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THE LATEST

Floral Garden Bunting Project: a Wrap-Up on the 2023 Stitch-Along

Fall Floral Embroidery Pattern: Calendula Wreath

“Embroideries From an English Garden” by Carol Andrews – Book Review

Garden Bouquet Embroidery Part 3: Beautiful Berries

August 28, 2021      Anne      Leave a Comment

Who’s ready for the next part of the Garden Bouquet project? I know I am!

 

garden bouquet part 3 beautiful berries

 

If you haven’t seen Part 1 or 2 of the Garden Bouquet project, here they are:

Garden Bouquet part 2: wild roses
garden bouquet project part 1

Today, we will be looking at the berries. There are two branches of berries in this design: raspberries and currants.

I embroidered my raspberries pretty much the same way as I did in this project, so I will go over it quickly. If you want more details, you can have a look at Ripening Raspberries, a project where I combined embroidery and pressed leaves.

 

Embroidering the Raspberries

 

thread key for raspberries: branch & leaves = DMC 3346, 3347, Berries = DMC 304, 347, 3331

 

I didn’t use beads this time, only French knots. I wasn’t planning on using beads anywhere else, so I thought it might look odd to have just one element with beads. So instead I filled the whole berries with French knots without leaving any gaps. I used three strands of DMC #304, #347, and #3831, and tried to distribute the colours evenly-ish. The sepals are made with lazy-daisy stitches, using two strands of DMC #3347.

 

embroidered raspberries with french knots

 

The branch is embroidered with a stem stitch with two strands of DMC #3346. The leaves are done in straight stitches, angled and placed to create a bit of a jagged edge. I used two strands of DMC #3347 and #3346. These were done rather quickly and without any clear method. I knew that I wanted to differentiate them from the rose leaves, so I used different shades of green, and tried to make the leaves smaller and thinner.

 

embroidered raspberry leaves with straight stitches

 

I absolutely love how it turned out! This was one of the easiest part of this garden bouquet and such a breeze after slaving over the wild roses 😉

 

embroidered wild roses and raspberries on garden bouquet project

 

Embroidering the Currants

 

thread key for currants: Branch & leaves = DMC 734, 937, 3345, 433, Berries = DMC 304, 321

 

Ah, the currants. I had a wonderful plan to cover beads with floss to create a beautiful stumpwork (3D) effect, but sadly all the beads I had were too big or too small. There was no time for an emergency trip to the crafts store, so I had to abort the plan and think of something else.

Not to be deterred in my stumpwork ambitions, I decided to try something else. I really didn’t want to make the berries flat, and French knots wouldn’t really have worked in this case. I remembered seeing “raised” satin stitch around before, and using stuffing or other materials to create a 3D effect. So I went with a cotton ball…the currant berries are so small that I only needed teeny tiny little pieces at a time.

First, I outlined each berry with a small backstitch, to have a good guideline for filling it.

 

currant berry outlined with backstitch

 

Then, I took what felt like a microscopic piece of cotton ball (I’m using just a regular old cotton ball from the drugstore) and shaped it as best as I could to form it into a little ball. I then place the tiny ball in the outlined shape.

 

cotton ball to create stumpwork effect

 

With one strand of DMC #304 or #321 (I alternated between two shades of red), I anchor the cotton ball by taking a few stitches over it.

 

currant embroidery - covering the cotton ball with satin stitch

 

With a satin stitch, I cover the entire ball, until none of the white shows through. And it makes a beautifully raised little red berry!

 

covered cotton ball with satin stitch to form a currant berry

 

So cute!

Once they were all done, I added a little “end” to really make them look like currants. This was done with one strand of DMC #433, and it’s just a very small straight stitch. I placed them in the direction where it made the most sense for each currant hanging from the branch.

 

embroidered currant berries with little "end" in brown floss

 

The branch was added afterwards, using two strands of DMC #433 and a split stitch.

 

And lastly, the leaves!

I had no idea what currant leaves looked like, so Pinterest was very useful here for some reference images. I remember stitching these very late at night, determined not to leave them for the next day, so they’re a bit less refined than the rose leaves. It’s hard to tell though, since they’re well hidden 😉

Again, same approach as before. Outline in split stitch first. Then I used two strands of DMC #937 and #3345, and very messy long & short stitches to cover the leaves. There really was no plan for this, just improvisation and deciding where to add a bit of shading on the spot. Currant leaves also have a ragged edge, so I tried to replicate that a bit all around my leaves by ending the stitches in different spots.

 

embroidered currant leaf in needle painting

 

I left some space along the center of the leaves for the stem and veins. Those were stitched with one strand of DMC #734 in straight stitches, again in a very impromptu manner.

 

finished embroidered currant berry branch on garden bouquet project

 

I really love how it turned out though (I say this a lot, I’m sorry! But it’s true!). The raised satin stitch with cotton ball stuffing worked wonderfully and I definitely want to try it again!! The currants look very solid and juicy.

 

embroidered currant branch next to embroidered wild rose in garden bouquet project

 

And that’s the berries over and done with!

The garden bouquet is starting to slowly resemble something at last. Woo! I hope you enjoyed this part, and I would love to know your thoughts in the comments. What do you think of the stumpwork idea? Have you ever tried something similar? How do you like to stitch your berries?

Stay tuned for Part 4 of this project, where we will tackle the lily. The majestic centerpiece of this piece, a flower amongst flower. I have an idea on how I want to make it, but will it work? It doesn’t involve a lot of thread… Can’t wait to see and share it with you all!

Thank you for following along on this journey, and be sure to connect with me on Instagram too for more progress pics & stitching reels!

 

Fondly,

embroidered berries garden bouquet part 3

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  • Floral Garden Bunting Project: a Wrap-Up on the 2023 Stitch-Along
  • Fall Floral Embroidery Pattern: Calendula Wreath
  • “Embroideries From an English Garden” by Carol Andrews – Book Review
  • Botanical Wreath Project: A Pattern for Each Month
  • 2023 Free Yearly Stitch-Along + Mini Needle-Painting Tutorial

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Hello I'm Anne! Welcome to my little corner of the Internet where I share my passion for hand embroidery with you through tutorials and patterns. I hope that you enjoy browsing and leave with some new inspiration!

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~ Diary of a Northern Belle

Northern Belle Atelier is taking a break 🌸💖 Northern Belle Atelier is taking a break 🌸💖

Today (Feb. 09th) is the last day to place your order for any physical items in my shop (kits, needle minders, or finished works). I will be removing the listings over the weekend. PDF patterns will remain available for now, but they may be taken down at any time (so if you've had your eye on one, I suggest grabbing it before they're gone! 🥰).

I will also be tuning off Instagram in the coming days, but you can still reach me via my business emails if you need. My blog will remain up for the time being. 💕

Thank you ever so much for all the support you've shown my little business since I began sharing my embroidery here! It has meant so much to me to be able to do this, even if just in a small way. 💖🪡 Wishing you all some beautiful stitches ahead!

Anne
Xoxo
February Wreath aka "Victorian Valentine" pattern February Wreath aka "Victorian Valentine" pattern from last year 💖🌸🎀 I love this one so much and it's perfect for Valentine's Day coming up!

Find it in my Etsy shop 💜

(Sorry for the shaky video!!)
Needle minders will be leaving my shop soon!! 🍒 Needle minders will be leaving my shop soon!! 🍒 Snag a cute little fruity needle minder for your next embroidery project before February 9th! All remaining needle minders in my shop are 10% off until then 💕🍓🍒💛
✨️ IMPORTANT UPDATE ✨️ I will be disconti ✨️ IMPORTANT UPDATE ✨️

I will be discontinuing embroidery kits from my shop very soon, but I still have 2 left of this pretty summer wreath up for grabs!! 🌼🍓

I love this design and the kit comes with everything you need to make the project: two pieces of cotton fabric, thread card loaded with DMC floss, two needles, a good quality 6" hoop, and the PDF pattern! All presented in a handy folder to make it easy to keep everything together 🤍💛❤️

Visit my Etsy shop (linked in bio) if you're interested!! They won't be around for long!
Thank you so much for all the love on the Floral G Thank you so much for all the love on the Floral Garden bunting!! 💖🌷🌻 Following several inquiries from some of you who were missing some or all of the patterns from this project, I've decided to link them in a handy-dandy blog post for easier access! 💕 I've linked it via my bio if you want to have a look and get the patterns! I like to give my subscribers a bit of exclusivity, but since this project has now come to a close, I've decided to make it available to everyone. 🥰

I may also have taken that opportunity to write a bit about each flower, the inspiration behind the designs, and of course their meanings according to the Language of Flowers 😊🌿🌻 If that sounds of interest to you, read  the post to find out more! I've also linked some stitch tutorials that may be helpful. 

Happy stitching! 🎀🪡🌼

Anne
The Floral Garden stitch-along has come to a close The Floral Garden stitch-along has come to a close and the bunting has been sewn and hung! 🌻🌷🌿 what a joy it was to work on throughout the year, and I hope you've enjoyed it too! I'm thrilled with the final result 😍

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments and enthusiasm for this project. I've just sent the final instructions + bunting template to my email subscribers 💌 it isn't too late if you'd like to give this project a try - you can sign-up via the link in my bio and receive the links to all 12 floral motifs from last year + the instructions for the bunting!! 💕

The embroideries are beginner-friendly and perfect if you want to try a bit of needle-painting, and the bunting part is quite easy and quick to put together (compared to last year's mini-quilt haha!) 🌷💕🌿

Happy stitching!!
Winter Fox 🦊🤍🌲 I think this makes the fir Winter Fox 🦊🤍🌲 I think this makes the first completed embroidery for 2024! Absolutely loved working on this and love the mix of watercolor with embroidery! Can't get enough of the little pinecones 🤎
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