Act Like Lovers Do

I spotted this image on Pinterest months ago. In fact, I even shared it in an inspiration roundup here. Something about those words presented that way just got to me. I knew it was the perfect art for above our bedroom dresser – and thankfully, the boyfriend agreed.

The tutorial connected to the Pinterest link doesn’t have any words, so after a little bit of close examination, I mostly figured out how to do it as I went. I put together a few things I learned in the process in case you’re interested in creating your own embroidered typography art.

Here’s what you’ll need:

- canvas (mine is 36x48"), which was on sale $35 at DeSerres
- alphabet stencils (mine are 6" tall & reusable, $25 from Michael's)
- embroidery floss in the colour of your choosing (49 cents each - I went through approx. one pkg/letter)
- sharp needle (strong enough to go thru reinforced canvas with a hole big enough for embroidery floss)
- pencil
- scissors 
- washi tape

      I started with some basic math - figuring out how to space the stencils so each word would be centered on the canvas, given the size of my stencils. I also laid out some lines on the canvas with washi tape to keep each word straight. The benefit to using washi tape is that it's easily removable when you're finished. After meticulously tracing each letter, it was time for the fun hard part.

I cut each bundle of embroidery floss into 3 or 4 sections. Then, I looped it through the needle, knotted the end, and started to thread each letter, beginning in the corner. I went straight up and down the letters until the entire letter was covered. That's basically it - nothing complicated. But it took a long LONG time. I started this project last Sunday, as in... when it was still April. I fully expected to get it done in a couple of hours. Nope. False. 

Be warned - if you use a canvas as large as mine, it will take you HOURS AND HOURS AND HOURS. As in, it took me close to 20 hours to finish this project. Now, they're fairly brainless hours - you can definitely watch Game of Thrones/Stanley Cup playoffs at the same time. But it will take FOREVER. Just a warning. (But I definitely don't regret it - I LOVE the result).

Two tips that I have for you:

1. Cut each piece of embroidery floss into 3 or 4 pieces - don't try to be a hero and use the entire piece in one go. It WILL get tangled and then you'll have to cut it anyway. Plus, it takes forever to drag the entire piece of thread all the way through each hole. I learned this quickly.

2. Use thimbles. USE thimbles. I ended up borrowing 2 (for my thumb and forefinger) before I even finished the first letter. Pushing the needle through reinforced canvas can be pretty rough on your hands.

So... what do you think??? Don't let my complaining fool you - I love love LOVE how it turned out.