Add Whimsy to Your Wardrobe with Embroidery
We can all stand to add a wee bit more whimsy to our lives and wardrobes, don't you think? We're sharing a round-up of blog posts giving tips, tricks, and inspiration so you can add some pizazz to your pieces. Added bonus: you get whimsy points for the stitching as well as the wearing of embroidered garments!
For fun, we've assigned whimsy points to each of these wardrobe embroidery ideas; add everything up, and see what kind of embroiderer you are. (note that this is all for fun, and all embroidery is good embroidery!)
How to Add Whimsy to Your Wardrobe with Embroidery
Let's start with some basic tips and tricks so you are set up for success with this overview of best practices!
Whimsy points: +5 for each item you've embroidered!
We all have those shirts in our wardrobes that are boring, stained, or just plain not our style. Add a bit of stitching and see yourself building outfits around your one-of-a-kind piece! Don't forget to snag some of our Stick and Stitch patterns to make your pieces really shine!
Whimsy points: +5 for every whimsical thing you've added (some of our favorite whimsical things to add include vegetables, odd birds, and bugs, to name a few)
Mending clothing with running stitch is an easy way to add a bit of whimsy to your wardrobe, and we love it as a technique. You can lean into simplicity, or tackle something a bit more challenging, all using one of the most ubiquitous stitches in embroidery, the humble running stitch.
Whimsy points: +2 for using the same color thread as your garment, +5 for using contrasting colors.
As we just mentioned, running stitch is an amazing and useful and frankly adorable way to visibly mend your clothing, and also, it's not the only stitch that works great for mending. This post explores 5 stitches to try in your next visible mending project.
Whimsy points: +10 for each visible mending project that screams hand-made.
Whimsy overload alert, friends! This one is cuuuute! Use fabric scraps and embroidery thread to stitch shapes onto your played-out garments.
Whimsy points: you guessed it, +5 points for every applique/embroidery piece you are rocking!
Clever clever! If you need the sleeves of your sweatshirt shortened a bit, this is a very whimsical way to do that.
Whimsy points: +5 for every sweatshirt you've fixed this way!
Honestly? What is more whimsical than doodles? Use this tutorial to add some thread doodles to any piece that's crying out for more fun!
Whimsy points: +5 for every time you've done thread doodling on a part of your wardrobe.
Once you have added whimsy to as much as your clothing as possible, it's time to tackle those boring shoes of yours! We have a whole book dedicated to embroidering on shoes, but if you want to dip your toes in (we know!), we share some tips and tricks to make it smoother.
Whimsy points: +20 for every pair of shoes you've embroidered on!
Our Whimsical Thoughts:
0 WHIMSY POINTS: It's time to add a bit of pizazz to your wardrobe, friend! Choose one of our posts, grab a boring clothing item, and get to stitching!
5-15 WHIMSY POINTS: You are on your way to a whimsical wardrobe! Keep stitching, and you'll be full-whimsy soon!
20-30 WHIMSY POINTS: You are a whimsical creature, to be sure!
40+ WHIMSY POINTS: Are you us? You are a full-blown whimsy machine, and we are here for it! Keep making, keep sharing your whimsy with the world, friend!
Share your score in the comments!
If you want some non-hand-stitched whimsy, check out Melissa's series on Instagram, A Sweater a Day, where she's sharing the most whimsical thrifted sweaters ever!
There is so much you can do to your existing wardrobe to spruce it up, and these posts are the tip of the iceberg. Whether you got 100 Whimsy Points or 0, we hope they inspire you to look at what you have with fresh eyes, and enjoy the stitching as you breathe new life into your clothing!
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