Thrums!  They do have a way of collecting from our many weaving projects!  Also called “loom waste” these beautiful remnants are something we just can’t throw away, but what to do with them?  In this fun and explorative class, Laura will show you how to take your thrums and turn them into a beautiful embroidery. OR you can use anything you want to try getting onto a needle! Use up your DMC cotton, play with other fibers in your stash, and enjoy the process! Explore 15 different stitches from the simple backstitch to nuanced long-and-short shading and laid and couched work, and a whole bunch of stich types in between.  Whether you’re looking to spruce up your embroidery skills or try it for the first time, there’s something for everyone in this project.  And don’t worry if you haven’t a thrums stash, you are welcome to use pearl cotton, crochet cotton, embroidery floss, or other materials you have on hand.  Grab a needle, some fabric, a hoop, and let’s start stitching our leftovers into something beautiful.

Notes for choosing and preparing your fabric:

There are many transfer methods available for embroidery.  I like to keep mine simple, using a sharpie and a light source to trace the design.  I use our farm’s lit bakery case, but a sunny window also works.   For the window option, tape the paper onto the window, then tape the fabric up and redraw the lines.  A nice aspect of using a sharpie is that it doesn’t rub off during stitching, like many of the other methods do, but you are welcome to use the pen/marking device of their choice.

Fabrics should be a plain weave.  Light fabrics show your lines best, but you can also get creative with white or silver pens to work on dark fabric.  Linen or cotton napkins, former table cloths or pillow cases, tea towels, muslin…all work well.  If you would like to stitch on handwoven fabric, that is fine too, so long as the weave is dense enough to have lots of options for where to put the needle.  Plain weave/tabby is easiest for embroidering.

Supplies you will want to have for this project:

• Sharp thread scissors
• 8 inch embroidery hoop
• Threads and yarns of your choosing
• A sharp embroidery needle with an eye large enough to accommodate your threads/yarns
• Fabric to stitch on (see notes above)

This stash busters project does NOT include a materials kit. Instructions and pattern are digital downloads, which will come as links on your email receipt. You do not need to have anything shipped to you for this product.

Happy stitching!