Hi! My name is Lindsay and I’m new here. Well, sort of. I have been testing for Sofiona Designs since the very beginning and helping out with behind the scenes stuff for the past few years. Now I am jumping in on the designing end of things with a brand new hand embroidery pattern: Love Letters!
A lot of extra work went into creating this pattern and I learned a lot along the way! I really appreciate the patience that Sherri and Trish have shown me as we worked out all of the technical details and formatting to get everything set up.
It is my hope that others can learn from this pattern as well! There are detailed instructions about the embroidery process and illustrated stitch diagrams. I have also created video tutorials for each stitch.
I really love all of the special details in Sofiona patterns and the unique style lines in their patterns create just the right spots for adding a little hand embroidery. When designing this collection, I wanted to make sure that it would compliment their sewing patterns and aesthetic. Sherri and Trish actually sent me photos of some of the wildflowers that grow in northern Canada – fireweed, ferns, and wild roses. Then, I created a retro alphabet font to layer with the floral designs. Each letter is sized perfectly to fit a cup cozy from the Warm Winter Collection, a Balsam Bag pocket, or the side of a Burrow Bag (like the one that Sherri made for her daughter herself!)
These designs are lovely in a simple frame or hoop as décor!
They can also be resized by 20% or so while still maintaining the design features. Trish stitched three smaller letters to create a framed embroidery of her daughter’s name. Thankfully, it is a short one. Haha!
Carol added an outer pocket with trim (vs. the hidden pocket) to a Poppy Apron. It really adds a special touch and coordinates with the belt beautifully!
The Warm Winter Collection also has decorative napkin folding instructions so if you add initials to each place setting that is some next level fancy stuff!
Emily created an applique of her embroidery to add it to a floral fabric. This is a clever way to add the design to a larger print!
You probably don’t want to monogram all the things so there is also a floral cluster for a cute little accent. This would be very pretty on Wood Lily pockets or even the back inset of a Haze Dress. Trish added hers to a towel to compliment her Poppy Apron.
Borders are so handy that I just had to rearrange the florals to create a repeating border pattern. I added mine to the bodice of my Miss Bonfire Hoodie.
Zoe added a top and bottom border along with the letter W for her zipper pouch. She also did some creative alignment with the butterfly on the fabric!
Zoe also gave me the idea to create a bookmark with the floral border so we added that to the pattern as well. It is simple, but it is nice to have a project included to try out the new designs. It has a ribbon at the top, but Angie used elastic and stitched it at both the top and bottom so that it stays in the book. Very smart!
There are so many great ways to use these designs! What will you make? We would love to see your hand embroidered Love Letters so make sure to share in the Sofiona Sewing Group, tag us on Instagram.
I am Mami de Sofiona 