Hop, hop, hop

Spring is almost in the air.  Well, we've had a few glimpses around these parts and these few sunny days have been permission enough for me to start work on a little idea I've had on my mind for a while.  A Springy, Eastery, pretty, floral, hop, hop, hoppity idea involving these little guys.

Aren't they sweet?

I knew my idea would need some appliqué, embroidery and definitely linen.  It was one of those ideas that was quite clear in the mind but I've not ventured far into the world of appliqué and so I felt some help was needed.  I knew just where to look, Amy of Nana Company is my sewing hero and it was here I learnt the ways of applique.

Amy recommended some stuff called 'Wonder Under'.  After some effort I discovered that in this country it goes by the slightly less catchy 'Vliesofix Bondaweb 329'.  That's for the paper backed version.  You can just search for Bondaweb, but there are different types, so buyer beware.

Here are my Bondaweb bunnies waiting to be ironed and I can confirm that this stuff is the real deal.  It was easy and it worked like a charm.  Thank you Amy!

The next stage was to sew around the fabric about a millimetre from the edge, which quite frankly I found to be every bit as hard as it sounds.  I managed by going very, very slowly and adjusting my fabric very, very often.  Thank goodness for the speed limiter switch on my machine is all I can say.

Then it was time to play and I got the embroidery silks out.

I'm not a natural at embroidery, but I'm pretty happy with the results and I certainly want to do some more in future.

Well, I think I've kept you in suspense long enough, time for some clearer shots I think...

If I could manage to get my little bunnies onto the computer I was thinking a template would be a nice idea.  In case you fancy some hoppity bunting of your own.  What do you think?


S x


Added on 12th March 2012:  The bunny template is now available in the Cherry Heart Boutique, on the 'Sew' page.