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Rhododendrons & Flower Symbolism in Rebecca

     Anne      8 Comments

Hello dear friend! This week on the blog, I have another needlework project to show you paired with a favourite classic novel: Rebecca. Written by Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca gets a lot of recognition as the perfect “spooky, gothic book for fall”. It’s definitely a book you don’t want to miss, and while I could praise its various strong points at length, I’m going to be focusing on flower symbolism in this post. Specifically, the importance of the rhododendrons, and the needlework project that captures the essence of Rebecca.

 

du maurier's rebecca: embroidered azaleas

 

I read Rebecca for the first time last fall, in anticipation of the Netflix film release. I absolutely loved it. Really, truly, absolutely loved every page of it. I can definitely understand why it’s recommended so often, and why so many rave about it. It’s that good.

 

The Book

Set in the 1930’s in England, it follows a newlywed couple as they settle down to their new life together in a country mansion named Manderley. You will hear the name Manderley a lot.  The main character, young Mrs. de Winter, remains oddly anonymous throughout the whole story. You never learn her first name. Her enigmatic husband, Mr. de Winter, is much older than her, and naturally hides many a dark secret. You won’t know what to really make of him. The housekeeper appears to be cold and uncanny, and constantly refers to Mr. de Winter’s first wife, comparing, belittling, driving the new Mrs. de Winter mad with insecurity and jealousy. Rebecca de Winter tragically died in a boating accident, forever upsetting life at Manderley. Things can never go back to how they were.

 

hardcover copy of du Maurier's Rebecca with pearl necklace and cameo brooch draped over the book

 

Throw in a murder mystery, and you have Jane Eyre meets Agatha Christie, and you’re in for a real treat. The writing style of this book is simply superb. Every single sentence is delectable. The attention to detail is astounding, from flower vases to embroidered handkerchiefs to paintings hanging on the wall.

Everything is important. Everything.

And it’s written in a way that simultaneously delights and gives you chills. It’s astounding, I tell you. The Netflix movie was cute, but failed to convey the intense, immersive atmosphere that the book delivers.

I am definitely adding my voice to the thousands who already tell you that this is a perfect October read, fulfilling all your spooky-gothic-vibes desires. And I don’t even like β€œspooky”. It’s just a wonderful book, period, and its dark and gloomy atmosphere is incredibly well-done.

I wrote a review of it on Goodreads as well, so feel free to check it out if you’d like more of my thoughts on it!

 

The Details

As I mentioned earlier, there is an attention to little details that is very particular in this book. It’s haunting, almost, the way seemingly mundane things are given importance. Among these, flowers often come up; it appears the late Mrs. de Winter had a real knack for decorating, and had fresh flowers put in vases every day.

 

hardcover copy of Rebecca with embroidered azalea project and pearl necklace

 

The beautiful flower descriptions abound in this book, but there’s one flower in particular that stands out: the rhododendron.

It’s pretty obvious that flowers (especially rhododendrons) are used symbolically in Rebecca. Many things are used symbolically in Rebecca, in fact. The rhododendrons, flaming red and intrusively imposing, are said to represent Rebecca herself. Indeed, there are many comparisons you can make between Rebecca and the scarlet clusters of rhododendrons.

But what does a rhododendron mean?

 

A Bit of Floriography

If you’ve been around for a bit, you know that I love analyzing flower meanings according to the Language of Flowers, which was extremely popular during the Victorian era. Rebecca was published and set in the 1930’s and I don’t know whether du Maurier would make direct references to it, but since flowers abound in this book and they’re clearly important, I thought it would be fun to see if we can draw any connections at all between the Language of Flowers and how certain flowers are used in Rebecca.

 

close up of embroidered azaleas over opened copy of Rebecca

 

Yes, there they were, blood-red and luscious, as I had seen them the evening before, great bushes of them, massed beneath the open window, encroaching on to the sweep of the drive itself.

Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca

 

Rhododendrons are everywhere around Manderley, crowding the driveway, encroaching over windows, growing uncontrollably big and red. They’re even found inside the house, decorating bowls and vases in the late Mrs. de Winter’s morning-room. Serving as an eternal reminder of Rebecca’s lingering presence, the flaming red flowers seem to suffocate the main character the same way they suffocate the house.

 

Rhododendron = Danger. Beware.

 

flaming red rhododendron bush
Photo by Sean Valentine from Pexels

This seems an incredibly apt significance for this book. One of the first things Mrs. de Winter (present) notices when she first arrives at Manderley are the crowding bushes of scarlet rhododendrons.

 

[…] on either side of us was a wall of colour, blood-red, reaching far above our heads. We were amongst the rhododendrons. There was something bewildering, even shocking, about the suddenness of their discovery.

 

They warn her of the danger ahead, of the nightmare she’s about to go through. They bid her beware that all is not as it seems, that Manderley is full of dangerous secrets.

Danger, danger everywhere, written loud and clear in flaming red flower clusters!

It would seem the symbolism of the rhododendrons in Rebecca matches the Language of Flowers very closely. Let’s look at another passage. The book famously opens with the line:

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.

The main character recounts her dream, in which Manderley seems suffocated by a host of plants.

A lilac had mated with a copper beech, and to bind them yet more closely to one another the malevolent ivy, always an enemy to grace, had thrown her tendrils about the pair and made them prisoners.

 

The lilac has a few different meanings; β€œfirst emotions of love” if purple and β€œyouthful innocence” if white. The beech tree stands for “prosperity”, the ivy signifies “fidelity and marriage”, and its tendrils represent an “assiduousness to please”. All seemingly beautiful and positive things, yet interestingly this opening is clearly meant as a bad omen, a foreshadowing of all the terrible things to come.

We learn soon enough that the main character (who is the narrator) is very young, very naΓ―ve, and very much in love with her new husband. And it is precisely her naΓ―ve love and desire to please that blind her into paranoid fear and nearly wrecks her marriage. Malevolent ivy indeed! Her assiduousness to please, born of her young love and the prosperity she thought she would have as Mrs. de Winter, are all working against her. Suffocated by the rhododendrons.

The white lilac comes up again, as Manderley prepares for its fancy-dress ball. The gardeners β€œbring in the rest of the white lilac” as part of the lavish flower arrangements, and once again the main character’s β€œyouthful innocence” cause her quite a lot of trouble with her unfortunate choice of costume for the ball.

Isn’t it interesting?! It all seems to fit so well!

I could probably analyze every flower passage for days as they are so many that are mentioned and seem important, but I’ll just do one more.

 

Hydrangea = A boaster. Heartlessness.

 

blue hydrangea head
Photo by Rifqi Ramadhan from Pexels

 

Well, if you’ve read the book, you certainly know who that describes.

I noticed for the first time how the hydrangeas were coming into bloom, their blue heads thrusting themselves from the green foliage behind.

 

The hydrangeas appear in the last quarter of the book, replacing the rhododendrons as the months succeed each other. The flaming red clusters make way for the blue heads just as the characters are trying to puzzle out a murder. An important character is at last unmasked, revealed for what they really were: heartless. It would seem the hydrangeas were foreshadowing that too!

I don’t know if du Maurier intentionally referred to the Language of Flowers in her writings, but it certainly was very interesting to analyze the many flowers in Rebecca from that angle! Amazing how the symbolic meanings of floriography lent themselves so well to this book!

 

Needlepainting Project: Azalea Flowers

This needlework project wasn’t stitched with the story in mind since I finished it before reading the book. However, the rhododendrons struck me so much while I read Rebecca that it reminded me of this project. It was my first real needlepainting project, embroidered as part of my Honours project for university.

 

close-up of embroidered azaleas in needlepainting
close-up of embroidered azalea showing needlepainting details

 

I used a feather flower pattern from an 1874 copy of The Young Ladies’ Journal. The feather strokes created perfect guidelines for needlepainting and I really liked the azalea flowers. They’re not flaming red like the rhododendrons in the book, but the contrast of the black background put me in mind of the moody atmosphere in Rebecca.

 

Azalea flowers fall under the rhododendron family, and actually they are mentioned in Rebecca!

On either side of the narrow path stood azaleas and rhododendrons, not blood-coloured like the giants in the drive, but salmon, white, and gold, things of beauty and of grace, drooping their lovely, delicate heads in the soft summer rain.

 

I like to think that my embroidered azaleas are more “things of beauty and of grace” than some dangerous warning, and their colour fits nicely with this passage!

 

Azalea = Temperance

 

A touch of sobriety to a rather tempestuous story, the azaleas serve as a foil to the red rhododendrons, much the same way the two Mrs. de Winter were so different from each other.

 

hardcover copy of Rebecca and azalea embroidery project surrounded by a vintage china teacup and saucer and various jewelry

 

My project seemed to fit this book so well that I couldn’t resist pairing the two and telling you all about it. I’m planning on detailing my project more at length in a future post (this one is long enough already!) and show you more floriography findings (unrelated to this book). In the meantime, have a look at some other posts featuring floriography and classic novels:

 

lilacs of love inspiration from jane eyre
an introduction to floriography
wisteria embroidery inspired by The Enchanted April

Alright, I think that’s enough flower talk from me for one day, but before you go, do tell me -do you prefer rhododendrons or hydrangeas? What do you think of Rebecca? I would love to hear any thoughts on it!

I really hope you’ve enjoyed reading this post and if you find flowers and floriography as lovely and interesting as I do, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or contact me directly. I wish you all a wonderful week!

 

Fondly,

embroidered flowers inspired by Rebeca
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Different Ways to Transfer an Embroidery Pattern

     Anne      2 Comments

There are several ways to transfer an embroidery pattern, and the β€œbest” way will often depend on your choice of pattern and fabric. Today, I will show you my two favourite ways to transfer an embroidery pattern that work perfectly with pale fabric of a light to medium weight.

 

different ways to transfer embroidery patterns

 

About Fabric

Fabric choice could fill an entire blog post on its own, as there are several things you will want to consider when choosing fabric for embroidery. I’ll be honest, I’m not usually too picky about it, and will definitely embroider on whatever suitable scraps I can find. Of course, for bigger, detailed projects, you will want to choose a quality fabric. But in many cases, choosing fabric doesn’t need to be too complicated. Most cottons and linens are suitable for embroidery, and easy to find at your local fabric store or online. I definitely recommend all natural fiber fabrics if possible, and staying away from anything stretchy or knit (unless you’re embroidering on clothing, which could also fill a whole new blog post!). Ideally, you also want the fabric to be closely woven so that your stitches will remain secure.

For the purposes of this tutorial, I will show you two different ways to transfer a pattern. I will be using a piece of off-white cotton muslin for the first method, and whiter, thicker cotton for the second method. Both ways will work with any light-weight or medium-weight cottons and linens that are pale enough to mark with a pencil (or other marking tool of your choice).

 

Transfer Your Pattern With a Light Source

If you’re new to embroidery or only stitch projects once in a while, a nice clean window and a pencil are all you need to successfully transfer your pattern onto fabric. Nothing fancy needed!

If you’re using your own hand-drawn pattern, I suggest going over it with a pen or fine-line Sharpie to get a darker outline. If you’re using a printed pattern, the outline will already be dark enough to see through the fabric.

 

1. Tape your pattern directly on the window. I recommend using masking or washi tape, something that’s easy to remove and won’t rip your pattern.

cute mouse embroidery pattern taped on a window

 

2. Then, center your piece of fabric over the pattern and tape in place.

fabric taped over embroidery pattern on the window

 

3. Trace your pattern on your fabric with a mechanical or HB pencil.

embroidery pattern successfully transferred onto the fabric

Remove everything from the window, and your pattern is successfully transferred!

 

Notes on Marking Tools:

There are several different marking tools that you can use to trace embroidery patterns. My favourite one is the mechanical pencil because I’ve found it’s what gives me the most precise outline. A 0.5mm mechanical pencil is ideal for transferring detailed patterns because you can trace very thin lines with it. The downside is that pencil marks are not always easy to remove from fabric, but since the lines are so thin, it’s usually easy to cover them entirely with stitches.

The water-soluble and heat-erasable pen are also widely used for transferring embroidery patterns. I’ve never used the heat-erasable pen, but I love the water-soluble pen. It glides on the fabric much easier than the mechanical pencil, and the markings are easily removed with water. However, the tip is much less precise than a pencil’s, and the markings often reappear even after removing them with water. This makes it rather unsuitable for embroidery pieces that are never washed.

 

Transferring a Pattern With a Light-Box

The method for transferring a pattern onto fabric with a light-box is essentially the same as with the window. If you’re serious about embroidery and/or do a lot of it, investing in a light-box is really worth it. I got mine for only 17 $ CAD on Amazon and use it all the time! It’s very basic and does nothing but light up when I plug it, but that’s all I need it for. There’s no on/off button, no settings, nothing but a big light that comes on when you plug it. It’s very bright, and very efficient. Unfortunately that specific one is no longer available on Amazon, but I found a similar one, linked for you here.

light box from amazon, not lighted
light box from amazon, plugged in and lighted
(I need to clean it lol)

As with the window method, simply tape your pattern onto the lightbox, and then tape your fabric over the pattern. Turn on the lightbox, trace with a pencil (or other marking tool) and you’re done!

pattern being transferred onto fabric with lightbox turned on
pattern successfully transferred on the fabric using the lightbox

This is a really good alternative to the window and isn’t dependent on daylight, which is nice for wintertime when it’s dark so early in the day!

Interested in this pattern? You can shop it in my Etsy here!

 

The Reverse Transfer Method

This method is especially useful if you’re using a thicker or broader-weave fabric that is hard to see through with the above methods.

In this case, what you want to do is start with a reverse image of your pattern. Many embroidery pattern PDFs for sale often come with a reverse image of the pattern as well. If you have one included with your pattern, print it to your desired size. If there isn’t one or if you’re using your own pattern, use a piece of tracing paper to create a reverse copy.

 

  1. Trace over the reverse image with a pencil. (You definitely want to be using a pencil in this case!)
reverse pattern traced over with mechanical pencil

 

2. Then, place the pattern good side up over your fabric (so the reverse side is touching the fabric), and go over your pattern again. You can use the pencil again, or a stylus. Don’t worry about being precise, because you’ve already traced the design neatly on the reverse side and that’s what will be transferred!

pattern taped over the fabric, traced again with pencil to transfer the design

 

3. Remove your pattern, and go over any lines that might have come out too pale.

pattern successfully transferred onto the fabric

I love this method for thicker fabric that isn’t see-through enough to use a light source!

 

Interested in this pattern? You can shop it in my Etsy here!

 

I hope this post was helpful, and don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions at all, I would be happy to help! Darker fabrics and different marking tools will be covered in future blog posts.

What’s your favourite transfer method?

 

If you enjoyed this post, you might also find these useful:

9 reasons to learn hand embroidery
how to start and end embroidery stitches
embroidery tools to begin your embroidery journey

 

And if you’re looking for some FREE embroidery patterns, be sure to have a look at my “freebies” tab. There you’ll find all the posts that include free downloadable freebies, such as the “Apple Jelly” jar bonnet pattern, and a charming branch of wisteria. Happy stitching!

Fondly,

different ways to transfer embroidery patterns
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Jam Jar Bonnets: Tutorial & Free Pattern

     Anne      Leave a Comment

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!! The turkey is roasting in the oven, the colourful leaves are slowly falling, and the geese are (loudly) flying overhead. The air smells of cinnamon and apples and fun afternoon craft projects! I hope you’ve been enjoying some autumn fun and good weather lately (or summer fun, if you’re in the southern hemisphere!). It’s been delightfully warm this week for this time of year, and I’ve had a lot of fun putting together a little something to share with you: jam jar bonnets!!

 

jar bonnets project tutorial

 

Jam Jar Bonnets

I’ve been seeing the cutest ones all over Instagram, and since we’ve been making loads of jelly this season, I thought I really needed to make a few to decorate our jars! Of course, what better opportunity for a little embroidery? In today’s post, I’m going to share how I made my jar bonnets, featuring some cute apples and grapes 😊. Keep in mind there are probably hundreds of different ways you can make jar bonnets, so feel free to use different materials and experiment a bit!

 

jam jars decorated with embroidered bonnets
decorated jam jars with embroidered bonnets
front view of jam jars with decorative embroidered bonnets

 

Free Embroidery Pattern

And, as a thank-you in honour of Thanksgiving, I’m throwing in a bonus freebie: the Apple Jelly embroidery pattern! I turned it into a downloadable PDF file, ready to print if you wish, with step-by-step instructions and photos of how to stitch it. I hope you like it! It was absolutely delightful to create and stitch up, and fits perfectly atop a jar of apple jelly. So if you’re looking to decorate your jar bonnets, I’ve got just the pattern for you!

APPLE JELLY PDF EMBROIDERY PATTERNDownload

 

finished apple jelly embroidery jar bonnet tied around jar

If you want to turn it into a jar bonnet like I made, what I suggest is that you first stitch up the Apple Jelly pattern, and then come back to this tutorial! I’ll even save you a piece of pumpkin pie and you can have some leftover turkey. πŸ˜‰

 

Jar Bonnet Tutorial With Embroidered AppliquΓ©

 

I will be using a similar method for the appliquΓ© part to what I did in my Winnie the Pooh Pillow project. I’m using a standard mason jar with ring lid, measuring 2 3/4″ in diameter (outer ring).

 

Materials You Will Need:

materials you need to make the jar bonnets: fabric, thread, mason jar, sewing scissors, pinking shears, fray check glue, tailor's awl, sewing thread and embroidered apple jelly pattern

 

  • Your Apple Jelly embroidery
  • Scrap fabric with which to make the bonnet. I used cotton scraps from an old curtain. Cotton or linen will work very well for this. You can even use the same fabric as your embroidery and skip the appliquΓ© if you want! Just make sure that you cut out a piece big enough before you start stitching.
  • A piece of twine cord approx. 21 1/2″ long, or any ribbon, lace, etc. which you would like to wrap around your bonnet.
  • Pinking shears for finishing the edges. (You can also use a serger or an overcast stitch on your sewing machine if you have those).
  • Sewing shears for cutting out fabric.
  • Jar with a lid
  • A bit of Fray Check glue or other fabric glue for the ends of the twine cord.
  • A small tailor’s awl for piercing the fabric. (I also used a knitting bodkin to make my holes slightly larger.)
  • A ruler and marking tool will also be very useful (I used a water-soluble pen).
  • Pins for holding the appliquΓ© in place.
  • Matching sewing thread for sewing the appliquΓ©
  • Black embroidery floss
  • Sewing needle and embroidery needle

If you want to make the gathered ruffle variation (detailed at the end of this post), you will also need: a sewing machine, and thread to match the ruffle fabric.

 

Instructions:

  1. To begin, un-hoop the embroidery and give it a gentle press with the iron. Always press good-side down, and try to avoid going over the stitches. Ideally you just want to remove the hoop marks.

 

2. Once that’s done, take the ring that goes around your jam jar (or whatever lid it has), and trace the inner circle around your embroidery, on the wrong side of the fabric. We will be appliquΓ©ing it onto another piece of fabric. I didn’t add seam allowance because I know I want my appliquΓ© slightly smaller than the ring’s inner circle size (so I’ve already included it). If you want your appliquΓ© to be bigger or smaller (or prefer to work with a larger seam allowance), adjust your markings accordingly and add seam allowance if desired.

trace the inner jar ring around your embroidery

 

3. Clip into the seam allowance a few times with your embroidery scissors, no more than 2 or 3 mm deep (about an 1/8 inch). This helps to fold the SA down smoothly. Fold down about ¼” all around to the wrong side, and press in place. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look too even and a bit jagged. I find it easier to fix as I’m sewing it down than fiddling with the iron.

You can also choose to leave the edge raw and sew in place with a blanket-stitch.

seam allowance clipped in a few millimeters to fold it smoothly
seam allowance folded all around embroidery work
view of the good side of embroidery work once seam allowance has been folded down

4. With your pinking shears, cut out a circle of your decorative fabric the size you would like your finished jar bonnet to be. Mine was 5 1/4” in diameter.

circle of decorative fabric cut with pinking shears

 

5. Cut a length of twine cord, long enough to wrap once around your jar and tie in a little bow, about 21 1/2″ long. Apply Fray Check to the ends to prevent them from fraying and make them easier to thread later.

twine cord ends dipped in Fray Check glue

 

6. Center the prepared embroidery work over the fabric and pin in place.

embroidered appliquΓ© piece centered and pinned onto main fabric

 

7. Sew the appliquΓ© with an invisible stitch. I used a small whipstitch, coming up through the main fabric, then through the fold of the appliquΓ©, and back down into the main fabric.

appliquΓ© being sewed down with whipstich
side view of the finished appliquΓ©

7. If you want to add a border around the appliquΓ©, pop the jar bonnet back into the embroidery hoop and embroider the outline stitch of your choice.  I used the stem stitch, but it looks like one continuous line!

Note: There are many different ways to appliquΓ©, so feel free to use another method. You could do needle-turn, or even just leave the edge raw and stitch it down with blanket stitch.

stem stitch with black embroidery floss around the appliquΓ©
finished hem stitch border around embroidered appliquΓ©

8. Flip the bonnet to the wrong side and place the ring or lid over it to measure where you’d like the twine to be woven into the fabric to tie it. To do this, I traced the outer ring circle onto the fabric, then measured 2cm (3/4″) down. I used a water-soluble pen to mark dots along this measurement, 1 cm apart around the bonnet. Leave a 4cm ((1 1/2″) gap at the front of the bonnet to be able to tie the string in a bow.

mark 2cm up from the jar bonnet's edge all around, making your marks 1 cm apart
4 cm gap between marks at the front of the bonnet

9. Using a tailor’s awl, poke holes in the spots where you made your markings. My awl made the holes too small, so I used a plastic knitting bodkin to make them slightly bigger.

knitting bodkin to make holes bigger around the jar bonnet

 

10. Once the glue has dried on the ends of the twine cord, weave it through the holes you just created. Start at the front on one end, going down from the good side and back up through the next hole. Thread it all around, and your jar bonnet is all done and ready to be tied onto your jar!

twine cord threaded around jar bonnet
bonnet tied in a bow around jam jar

 

Note that this isn’t a very tight or secure bonnet, it’s really just a decoration. The bonnet just rests atop the lid, and the twine bow prevents it from sliding.

 

Gathered Ruffle Variation

As I mentioned earlier, there are so many different ways to make jar bonnets, and it’s an excellent project for just using what you already have in your stash and display pretty fabric scraps. I made a second embroidery piece for an apple & grape jelly jar, and tried another way to make the bonnet.

 

To make a gathered ruffle with twine cord, here’s what you can do:

  1. First, cut a length of the fabric of your choice about 2 ¼” x 16”. You can make it longer if you want more gathers, and wider if you want it to drape lower over your jar. I will be attaching this gathered ruffle to a second piece of decorative embroidery, so I cut my fabric length a few inches longer than the circumference of that piece, to be able to gather the fabric around it. Pink the edges of the two short ends with your pinking shears.
length of fabric 16 inches long to make the gathered ruffle

 

2. On the wrong side of the fabric, turn one of the long edges ¼” in, and press down. Turn it ¼” again to hide the raw edge, and press in place.

 

3. Sew along this fold with your sewing machine to create the hem, sewing close to the fold.

ruffle hem being sewn down at the sewing machine

 

4. Fold the shorter, pinked ends ¼” to the wrong side of the fabric, and stitch in place.

 

5. Now we will make a channel for the twine cord, which is what will create the gathering effect. On the wrong side of the fabric, fold the remaining raw edge down ¼” (press if you need), and down again about 3/8”. You want it to be large enough to create an opening to thread your cord through.

 

Note: You can easily substitute the twine cord for ribbon or lace!

fold the remaining raw edge down 1/4" on the wrong side of the fabric
fold the edge down again 3/8" to create a channel

6. At your sewing machine, sew down the fold, as close to the edge as you can. This is what you should have so far:

prepared ruffle, ready to be threaded with cord

 

7. Using a safety pin or elastic threader, thread the twine through the channel. Pull on the cord to gather the ruffle to fit around your piece of embroidery (or other piece of decorative fabric or whatever you choose to attach it to).

twine cord pulled through channel and gathered into a ruffle

 

8. Sew the ruffle by hand around the embroidery or other piece of fabric with an invisible stitch (a slipstitch would work really well). I used a scant ¼” seam allowance for the embroidery piece, and pinked and clipped along the edge. You can also use another seam finish if you prefer.

close up view of sewn ruffle to embroidery piece
wrong side view of finished jar bonnet

And that’s it, your jar bonnet is finished!

finished jar bonnet viewed from the good side
finished jar bonnet sitting atop mason jar
top view of embroidered jar bonnet with pomme raisin embroidery
top view of both jars with finished embroidered jar bonnets

 

Ready to decorate all your jars?

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this tutorial and that it inspires you to decorate your jars with sweet little bonnets. It doesn’t take that long to make depending on how detailed your embroidery is, and the bonnets go together very easily. A really fun, easy project for a cozy autumn weekend! They’re perfect to give as gifts, or keep to yourself to add a little beauty to your jam shelf.

If you make this project and use my Apple Jelly pattern, I would absolutely love to see your creations! You can tag me on Instagram @northerbelle.atelier. Also if you have any questions or feedback about the pattern/tutorial, please don’t hesitate to let me know 😊

 

Happy Thanksgiving, and happy jar bonnet-making!

 

Fondly,

free embroidery pattern apple jelly
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Garden Bouquet Reveal: Celebratory Tea Party

     Anne      2 Comments

Dearest friend, it is with the utmost pleasure that I welcome you here today to conclude the Garden Bouquet series and reveal the final piece to you. Please do sit down and make yourself comfortable. We will begin in a few moments by adding the finishing touches to the piece, then frame it, and reveal it at last. I have been so eager to finally show it to you, and can’t wait to chat with you about all things flowers, ribbons, and garden inspiration. How do you like your tea? And please allow me to serve you a warm slice of apple pie, fresh out of the oven. Settle in, and we shall begin!

 

welcome to the garden bouquet reveal tea party

 

If you’ve been following along on this journey from the beginning, thank you so, so much! I hope you’ve been enjoying the project so far. If you haven’t seen all the posts or are new here, never fear! We will do a little recap.

 

The Garden Bouquet Project

 

In Part 1, I shared the inspiration behind the design as we toured my grandmother’s garden, carefully picking and choosing which blooms would be included in the final piece. I also shared a bit about my fabric choice, how to transfer the pattern onto the fabric, and how I would approach stitching the piece.

garden bouquet embroidery design traced onto tracing paper

 

In Part 2, I detailed how I embroidered the wild roses in needle-painting style. They were the most time-consuming element of the bouquet, but so well worth it! I shared all the threads I used, as well as my process.

finished embroidered wild rose

 

In Part 3, I tried something new and exciting: stump-work using bits of cotton ball! I embroidered currant berries by padding them with cotton ball, and absolutely loved the effect! I also briefly showed you how I embroidered a raspberry branch, which I explain in more details in another post.

embroidered currant berries with little "end" in brown floss

 

In Part 4, I crowned the Bouquet with a ribbon-work lily. Three-dimensional, shiny, and majestic, the lily is the centerpiece of the bouquet. This was my favourite part to work on, and it was lovely to get back into ribbon-work!

complete ribbon lily flower

 

In Part 5, I sprinkled a few yellow daisies to balance out the big pink flowers a little. They were the easiest to stitch, and I only used basic stitches. Something nice and sweet after the more complicated elements!

finished daisy flower with straight stitches around it to create the thin leaves

 

And that’s where we are! All the floral elements are embroidered, and the bouquet is just waiting for a bit of extra love and care, and a nice frame.

Let me refill your cup with this steaming Earl Grey, and I will have scones ready for you in a minute. While they finish goldening in the oven, we will embroider the Bouquet title.

 

β€œBouquet du Jardin Turenne”

 

I used a simple backstitch to write the title, with very small stitches to be able to navigate turns and corners easily. The title was hand-written, hence the unevenness of the letters. I think it adds a bit of charm to it, although I could have made it a *bit* more even. I used two strands of black floss, but I think a dark brown could have worked very well too.

bouquet du jardin embroidery showing the embroidered title
part of the embroidered title in backstitch

 

What’s your favourite way to embroider letters? I like to use the splitstitch, too, and the satin stitch looks divine when the letters are big enough for it.

Oh, we are so close to being done now! I just think my stems look a little…empty. (I love the one jutting out lol, how did it end up like that?!)

 

embroidered bouquet stems

 

They definitely need a bow. This is a bouquet, after all. And because I love ribbon and it’s faster to sew on than to embroider one, I used a small piece of cream-coloured ribbon to create the bow. It’s hand-sewn where all the stems intersect.

ribbon bow added around flower stems to tie the bouquet

 

My friends…we did it!! There’s the bouquet all done! No more thread, no more needle!! Actually, that’s not true, because I used a needle and thread to back it into the frame…but no more embroidery!

 

Framing the Bouquet

It’s ready to be un-hooped and prepped for framing! Ahhhh!! I hear the timer going off in the kitchen, meaning the scones must be ready. Excellent timing! There is blueberry, or apple and cinnamon. Would anyone like a bit of jam to go with it?

When I un-hooped the fabric, I noticed that the left side (where I hold it while I stitch) was a bit yellowed. This was undoubtedly caused by my hyperhidrosis problem (excessive sweating of the hands), and I was a bit disappointed, but decided to carefully wash it. Normally, I wouldn’t really wash a project like that, but in this case I thought it better to try. I used a bit of warm water and dish soap and a clean brush to scrub very gently at the affected area. It helped somewhat, and in the end it’s not really visible in the frame, since it ended up being more the seam allowance that was affected, thankfully (I’m glad I used a big hoop!).

I ironed the piece very gently, good side down, not going over the embroidery. Because there’s stump-work and ribbon-work and all kinds of things, I definitely didn’t want to squish it, but the sides needed some ironing to remove the hoop marks. It’s much easier to smooth those out if you dampen the fabric slightly. Again, I did not dampen the embroidery itself, only the fabric on the sides.

And finally, the frame! Unfortunately, I did not have a pretty frame on hand, and no time to go buy one. I had to use what I could find in the house, but I think it works! It’s a very cheap plastic frame, but its thin black shape actually work very well with the embroidery! It matches the title, and doesn’t distract from the bouquet.

I used a needle and thread to secure my embroidery work around a piece of sturdy cardboard, leaving a good 2” seam allowance all around. I placed another piece of black cardboard in the frame first, to hide the back of the mounted embroidery. There is no glass or anything on the front, and a small cloth or lint roller can be used to occasionally clean the embroidery.

 

And…it’s done!! Are you ready to see it? The Garden Bouquet reveal at last!

 

flat lay view of the finished garden bouquet embroidery framed and surrounded by fresh flowers
finished garden bouquet, framed and surrounded by daisies and a lily
finished garden bouquet embroidery shown from the side, with fresh daisies surrounding it

 

And some close-up details:

close up of the finished garden bouquet embroidery showing wild roses and lily bud in particular
close up of finished embroidery showing more wild roses, currant branch, and lily
close up of garden bouquet details; wild rose and currant branch
close-up of wild rose bud on finished garden bouquet embroidery

 

This calls for another cup of tea, what do you think? And a cupcake with pink frosting and edible lilies. πŸ˜‰

I can’t believe I finished it!! Thank you so very much dear friend, for accompanying me through this needlework journey. I would love to know your thoughts on it! Did you have a favourite part? What technique do you prefer, or are interested in the most?

And what is your favourite flower? I have always been very partial to roses and was excited to include them in this project.

 

A Bit of Floriography

I thought it would be fun to discover what secret meanings lie behind my floral choices for this piece…If you’ve been following me for a bit, you probably know that I have a strong interest in all things Victorian floriography, and that I whip out my trusted Kate Greenaway pocket flower dictionary any chance I get.

 

So let’s see…

 

Dog Rose = Pleasure and pain

Hahaha, I feel like this sums up my experience with stitching them! I loved it, but the stress of doing one-strand embroidery under such a time-crunch was painful indeed.

Raspberry = Remorse

Did I regret my life choices several times during the making of this project? Yes, perhaps.

Currant = Thy frown will kill me

Hahahahaha ohhhh the drama! I wonder what currants ever did to anyone?! However, this is not the only definition. The dictionary also has an entry for

Branch of Currants = You please all

Now that’s more like it! Much more along the lines of the kind of message I should be sending to my grand-parents with this bouquet, lol!

Day Lily = Coquetry

This is the closest lily entry I could find to represent the pink one I made, which is neither imperial (majesty), or of-the-valley (return of happiness). A bit of coquetry it is then!

Garden Daisy = I share your sentiments

There was no entry for a yellow daisy, which to me should have a different meaning than the common white and yellow ox-eye daisy (innocence). So we’ll go with the garden daisy, since they certainly were from the garden!

wild rose in the garden
day lily from the garden
yellow daisy from the garden

We now have: pleasure and pain, remorse, thy frown will kill me, you please all, coquetry, and I share your sentiments.

 

I wonder what this bouquet is trying to tell me. This sounds exactly like a Victorian melodrama where the wife overspends on opera gowns and expensive furs, and over-decorates her parlour with needlepoint cushions and dried floral arrangements.

β€œWE DON’T NEED ANY MORE TASSELS, CAROLINE!”

If that unappreciative husband of hers gives her that disapproving frowning look one more time, she might just kill herself (and him too). (Sometimes he wishes she would).

Thy frown will kill me! Enough, I beg of you!

 

Needless to say, this Bouquet was NOT embroidered with the Language of Flowers in mind. But it was certainly a lot of fun to discover which secret meanings it held! I hope you enjoyed this little bit of floriography as much as I did. πŸ˜‰ I really want to know where the significance of the currant came from!

Which flower would you like to know the meaning of? Let me know in the comments and I’ll tell you!

view of the finished garden bouquet embroidery, framed and surrounded by flowers

 

It feels oddly appropriate that my library hold of the movie Enchanted April arrived just as I was completely immersed in the embroidery of this garden bouquet. It was the absolute perfect thing to watch while stitching! I had already fallen in love with the story last spring when I read the book for the first time (and wrote a post on it, with an accompanying project!). As it turns out, the movie is just as wonderfully charming as the book. I loved it so much that I watched it pretty much every evening while I embroidered, happily lost in my little world of flowers and thread. The soundtrack is also very beautiful.

What do you like to watch/listen to when you stitch (or craft)? Have you seen the Enchanted April movie?

 

I hope you had a pleasant time here at my Garden Bouquet Reveal Tea Party! Thank you ever so much for coming. It was certainly very pleasant to be able to sit down for a bit and chat about so many wonderful things with you, with a ready cup of tea! Do help yourself to more baked goods before you go, and take some with you.

Thank you so much for coming to see the Garden Bouquet Reveal, and I wish you a wonderful week! As always, I’d be delighted for you to share any thoughts or comments you might have.

 

Fondly,

garden bouquet final reveal for pinterest
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The Best Embroidery Book Recommendations For Beginners

     Anne      1 Comment

A few people have been asking for embroidery book recommendations for beginners lately, so I thought, why not make a post about some of my favourite ones? I know I said in my last post that I would be concluding the Garden Bouquet project next, but I’ve had to push that to Monday, October 4th. It will be a Grand Affair and Saturday was going to be too busy to sit down and have a cup of tea with you all. So Monday it will be! I still wanted to post something this week though, so this is like a bonus post!

 

my best recommendations for embroidery book

 

One of my favourite past-times – aside from the actual embroidery – is to go to the library to browse the craft books section. That was how I came across several wonderful books about hand embroidery some years ago, and how I mostly taught myself how to stitch. I love using books to learn new skills. Even though the Internet can be a wonderful wealth of information on so many hobbies, sometimes it’s just nice to do something that doesn’t require a screen. Hence, books.

Below is a short list of some of my favourite hand embroidery book recommendations (and a few blogs I love). I’ve used all of them and own two of them (the ones pictured). They were all incredibly helpful one way or another, so here’s a little break-down to help you decide which might be best for you.

 

Best Embroidery Book Recommendations for Beginners:

 

1. Embroidery Techniques & Patterns by Marie-NoΓ«lle Bayard

 

book copy of Embroidery techniques and patterns by Marie-NoΓ«lle Bayard

 

I was lucky enough to buy this wonderful book for only three dollars at a charity shop several years ago, when I began to be more serious about learning embroidery. This was the book I used to teach myself the basics, and I highly, highly recommend it. It has tons of stitches, all grouped by β€œfamilies”, so that you can practice one type of stitch a few different ways before moving on to the next one. Ranging from the very basic stitches such as the stem stitch, all the way to the more complex ones such as the Palestrina stitch (haven’t used that one yet), the book covers all the stitches you will need, and more.

 

inside peek of Embroidery Techniques & Patterns

 

It features step-by-step photos of each stitch being worked, and it’s very easy to follow and well-explained. Each section also has a project with some instructions and a pattern to transfer. I haven’t done any of them, but there’s a wide variety of projects, from a cross-stitch wall hanging to curtains with drawn-thread work.

A very thorough, informative book that covers more than just the basics, and allows you to discover tons and tons of new stitches and techniques.

Available for purchase on Amazon.

 

2. A-Z of Embroidery Stitches by Country Bumpkin Publications

 

This is a very colourful and inspiring collection of embroidery stitches, with very clear step-by-step photos on how to work each stitch. I wrote in my Goodreads review that it had a really great French knot tutorial and really helped me during one of my first projects. The book is quite detailed, and provides useful information on things like fabric choice and working with hoops. There are even tips for left-handed stitchers! That can be hard to find sometimes as most stitchers tend to be right-handed, but this book has you covered if you’re left-handed.

The coloured photographs are beautiful and easy to follow, and it feature different stitches than in Embroidery Techniques & Patterns. Definitely another great book to peruse if you want to teach yourself many different stitches.

You can find it on Amazon, Chapters, and Barnes & Noble.

 

3. Long & Short Stitch Embroidery: A Collection of Flowers by Trish Burr

If you’re interested in needle-painting (also called silk shading or art needlework), then you simply must have a look at Trish Burr’s breathtaking work! She’s the expert on all things needle-painting, and there’s no one better to learn from than herself. The long & short stitch is what’s principally used in needle-painting, and this book will show you everything you need to know to get started! It has both beginner and more advanced projects, full stitch diagrams, thread keys, and instructions. You definitely don’t want to miss this book if you want to learn needle-painting and love botanical-illustration style flowers. Everything in this book is simply gorgeous.

See it directly on Trish Burr’s website, or buy it at Chapters , or on Amazon.

 

4. Colour Confidence in Embroidery by Trish Burr

book copy of Colour Confidence in Embroidery by Trish Burr

 

Yes, I’m listing another book by Trish Burr, because I find this one so useful too, and wish I had it sooner. This one is less about how to learn the long & short stitch, and more about how to accurately choose colours for your embroidery. It has pages and pages of useful colour schemes and everything you should know about colours; how to pick them, how they affect your embroidery, how to shade them correctly, etc…Even if you’re not as interested in realistic-looking needle-painting, the book is still a wealth of information if you need some help with colour palettes and preparing a project of your own design. It has helped me tremendously so far when picking shades for a project and using them appropriately to achieve a realistic floral effect.

 

inside pages of Colour Confidence in Embroidery by Trish Burr

 

Plus, there’s a whole section of patterns with diagrams and stitching instructions, featuring beautiful flowers and colourful birds. Some previous knowledge of needle-painting is definitely helpful for those projects, which is why I also strongly recommend Long and Short Stitch Embroidery.

See it on Trish Burr’s website, or buy it at Barnes & Noble, Chapters, or Amazon.

 

Blogs:

Blog posts and tutorials are also a wonderful way to learn a new skill. Sometimes, you don’t need or want an entire book to practice just one stitch, or follow a long Youtube video to complete a project. Sometimes a good old blog post is the best way to go (not biased at all, LOL). Below is a short list of some of my favourite embroidery blogs that I highly encourage you to check out!

 

Mary Corbet’s Needle n’ Thread:

Who in the embroidery world hasn’t ever consulted the Queen of All Things Embroidery? Most of us have definitely learned a thing or two from the one and only Mary Corbet over at Needle n’Thread, for the simple reason that she somehow manages to cover everything under the sun about hand embroidery! Her website is truly phenomenal. There’s everything and anything you could possibly be looking for, from basic stitch tutorials to sew-alongs, book recommendations, and other super useful posts, such as tips to create your own patterns, and what kind of needle you should be using. If there’s one blog you don’t want to miss, it’s this one!

 

Stitch Floral:

This is an absolutely beautiful blog dedicated mostly to floral embroidery and needle-painting. If you want to learn the long & short stitch and perfect your skills, Stitch Floral is also a wonderful place to start. Amina is lovely, comes up with the most beautiful colour combinations, and offers easy and informative posts. There’s also some bonus freebies on her site, and many posts full of helpful tips and tricks. Very inspiring, stunning work!

 

Wild Olive:

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I love to stitch the occasional Mollie Johanson pattern, because they’re just so irresistibly cute. If you like Things With Smiley Faces, Wild Olive is the perfect blog to check out! It’s full of cuteness, freebies, and fun craft ideas. Most projects are super beginner-friendly, quick and easy to stitch. Mollie’s patterns are my favourite to stitch when I just want to relax. They bring me so much happiness, and are just plain fun! Totally recommend if you’re looking for some easy projects to begin with.

 

embroidery book recommendations and vintage teacup

 

There are so many more resources I could have included in this list, but this will have to do for now! If you like this kind of post, I could definitely do a Part 2 with more embroidery book recommendations in the future. You’re also most welcome to have a look at my craft-books shelf on Goodreads, where I’ve reviewed and rated several craft books of various genres.

I hope this was helpful, and happy stitching! If you have any more questions or are looking for something more specific, don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments.

 

Fondly,

recommendations for beginners embroidery books
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Easy Daisies: Garden Bouquet Part 5

     Anne      2 Comments

Hello dear friend,

We are almost done with the Garden Bouquet Project!! Can you believe it? I simply cannot wait to show you the final piece in all its glory. That will come soon, but first we have one more floral element to add to the Bouquet: little yellow daisies. They’re the easiest part of the bouquet, and we’ll be done in no time!

 

yellow daisies garden bouquet part 5

 

But first, let me catch you up! If you’ve missed any previous parts of the Garden Bouquet, you can find them below. Each element works as a standalone, so you don’t need to read all the posts in order. However, it is helpful to do so if you want to see the evolution of the project as a whole. Each post is published in the order that I stitched each element.

 

garden bouquet project part 1
Garden Bouquet part 2: wild roses
beautiful berries garden bouquet part 3
ribbon work lily garden bouquet part 4

Because I wanted my daisies more discreet and a little β€œhidden” behind some of the other elements, I only made very light markings on the fabric for their placement. I could have stitched them first since most of them were more in the background, but I wanted to work them around the main elements and not the other way around. Hence why we stitch these last. It’s a final little burst of sunshine upon the bouquet, a few happy little flowers to balance out the bigger ones.

 

thread key for daisies: stems & leaves DMC 3345, Flowers DMC 726, 728, 729, 743

 

Tutorial – Yellow Daisies

embroidery tutorial pin for stitching the daisies

 

  1. First, I worked the petals, which are made with lazy-daisy stitches using 2 strands of DMC #743 and #726. Simply work your stitches around the center of the flower (which should be blank for now), beginning at the edge of the center and ending at the tip of the petal. Each stitch is one petal. You can alternate between the two shades of floss. I like to start with one and work a few petals, leaving space in between to fill with the other colour afterwards. Originally I intended to stitch fewer petals, but I have a tendency to over-stitch when I do lazy-daisy petals, so here we are! I do like this look, so all is not lost, but you can definitely do fewer stitches if you want fewer petals (it will change the shape/look of the flower).

 

lazy-daisy stitches being worked to create flower petals
lazy-daizy stitches of varying sizes stitched all around the daisy, creating the petals
This is from a different flower, because I’m terrible at step-by-step photos. Sorryyyyyy.

 

2. Then, using 2 strands of DMC #728 and #729, I stitched 6-8 French knots in the center. Again, you can alternate between the two shades, there is no specific order in which to stitch them.

 

French knots added to the center of the daisy

 

3. And finally, using 2 strands of DMC #3345, I stitched the stems and leaves. I made very long stitches to create a sort of stem stitch for the stem. Instead of coming back beside the middle of the previous stitch, I came back up closer to the end of the each stitch. This creates less overlap, less of a “ropy” look, and more of a continuous line. The stem was just a bit too long to use one long straight, but this “looser” stem stitch worked very well. Then I added a couple of straight stitches around the flowers to create the leaves. I also added some along the stem (you can do this while stitching the stem instead of coming back to it). Yellow daisy leaves are very long and thin, so this stitch was perfect for it.

 

view of the bouquet to show the daisies stems
finished daisy flower with straight stitches around it to create the thin leaves

 

That’s it! Easy-peasy, compared to the rest of the bouquet! 😊 I made 4 daisies in total, scattered around the bouquet.

 

close-up view of bouquet showing finished yellow daisies

 

Next time, we will finish the Bouquet for good, and I can finally show you the final piece! We’ll add some final touches, frame it, and at last…the big reveal!! I can’t wait to show you. It feels like a while ago that I was working on this, since I’ve split the project into many parts to share with you, but in reality I embroidered the whole thing in about two weeks (it was MAD). Next week, we conclude!

I think such an occasion calls for a fancy tea party amongst friends, doesn’t it? Look out for your gilt-edged invitation soon, and prepare your most charming frock and your favourite cozy cardigan (for the weather is turning chilly). We’ll be chatting flowers, gardens, and needlework wonders and woes! And nibbling on the daintiest sandwiches and softest cookies, of course.

 

See you there soon!

 

Fondly,

daisy embroidery using only easy stitches
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