https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/pet-portraits • Posted by Creative Publishing international
I love doing embroidered portraits of pets as much as (if not more than) humans. When I spotted an adorable photo of Wilfredo, I knew I had to stitch it, and I knew it would make the perfect birthday gift for her. I wanted to include a bit more dimen- sionality, so I used a piece of felt to make an appliqué version of Wilfredo’s sweater. (You can skip this step, or also add appliqué to another area, such as the suitcase.) Use the template provided to draw a portrait of your favorite pet. I decided to use a vintage plastic hoop as the frame. You can purchase new plastic hoops in various colors or use a wooden hoop for a more traditional effect.
I love doing embroidered portraits of pets as much as (if not more than) humans. When I spotted an adorable photo of Wilfredo, I knew I had to stitch it, and I knew it would make the perfect birthday gift for her. I wanted to include a bit more dimen- sionality, so I used a piece of felt to make an appliqué version of Wilfredo’s sweater. (You can skip this step, or also add appliqué to another area, such as the suitcase.) Use the template provided to draw a portrait of your favorite pet. I decided to use a vintage plastic hoop as the frame. You can purchase new plastic hoops in various colors or use a wooden hoop for a more traditional effect.
Trace your photograph or use the Wilfredo template and transfer it to your fabric.
Copy and cut out Wilfredo’s sweater from the template and then use it as a pattern to cut a piece of felt. Appliqué the felt sweater to the background fabric using a running stitch; refer to the template for correct positioning.
Place the fabric in the hoop and embroider the lines with backstitching. For very small areas (like the text in the tag) use tiny stitches.
Remove the portrait from the hoop and press the fabric.
To use your embroidery hoop as a frame, dab small amounts of glue on the outer edge of the smaller inside hoop.
Reposition your fabric portrait over the inner hoop, add the outer hoop, and if your hoop has a screw, tighten it. Pull on your fabric edges to make sure it’s taut and properly placed in the hoop.
Place the hoop facedown on a clean work surface and then add a small amount of glue all around the backside of the inner embroi- dery hoop. Push the excess fabric down into the glue.
Weight the fabric down and allow it to dry overnight. Trim any excess fabric as close to the hoop as possible.