Hi friends!

A warm welcome to my first ever Seektober challenge. I am terrible at drawing so there was no way I was going to be able to get through this on artistic talent alone. I am however somewhat able to sew and as my sewing machine is currently broken, I’ll be attempting hand embroidery instead.

I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to finish as hand embroidery takes a considerable amount of time but it’s worth giving it a go right? As my options are a little more limited, I’ll be doing the Aparecium challenge so I can pick from the other categories.

Hope you all enjoy and good luck to my fellow challengers!

Lottie

Challenges Completed 30/30

1. Pink • Umbridge #13
2. Lumos • Quirrell #9
3. Peacock • Lockhart #30
4. Polyjuice Potion • Moody #11
5. Slytherin • Umbridge #3
6. Forbidden Forest • Quirrell #28
7. Seeker • Lockhart #7
8. Tea • Umbridge #1
9. Halloween • Quirrell #24
10. Weasleys’ Wildfire Whizz-Bangs • Umbridge #21
11. Purple • Quirrell #17
12. Imperio • Moody #26
13. Valentine • Lockhart #21
14. Obliviate • Lockhart #25
15. Author • Lockhart #4
16. Electric Blue • Moody #8
17. Toad • Umbridge #9
18. Dragon • Moody #29
19. Dragon Egg • Quirrell #27
20. Unicorn • Quirrell #14
21. Flamboyant • Lockhart #16
22. Crucio • Moody #14
23. Werewolf • Umbridge #27
24. Flying Keys • Quirrell #29
25. Goblet of Fire • Moody #4
26. Verdimillious • Quirrell #23
27. Ravenclaw • Quirrell #3
28. Friend • Moody #23
29. Cornish Pixies • Lockhart #12
30. Cats • Umbridge #14

It’s been a couple years since I’ve sat down and attempted embroidery so my first few attempts are likely to be a little rough. My idea is to fill the entire piece of material with embroidery, no idea what I’ll do with it in the end though. So without further ado I present to you all..

Prompt #1 - Pink

SPOILER!!: Pinkness

I’m such a pink girl so this seemed like a good place to start. It also allowed me to practice a few of the different stitch types that I’ll need further down the line. Flowers look pretty, are often pink and a great space filler. I used the ‘Lazy Daisy’ stitch for the large flower, the ‘Woven Wheel’ stitch for the roses and the leaves are the ‘Fishbone Stitch’.

My fingers are a little blistered now, guess I need to build up those calluses again.

Prompt #2 - Lumos

SPOILER!!: Lumos

Wanted to get this up pretty quickly so I could HOPEFULLY keep up with this challenge. (Sore) fingers crossed!

For this prompt I wanted to work on my lettering which looks easier than it is. I wrote the word free hand before tracing over with my stitches so it’s probably not the neatest but it’s all my own writing. The letters were created using a basic ‘Back Stitch’ and the light/stars/orbs were made using a ‘French Knot’. Admittedly this was my second attempt as my first I was going to use a different type of stitch but my thread frayed half way through and it looked too messy. This version is considerably neater.

More of a typography type thing rather than an image I suppose but I don’t mind how it came out.

SPOILER!!: Replies and Thank Yous

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoenixRising

this is such a clever twist on seektober!!

I can't wait to see more stitches, friend off to a good start !!

Thank you! No one wants to see my attempts at drawing so a little different it shall be.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Yay! You did it I am so pumped to see your twist on things (but please be kind to your fingers!!)

Those flowers are so cute and delicate and I especially like the little pink one in the upper left

Fingers are not happy That one is my personal favourite too! I forgot how much I loved doing roses, I have a feeling I’m going to be embroidering them on everything now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emzily

LOTTTIIIIEEEE!! this is such an amazing and creative idea, I’ve always wanted to give embroidery a try. I love your pink prompt!!! So very talented, you are!!

Thank you!! You should TOTALLY give it a try. It takes a little bit of getting used to but once you’ve learned all the basic stitches it becomes second nature.

Prompt #3 - Peacock

SPOILER!!: Peacock

I’ve been pretty poorly all day so I don’t know what possessed me to take on such a challenge. I love the ordinary looking Peacock feathers but I put a little spin on the colour variations in my design to help the centre stand out a little more (and because I like any excuse to use pastels). I used a variety of stitches because clearly I am a sucker for punishment

The centre is comprised of a series of single and double ‘French Knots’ to give it that textured ombré look (you can see this better in photo 2). The purple section stitch is several thin ‘Lazy Daisies’ which can help to fill a larger area quickly but also creates this fan like design. The feathered strands are made from ‘Chain Stitches’ which is a fun, unique stitch to do on a straight but doesn’t lend well to curves. If I were to do it again I’d probably pick a different stitch for this part. Finally the Rachis (the central part of the feather) is a ‘Stem Stitch’ that creates a thicker rope braid effect great for straight lines.

SPOILER!!: Replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

I can barely write pretty cursive with a pen and here you are STITCHING it I adore this. It's super cute.

Oh stop you! I bet your handwriting is beautiful!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chelliephone

OMG I LOVE this idea for your Seektober concept!! Embroidery is such an impressive skill to me and I really cannot wait to ooh and aah over your creations over the month! Also your header for your thread is so soft and welcoming with the pastels - big big fan!

The pink flowers for your first prompt are so cute! I like that there are a couple of different styles! The rosebuds especially I think are my favorite, particularly with that beautiful green in the leaves attached to them. Just gorgeous!

And Lumos!!! Omg the stitching for the words truly is so impressive! The letters are perfectly linear and in such a beautiful style of font! The little sparks of light you added around it too is such a nice detail! Also, who doesn't love a good typography take on a prompt?!

Thank you Chellie I’m hoping as I go on I can add new skills to my repertoire. I do enjoy stitching words so might add a few more later down the line. And thank you for the header compliment, my world is very pink and pastel to be honest so it felt very fitting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emzily

Incredible!!! It must be so difficult to WRITE with embroidery but you have done such a perfect job! Love it!

Thank you! It would be easier if I could find my dressmakers pens and write it properly first but nevermind

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Wow! You're really great at this, Lottie!!! I did a bit of embroidery in Grade 7 for Home Economics and it was sorta challenging for me so I can appreciate the effort you've put into these creations. I really love the colours you opted to use!

Aww thank you! Embroidery is a fun skill to have but it takes a while to build up that muscle memory.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Felixir

I looove embroidery (not that I've ever done it, so far, but I'd like to and have watched many a youtube tutorial) and I'm so thrilled to see your seektober embroidery thread (ha. thread.)

those flowers are so pretty, and I really love how the leaves came out too. and I know you said lettering looks easier than it is and you do make it look easy but i bet it can be a pain to line it up right. your lumos prompt came out so well and looks so good (and let me echo that typography prompts are always fun, and clicking on that spoiler and seeing one in embroidery was such a cool surprise).

can't wait to see what else you do

You should give it a go!! I’m self taught through YouTube tutorials myself, once you’ve got a hang of the basic few stitches then there’s a whole world of things you can sew. It especially helps when you CAN draw and trace a design onto your fabric first which unfortunately I cannot.

Thank you for your kind words

Prompt #4 - Polyjuice Potion

SPOILER!!: Polyjuice

My first real attempt at creating something truly HP related that wasn’t just typography. This design is relatively simple in approach. The outline is just a ’Back Stitch’ and the potion itself is a Satin Stitch’ which is probably the easiest stitch of all and useful for filling large areas although it’s not my favourite in appearance. I know Polyjuice isn’t usually green but for contrast reasons it looked the best. Also tried another attempt at cursive writing embroidery for the writing which I think is becoming my favourite thing to sew. Should’ve made the writing just a bit bigger as the e went a little awry and it was difficult to loop with very little space.

SPOILER!!: Replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

sooooooooooooooooo so so so so so so sooooooooo pretty!

I love peacock feathers and I really love how you interpreted the patterns on them with your different colored threads and stitching techniques. I also LOVE a good ombre in pastel so big fan of that choice! I also love that at the end of the month you are going to have this little bit of cloth with all of these on them. What do you think you'll do with it!? Frame it? Turn it into a little throw pillow?!

Stoooooooop! You’ll make me blush I love anything ombré, it just looks pretty and adds some dimension.

I honestly don’t know. My automatic thinking is maybe a tote bag? The alternative is that I could apply a backing to them and use them as individual patches on things. My go to sewing project is usually dog bandanas so maybe some HP themed bandanas could work?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

eeeep LOTTIE BOOO! all your embroidery look so gooood! the Lumos one really stands out to me because of the DOTS. and I love the texture of everything so far, too. greatjob, ugh! ;__;

KAAATE! Awww thank you! I love experimenting with texture. The problem with embroidery is that it can look a little flat without the use of shading so it’s fun to add a little dimension with different sewing techniques.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emzily

EEEEE, Lottie, this is absolutely stunning!! The details you are so talented! *feels in awe and inspired by your pieces*

You’re so sweet!! Thank you, lovely! I’m also very talented at stabbing myself accidentally with the needle too

Prompt #5 - Slytherin

SPOILER!!: Slytherin

Feeling a little blue today so been on a bit of a sewing spree and completed several over a few hours as a distraction. This one took me the longest despite being absolutely tiny in size and therefore making my life so much harder. I went for a cutesy type of snake rather than realistic and utilised the Slytherin colours for my take on the crest. The stitches used were fairly basic, ’Back Stitch’ for the outlines, ’Satin Stitch’ for filling in and the teeeeeeniest ’French Knots’ for the beady eyes.

The biggest difference with working in such a small space is the number of threads used. Embroidery thread comes in a ‘floss’ of 6 strands usually twisted together but can be separated for finer work. For this piece I used just 2 strands for the eyes, 3 strands for the mouth and just one strand for the tiny fangs that can barely be seen.

Oh and I know it’s completely wonky. I drew free hand and as we’ve established, I’m no good at drawing.

SPOILER!!: Replies

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Ohmygoodness! That peacock piece is SO stunning! I especially love the feathers because it was made from chain stitches, which remains my fave type!

Your Polyjuice piece is equally stunning! I would definitely love to see more cursive writing because it looks so elegant in stitches!

Chain stitches are fun for creating a unique effect but not very good for going around corners!

Maybe I should start taking commissions for writing everyone’s names in cursive stitching?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

OKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY stitched typography. OKAY

Also the choice of colors with the gold and yellow green

I'll take a tote bag from you *subscribes to the theoretical Etsy shop o' Lottie*

I used to have an Etsy shop for making dog bandanas. Never thought about hand embroidery though. Hmmm…..

Thank you for your kind words

Quote:

Originally Posted by Emzily

I can’t deal with how much I love your stitching, seriously! It looks completely effortless and again, the writing is beautiful! I couldn’t even write with a pencil that beautifully.

You’re so sweet! I honestly think I’m better at sewing words than writing them

Prompt #6 - Forbidden Forest

SPOILER!!: Trees!

I had intended on doing several of these in a clump in order to form a forest but this one took me long enough that I had to make do with just one. The design might look complicated but trees are one of the easiest things to embroider if you’re sensible and don’t do it on a ridiculously small scale like me. It’s best to start with the skeleton of the tree, literally fill in the trunk and branches and then the leaves are just comprised of literally hundreds of tiny ‘Running Stitches’ off of the branches. I used two different greens to add dimension to the leaves. The trunk felt empty sitting on nothing so the ‘grass’ is several single strand stitches mixed in with a teeny bit of red for toadstools. The actual tree was based off of a Horse Chestnut tree, one commonly found here in the UK.

SPOILER!!: My Supportive Peeps <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

O M G.

That snakey is so precious I am so impressed and it's little TONGUE is just

Embroidery shop though

Snakey says BLEP.

Thank you First time drawing a snake and it didn’t go too awry

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassirin

Look at that wee little snake! I think these are so creative and well executed. Good job and proud of you!

Thank you Ern! You’re very kind <3

Quote:

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Love, love, LOVE this hissy little Snakey!!!! It's amazing how you can do such amazing, cute details! :3

Thank you! Small nimble fingers are the advantage to tiny details although it does get a little frustrating when I get myself in a tangle

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayquilz

The poly juice looks soooo cool! I love the way the potion sits in the bottle because of the way stitching works, it just looks really rad. And the little stars around it, too.

AND THAT SNEK IS ADORABLE.

Thank you lovey! I think I’d sew closer to the line if I redid it but I suppose the gap kinda adds to the glass effect.