AN OLD FASHIONED HALLOWEEN pt. 2

"Kitchen Witch" Fabric Project

As with the Old Time Card...this Kitchen Witch Fabric craft is good in that it is very versatile. The embroidered fabric can be used as a cute dishcloth, a place mat, a fancy table accent for Halloween. It's a fun pattern, and takes a little time to make, but it's definitely unique!

Before we begin, a short lesson on the THREE types of stitches we will be using:


1. Crewel Stitch
Work from left to right taking small regular stitches with a forwards and backwards motion along the line of the design. The thread is kept to the right of the needle after picking up a small piece of material. This means that it always emerges from the left side of the previous stitch.

2. Backwards Stitch

To start this stitch bring the thread up from the back of the fabric on the line that you want to create. Make a small backward stitch through the fabric. Bring the needle through the fabric a little in front of the first stitch and still on the line. Pull the thread through the fabric. Make the second stitch backward, bringing the needle out a little in front of the second stitch and still on the line. Repeat this movement and continue sewing in such a manner along the line. We will be using


3. Satin Stitch

As one of the oldest embroidery stitches to be found satin stitch is worked on traditional embroideries in practically every country. It is formed by working straight stitches close together.
To use satin stitch to advantage stitches should lie evenly and closely together and some practice is needed to gain this effect. Stretch the fabric in an embroidery hoop or frame to prevent puckering. This stitch is only suitable for small areas as long satin stitches can become loose and untidy. If you need to cover a larger area divide the shape into more workable areas.

What you will need:
* Cotton Fabric of some sort. Here, we are using a quilting Quarter Flat from Joanne's, sized. We liked the autumn orange design, but you may use any color that you see fit.
* Tracing Paper
* Wax Pencil
* Embroidery thread: black, mainly, and any other color that catches your fancy. We used versions of light blue, light green, lavender, turquoise, white, and yellow. Be sure that the embroidery thread does not blend into your fabric background. Also, stay away from metallic thread if you will be using the cloth as a dishrag as the constant use will split the metal threading and cause it to fray.

1. On a sewing machine, sew one-half inch (½”)borders around all four sides of the fabric. You may iron the fabric borders flat before sewing to ensure a crisp and accurate sewing edge. Sew using a zigzag pattern, using either matching thread or contrasting thread for a “folksy” look.

2. Once you have secured the edges, begin by creating an embroidery pattern. In this case, our design resulted from the combination of a computer generated font that was printed on paper, and a design created in freehand form.

3. Once the design is finalized, you should transfer the design onto tracing paper using a wax crayon or wax pencil. *NOTE: transfering LETTERS onto wax paper is tricky--for he letters to come out facing the right way, the letters have to be copied BACKWARDS. To do this, flip your original copy upside down, then trace on tracing paper. If you are having difficulty, a light aid, such as a light board, shines light, from below, through the original paper, so that tracing is much easier. Once the words are traced, backwards, they will show up forwards upon heat transfer.

4. Once you have copied the design onto the tracing paper, turn it face down on the area you wish to place the embroidery design on. Make sure the fabric material is fully flat, and on a firm surface. Place a HOT iron on to the overturned piece of tracing paper, using gentle strokes to cover the entire design. Remove the iron within a minute or so of the transfer. The wax should have melted onto the cloth, in effect “copying” the design onto the fabric.

5. Using embroidery thread, stitch in the designs, as you’d like.

** It should be noted here that embroidery thread is created by inertwining several thinner strands of thread. Depending on the sort of detail you are trying for in you design, this thread might be too thick. You can easily seperate the thread by unwinding the amount off of the larger section. For the larger sections to be embroidered, we seperated the embroidery thread until we had 3 interwoven strands. These were used for the larger, satin stitched parts of the design that covered large areas. For more delicate and intricate work (such as outlining the letters of the word "Kitchen Witch") we eventually divided the thread into TWO strands, and used the much more basic back stitch.
A combination of crewel stitching and back stitching is sometimes necessary. Such is the case with the smokey puffs around the lettering.

Be sure that you are not stitching too tightly, as the fabric will tend to bunch. You may use an embroidery hoop for this purpose. Once you have finished, you may turn the work upside down and give it a once over with hot iron to re-establish the fabric's flatness.

Voila! You are done! The durability should last for quite some time. Perfect Halloween Kitchen Decor!