Colorful Moth Embroidery on Wood

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A few posts ago, Embroidery on Wood, I mentioned yet another new course I was taking through Domestika, Embroidery on Wood: Art Inspired By Nature. We started with practicing a few different stitches and floral elements. 

After some instruction on the basics, we moved forward with a moth pattern. A template was provided to place over the wood and away we went with drilling hole after hole after hole....  

Lesson learned: Take breaks or the work starts to get sloppy. In several spots, I let the drill bit push all the way through the board and the tip of the drill touched the wood creating circles around the hole. Some of the areas were covered with thread so they're not noticeable but the holes along the outline of the moth are still visible. 

Here's the completed pattern with all the holes drilled. After the practice round of stitches and flowers, I learned the hard way to take time and confirm all of the holes have been completely drilled through the wood. So I painstakingly went back through with a needle and tested each hole. 

Some of the elements are easy to follow but I found it helpful to sketch out the design onto the board for some of the more intricate designs. 

And away I went. Started with my fav new stitch, Turkey stitch. I'm loving how furry it makes the moth's body. 

I moved on to a small and fairly easy flower using the Woven Wheel Stitch {flower} and Fly Stitch {leaf}. 

The second flower uses Woven Oval and French Knots for the center of the flower.

The largest flower was the most difficult. I used various shades of pink thread. The struggle was keeping the loops a similar size. The Fly Stitch was used again for the two leaves. 

I used a combination of the Stem Stitch, Couching Stitch and Chain Stitch to create the outline of the moth. 

The antennas were made from Back Stitch and Raised Leaf Stitch. 

Using various shades of green, I completed the elements around the moth's body being careful not to mess up the Turkey Stitch of the body. A combination of  Stem Stitch, Back Stitch and Detached Chain Stitch were used. And last but not least, the decorative elements around the top {Straight Stitch} and bottom of the moth {Stem Stitch and Raised Leaf Stitch}. 

I'm loving the texture of this pattern! Still working on creating a few patterns of my own. Designing a pattern, and therefore each hole is going to be harder than the actual embroidery work. Fabric is a little more forgiving when it comes to where you put the needle but it will take a lot of planning with a piece of wood. For now though, happy with the outcome of my first piece.

Things I Learned:

~ Buy the multipack of drill bits. I broke a bunch. :(

~ I apparently have dainty wrists and after drilling 579 holes {yes, I counted} my wrist was sore

~ I thought the worst part about embroidery was pricking myself with the needle but now I have to worry about the needle AND all the splinters. 

 

 

Stay tuned for my next Needle Painting project. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Becca

***While I'm thrilled to share my step-by-step directions, the good and the bad, these are intended for your personal use. I'm always happy to hear and see what my bloggers have been working on. BUT a lot of work goes into these creations and while I have no issues sharing so you are able to create the work for your precious homes please understand that selling an exact duplication of my designs is highly frowned upon. :( Please always be considerate of another artists work. Thank you!***