Sew: Fang Embroidery {DIY Stitched Dog Portrait with Hoop Finishing Mini Tutorial}

I started with the outside of the hoop. I’d decided on putting pom pom trim around the outside. I cut the trim to the correct length and put some fray check on the cut ends. The I glued the trim to the hoop with tacky glue and set it aside for later. I used the inner hoop to mark and cut out a circle of black felt too.

I took the embroidery out of the hoop and used a fabric marker to draw a circle 1-2 inches bigger than the hoop. I used a decorative stitch on my sewing machine to outline the circle. It’s not necessary but it will help prevent fraying and if you don’t cover the back, it looks pretty. I trimmed of the excess fabric from outside the circle.

I hooped up the embroidery and got everything positioned correctly. I used a full 6 stands of floss and stitched around the edge (not too close!) with a running stitch. Once, I’d sewn around the whole thing, I cinched it up and tied the loose ends in a bow. You could leave things there but I wanted a flat backing. I stitched a label to the felt circle from earlier and catch stitched it on to the back. I only used a few stitches, so it could be removed easily. I whipped up a bow to cover the screw clamp. I slid a tiny, thin ribbon through the back of the bow, so it could tie on and be removable too. And that’s it!

This was a gift for Mummy Ask and I couldn’t wait to give it to her. I wasn’t sure what her reaction would be, so I used Sister Ask as a body shield and made sure were together when I gave it to Mummy Ask (sisters  right!)! As expected, there were tears made of joy, sadness, longing and love. Mummy Ask says:

I can’t believe the love and care that went into this and it exactly reminds me of Fang. To have Sarah, as a child is like an ongoing ‘poem in my heart’ (for Fleetwood Mac fans)! She can make anything work and it is always mind blowing. I still cry when I see the embroidery, it’s so realistic and I am reminded of my fluffy one. But when I see the embroidery, I think that Sarah always has an artistic way to bring things home. So now I feel like it’s all come home, at the right time and it’s so nice to have such a homage.

So folks, dog portrait embroidery?
Difficulty            –   4/10
Effort                 –   6/10
Sentimentality   – 100/10

I would highly recommend giving this a go, for yourself or another animal lover. A couple of days of Netflix and a needle and could make an awesome, lasting homage to your favourite pooch or puss xxx