind me of Morocco and the cool napkins they have at Peacock Pavilions.
Pillows...Out of Mystic canvas and Mystic cotton.
Hope this finds its way into your tool box of techniques that you use when you create.
XOXO
Valori
The winner of the Mystic bundle is..... Barb in MI (you have been e-mailed)
AND because I really love giving things I am going to do another give away from this blog post....
Just leave a comment and I will announce the winner on Fridays blog....