Kurti with Kutch embroidery.

My last trip to the mall motivated me to start sewing again. Motivation from lack of finding what I was looking for in the color of my choice, in my size, and of course in my price range. I enjoy sewing as much as embroidering, but since both of these actitvities need time, and plenty of it, I don't get to do it as often as I'd like to. But I hope to sew more often from now on.

The Kurti on the left was actually made for checking the pattern. After I stitched it and tried it on, the fit wasn't bad at all, except for a couple of small changes. So, I decided to keep it, BUT after some embroidery on it! As you can see, the print is a little busy (I mean it has very little white space). So I wanted to go with something simple and not more than an inch wide. Also, since the top was fully stitched I had some limitations on what I could do. My choice - a row of Kutch stitches evenly spaced all around the neckline along with a border.

This photo shows the whole embroidery in more detail. I used chain stitch for the border and stitched a decorative button in the center for some added interest.

This one is a close up of the individual kutch stitches.

Have a good weekend folks! Happy embroidering!

You might also be interested in...
Mirror Work Tutorial in Buttonhole Stitch	Intro to Kantha

Diwali Wishes!

Diwali crept up on me when I was busy contemplating the next style. So here is a little creation observing the festival. Have a fun filled Diwali, everyone!

The special stitch on this piece... Coral Stitch for the fireworks. They are really great when you want both length and stability. I will post the tutorial for this stitch in a few days.

Ah! this photo. I found these little pot shaped lamps at a local fair just a few weeks ago. It will be a good change from the tea candles I use every year.

A closer look at the Dasara Embroidery...

Hope all of you had a wonderful Dasara! This year, my husband and I set up a small "Children's Golu" for my son. I call it that because I did not have the traditional dolls with me and so the children's park and zoo became the main theme. I also had to keep it safe for my eight month old daughter. The display turned out quite well and we all had a fun time. I look forward to doing it again, perhaps bigger next year.
Anyways, I wanted to highlight a couple of filling stitches that I used in the "Kalasha" Embroidery. One is the Satin Stitch used for the mango leaves and the other is the Long and Short Stitch used for the coconut. The tutorials for both are posted in the Stitches section. Check them out!
Satin stitch, also known as Damask Stitch works very well as a filling stitch. It provides a smooth finish, and since the stitches are all so close together the texture of the thread can be used to its advantage. Satin Stitch is used In Indian Embroidery quite a bit. This stitch has a lot of variants and the Long and Short stitch is one of them. The long and short stitch is also great for covering large areas. I used this stitch in just one color, brown, along with a few streaks of black, but this stitch is more effective when used in creating those subtle shades that you see in nature. It really brings a leaf, a flower and other such elements to life.
Tutorial Picture of Satin Stitch	Tutorial Picture of Long and Short Stitch.
A glimpse of our display. I will leave the rest to your imagination!! :) Have a nice week, everyone!
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