Bouquet—Underway

So a little bit of embroider last night, and a little more this morning, and a few little flowers are complete. My penciled outline is fading and rubbing off as I work, but that's OK—it was just a guideline. My flowers (and feathery leaves) are free hand.  The whole project is  almost a sampler of stitches. Daisy stitch, and satin, french knots (plain and ones with tails) even a few little bullion stitches make up the bouquet so far.

The trick is to start at the toe (the hardest to do) and then as you work your way towards the tongue, things get easier and easier. I have already added a few more colors—and will likely add more still...and more stitches, too. Some couched stitches, and some seed and double seed. More bullion stitches, more satin. More leaves too, and some stems to fill in some of the white space—though some will be left.  

Some tools are needed—First an assortment of flosses (and I am being lazy and using all 6 strands of floss at once), plus some embroidery/crewel needles, a scissors, a thimble and small pair of needle-nose pliers. Those last two are a real MUST. Sneaker canvas is heavy, and it is hard to work the needle from the inside. As much as possible, I go down, (into the sneaker) and then reposition the needle so it comes right out again. Grabbing the needle with the pliers makes this type of sewing possible.  If you don't know how to do emboider, a small booklet would be plenty--The whole bouquet could have been done in lazy daisy, or its variations (herring bone is really just a lazy daisy variation, as is blanket stitch)--Personally i like french knots--I think each one looks like a little bud or mini flower.. Clusters of french knots, make great flowers.

The flowers are perfect. Not perfectly even, but with some small irregularities. The embroidery has some small errors, too—but the final results (or even now with just partial results) look fine. Unless you have some one prostrating them selves at your feet, no one is going to notice small imperfections, These are not heirloom work—Embroider on sneakers is ephemeral.... Here today, and gone in a few years—a bit of fun and personalization that isn't expected to last through the ages.