Trick or Treat Embroidery

Happy October, everyone! I'm kicking off my month of Halloween crafting with a versatile "Trick or Treat" embroidery design that features a fun font and cute candy corns. For the sample I've shown here, I used white cotton fabric and DMC embroidery floss in Dark Lemon #444, Pumpkin #971, Bright Chartreuse #704, Black #310, and White #B5200. I'll start with some basic instructions and tips, and then give you some ideas on how to incorporate your Trick or Treat embroidery into your own Halloween wardrobe and decor.

To begin, print out the embroidery pattern below and transfer it to your fabric. If you're using a light-colored fabric, you can trace the design onto it with a fabric marking pen. You can also use Sulky Solver Stabilizer or a similar product. Follow the manufacturer's directions to trace and stitch your design, and then wash the stabilizer away. (Tip: When I'm embroidering on lightweight fabrics, I like to iron a piece of light fusible web on the back to stabilize the fabric.)

Now it's time to start stitching! Place your fabric in a hoop or frame and thread your embroidery needle. I used three strands throughout this project so the stitches really stand out. Backstitch the outline of the letters with Black floss. To fill in the two "Ts," use the Chartreuse floss and a filling stitch (I used long and short stitch). For the candy corns, use Pumpkin floss for the outline, and then refer to the photo to fill the segments with Pumpkin, Dark Lemon, and White. I used split stitch, but you can also use satin stitch or another filling stitch.

When your embroidery is complete, remove it from the hoop or frame. If you've used a water-soluble stabilizer, wash it away and allow your embroidery to dry. To finish, press the completed piece face down on a padded surface.  

So what can you do with this little piece of Halloween stitchery? My embroidery, which is about 3" by 7 ½", is eventually going to make its way into a pillow. I have some orange and green prints that are just dying to be used in a Halloween project. Here are some other ideas: 

• Make your own Halloween T-shirt. Print the embroidery pattern to the size you like and stitch it onto the neckline or sleeve of a plain white T-shirt. (Iron a piece of fusible web on the wrong side of the area that's going to be embroidered to stabilize it.) If you want to use a black T-shirt, use white embroidery floss instead of black for the lettering. 

• Transform a canvas tote bag into a trick-or-treat bag. You can either embroider the design directly onto a purchased canvas bag, or stitch it on a piece of fabric first and sew the embroidered fabric onto the tote as an applique.

• Dress up a boring basket of treats. Embroider the design onto a piece of White felt, trim it with ribbons, and tie it around a basket or bowl of Halloween candies to make them extra tempting.

• Bring a bit of Halloween spirit into any room with a Trick or Treat ornament. Embroider the design in the size you like, sew it onto a backing of black fabric or a fun Halloween print, and stuff it with polyester fiberfill to make a pillow ornament. Add a matching ribbon for hanging and display it on a wall, in a window, or--if you are truly dedicated to celebrating all things spooky--on your Halloween tree.

Appliqued Fall Felt Vase

Each year, when it's time to put our garden to bed for the winter, I harvest the twigs and pods the flowers have left behind and use them indoors as part of my fall decor. Because they don't require any water, my dried arrangements aren't limited to traditional containers. This appliqued felt "vase" works perfectly and adds a nice pop of autumn color. (Bonus: It's just the right size to hold a quart canning jar, so you can also use it to display greenery that needs water, if you like.)

As with all my felt projects, I used WoolFelt from NationalNonwovens: Driftwood for the body and base of the vase; Burgundy, Pea Soup, and Gold for the appliques. (I also used Pea Soup for the lining.) Making this project is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. To start, print out the patterns below and use them to cut out felt shapes in the colors you like. 

Arrange them on a 7" by 12" background piece, which will form the body of the vase. Be sure to leave a little extra space on the edges for the seams. Here's what my design looked like before I sewed it all together:

When you come up with an arrangement you like, pin the felt pieces in place. Next, use matching embroidery floss and running stitch to sew the appliques in place.

When you finish the appliques, it's time assemble the vase. Fold the appliqued felt piece in half widthwise with right sides facing and sew the pieces together with a 1/8" seam. Cut a 4" base from the Driftwood felt and pin it to the bottom edge of the vase. Sew the base to the vase body with a 1/8" seam and then turn the vase right side out. To add extra stability to the vase, I cut a piece of Pea Soup felt to fit inside and sewed a seam along the short edges. To finish, I tucked the lining inside and sewed the top edges of the vase and the lining together with running stitch.

I love combination of textures and colors in this project--it looks rustic and modern at the same time. The pattern can easily be adapted to create any size or color vase you like. Just keep in mind that a felt vase is not as heavy as a glass or pottery vessel. You might want to add some glass pebbles or another vase filler to keep it standing upright.

Crocheted Trellis Cowl

This cute little cowl is much easier to make than it looks. A repeating chain-and-pineapple stitch pattern creates a textured, openwork look that looks the same on the front and back. Each of the unjoined rounds is worked identically, making it a fun project that requires minimal concentration. Once you get the pattern in your head, you can just stitch away while you watch TV--which is how I spend most of my fall evenings.

The yarn I used is Cascade 220 Superwash in Como Blue #811. It's 100% washable wool, so it feels cozy and has just the right amount of stretch. Of course, you can use any worsted-weight yarn you have on hand. I used a size I-9 crochet. I tend to crochet tightly, so I used a hook that's a bit larger than I would ordinarily use for this yarn to keep the pattern loose and lacy. Experiment with your yarn to find the hook that creates the desired effect before you begin making the cowl.

This pattern uses one special stitch--the pineapple stitch--which creates the tiny "puffs" that give the cowl texture. Follow the instructions below, or click here to download a printable pattern.
Here's how to make it:

Pineapple stitch: [Yarn over hook, insert hook, yarn over hook, draw a loop through] 4 times in the same stitch, yarn over hook, draw through first 8 loops on hook, yarn over hook, draw through remaining 2 loops on hook.

To begin the cowl, chain 140, join with a slip stitch in the first stitch to form a ring. (The circumference of my cowl is about 26 inches.)

Round 1: [Chain 3, skip 3 stitches, single crochet in next stitch, chain 3, skip 3 stitches, pineapple stitch in next stitch] 17 times. To end the first round, chain 3, skip 3 stitches, single crochet in the joining slip stitch.

Remaining rounds: [Chain 3, skip 3 stitches, pineapple stitch in the next single crochet, chain 3, skip 3 stitches, single crochet in top of the next pineapple stitch] around, without joining rounds.

Work in this pattern until the cowl reaches the size you like. (Mine is 8 inches high.) To finish the cowl, chain 3, slip stitch in the next single crochet, fasten off, and weave in ends.

See My Design in "Crochet! Winter Warmers"

Scarf and shawl season is almost upon us, and I couldn't be happier! If you're a crochet addict like me, and you're looking for some cool-weather accessories, wearables, and home decor items to make, look for "Winter Warmers" on your newsstand (it's a special publication from Crochet! magazine). I'm thrilled to tell you that my Ridge Rock Shawl is one of the featured designs. These photos give you a sneak peak.

I really can't wait for the weather to get just a little bit cooler so I can wear it. In the meantime, I'll keep busy crocheting. This issue has certainly given me a lot of inspiration!