Project - Embroidered Clutch Bag (No 2) Stage 1

If you are a regular reader you may remember last month's post with pictures of an embroidery sample - interlocking rings. As I mentioned then this was the starting point for a design for an embroidered clutch bag and here is what I have done so far. Below is my design drawing, which I want to embroider all along my clutch bag. I decided to transfer the design to the fabric using the tissue paper method, which is a couture technique. To try this yourself you will need thin tissue paper, a pen or pencil, and some tacking or strong sewing thread, plus a sharp needle. The starting point is to place the thin tissue paper over your embroidery design and trace it, I used a soft pencil for this.

The next step is to tack your tissue paper onto the fabric (I am using a wild silk matka fabric) around the edges of the paper to secure it in place. Then you stich along the lines of your design using small running stitches. Try and be as neat as possible - it's quite time consuming, but it's worth it when you see the result! Once you are sure you have not missed any parts of your design, you are ready to remove the tissue paper. To do this, first take out the tacking stiches along the edge as they are not part of the design, then tear away the tissue paper carefully along your stitched lines (you may need to use some tweezers to remove small bits of paper in the end). Now the outlines of your design are stitched accurately onto your fabric and you are ready to begin your embroidery!

I chose a pale blue thread when stitching through the tissue paper, because it will blend in with thread colours I have put together of the embroidery. I can see the lines clearly, but they hardly show up in the photograph above - on the right is the first embroidered link and you can just about make out the remainder of the chain pattern to the left along the bottom edge of the picture.

The post for the next stage of the project will include the finished embroidery and a basic pattern for the clutch bag!