Greetings dear friends, and happy month of April! It is currently lightly snowing outside as I type these words, but no matter because here on the blog I’m definitely in the mood to welcome Spring. And what better way to do this than by sending out this month’s free mini-embroidery pattern featuring the darlingest macarons! 😊 The stitching is very simple, but I thought I would do a quick tutorial on how to do the little floss bow, since it’s easier to see in photos than explain with words. Plus, others can also benefit from it and join the EPP Mini-Quilt stitch-along if they so desire!
Little Floss Bow Tutorial
1. Once you’ve stitched the Delightful Macarons pattern (which subscribers will find in their inbox by tonight), cut out two lengths of floss the color of your choice, about 15 cm (6”) long. I’m using Anchor 1024 – also DMC #3328, plied down to 2 strands.
2. Taking one of the lengths, tie at knot at one end or anchor through existing stitches at the back of the work. Come up just above the top macaron.
3. Remove the needle and leave the floss hanging for now while you do the same thing with the other length. Bring that one up from just below the bottom macaron. Remove the needle, and you should have the two lengths of floss just hanging there.
4. Tie them up in a bow, just as you would tie your shoe.
5. Adjust as needed and trim the ends.
6. To make sure it doesn’t come undone, you can come back with 1 strand of the same floss and gently anchor the bow down. I just took 2-3 stitches around the middle to stitch it down to the fabric.
And that’s all there is to it! Super simple and cute.
Which one will you have? Lemon, strawberry, or pistachio? It was so hard to pick colours for this pattern, since there are so many pretty pastels to choose from. But that means that you can easily come up with your own palette, or embroider it as many times as you like!
One thing’s for sure though, this will make you long to eat one of these delicious bits of colourful goodness. I haven’t had the opportunity to eat them very often, but I did try making some once! My friend kindly threw me a little tea party for my birthday one year, and we tried making macarons together. For a first time it was pretty successful, but the filling was a wee bit runny.
Nevertheless, it was fun to try and I’d love to give it a go again. I do think we managed a perfectly lovely shade of pink. 😉
EPP Mini-Quilt Tea Party
I’m also very happy with how all the little hexies are looking together! Just missing the March Teabag pattern in that photo, which I haven’t turned into a hexie yet. I work on this project month by month as well, because I love having a little something special to stitch each month. The only thing I have pre-planned with this project are the pattern ideas. I’ve jotted down an idea for each month to make sure I would have a cohesive theme, but I draw and stitch them one by one as the months go by, just a little ahead of you so I can get them out with each first newsletter of the month.
Join the Party!
You can subscribe here if you’d like to join in on this EPP Tea-Party! A free embroidery pattern a month, straight in your inbox, which we then turn into hexies and eventually into a mini-quilt.
Here’s a look at some of the past months’ patterns, as well as more info on the project and an introduction to English Paper Piecing (EPP):
I hope you enjoyed this mini-tutorial and that you’re excited to stitch up some macarons! Next to eating them, stitching them is best, right?
Fondly,
