DIY Embroidery

Rainbow zig zag hand embroidered bib

15 April 2016
Hand embroidered baby bib

I have made yet another hand embroidered bib! After this classic design and this pastel one, I wanted something that felt more modern, and I am very happy with how this one turned out. You’ll never guess where I found my inspiration for this rainbow zigzag design!

At the end of my visit of the Tate Modern in London in October, my brother Greg and I had a walk around the book shop that was bursting with fun and interesting finds that made you wonder what the artist/writer was thinking when they created their project!

Of course, I gravitated towards the sewing section and found Subversive Cross Stitch: 50 F*cking Clever Designs for Your Sassy Side, a book that really made me laugh as I flipped through the outrageous cross stitch patterns. The contrast between the very granny-ish hobby and the sarcastic messages themselves suited my sense of humour perfectly.

I found one design in particular that I particularly liked because of the brightly coloured border around the less than polite message in the middle. I took the book over to my brother Greg to show him the design, and he had a chuckle before snapping a not-so-discreet photo of that one page. I’m pretty sure one of the girls stacking the shelves saw us: thanks to her for not asking us to delete the photo!

Subversive Cross Stitch

Greg sent me the photo some time later and I kept the idea in a corner of my mind until the time was right. I eventually decided to stitch just the top border across a plain white bib so as to set off the bright colours. I like the result so much that I might just use the rainbow design on something else somewhere down the line! I have a stash of tea towels, hand towels and cloth bags just waiting for me to get started. Any other suggestions?

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2 Comments

  • Reply sylvie 24 April 2016 at 15 h 36 min

    Bonjour,
    J’admire le bavoir que vous venez de broder !
    Où avez vous acheté ce bavoir prêt à broder ?
    Au dos, avez vous protégé les fils pour que cela ne se défasse pas ?
    Merci pour votre réponse
    Cordialement

    • Reply Nathalie 24 April 2016 at 16 h 37 min

      Bonjour, merci beaucoup pour votre commentaire Sylvie ! Malheureusement je ne sais pas d’où vient ce bavoir, c’est une amie qui l’a trouvé dans son grenier et qui me l’a donné. Mais j’en trouve parfois sur http://www.canevas.com, vous y trouverez peut-être votre bonheur ! Je n’ai pas spécialement protégé le dos de la broderie mais j’ai utilisé de très longs fils pour ne pas changer de fil trop souvent et ne pas faire beaucoup de nœuds susceptibles de se défaire. Aussi, au moment de changer de fil, je passe mon aiguille sous 6-7 points au dos pour que la fin du fil soit bien fixé. Il ne s’échappe pas comme ça normalement ! Si jamais vous reproduisez ce motif vous-même, je serais ravie de voir une photo :)

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