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Turn Photos into Embroidered Portraits
comments (9) October 29th, 2008
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!
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The finished portraits of my grandparents are all stitched and painted.
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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
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Get more embroidery information: • How to Embroider a Greeting Card • Embroidery Term of the Week: Topping • The Last Stitch: How to Finish Your Hand-Embroidery • How To: Five Handy Embroidery Stitches |
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.
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I found these containers at a dollar store. They are perfect for mixing the very thin paint used in this project.
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After you make this project, show off your work to other members!
Post your project in the gallery
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Comments (9)
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