The Birthday Cake Cardigan, And A Question
I thrifted a cardigan a very long time ago. Everytime I looked at it, I wondered why I ever bought it. It was plain white, boxy, and boring. I don't think I ever wore it. I didn't think to take a photo of it before I started working on it, so here is a very accurate artists rendering.
So last night I looked at it again. I took it in a bit, and decided to add some embroidered embellishments.
I absolutely LOVE it! It reminds me of a birthday cake. A big white cake with tiny colored flowers piped onto it.
I do have a question regarding embroidering onto knits such as this one. This is the first time I embroidered anything onto the actual body of a sweater. The flowers turned out super wonky. While I don't mind a bit of wonkiness, I obviously would have liked my stitching to turn out perfectly.
I suspect it was because I didn't use an embroidery hoop. I just held it in my hand, and stitched. I was worried that if I used the hoop, it would stretch the knit out while I embroidered, only to have it spring back into shape after removing the hoop, leaving me with oddly shaped flowers. Although, I already have oddly shaped flowers, so maybe it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
Should I have used the hoop? Would I have had more control over my stitches?
I have a ton of sweaters that I would love to embroider. Any tips would be beyond helpful.
Note how unhappy I look in it.
So last night I looked at it again. I took it in a bit, and decided to add some embroidered embellishments.
I do have a question regarding embroidering onto knits such as this one. This is the first time I embroidered anything onto the actual body of a sweater. The flowers turned out super wonky. While I don't mind a bit of wonkiness, I obviously would have liked my stitching to turn out perfectly.
I suspect it was because I didn't use an embroidery hoop. I just held it in my hand, and stitched. I was worried that if I used the hoop, it would stretch the knit out while I embroidered, only to have it spring back into shape after removing the hoop, leaving me with oddly shaped flowers. Although, I already have oddly shaped flowers, so maybe it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
Should I have used the hoop? Would I have had more control over my stitches?
I have a ton of sweaters that I would love to embroider. Any tips would be beyond helpful.
6 comments:
I have no idea about the whole hoop thing. Hmmm... I would think not, because like you said, it would stretch out the knit. Hopefully a more experienced embroiderer will comment and enlighten us all, because.... I LOVE THAT SWEATER!!! Super de-duper awesome. I am obsessed with cardigans, and have a whole closet full of them (suprise, surprise, right?!?). What a cute way to give them new life!
I love that sweater! I don't know the answer about the hoop, sorry. I just wanted you to know how neat I think it came out!
thanks veg, and jen. i love it.
I love your embellishments! I wonder if some sort of interfacing or reinforcements on the back of the knit would help at all. I rarely embroider on anything other than the standard cloth, but I'd guess that the weave of the knit was just too loose for embroidery.
Regardless, I think you did a great job!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7528267@N02/4309144379/in/photostream/ Here is a pic of a sweater someone cross-stitched on. She said she used a hoop (and you can kind of see the hoop marks). So it looks like it's ok to use a hoop. I guess you wouldn't really want it "drum-head" tight, though. I saw this pic and thought of your post.
Better off without a hoop on knits, especially if you might ever need to wash it. A stabalizer, similar to one you would use to embroider on a t-shirt, would be a good idea. You can get stabalizer here:http://www.sublimestitching.com/
Have you considered joining Swap-bot and trading for some craft supplies?
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