flashback friday // button posts from days gone by

When you write a blog for long time, posts from the past can sink to the bottom and become hard to find, which is why it's nice to look at a few from the past. Since this month's old calendar made new is button-themed, I thought it might be fun to connect you with a few older button blog posts.

The hedgehog button embroidery above is from the same month as the original button calendar I made. It's part of a free downloadable PDF mini workshop that includes six animal patterns and instructions for use.



Do you have a pretty button that you want to use in a special way? How about turning it into a ring? That's what I did with this button I purchased at Liberty of London.



I have this thing for vintage craft supplies, and the packaging on these vintage buttons is pretty amazing. Since these belonged to a family member, it's also fun to think about what the buttons were intended for or the potential someone saw in them.



If you're starting to think about Christmas (this is the best time!), you might want to make a few holly brooches with button berries!



And one more pin project. This one looks a little winter/Christmas, but it works with any tiny embroidery pattern. This is kind of the ultimate, because you make your own button to start, then use that to make something new!

What are your favorite button projects?

flashback friday // heart stitches

Looking back is a fun thing to do, right? Especially when it's heart month and you can look back at some heart stitches. This post is a flashback to three years ago (boy, time flies!). For a variation on this, try stacking your stitched hearts so they look like a little chain of hearts!

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Recently I saw an adorable ombre counted cross-stitch piece, and thought it would be fun to make my own non-cross-stitch version. Each little heart that I've made is just two stitches, so it goes very quickly. Once I got started, I knew that this would be a lovely little project to share with you! It's such a fun way to spontaneously stitch!

Here's how the little hearts are made (It's a cross between a lazy daisy and the fly stitch!):



Come up from the back, then go back down about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch above where the thread came up. Don't pull it tight yet!



Bring the needle back up again just a bit higher and to the left of where the the first stitch went down through the fabric. Be sure to catch the loose loop of thread with your needle.



Pull the thread to the left, tightening the loop.



Go back down through the fabric, making a little stitch that will hold this half of the heart.



Repeat on the right side.

As you're working these, try to keep the twist of the floss the same throughout. They'll look much tidier that way, but even if some are untwisted, they'll still look sweet!



For my ombre, I chose five colors. I wasn't using any sort of pattern, but just stitched the hearts where I felt like they needed to be. Each heart came out just a bit different, giving the overall piece some character. (Speaking of hearts with character...I love this embroidery by Heidi Kenney!)






Happy Heart Stitching!