Let's talk about fonts. I have always been fascinated by lettering. Believe it or not, it can be used to express emotion or convey a feeling. Lettering can add so much interest to artwork! Generally speaking, font is a set of characters/symbols that are same size and style. In this post I would like to show you how you can create font to convey a feeling using your beginner embroidery techniques.
A great way to start looking for inspiration is to gather some hand-lettering books. Children's books are also an excellent resource. I like to peruse my favorite used book store. Letter stencils are a great way to get the creative juices flowing too. They are a nice building block to start on.
Isn't that great? Hope you are starting to feel inspired.
Hand lettering books are also a great resource for ideas to use as a jumping off point. There are so many great ideas!
Another great resource is pinterest. You can search for different font and creative lettering ideas.
Once you are feeling inspired, gather up your supplies and let's start creating.
I used a large piece of white cotton fabric and an eight inch wooden hoop.
Just to get started, I grabbed some letter stencils and traced my name onto the fabric. I used lined paper under the fabric as a guide to keep my letters straight. As you get warmed up, you may want to sketch your letters on graph paper then trace them onto your fabric.
In the image above is a stencil to trace and some lined notebook paper.
I drew a collection of little words to experiment on. For some, I used stencils and others I just hand drew them.
In this example above I use a simple BACKSTITCH to outline this stencil. I really am obsessed with variegated thread. It adds some nice interest. You could also fill in the letters with backstitch, as well. Another way of experimenting is by choosing the number of threads to use so you can make the outline thinner or thicker.
To create this letter, I outlined the letter in backstitch then filled the whole thing with FRENCH KNOTS. I used a variegated thread to create the subtle color shift.
Your own cursive handwriting is expressive and charming. Here you can see the Geronimo Stilton influence with the exploding heart attached to the "e". The SEED stitch was the perfect way to add a celebratory, confetti-like appeal.
In the above example, I add a criss-cross design inside the lettering. I then add LAZY DAISY stitch to create petals and FRENCH KNOTS to resemble tiny rosebuds. This was inspired by the floral lettering I reference above.
Use the LONG AND SHORT STITCH to create an ombre' effect.
Above I use the CHAIN STITCH to make a bolt of yellow just like in the old Batman television series.
Mix up your lower and uppercase letters to give your font a childlike playful quality then fill in the letters using THE SATIN STITCH.
Well I hope this inspires you to give it a try! This is a fantastic way to personalize a gift for someone special! It will be even more unique if you create a special font that represents your recipient. Great for special monograms too.
If you would like to practice your beginner stitches, I have an instant PDF download stitch sampler available at my etsy shop HERE along with lots of patterns to practice on! The sampler is created on a dish towel which is wonderful to display as a reference guide.
Thank you kindly for stopping by.
Warmly,
Pam