This is by far my favorite way to give a new look and life to an old garment that has been sitting around in your wardrobe for God knows how long!
That’s exactly what happened to this basic sweater I have forgotten about. I decided it was time to fresh it up so I can fall in love with it again 🙂
First I had to go on Pinterest to find some inspiration, then I checked I had everything I needed (which is not difficult to get!). If you’re a crafter you certainly have some scrap yarn or thread you can use. In case you need to buy some, I recommend you to check first in your local thrift / second hand shop! I bought most of my embroidery threads and hoops there.
What you need
- Embroidery threads in different colours (or scrap yarn)
- embroidery needle
- scissors
- embroidery hoop (optional)
Note: I picked 5 colours (2 tones of greens for the leaves, 2 tones of pinks for the petals and 1 yellow for the center of the flowers)
How to
- Before you start, choose a colour palette for your design. I’d say 3 to 7 colours is a good number, depending on how big or complex you’re design will be. If you don’t like colour you can also make it all monochrome, I’ve seen beautiful examples on Pinterest!
- Make a draft on paper of your design, it doesn’t have to be exactly how it will look at the end. This will help you have idea where you want to place the flowers and leaves, and it will also save you some time!
- After you have a draft of your design, you can start thinking which embroidery stitches are going to better for each flower and leave. As seen in the picture above, I’ve used 5 basic embroidery stitches: satin stitch for the five petal flower and leaves, stem stitch for the brunches, lazy daisy for the daisy’s petals and french knot for the centers.
- Start to stitch! This is the part you’re gonna start to embroider your design onto your knitted item, there tons of videos on Youtube that explain you how to make the basic stitches.
- Be patient and take your time! Embroidery is one of those old crafts that needs a lot of time investment, so don’t be in a rush 😉
I hope you give it a try and start customising and up cycling some of your old knitting garments.
This a beautiful way to give your clothes a second life!
Don’t forget to share your projects with me, I’d love to see what you come up with. You can tag on Instagram @fiorelila_
Have a lovely crafty day!
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