Embroidery Project- Notebook Cover Part 4, Stitching the Barrel of Monkeys; Sublime Stitching “Monkey Love”

Whoo hoo! The stitching of the Monkeys on the sketchbook/notebook cover is done!

I got a late start on it and didn’t start until about 9p.m. last night. (Hubby had me trying out oil painting!) Here is the stitched heart circle. It uses red stem stitch, green split stitch, and red straight stitch.

Here is the start of the left monkey in the barrel. It uses brown backstitch and buttonhole stitch and cream backstitch and long and short stitch. The barrel uses a teal/blue/green split stitch, so far.

I got back to stitching the monkeys this morning when I got up at 7a.m. I finished the barrel, then went back to finish the little monkeys. I used split backstitch, straight stitch, stem stitch, buttonhole stitch, blanket stitch, satin stitch, long and short stitch, back stitch, and french knot throughout the whole piece.

Here is the barrel with all the parts done.

With the flap of the cover done it looks like this:

This is a really fun pattern to stitch up. I added some little white highlights with a single strand of DMC floss and a very tiny needle (12 or 14 Tween). Now, I have to make some little pockets, adjust the design to fit the sketchbook/notebook, and find a few more design spaces to add a few more of critters to the pouch.

Back to the sewing design board. Stay tuned.

You life needs fun. Go ahead, have some fun!

Helpful Information:

Design pattern: Sublime Stitching, Monkey Love, by Jenny Hart

Find Embroidered notebook cover Part 1 (Click Here)

Find Embroidered notebook cover Part 2 (Click Here)

Find Embroidered notebook cover Part 3 (Click Here)

Find Tutorial, Tinting fabric with crayon, Giggleface Studios (Click Here)

Find Tutorial, Mary Corbet’s Needle N Thread, Video Library of Hand Embroidery Stitches (Click Here)

Embroidery Project- Notebook Cover Part 3, Iron On Transfers-Sublime Stitching “Monkey Love”

I’m excited about the little sketchbook/notebook and it’s cover!

After taking a chance and just cutting the felt without a pattern, it was time for a design.

I knew the Monkeys were calling again…after all, this little booklet will dangle/attach to the Monkey Love purse after it’s all done. The monkey barrel and heart are by Jenny Hart, Sublime Stitching, design pattern “Monkey Love“.

Once you decide on a design and have an iron on transfer, choose a placement and get the iron hot. Its best if you heat the fabric first, in the design area. It seems to help the lines transfer more easily.

Press the hot iron to it.

There’s the first transfer!

One more to go. Place the iron on transfer design.

The transfers are on!

Bring on the crayons! Tinting fabric with crayons is so much fun and easy to do. (If you haven’t tried it yet, Tracey, at Giggleface Studios has a great photo tutorial for tinting fabric with crayon. Click the link to take you to it.) I use Crayola crayons.

Here are the little monkeys with their color.

It’s all ready for the iron!

Place the colored items on an absorbent towel and a sheet of paper. Place another sheet of paper over the colored area.

Press the hot iron to it. Smell the wax melting! Whoo hoo!

Here’s the result. A paper with melted crayon and a great color result!

* I did re-iron my transfer OVER the colored fabric to put back some of the detail in the faces. I only ironed again in the face area. *

When you are done, you’ll have a color tinted fabric to now stitch on! Whoo hoo!

Now, you can create your own thread palette and pick your own stitches to complete your project. I’m off to stitch these little guys to match my Monkey Love purse. Each of these parts are gathering and will be put together after all the parts are done.

Stay tuned! Have you tried the crayons? Working with felt? Let us know…leave us a comment…other readers are curious too! Your life needs fun. Go ahead, have some fun!

Find Embroidered notebook cover Part 1 (Click Here)

Find Embroidered notebook cover Part 2 (Click Here)