Embroidering the Missive Bag

I will be the first to admit that my cutting table is just a bit cluttered. But in this case, it is good that it was because while cutting out my Missive Bag I noticed some soft pink embroidery thread that really compliments the yellow twill and pink floral I’d chosen for my bag. I will take any opportunity to add some embroidery to a project, and the Missive Bag’s small size and clean lines make it a perfect canvas. 

After a little preliminary sketching I decided on a simple botanical design for the front flap. This design uses just two types of stitches, a vine stitch and single lazy daisy stitches. I love a lazy daisy stitch for flowers or for leaves. It is simple to achieve but has a very striking effect. A vine stitch is my favorite stitch for any kind of embroidered line. 

How To: Lazy Daisy

1. From the back of the fabric pull needle and thread up to the front
2. Return the needle and thread back down in almost the same spot. Do not pull the thread taut, instead leaving a loop. 
3. From the back, holding the loop so it doesn’t get pulled out, thread the needle up, about 2mm from the previous stitches, through the middle of the loop, pulling everything taut.
4. Make a tiny stitch over the loop, securing it down. 

How To: Vine Stitch 

Note: a vine stitch is a variation on the standard back stitch

1. Make a small stitch to begin your vine. 
2. Do a back stitch as normal, except instead of ending the stitch just ahead of the previous one, slip the needle just under the end of the previous stitch and pull down and through to the back. 
3. Repeat this process to complete your line. Take care to make sure when slipping your needle under the previous stitch to always come from the same side. Either side is fine, just be consistent. 

Embroidering the Bag

Judith helpfully included the sewing lines on the pattern pieces for the Missive Bag. This allowed me to use my pattern piece as a template for planing out my embroidery design. 

I sketched out what I wanted to stitch on the pattern pieces to make sure the placement would work and that I was giving myself enough space by the sewing line. I then copied it by eye onto  my fabrice with an erasable fabric pencil. But if you feel nervous about that, you can use embroidery transfer paper to get it just right. 

Once the design was transferred all that was left was to sit, have a cup of coffee, and hand stitch to the sounds of the French Open. I used three strands of embroidery floss for both the vines and leaves.

For More Tips

To learn more about hand stitching and embroidery, check out our guide to Refreshing Your Clothes with Embroidery and our tutorial for Embroidering on Knit Fabrics.