Embroidery is to Gateway Drugs...

...as sewing is to addiction. Or maybe that's just me.

 

I was at Powells on a lunch break, which is always dangerous. Usually I can resist, but this time I just had to buy myself a brand new crafty book: A Rainbow of Stitches. Maybe it was the bright colors, the nice thick feel and weight of it, or the beautiful simple photographs, but I just couldn't resist it. And while it's only been half a day so far, I don't regret it.

 

 

I've dabbled in stitches before. I did cross-stitch in high-school and college: those big packets you buy at Hobby Lobby with all the colors included, and a giant pattern that requires endless counting. I always got hopelessly off course on the big ones, but the smaller patterns were quite statisfying. It got less interesting as I went into college, and I put the needle and thread down and ignored them for a few years in favor of a social life.

 

Then, about a year and a half ago, I was in Powells Home and Garden, and came across Doodle Stitching, by Aimee Ray. This was completely different from my cross-stitch packets. Lines on fabric? It's like drawing with thread! I can do that! So I grabbed my old thread, bought some felt, and proceeded to go crazy with the homemade Christmas ornaments.

 

Embroidery proved to be my gateway drug. I didn't do it for long until it became unsatisfying, and after trying to sew one too many things together by hand, I began realizing, "This would be a whole lot easier with a sewing machine." So I once again put down the needle and thread, borrowed a sewing machine, and pushed on into the hardcore drugs like french seams and chiffon ruffles.

 

But today, once again at Powells, I was reminded of my earlier addiction, of sewing badly-stitched lines onto everything I could. This book actually has patterns, though. And directions. And over 80 ideas for projects, all beautifully photographed and most of them incredibly do-able.

 

Check out some of these:

 

 

 

 

So, armed with this brand new inspiration, I'm off to raid my closets and boxes for fabric! Who wants their underwear embroidered with poodles? Because I could totally do that.