Well hello! Here we go. New embroidery patterns that you’ve been seeing sneak peeks of.Yay! I really, really love these.

Last year’s patterns were an unexpected hit. I knew people were starting to fall back in love with hand stitching…but I had no idea how much! It’s been so fun to talk with you and see your projects!  I love that hand embroidery gives such a personal touch to any project. It becomes personal, your own, and an art piece all on it’s own! Because so many of you own Sarah Jane prints in your own homes….I am starting to create more of that feel in embroidery pieces. Something you can stitch to make a real statement…but that is easy and inexpensive, and will last forever. A real personal touch!

When I was a little girl, and maybe I’ve said this before? I dunno. But I had a crewel embroidered nursery rhyme wall hanging in my room. I always wanted to touch it. It was a “1-2 buckle my shoe” design, and I would stroke the threads as I walked by when I was in my mother’s arms. It stood out to me so much, because it was art I could touch, and handle. And my mom’s best friend made it as a baby gift, which made me feel connected to her. Handmade pieces connect people. They tell a story. And they can bring to life design, color, and texture.  For me, it connected me to so many things. It’s why  I love it so much!

So…here we go! Let’s get introduced!

These designs are lifted right from the OUT TO SEA fabric and they might look all fancy, but they are really not that hard. I wanted to keep them simple this time, and so all 4 can be completed at any skill level. I promise!

BE STILL

The only design that is inspired by, but not lifted exactly is the BE STILL piece. My favorite! This one was fun to make a really easy running stitch turn into the distant horizon of the sea. So sweet.

Remember this piece? I thought it would make the sweetest embroidery design. And it’s nice to have something that isn’t just for the kids:)

IF I HAD A SHIP

No, maybe this is my favorite. I LOVE this ship design. IF I HAD A SHIP, I’D SAIL THE SEVEN SEAS. It’s inspired by a poem that I couldn’t get out my head when I was designing the fabric collection. Do you know it?

I grew up listening to a Judy Dench recording of this poem. So when you read it, get all British and speak in a low, dramatic voice;)

The Island, by A.A. Milne

If I had a ship,
I’d sail my ship
I’d sail my ship
Through Eastern seas;
Down to a beach where the slow waves thunder -
The green curls over and the white falls under -
Boom! Boom! Boom!
On the sun-bright sand.
Then I’d leave my ship and I’d land,
And climb the steep white sand,
And climb to the trees
The six dark trees,
The coco-nut trees on the cliff’s green crown -
Hands and knees
To the coco-nut trees,
Face to the cliff as the stones patter down,
Up, up, up, staggering, stumbling,
Round the corner where the rock is crumbling,
Round this shoulder,
Over this boulder,
Up to the top where the six trees stand….

And there I would rest, and lie,
My chin in my hands, and gaze
At the dazzle of the sand below,
And the green waves curling slow
And the grey-blue distant haze
Where the sea goes up to the sky….

And I’d say to myself as I looked so lazily down at the sea:
“There’s nobody else in the world, and the world was made for me.”

It really makes such a wonderful wall hanging. (There will be a tutorial for this in August by the way!)

So, that’s where the inspiration came from for this. And a lot of the OUT TO SEA fabric. So much imagination in those children’s heads. They can go anywhere.

PIRATE KIDS

Then of course, pirates and mermaids!

DEEP BLUE SEA

Addie is my mermaid. She comes from a long line of Mermaids. Me, my mom, my grandmother….like literally. Mermaids. Water Babies. We love the ocean.

So there you go. Lots of stitching to do! But not too much. Just enough I think!

These will be ready with IRON-ON transfers in a month. Sorry not just yet! But the PDF’S are ready to go! I know a lot of people like to have both on hand, just in case. But this way, you can start stitching and be ready for when the fabric comes out later this summer!

Don’t forget about the SARAH JANE EMBROIDERY FLICKR group which I have sorely neglected. Sorry. No more! Let’s get stitching! The Fabric flickr group rocks. Lets do the same for the stitching one!

Happy Stitching!!

All Embroidery Patterns Available HERE.