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Dare to Make It! Crochet-Along: Week 3

Portraits into Patterns into Portraits!

October 29th, 2008 in patterns & designs, gifts, embroidery, memory making

Erika Kern, contributor

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My Grandma Jeanette is as pretty in embroidery as she was in real life.

The finished portraits of my grandparents all stitched and painted.

My Grandpa Ray. After my grandma passed, I found a wallet-sized print of the original portrait. On the back my grandma wrote, Rays graduation photo. Is it any wonder I fell in love with him? No, Grandma, it isnt. . .

My Grandma Jeanette is as pretty in embroidery as she was in real life.

Photo: Erika Kern

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I love finding new ways to put my own stamp on my embroidered portraits. While trying to figure out how to stitch up the portraits for this post, I started thinking of this gift I made for my friend Jen a few years back. Then I only used one color and did all the painting after I stitched the pattern and stretched the fabric, but this time I wanted to use the painting as the base for the embroidery. I used the paint to add an extra layer of texture and to fill the finished piece, and boy, am I happy with the results!

The finished portraits of my grandparents are all stitched and painted.

Here's what you'll need to do what I did:

For the painting:

Your pattern transferred onto a natural fabric (natural fibers take the paint color better)
Large embroidery hoop, bigger than your pattern
Fabric paints (I like Jacquard Textile Paints)
Fine-tipped paintbrushes
Small lidded containers (I found some 6 for $1 at the Dollar Tree)
Water
Piece of scrap fabric to test colors
Small hoop for test fabric

For the stitching:

Embroidery hoop
Embroidery floss
Needle

For the mounting:

Acid-free bristol board or other thick mounting or mat board
Spray adhesive
Glue (I used a quick-drying fabric glue)
Frame

Stretch your fabric in the large embroidery hoop. I knew I wanted to frame my finished work in oval frames, so I drew an oval around the transferred images using a pencil before I put it in the hoop. Use the small hoop to stretch your test fabric.

Put a small amount of your paint into a small lidded container.

I found these containers at a dollar store. They are perfect for mixing the very thin paint used in this project.

I mixed my own colors to get the tones I wanted, especially for the flesh tones. This is a good time to experiment with tone until you find the right shade for your subject's skin. For my subjects, I used white, red, orange, brown, and a small touch of yellow. I also mixed a slightly pinker shade for their cheeks and a slightly browner shade for my grandma's eye shadow. Once you achieve the shade you're looking for, mix the paint with water, thinning it to the consistancy of skim milk. I like the lidded containers for the paint mixing so that I can shake the mixture until it's thoroughly blended.

As I mixed the paint, I tested it on a piece of the fabric I picked for my project. This allowed me to see how the color would read on the finished portraits.

I tested the paint colors on a scrap piece of the same fabric I used for the portraits. Use this fabric to do your color experimenting.

Once my colors were mixed, I painted my portraits. Since the colors are very watery watercolors, they will run as you work. Make sure you don't get too close to the lines of your pattern to prevent bleeding of one color into another. Have fun playing with the colors, layering them to add depth. I did this on the faces, adding highlights and lowlights, and in the hair, adding the wave effect in my grandma's hair.

My grandfather's portrait, all ready to stitch.

I left the features of the face and the detail in the clothing unpainted so that I could stitch in that detail.

A close-up of the stitch detail of my grandpa's portrait.

I used a stemstitch for the outlining, splitstitch for all the facial detail, and chainstitch on the hair. I also added French knots on the tie to add more textural detail.

A close-up of the stitch detail of my grandma's portrait.

For my grandma's smile, I used a satinstitch and then added the detail of the teeth with two strands of dark brown floss (DMC color 3371). I used the same two strands of floss to add her eyeliner and lashes.

Once you finish stitching, you need to mount and frame your new art. I found a pair of oval frames I liked at Michael's. Using the glass as a template, I cut out my mat board. After the mat board is cut, spray it with the adhesive. Let the adhesive set up, then apply your finished piece. Smooth out the fabric, trim the excess, leaving about 1/2 inch over the mat board, and, using your glue, tack the edges down to the back of the mat board. After the glue dries, frame your work and hang it in a place of honor or wrap it up as the perfect thoughtful holiday gift.

My new artwork at home on my mantel.

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posted in: patterns & designs, gifts, embroidery, memory making, vintage, family, portraits

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Comments (9)

Asia_Tatiana writes: Whoa! Mindblowingly beautiful! Posted: 2:57 am on October 31st

erika_kern writes: That does sound gorge' kiliki! Me, I go all crosseyed with the beads. . . but I'd love to see your work. Posted: 4:26 pm on October 30th

dany4bec writes: hi Kiliki, thats sounds gorgeous! I'd love to see it in a post:) Posted: 1:57 pm on October 30th

Jen_W writes: Totally gorgeous. I definitely want to try this sometime. Posted: 11:34 pm on October 29th

Kiliki writes: This is really beautiful! I did something similar once a few years ago. Only I took a portrait and printed it on grid paper where each grid square was the size of one seed bead. Then I took hours and hours and a toothpick (to rub in a little glue, then pick up a bead and put on grid) to match a bead with the color that was in that one square. When it was all done it was amazing. i can't really hand stich anything, I'm a machine sewer so this is just beyond me but if you have the time try it with seed beads it is so pretty and most people think it's a painting until they get up close and see that it's actually beads!! Posted: 7:20 pm on October 29th