Pinterest Challenge: My Turquoise Embroidery

When Sherry, Katie, Carmel and Sarah announced the fall Pinterest challenge last week I thought, "hey, this is the perfect motivation I need to complete my (currently ignored) embroidered pillow!"  I have pinned a lot of embroidery ideas of late (I had decided it would be the perfect craft during my four month research stay in Budapest, Hungary, because I knew I'd be going through DIY withdrawal and in need of a craft - you know how much I love a good DIY). 

The Boy Trifecta; Dream a Little Bigger;Angela Osborn; via Inspire Bohemia

If you recall, I had purchased a pretty pillow case, with a Hungarian pattern already drawn on, and oodles of gorgeous turquoise embroidery floss.  I was a little doubtful, but had all the supplies.  All that was missing was the actual time to complete the project, something I have been sorely lacking due to my tight research schedule and obvious sight seeing.  But when a bad cold knocked me on my butt last week, I thought the timing was meant to be (Pinterest challenge + abandoned embroidery + me too sick to type coherent thoughts for dissertation = surefire success).

So, let's see the finished project, shall we?

Wait for it . . .

HAHAHAHA.  If I don't laugh, I'll cry.  If only I'd known one small section would take more than seven hours of hand cramping labour, I don't think the disappointment would have been quite so devastating.  At one point, I was just slumped over, embroidery loop hanging limply from my claw-like hand.  With my research progressing at a snail's pace, the cold weather setting in and my wool sock supply barely sufficient (packing for winter when it was 35 degrees Celsius was too tall a task), I think I really needed to knock out this project to feel awesome.  Didn't happen.  The hacking cough from my cold set in and then it became too dangerous to wield a needle at all.

But at least I have started (that's always the hardest part, isn't it?), and I'm getting better at it!  A little.  At some point, this will be done, and I'll have a great little guide on embroidery for people who can't embroider.  From a couple of Hungarian embroidery books I've already picked up neat tips about not starting with a knot, but a tail which can be later buried, and where to start embroidering on a dense design.  Through trial and error, I'm also learning to not embroider so tightly because it pulls the fabric wonky.  I have to relaaaax.

I will keep chipping away at it.  And try to fondly remember my last Pinterest Challenge success!  Plus my recent Pinterest-inspired agate necklace project, which I'm also linking up.  Ahhh, let's ogle its finishedness:    

I'm linking up to these fabulous blogs:

Young House Love
Bower Power Blog
Ugly Ducking House
Our Fifth House

Pillow Fabric Picking Fail

Sugar.  I'm super jealous one of you will be winning a fabulous pillow next week (have you entered the giveaway?) because I picked my own fabric to make some cushions and my plan totally bombed.

Remember how I was so gleeful about the Marimekko fabric I bought at Finn Style?  Well, after forgetting it in Thunder Bay and finally getting it here to the townhouse I realized that the white background of the fabric is whiter than any white in my house.  Much whiter.

My thinking was this:  I wanted to mix up the pillow assortment a bit, keep things from getting too matchy-matchy, and I also thought a black & white pattern would help tie together the white/light elements (new lighter sofa, white walls) with the dark (dark ottoman, dining room chairs, etc).  I draped the fabric over a pillow form for a trial run and realized the fabric looks . . . odd.  It makes the other whites (walls, sheers, etc.) look dirty.  It also draws the eye away from everything, so all you see is the fabric.  If I lined it with a creamy neutral it softens the white a bit, but I think even the scale is wrong.

Meh, they're just pillows.  I know my mistakes (too bright of a background, too large a scale of print) so round two of fabric picking, I know I'll get it right.  Plus, I think not shopping with photos of the space, or even scraps of the other textiles, was a no-no.  I just kind of got swept up in the beauty of the store.

I'm back to the drawing board, but I wanted to share this little disappointment so you don't think it's all sunshine and rainbows over here.  As I search, here are a few inspiring photos of pillows mixed perfectly:

The Nest; Modern Jane; Emily A. Clark; Houzz

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