June 3rd – Insta inspo, hoopla and bts

Insta follow round up!

@Chloe_patience_embroidery
@delpozo
@embroidery_daily_
@emillieferris
@gracey__han
@handandlocklondon
@moonflesh
@pancakeystuff
@submarina

Hoopla 

If you’re using a heavier fabric, this likely won’t be an issue very often, but when using delicate sheer fabrics like tulle, silk, and especially organza, a well fit hoop is pretty crucial for keeping things straight with the grain and getting a good uniform tension. Masking tape is your friend. I pretty much tape up all my hoops straight out of the gate (and if you don’t, sanding your wooden hoops is a pretty wise idea to avoid snags from splinters).

Taping  definitely helps hold fabric better, regardless of what your hoop is made of. Hold your hoop up to the light to see if there are any really obvious gaps. The real problem areas are sneakier. You’ll probably have to stretch your fabric into the hoop before you notice the areas that are slipping back and throwing your pattern/grain off. You can see I had this issue with the fine tulle I was using for my beading this week (3rd image). I had already taped up my hoop, but there was a problem area near the top, and it just kept sliding back, no matter how tight I cranked the screw. So I marked the hoop with a centre point (lined up under the screw), and then marked out where the problem area was. I taped off an extra layer between the marks. Voila! My fabric had uniform tension all the way around with no slippage.

Sneak peek of what I’m working on this week

I chose a non-traditional lace that has a bit of a coral/underwatery theme (mermaid all day erryday). I tea dyed the lace (and all the other fabrics) to match the original fabrics in the gown. I am using tambour, appliqué, and hand-made tulle flowers to create a cascading texture that flows down the down into the skirt. I’ve been asked for a lesson on these flowers, so I’ll think about where to incorporate them, either in one of the classes or maybe a special tutorial. They’re a bit time consuming but the effect is lovely. You can see the effect used here, too.