Gentle reader,
Hi-ee! It’s 2013! This is happening, it’s real! So, I’m not going to do a big New Year thing, because I’m sure your various RSS and social network feeds are already bursting with that sort of thing, and if I were to follow suit I’d be a complete fraud. For my New Year’s Eve, The Beard and I tried to order pizza but couldn’t, so we watched documentaries while we ate microwave meals. And I didn’t make any resolutions because I acknowledge that I have no will power whatsoever. So, let me just say that I hope you had an AMAZEBALLS holiday season, and I hope that you – my dear, valued, adored, and totally loved-but-not-in-a-creepy-way-maybe-a-lil-bit-no-but-seriously-not-creepy-way readers – will stick with me for another year of craftiness and interludes, because I’ve loved sharing with you for the year passed. And with that said, we’ll move it along, because I have some finished projects to show you!
Well, by now y’all know about the never-ending sock that has been kicking my behind. I made a rule that I couldn’t cast on another knitting project until I at least finish the gusset. Me, being the eternal brat that I am, decided to cheat my own rule with a loophole. I didn’t cast on any new knitting projects, I took to another craft instead. It’s totes legit. Starting an embroidery is technically not “casting on”. Ha! I’m a genius!
Now, a bit of a disclaimer. These are a wee bit cheeky. I mean, generally I try to keep The Shy Lion pretty non-offensive and happy-dappy and wholesome, and a big part of me is totally that guy, but another big part of me is cheeky and cynical and, well, a bit rude. And I LOVE putting those two things together. These embroideries are a teensy bit colorful language-wise. Not to build it up too much though; I’m not at all in danger of making a sailor blush. I tested the waters with those of you on Facebook and y’all gave the thumbs-up. But, if you do have a problem with these, send me a civil email expressing your concerns and I’ll sort something out. Mmm, I feel like I’ve overwrought this whole thing now like a big dork. Feel free to tease me relentlessly in the comments for being a Worried Walter about it.
That said, here’s the firstie!
Forgive the weird hue to the close-up. I was trying out a different camera and tried to fix as best I could. I made this one as a gift, and just freestyled it. I would just draw a little bit at a time with a tailor’s marker. I wish I’d thought ahead a bit more because square frames aren’t as easy to come by, and it fits this frame a little awkwardly, but I still like it a lot.
This next one I planned out more deliberately. The Beard was at Daiso and found the most hilarious frame and I wanted to make something to specifically fit into it, and this is what I came up with:
The frame slays me. It’s hollow plastic, and the sheet of paper that came in it had some crazy Engrish to the effect of “Girl’s affection” or something. I wanted to do something super twee and silly. So, there you go. When I framed it, I backed it with some layers of felt to make it all soft and puffy. I’m pretty proud of this one. It totally cracks me up. Yeah, sorry. I’m that guy.
Some quick questions for y’all:
- Would you be interested in my drawing up the patterns for these kinda things?
- Would you like to see finished and framed cheeky embroideries in The Shy Lion Etsy store?
- Or would you rather pattern kits so you can do them yourself?
Let me know! Send me an email, or a blog or FB comment. In the meantime, if you’re looking for some totes legit and awesome, top-notch embroidery or cross stitch projects that are way better than anything I could ever do, you should check out Sublime Stitching and Subversive Cross Stitch, if you’re not super-fans of them already. They’re totally where I got my inspiration from.
Do you like cute crafts with a cheeky twist? Sharing is caring, and comments make me happy!
