So I set the brush and paint aside for a day or two and picked up a needle and floss. I had a bunch of smallish (4") wood embroidery hoops in my stash just waiting for the perfect project. With the release of my new state stencils a.k.a. Road Trip USA, I decided to make personalized gifts (likely for Christmas...whoa way ahead this year!) for friends and family. If it's not obvious, the little heart on each represents approximately where the home towns of my loved ones are located in their states. This project is so simple with just a few materials needed.
Materials:
4" hoop
black and red floss
6" x 6" piece of cross stitch fabric
fabric pencil
needle
1. Lightly stencil the state of choice in roughly the middle of the fabric with a fabric or regular pencil. Stencil the heart to mark the approximate location of the city. Handwrite the word "home".
Note: I talked about why I designed the state stencils as I did back in this post, but here is a great example to explain further. For the smaller states like Vermont, I provided them in scale to larger states in the collection like Texas, but also at 200%. I provided 200% for the tiny states so the stencil would function well if you wanted to do a stand alone project like this one. However, I also have used Vermont at 100% when painting the entire USA as scaled to the largest states.
2. Here you can see how I stitched the project. I used a backstitch for the black outline of the state and for the red word "home". For the heart, I stitched out from the center of the shape.
3. I added a bow on the one above to show how the project could be "dressed up" for the Christmas tree or just as an extra special touch. However...
...I am also partial to the minimalist approach, sans bow. I used clear fishing line so the hoop could be hung on a wall, a tree or wherever you please.
These don't take long to create and make fabulous homemade, personalized gifts for Christmas, housewarmings, or hostess gifts in general. Enjoy!
June Pfaff Daley is a
mixed media artist who creates with everything from wood to fabric. She enjoys
transforming thrift store treasures and favors whimsical motifs. June resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with three fantastic kids, one
supportive husband, a darling dog and a charming cat. Visit her website: http://www.junepfaffdaley.com.
These are so cute! Love the idea... I'm going to have to try something like this. Thanks for the inspiration!
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