Well, during this Spring ECI 831 Social Media & Open Education class I decided to take on learning and teaching myself how to embroider. I am a visual learner so using Social Media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter, etc. worked well for me. Especially if they had videos or step-by-step pictures.

Photo by geralt on Pixabay

I am a creative, artsy, hands on type of individual. I have done some basic sewing with a machine in the past, I crochet, and am able to mend a hole, and do a basic stitch to sew things together. I figured embroidery would be an easy hobby/art form to learn. I had my learning cut out for me and am still learning.

Photo by Sayyid96 on Pixabay

Photo by Sibent on Pixabay

I enjoyed using TikTok and YouTube as I was able to watch a video, pause it, re-watch, and then try out the stitch that I was trying to learn. I came to learn as I watched more videos that I appreciated the ones in which the creator explained the steps of the stitch as they did it. The ones in which they were doing it and there was music were okay to watch but I found myself having to pause and re-watch them over and over again. When I was able to visually see what to do along with having the auditory cues it made it easier to figure things out.

If I were to teach myself how to do something again I would use these platforms again as I found them user friendly and it was great that I could save the ones in which I liked using so that I could go back to them at a later time.

I think that moving forward I might start up a club at school in which we can do some basic embroidery on items that the students bring form home like shoes, clothing, bags, or cloth that we can purchase. Now that I have a toolbox full of videos to teach the basic stitches I could use them to help me in teaching the students. I could also do some step by step pictures along with directions for students that learn better from pictures and explanations.

Photo by Pexels on Pixabay

At the end of this project I am feeling very much relaxed and excited for all the learning that has taken place and will continue to take place in the future. Each person learns in a different way. I would definitely recommend using Social Media to teach yourself how to do different things as you can find a variety of sources and will be able to find one that best suites your learning style. The one big downfall is that you can quickly go down a rabbit hole of ideas. I would recommend allowing yourself a designated amount of time to look for resources and then try those out before looking for more.

Until next time!

When I started this project I thought about how embroidery is one of the many art forms that has been lost over the years. (if not lost at least not seen as much) The more videos I searched for about embroidery the more I saw that it was making a comeback and in a big way. The number of videos that I found of young people doing embroidery on clothing, shoes, hats, bags, and making wall hangings was amazing. It might not be the same as it was when our Grandma did embroidery on pillowcases or tablecloths but it has a purpose.

I think that there are many different art forms and life skills that have been lost over the years and I am grateful that I have a Mom and had a Grandma that taught me some of these like sewing, crocheting, cooking and baking. When I was in Grade 4 my younger sister and I went and spent a few weeks in BC with my grandparents. I had had very little sewing opportunity prior to this. (I had sewn a few cloth diapers for my baby brother. Didn’t do a good job though.) My Grandma took the time to teach me how to sew a blanket. I had to learn how to cut, iron and sew. She helped with lots of this but also allowed me the chance to try and make mistakes.

I have sewn denim blankets the last few years but it is all just straight sewing and there isn’t much more to what I have done. This project gave me the chance to bring a bit of my creative and artsy side into the sewing. I really enjoyed learning how to embroider and like stated in my last post am excited to see what else I might be able to embroider. I ordered a few patterns that you put onto the fabric you do your embroidery and then place in water and the pattern dissolves.

During class on Monday I worked on my family heart! It felt good knowing that I was getting one step closer to having this part of my project almost complete. I took some snap shots of each of the families handprints and their hearts. It is amazing to see how unique each family is and how together we complete this blanket.

I made a little video that allows the viewer to take a closer look at the final middle section of the blanket that I will make for my Mom. I am now looking forward to starting work on the frame around the middle section of the blanket. I need to pick a few bugs, flowers and leaves that I can add to the denim that will frame this middle section. Although the middle section took me time to complete the frame work with take time as I will have to decide the number of embellishments and then put these into a pattern that doesn’t have them all in one area.

The final touch on the blanket will be three fabric feathers that I will make. My Mom taught be how to make these a few years ago and now every time I make them I think of her. One summer I made a ton of them and then attached them to yarn and they hang from my ceiling in my class attached to some branches from trees. My students love them and watching them flutter in the breeze.

Friday my water dissolvable embroidery patterns showed up in the mail. Naturally I had to try them out so I put a pink flower on my white shoes and then I took some denim shorts I had made and put daisies in the back pocket and a few on the front with some leaves. Using this backing made it easy to follow the pattern and have my work turn out looking good. It was easy to use as you just peal and stick. I made a video showing me rinsing the backing off after I was done. Here is what they look like when they are all done and the backing has been washed off. Below is a little photo gallery of the shoes and shorts that I made up with some embroidery. I had a fellow teacher see what I was doing and she said that this would be a great activity to do with students. I know that it is something that I have found very relaxing and enjoyable. I am already thinking of my next project. I might find a cloth bag that I am able to add some personality to.

What began as an assignment to teach myself how to do something with the use of social media platforms has become something that I will continue to use and learn to do more with. I began this journey thinking I will get what I need to get done for this blanket for my mom, then I will do my sewing and move on. I have fallen in love with embroidery and all of the possibilities that it has as a craft and a hobby. I am already looking ahead to next school year and how I could purchase a little cloth bag for each of my students and embroider their name on it for them to use when they take out their library books.

Although I haven’t had the opportunity to get the sewing of the denim frame done as of yet I know that once school is out I will have a bit of extra time on my hands and will be able to sit down and get that done. I will add some embroidery details to the denim and will sew the backing on. I have shared with my Mom that I am making this for her and she was almost in tears with what a meaningful gift this is and the thought, time, love and work that she knows is going into it.

Teachers give their students assignments in hopes that they will take something away from them and that they will learn and grow. I know that this is an assignment that has done this for me. I have learned that I can do more than I give myself credit for and that it is through hard work and determination that we can accomplish new things. I had used YouTube to teach myself how to crochet and do some other crafts in the past but this time using TikTok and Twitter also helped and I have some individuals that I am now following that I am learning a great deal from.

My last post shared that I had spent last weekend watching my son play baseball. I do not regret giving myself the time off from this project as I know that one on one time I get with him is special and something that I need to cherish as they grow up way too fast. This is my BeReal snapshot from last Sunday, June 4.

As I posted at the end of last week I have 17 of the 26 hands completed. Well, now that is 18.

Instead of focusing on getting this done, I have gone down a creative rabbit hole to see what else I could possibly embroider. I have looked at a few pairs of canvas shoes and am sketching ideas of what I could add to them. I then saw a video of someone embroidering some cute flowers and a vine on a pair of jean shorts. I also saw how if you had a hole in a piece of clothing you can add some embroidery details to hide the hole and in many ways save and prolong the life of the piece of clothing.

Embroidery idea for a pair of shoes. 

All things needed to embroider a pair of shoes.

How to finish off the inside of the shoes. 

Simple shoe design.

Elaborate shoe design.

Jean embroidery.

Flower embroidery on jeans.

Hole repair.

Rainbow embroidery.

Bees on jeans.

Patching holes.

Mending holes in a t-shirt. 

Mending holes in jeans. 

Needles to say this rabbit hole of videos has me sketching ideas and putting my hands on a brief hold. I think it is using the same stitch over and over again that has me in a bit of a slump. I need to buckle down and finish off the last of the hands as I am so close and I know that once this is done it is onto the fun stuff but sometimes that is what makes it so difficult.

Tonight I have a baseball game to go to and watch and I plan on taking my embroidery along with me so that I can sit and work on it while the game is going on. I now only have 5 hands left.

I am going to set a goal of having the hands done by the end of Saturday. I should be able to get this done as I will be sitting outside on Saturday at my Garage Sale. I think by setting a goal for myself it will make me more accountable at getting this portion of my project completed. I know that we always tell our students to look at a project and break it into pieces and set goals for themselves. I now need to take my own advice.

Well, I had my Garage Sale and I managed to get all of the hands competed. I had been at Track & Field the day before and it was hot and sunny and although I applied sunscreen many times I had a slight burn. The day started out cloudy for the Garage Sale so I applied my sunscreen and thought I would be ok. I did reapply a number of times but when you are outside from before 10 until after 4 you are bound to get a burn. Needless to say today I am taking a bit of a break from the great outdoors. 

While I was embroidering my niece Aspen’s handprint I was filled with emotion. She is the youngest of the grandkids and one of only two that never got to meet my Dad. Both of which are sisters and daughters of my youngest brother. I noticed how small her hand is and how it could fit almost perfectly in my palm. I then remembered a verse from the bible. This had me think that all though my Dad is gone he is still holding onto each of us and if we share memories of him with my nieces and my son who was not 2 when he passed his memory will live on. This was the intent of this blanket I was making all along but its full meaning didn’t hit me until I was almost done the hand portion of the project. To say that this realization didn’t fill me with emotion would be a lie. I knew when I started this project that it was one that was going to be filled with love, joy, tears and memories and it has brought all of these along the way.

I managed to capture the final stitch of the hand and it is fitting that it is on my niece Sterling’s hand as she is Aspen’s sister and one of the two that never met my Dad.

After I completed the final stitch in Aspen’s hand I took a video showing the entire blanket so you would be able to see a close up of the hands and see the work that has gone into this project. I am now going to start on adding some details to the hearts that surround each families Surname. I will pick a thread color and will use a variation of this for all 6 of the hearts. I plan on drawing lines on each heart so I am able to follow these and do a different stitch pattern for each.

To end the day off with my family we cooked steak, peppers & feta cheese over the open fire. We even had my in-laws over. It was a great way to finish off a productive day.

So, I started the week off going down and rabbit hole and I am still on that trail but am looking for the perfect items to add a little flare to. I was going to use a pair of my canvas shoes or a pair of my shorts and I might still do this but think first I need to get some of the backing material that I can first put my design onto.

Around the time that my Dad passed away I had taught myself how to crochet using YouTube. (8 years ago) This is a hobby that I do often but it takes up space. Where as embroidery takes up little space. I have made countless numbers of blankets, reusable water balloons, a few stuffies and other items by crocheting. I do this hobby when we are traveling, at the rink watching hockey or relaxing and watching TV. (You can’t be eating and crocheting at the same time so I choose to crochet). I figure now that I am enjoying embroidery and my oldest son is playing AAA U15 ball all summer it gives me a hobby to take along with me.

Has your Learning Project had an emotional impact on your life?

Is it something that you can see yourself using in the future?

Are you grateful to have been given the opportunity and that little extra push to have done it?

I know that I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity as it is a project that I will not soon forget. It is also one that I know when I am old and have grey hair I will look back on and will share with my children and their children. 

Hand by hand I will get this project completed. (sometimes I look at all the hands and the names/ages and I wonder) I have successfully completed embroidering 17 of the 26 hands that I need to embroider. Each hand takes some time as it is not only the outline of the hand that I am embroidering but also the individual’s name and age. At first, I thought that by this time I would be done with all of the hands and be starting on the embellishments. It is proving to be more work but it is work I am grateful for. After a long day at work, when we are at the home stretch to the end of the year and students and staff all seem to be at their wit’s end coming home and sitting down to do this embroidery is helping to ground and relax me.

Photo by Pexels on Pixabay

I have started to follow a number of different TikTokers who do embroidery and am learning a lot from them. This is just a brief list and some of the ones that I appreciate the most or thought were worth a share.

@happyhobby_ca: She has a lot of information about how to start embroidery. The link I shared has her giving advice on what to purchase and what to avoid at Wal-Mart when you are just starting out. I appreciate that she talks through her videos and that they aren’t just a musical background. I am a visual learner but sometimes the verbal is useful as well.

@flynn_and_mabel: They have some really cool ideas of items that you can embroider. I am now looking at shoes that I have that I could add a little bit of character to. The videos that I watched were all done to music so it made it difficult to sometimes know what stitches were being used.

@fairytalehome_: She is very creative and not just when it comes to embroidery. She paints, sews, draws, and so much more. The link I shared is Part 3 of what she wishes she knew before embroidering. This one she explains how to tie a proper knot. I enjoy how she walks you through from start to finish exactly how to do the skill she is teaching.

@girlgotthread: This video has her explaining the difference between the Satin Stitch and the Thread Saver Stitch. I enjoy that she walks you through how to do both and explains where they should be used. She has some beautiful visuals as well.

@by_grls: Is fairly new to TikTok as they have very few videos. They have great visuals but it is all put to music and the music isn’t very engaging and almost made me want to go to sleep. The videos although they didn’t have any speaking were still easy to follow and to be able to try out the different stitches or to understand what was being done.

@vikasspace: She is amazing! I enjoyed her videos as her work is breathtaking. When I think of embroidery I think of the work that my Grandma used to do on pillow cases and that is not the case here. Her pieces are works of art. If I continue with embroidery after this would be a goal. I have been using the thread without separating the strands and now I believe that for some of the pieces I will be adding that I will need to make sure that I separate my thread.

As for my project, I am not where I would like to be on it but that being said I got to spend the entire weekend alone with my oldest son in Saskatoon watching him play baseball. This was a special bonding time and although I didn’t make the time to work on my embroidery I soaked up the sun and enjoyed every minute with my son. This week is also filled with ball every night other than the weekend.

My goal is to get all of the hands completed so that I can start the embellishments. I know that these will take as much time if not more than the hands have already taken but each stitch that I make is one that is made with love. Pictures to come shortly as I plan to finish off the hands this week.

On Tuesday night I began embroidering the centerpiece of the handprint blanket for my mom. I began doing the last names of each of my siblings. This took me around 2 hours. I sat and watched my son’s baseball practice and embroidered and had people come over and comment on what a beautiful idea and gift this will be. This warmed my heart to hear. By the time I was done working on embroidering each of the 6 last names my fingers were a little sore. I was happy with the progress that I had made but was also hit by the realization of how much work this project is going to take. It isn’t as simple as I had originally thought but I am happy as I know that the extra work that I am putting into it now will help for this blanket to last a life time.

After I finished the last names I thought okay lets start picking all the different colors for every families handprints. This took time as I wanted for each hand to have a different shade of the family color.

Last night I did my oldest brothers families handprints. There were five hands to be embroidered as well as all of the names and ages. This took me around 3 hours. At the end my fingers were sore and I looked at my work and thought for a fleeting second is it really worth all of this extra work? Then I thought of my Mom and all of the sewing she has done for each of us over the years and I thought yes it is worth it and so much more. This isn’t just an assignment or a project it is a work of love. So with every stitch that I make on this blanket I am saying a little prayer and putting a little bit of love into this piece. I am making memories and documenting them along the way.

I still have five families worth of hands to do as well as figuring out what to do with the hearts to make them more appealing and attractive. I will then start my work on other details such as bugs and leaves. I need to do some more practice pieces before I do any of that though as I want to ensure that these extra details end up looking really good. What details do you think I should add to my blanket?

I sat down and drew up a design for my blanket. The middle section with all the embroidery and handprints will be a 32 X 32-inch square. This will be framed by denim squares. I was planning on using 8 inch squares but might be changing this to 6 inch squares as I was able to find some that were already cut. I began working on my blanket for my mom. I emailed all my siblings and got them to send me the handprints of all of their family members. I am still waiting on a few handprints. I traced all the handprints with fabric markers. Each family got a different color and they were each traced around a heart with the family name in the middle.

I knew that I wanted to do more than simply use fabric markers for the handprints. I watched a YouTube video on 15 Basic Hand Embroidery Stitches to get me started. As I sat at the ball diamond watching my son at baseball practice I watched the video and practiced my stitches. After I had practiced all of the stitches I decided I would try my hand at making some simple flowers. I made 6 daisies on a yellow background. I know that before I begin doing anything fancy on my actual piece I need to do some more practice pieces. I am feeling that I could embroider the names as It would be either a simple running stitch or a back stitch.

Here are the stitches that I have taught myself. I am going to continue to work on these as a few of them I was pretty shaky on. I have found that the tighter the material is in the hoop the easier it is to do the embroidery. I plan on starting to embroider the names this week and then start on doing the hands. I know that they are currently done in fabric marker which should be fine but if I want this piece to last I feel that it would be best if I embroidered each hand on its own. For this I will go through my embroidery thread and will pick different shades of each of the colors so each family member will have a slightly different colored hand but they will all blend together. Before I begin working on this embroidery I am going to take the time to make a heart like you will see in this Heart Embroidery for Beginners YouTube video. It shows a bunch of different embroidery stitches again and I think that some of these would make the names very unique and distinctive.

As I sit and am practicing and learning how to embroider I am thinking about my Mom and Dad and that over the long weekend they would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and all the love that they shared for so many years and the love that they showed to all of us kids and grandkids. I am putting this love, these memories and more love on top into this blanket. Each stitch is a work of love and each handprint is a hand to hold in a moment of sadness, joy or happiness.

This might take me longer than I originally anticipated but it is a work on love and I am learning along the way and loving the journey that I am on.

Videos of me learning how to do some of the basic embroidery stitches: (Was sitting at the ball diamonds for a bunch of these or in my car as my son had ball practice)

Running & Back Stitch

Stem Stitch

Split Stitch

Buttonhole Stitch

Cross Stitch

Lazy Daisies

For this project, I am going to learn new sewing techniques both for using the machine as well as hand sewing. I know the basics for both but would like to figure out how to do things such as cross-stitching, blanket stitching, and sewing using a miter corner just to name a few. I believe that sewing is an art that is becoming lost and I would like to learn it so that I am able to fix things and make things when they are needed for my family.

I have done a bit of sewing in the past but have been wanting to make a memory blanket for my Mom. My Dad passed away 7 years ago in January, and I think that this blanket would be a nice way for my Mom to feel that her kids and grandkids are close by even though we live all across the country.

Photo by Mysticsartdesign on Pixabay

I have used YouTube to teach myself to crochet in the past and now I am able to do that without looking at what I am doing so hoping that this goes as smoothly. Fingers crossed that I only prick myself a few times with a needle.

1. I must decide before starting what size I want the blanket to be and then I will design the blanket.
2. I am wanting for my siblings to all send me a copy of everyone in their family’s handprints. I will be using fabric markers to copy these onto white fabric. I will have each family’s handprints put around a heart to form a flower. Each flower will be made in a different color.
3. After I have done the drawing, I will be doing some hand stitching/cross-stitching to add extra details to this portion of the blanket. I will add some butterflies, bees, ladybugs, and family names to the hearts.
4. For the main part of the blanket, I am planning on doing a denim blanket where I will have to cut out squares. I think that I will do either 6- or 8-inch squares for the main part.
5. On some of the squares I am going to try and do some hand stitching/cross-stitching.
6. I have a machine that my Mom gave me but it hasn’t been used in a long time so I will need to make sure that it is all clean and running smoothly.
7. I will then sew these squares together and make sure that in between I iron my strips to ensure that everything is laying really flat.
8. I will have to pin strips together and sew them together and iron this so it lays flat.
9. After I have the strips sewn I will have to sew these to the white fabric that has the handprint flowers on. This will become the top of the blanket.
10. I will then have to find some material to use for a backing. This could be a fuzzy blanket, tale cloth, sheet or piece of fabric.
11. The top and bottom need to be laid facing one another and I will have to pin along the sides. I will sew the sides up leaving a space at the bottom to be able to flip the blanket so that it is right side out.
12. After this I will need to iron it once again to ensure that everything is laying flat and then sew along the outside edge to help and keep everything together.
13. Then I will need to hand sew ties onto the squares to help hold the blanket together and keep it from moving around when washed.
14. The final touch will be some handmade feathers. My Mom taught me how to make these out of different material and whenever she sews a blanket she adds a few to it. As a sentimental gesture I will do the same.