Add a Touch of Elegance to Garments

Today we're creating a border pattern that's perfect for adding a subtle handmade touch to your clothes. First we're going to create our guideline directly in the fabric itself. This is a neat trick. I'm carefully removing three threads one by one from my fabric along the line where I want my border to be. Just gently snip a thread at one end and carefully pull it out. This one is really easy to follow even if you're just starting out. Now let's prepare our thread. I'm using light beige floss and I'll be stitching with just a single strand. To do this I gently pull one strand away from the bundle of six. This will give us a very delicate and fine look for our border. We'll start by stitching a row of stem stitches directly along that guideline. Each stem stitch will cover about five threads of our fabric. We'll continue stitching these stem stitches for a little segment. Now we're going to add our little half flowers. We'll use the lazy daisy stitch for these. I'm stitching five petals to create a small half flower shape that sits just below our border line. Then we'll continue with another segment of stem stitches followed by another five petal lazy daisy half flower. I'll repeat this pattern of stem stitches and flowers all the way to the end of our line. Just watch how I continue with a new thread. I'll tie a knot in my new thread and simply bring it up from the back right where the old thread left off. It's a quick way to keep your work flowing. You can adjust the length of your stem stitch segments or the number of petals on your flowers to create your own unique rhythm. The simplicity of the design really lets the delicate stitches shine through. This border is incredibly versatile. You can apply it directly to your dresses, t-shirts, blouses or any garments. Imagine it around a neckline, along a hem or even as a subtle detail on a sleeve. You can also mix colors for the stem stitch and the flowers to create a different look. And remember if you're new to hand embroidery this simple design is a fantastic way to start your stitching journey. I hope you enjoyed learning this elegant border pattern today. If you did be sure to give this video a thumbs up and follow Handiworks for more creative embroidery adventures.