Watercolor Tinting your embroidery

Have you ever used watercolor to tint your embroidery projects? It's really easy, but it's also a bit unpredictable, so go into it with an open mind. :)

The pattern I'm tinting here is inspired by the poem by Maya Angelou, "Still, I Rise". (please give it a read!) You can get the PDF download right here.

**100% of the profits from these purchases will go to nbcdi.org (National Black Child Development Institute) and other organizations supporting the welfare of the Black community.**

I hope it will inspire you as well and that together, we can make a difference.

Let's get started painting!

First stitch up the design normally. I'm stitching on linen, but cotton/muslin will work too. You might want to experiment with different types of fabric, each will react a little differently to the paint.

For my 4 inch embroidery, I've used the Split Stitch on the words with 3 threads, and the Back Stitch on the bird with 2 threads. The dots are French Knots and the stars are Straight Stitches. (You can find complete beginner's embroidery instructions in the Tutorials if you need them!)

Now, just paint the fabric! You'll need to use quite a bit of water, and expect the color to bleed outside the lines a bit. You can build it up pretty dark at this stage, adding more color to the interior spaces as needed. I painted the bird with purple, then added a bit of black to the wing tips and head.

You can see that it dried quite a bit lighter than it looked wet, you can go back and add more color if you want to. I really like this loose, washy look!

If you want more control over color tinting your fabric, try out Crayon Tinting with this tutorial.

I hope you'll consider purchasing this pattern and join with me in making a change for social justice. Every little bit helps! Let's make our world a better place for everyone.

** Want to do even more to help? Here's a list of 450 Black Owned businesses to follow and support. <3