Crafting in May: chain stitch spirals and french knots

It's time for my latest post looking at the craft projects I've been working on over the past month. As part of the "Crafting is my Therapy" project, I'm determined to make more time in my life for crafting and creativity. In April I created my 'it's cool to be kind' hoop. I was inspired by the work carers do and it's a subject I feel very strongly about. In May I wanted to have a break from sewing words and just play around with stitches. Sometimes it's nice just to sit down with fabric, thread and no real plan.

I have heaps of vintage fabric scraps and this one featuring retro circles is a favourite of mine. I thought it would be nice to embellish a small section with some embroidery stitches.

Alongside chain stitch and backstitch I thought I'd give French Knots a try. I have never sewn them before and spotted this "What's Knot To Love" tutorial over on the Ambrosia Stitches blog. You should also check out her "A Project that will Make You Love French Knots" post because it really will have you itching to try them out.

Back in March I learnt to sew chain stitch. I really fell in love with creating the tiny chains in thread. I had an idea in my head to create a spiral in chain stitch. Not sure why, I just liked the idea of sitting down and sewing a spiral in one stitch.

Whilst I enjoyed the steady rhythm of sewing chain stitch, I found the thread became quite twisted and 'splitty' (technical term!). I'm not sure if it's the fabric I'm using (calico) or the floss (Anchor Thread)...but the stitches were a bit hit and miss at times. I think the overall effect looks good, but I'm going to look into getting some different fabrics for embroidery. I'd love to hear your fabric recommendations and if their is a particular brand of thread you love. Any tips gratefully received...

Here are some more French Knots sewn by me this month. The purple and lilac knots are my very first attempts after reading Ambrosia Stitches post. I think I'm getting them right. It's the sort of stitch that makes you feel like you could do with an extra pair of hands. But you soon get into the rhythm of holding the thread taut and winding with the other hand.

Playing around with stitches has reinvigorated my interest in embroidery. Once I get back into stitching, I want to learn more. Next on my list is satin stitch. I've seen lots of tutorials online. Some people recommend filling the shape with running stitch before placing satin stitch over the top. This gives a more 3-D effect and probably looks amazing. But would I have the patience to do this? Other tutorials don't mention the running stitch stage and suggest edging the satin stitch with back stitch to give a neater outline. Some don't even think you need to add the outline stitching. I think I need to give a few methods a go and see what works for me. Again, any tips from experienced satin-stitchers would be most welcome...

The next "Crafting is my Therapy" blog link-up will open on 6th June. We'd love to see your makes, all crafts welcome...

This week I'm linking up with these lovely blogs...

"Share With Me" over on mummyfever.co.uk

"Blogger Club UK" over on www.cuddlefairy.com and www.myrandommusings.co.uk