Fitting for the New Blog...

I finally prevailed in taking a Pinterest idea, switching/combining to make it work for me AND actually making it!!  It was great therapy to use some hand sewing skills I hadn't done in YEARS and make something that will be a nice addition to our new home.  If you're interested in more details about the project scroll down a bit. Otherwise just enjoy the first few pics.  And fear not if you look at it and then "what if they move again?!?!" WELL fear not my friend.  See the little section the words are in...well it happens to be horizontal JUST like Oklahoma and well Kansas is already represented should that happen. :)



Here's the rough "how to":
I stopped by Hob Lob bought a yard of muslin & a yard of fusible interfacing which once ironed on the back of the fabric makes it a bit sturdier to handle.  I bought skeins of embroidery floss in the colors I wanted for each state (I chose brown, mustardy yellow & green) and then black for the words & red for the hearts.  I bought the frame 1/2 off for only $12. I already had a blue fabric marker that when dampened with a bit of water disappears.
Using MapQuest I pulled up each state on my lap top and simply held the fabric to my screen and traced the outline and marked the city with the blue fabric marker.  The words I typed in a Google Doc & traced, however, I used a very thin tipped black marker since I planned to separated the embroidery floss and only used 2 threads to make the words thin.

As far as the states I separated the embroidery floss and threaded 4 strands in the needle.  You could use all 6 strands or fewer than 4 it's simply your choice. Once the fabric was in the hoop I started sewing.  YEARS ago I did some hand embroidery...but I've slept since then.  And had 3 kids. And gone crazy in many other ways.  SO, I used a stitch called "the-only-stitch-I-remember".  It probably has another name, like outline stitch or something in the real sewing world.

It kind of gives a twisted "rope" look.  I will admit the crooked corner of KS & AZ was a bit tricky and well...the coast of GA is...rough. I drew a heart with the marker in the location of the town we lived.  I satin stitched the heart using red thread.
For the words I did an up-and-down stitch. Backstitch is the proper term I think.  Again, I used only 2 strands of the floss so it would be thinner/flatter.

Once I sewed the 3 states & the words construction began.  I picked me up some spray adhesive and a piece of card board that was white on one side.  (Now if I had been in a home with all my crafting loot that purchase would not have been necessary b/c I have chipboard & white cardstock.)  The photo matt openings are 4x6 so I cut the cardboard 4  5x7 pieces & sprayed the white side with adhesive.
Then I pressed the embroidered fabric onto the cardboard piece. Using my oh-so-dull kitchen shears I trimmed away the fabric around the cardboard.

I had to further trim down the 5x7 fabric covered cardboard to make them all fit in the collage.

Now my advice on what NOT to do. Do NOT place said project you are so proud at completing on your night stand in the hotel room.  Either your child or housekeeper will bump said project cracking the glass straight up the middle. Now to figure out what is cheaper...getting new glass cut OR buying a new frame on sale. :)