I don’t know what it is about the whole steampunk look that I find so alluring. I’m not a science fiction or fantasy fan but the steampunk look has become so popular in the crafting world that I can’t help but fall in to it. To be honest, I didn’t immediately love it, and actually I was kind of repulsed by the whole human + victorian/wild west machinery hybrid, but now I’m finding I can’t get enough. I’m really inspired by the aesthetic of the 1960’s movie “The Great Race” starring Natalie Wood (her clothing wardrobe is pure eye candy throughout the film).
Image courtesy of http://www.classichollywoodbios.com
Image courtesy of http://www.operagloves.com
Wouldn’t these outfits look so elegant if they were displayed on mannequins in a couture dressmaker’s shop?! But not just any mannequin would do…which brings me to my first serious embroidery project (a gorgeous steampunk inspired pattern that Urban Threads offered for free a little while ago) that I finished recently as part of my sister’s birthday present:
Photography isn’t my strong point and I couldn’t take a single picture that would be true to the actual colors of the threads I used (which were nothing fancy), so I *tried* to correct it. Meh.
Anyways I saw this pattern and I got started right away. It’s so inspiring (like so many of the patterns at Urban Threads). It really spoke to me, I imagined that the message was that possibilities with sewing are endless. There are (some) days where I’m stitching away and I feel like my heart is just flying with contentment as my fabric feeds under the presser foot, butterfly wings are such a pretty way to express that feeling. Here’s a closeup of the wings:
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So that’s that, my first serious piece of embroidery. It wasn’t easy and there are plenty of mistakes that are evident to someone more experienced, but I still love the way it turned out!
Also, I learned the hard way that if you keep your fabric in the hoop when you aren’t working on your embroidery, it will be a real pain to try and take out the marks afterwards. Always, ALWAYS take it out of the hoop when you aren’t working on it. Lesson learned!
This song has been stuck in my head ever since I watched The Great Race, now it’s going to be stuck in yours, enjoy (either version)!
Happy Holidays!
Beautifully Sewn 