I came across a stitching dilemma while free handing a specific wave design. I already recognized that “free handing” a design so early in my embroidery adventures was probably not the best idea, however, I really wanted to let my creative, free spirited side take the wheel for this project.
What I mean by “free handing”, is that I sketched a design on paper first, then did a very simple outline on the fabric once I outfitted it onto the embroidery hoop. Then, I started stitching the outline of the wave with the white ivory shade, and the cerulean blue. I added a number of french knots with the ivory, to mimic the bubbles and the foam that forms when a wave starts to crash. These accents looked great in the moment, and I found myself adding more french knots than I originally planned. Then I realized I made a grave error… adding the french knot accents and the highlight of the wave with the ivory white made filling in the wave with the blues more tricky than it probably could have been had I started with that step. I was constantly trying to avoid the already stitched accents while filling in, which in my head was supposed to be the easiest part, just threading back and forth through the fabric.
Long story short, I think the best method is to fill, then add all the accents, highlights, and details after. I learned this in a very frustrating way, but what better way to learn than to learn by trial and error!
Photos by Juli O. (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Featured Photo by Brett Meliti on Unsplash
