There
is no doubt about it - the most useful thing in embroidery
is the small motif.
It
can be used in so many creative ways - from greeting cards to
decorative boarders, to using it as the theme for an embroidery
piece of work.
I
love motifs - be they cross stitch or freestyle, stumpwork
or needlepoint, I love them all; My favorites are roses (ok
- I have this obsession with roses; They're my favorite flower),
and I can always find a place to put an embroidered rose.
There
are plenty of books of motifs out there for you to stitch,
but you can also create your own simply by taking a favorite
element
from an existing
piece or chart;
That's
the great thing about embroidery, everything is an inspiration
for you to take
it further.
What is a Motif?
A motif is a small stand-alone picture; Usually they are
no more than 5cm x 5cm, but can be stitched in any technique
you like. As an example, here's a motif I created (and that
you can take FOR FREE!). To save the chart to your own computer,
simply right-click on it, and select "save picture as".
All it is is a simple heart - and with it I've added some tendrils, as well as reproduced the hearts in a smaller size to make a boarder.
This can be stretched to make a full frame boarder or just a boarder to decorate a shelf. You can remove the hearts and use the tendrils as the piece.
This would look great stitched on a pillow case or sheets - whata great gift for a bride!
How about using waste canvas and scattering the hearts all over a casual shirt - or use the big one on the pocket of a shirt, or on a handkerchief?
There are a million uses for motifs - why not find some yourself. I love to see what you stitch and how you use my free patterns. Why not post to the Forum and show us all.
