Once upon a time, before Jo picked up a needle and thread, she was a scientist who specialized in microbiology. Although that qualification isn’t particularly useful in her day-to-day life now, she is still fascinated by the different shapes of microbes. It occurred to her that she should combine this love with her love of embroidery and that the most perfect place to stick an embroidered microbe would be, of course, where they reside anyway, the handkerchief! There are four microbe designs with this project. They can be embroidered on separate handkerchiefs or all together on one.
Project by Jo Stafferton, from the book “Hoopla: The Art of Unexpected Embroidery” by Leanne Prain (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2011)
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
FLOSS FOR THE BACILLUS
• 1 skein of DMC #550 (Violet VY – DK)
• 1 skein of DMC #796 (Royal Blue – DK)
FLOSS FOR THE VIRUS
• 1 skein of DMC #740 (Tangerine)
FLOSS FOR THE
• 1 skein of DMC #3760 (Wedgewood – MED)
• 1 skein of DMC #937 (Avocado Green – MD)
• 1 skein of DMC #550 (Violet VY – LT)
FLOSS FOR THE AMOEBA
• 1 skein of DMC #444 (Lemon – DK)
FABRIC
• 10-by-10-inch square of white cotton-linen blend (choose a soft fabric) for each handkerchief
• 8-by-8-inch square of “retro pattern” cotton print for the back of each handkerchief
• Embroidery needle, size of your choice
• 8-inch embroidery hoop
• White sewing-machine thread
• Sewing machine
• Blunt object such as a crochet hook, chopstick, or pair of closed scissors, to turn out corners
• Iron
• Water-soluble pen
• Set square
• Straight pins
• Scissors
STITCHES
• Split stitch, satin stitch
OTHER SKILLS
• Basic sewing machine operation
INSTRUCTIONS
• Before you begin, machine wash and dry the fabric at the same temperature that you will wash your handkerchief once you’ve used it. When the fabric is dry, press it with an iron.
• Using the edge of your cotton-linen square as a guide,draw an 8-inch square on the top right-hand corner of the white fabric with the water-soluble pen, so that there is a border on the bottom and left-hand side of the fabric. This will show you where the lining will be placed, but the extra 2-inch border also allows the fabric to fit comfortably in the hoop while you embroider the microbe.
• Make the microbes: Transfer the microbe designs onto the fabric using your chosen transfer method in the bottom left-hand corner, remembering to leave some space for the seam.
• Using three strands of floss, stitch the outline of the microbes in split stitch. Use satin stitch to fill in the details of the amoeba and the virus.
• Remove the finished embroidery from the hoop and cut the white fabric along the lines that you marked, so that this piece of fabric is also now 8 by 8 inches square. Wash the water-soluble pen off the cotton-linen fabric, let it dry, and then press gently to remove any creases.
• Sew the hankie: Pin the right sides (the side with the embroidery and the side with the retro pattern) of the two squares of fabric together. Using a three-eighths-inch seam allowance, machine stitch around the perimeter of the handkerchief. Begin to stitch at the center point of one of the raw edges and pivot around each corner. Stop 2 inches from your starting point to allow a gap big enough to turn the handkerchief right-side out.
• Snip the corners of the handkerchief diagonally. Cut close to the seam, but be careful not to cut the sewn corners. Hand roll and then press all seams. Turn the handkerchief right-side out. Use a blunt object to gently push out the corners. Gently press the handkerchief and then top stitch around the entire edge of the square by lining up the edge of the sewing machine foot against the edge of the handkerchief. This stitching will close the hole. Pop your finished hankie in your pocket to be ready for a microbe moment.
Jo Stafferton, otherwise known as Mrs Lacer or just plain Lacer, blogs at Lacer’s Life () about crafting, cooking, reading, writing, and raising two kids, who are her biggest and best clients. She has an online shop, Mrs. Lacer’s Attic (), and writes regularly for the popular embroidery blog Feeling Stitchy ().
