Summer in Paris
The design process of the June Embroidery Pattern (BONUS for Magazine subscribers too!) + invitation to go thrifting for floral curtains.
Hi there!
Hope you’ve had a lovely start to the week,
Today we’ll chat about the June embroidery pattern, which I decided to stitch on a thrifted floral cotton curtain…
One of the many things I love about modern hand embroidery is its vast applicability to various backgrounds. In addition to art, I’m a huge fan of thrifting and we frequently visit flee markets of all kinds.
A few weeks ago I found the loveliest old floral curtains, which I’m currently turning into a summer-dress for my oldest daughter.
But not only that…
When I sat down to design the June embroidery pattern and the floral curtains just so happened to be lying in a woven basket next to me, I couldn’t resist.
Along with the recent vibe for “cosy interiors” with the Slow Life Dream drawing (and pattern) collection, I made the June pattern a “cosy exterior” that fitted into the curtain AND the theme of enjoying a Slow Life.
Heads up: You DO NOT have to have the same curtain to be able to reproduce a lovely scenery for this month’s pattern. I hope my use of an old curtain will (more than anything) inspire you to look through your fabric stash or perhaps go thrifting for something that you think would fit your style and adaptation of the pattern!
The pattern is available as usual for all members of the Pattern program on the Charles and Elin Academy + As a SPECIAL early-bird bonus for paying subscribers to this magazine (You find it under the paywall at the end!)
As a lover of Paris…
It comes as no surprise that we’ve got a majority of Paris inspired embroidery patterns and sometimes I wonder if it’s maybe enough?
Though every time it’s the same story… Can you ever have enough Paris vibes in your art? And the answer is always a solid NO.
The scenery is set with a Hausmannian architecture background and a little coffee set-up in the corner. Considering the floral background I didn’t want to stitch too many florals on the actual design, but rather kept it to one focal point in the middle with the typical greenery bush that you often see in front of beautiful bourgeoise buildings.
To add extra life to the greenery I used three different nuances of green from dark to light. The placement of the different shades reflect where I imagine the light to come from (top right), which also enhances the depth on an otherwise contour-focused embroidery.
Et voilá!
Below is an image of the finished design🌸. It’s actually the first time I stitch on a curtain in this way (believe it or not) but I can promise you it won’t be the last!
The added twist of the unexpected background and history that it holds made this an even more special design to work on.
Thank you for reading and I hope you found this an inspiring example of how you can 1) use old curtains and 2) how to use a pattern base to make a unique twist to an embroidery.
Warm regards,
Elin xx
*** DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS ***
Member of the Charles and Elin Academy? You can download your pattern in your account or below the paywall here (Send me a message and I will gift you a One year free pass to this magazine as a “Thank you for believing in me” gift!)
Paying member of the magazine? You can download your PDF version right below the paywall at the end of this article!
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!