The spooky season is finally here! As you know, I love, love, love Halloween! Everything about Halloween appeals, including costumes (for pets too!). I live in Australia where it isn’t celebrated much, although I see more in the stores every year and I hold out hope! Disappointingly, I’ve never been invited to a Halloween party, although years ago I had a friend with a penchant for costume/fancy dress parties and I was obviously into that! Since I won’t be heading out to a party, I wanted to come up with a spooky costume that would have some wearability after Halloween too. I had this in mind when I created last year’s Frankenstein’s Monster Tee, which I have worn loads throughout the year. Including this op shop trip, where one of the staff was so in to the tee and was very sad she couldn’t buy one!
But last years tee involved heat transfer vinyl and not everyone has access to that. I wanted to make something that literally anyone could make! All you need are some simple and cheap supplies from your local craft store and a t-shirt. Even first time embroiders can make a gorgeous web! The beauty of this spider web pattern is that it is a really organic shape, so you can work around any stitches that didn’t end up quite where you wanted them. And any gaps between stitches add to the whole spider stitch effect. So any mistakes will become part of the web you weave. See what I did there?
I am actually terribly spider phobic and I knew that even a button and thread spider that was black could possibly cause momentary panic. But I thought a pearl spider would be okay. In the end, I made my spider sort of mean looking, like a pearl redback but I haven’t panicked myself yet! I quite like how creepy it looks. I was watching Mindhunter on Netflix as I stitched, it’s a really cool show and you should watch it. And even though I hand embroidered it, it only took an afternoon to make.
But I can understand that some people aren’t into sewing. You could use white fabric puff paint or a brush and some fabric paint to paint it on if you prefer. Just follow the directions on the product properly (some need you to iron it from the back to set it). I do suggest going that extra mile and sewing on the pearl spider body though. It keeps it classy and creepy.
As I say, this is totally embroidery beginner friendly! I have tried to make this tutorial clear but I know that pictures and words aren’t as instructive as video, so I found this video that covers most of what needs to happen here but doesn’t show the stitch I use and this video that shows the stitch I use. Because this might seem daunting but it really is hella easy!
You’ll need:
- Black tee
- Embroidery hoop (optional but it really makes this much less frustrating)
- Embroidery needle
- Embroidery floss in white (Mine use a whole skein or little bunch they come in)
- Two pearls in varying sizes (Mine were 14mm and 8mm)
- Needle threader (optional but really makes threading a piece of cake)
- Small scissors
- Tailors chalk, kids chalk or other means of removable marking
You should grab your tee and plan out your design. Your web could be wherever you want. Mark out the design in chalk. If you want to remove a chalked line, just brush it off or press it with a damp cloth. You’ll be sewing on these marks, so make sure you can see them!
Hooping the fabric makes it easier to sew on. It keeps the fabric fairly taught but you don’t want to over stretch the fabric either. Think wobbly drum. To do this unscrew the little screw until the two hoops separate. Put the inner hoop under the fabric you want to embroider and place the larger hoop over the top from the other side of the fabric. Tension the fabric and do up the screw firmly.
Embroidery floss (thread) is made up of 6 individual strands. I take a length that spans from one hand to another (arms spread) and cut it. I separate the six strands into three and use a needle threader to poke those three strands through the eye, pull them through and knot them together. So I still have six strands total, just my threads are doubled and knotted. Then I start stitching over my chalked lines with a backstitch (how to backstitch).
I kept stitching around my lines, knotting off my thread when I run out and rethreading. I also moved my hoop around as I ran out of space to stitch. To be honest, it’s a nice peaceful activity. Just moving around my design, filling it in. Embroidery usually calls for neat stitches of even size but I wanted this to be more free flow, so my stitches change in length.
Once my web was complete, I made a little bit of dangling web for my spider to hang from. While I still had the needle and thread from that, I checked my pearls would fit over the eye of my needle and then sewed them down. First through the smaller ‘head’ pearl and to the other side. Then coming back up, through the ‘body’ pearl, back to the wrong side and tied off with a few knots.
I chalked out some legs and decided where they should go. I went down to a single strand of floss, that was then doubled and knotted at the end, giving me 2 strands total. Using the same backstitch I used before, I stitched on the spider legs. I started from right under the pearl, so the legs would look connected, even if the pearl rolled.
I am so in love with this tee!! It was so quick and easy to make and I got my tv watching fix while I was doing it! It is absolutely Halloweenish and it is so appropriate for a work celebration or a fancy party. And even if you make the exact same things as me, it will be different because no web (and no stitcher!) can be entirely identical! I really enjoy the texture that embroidery gives this and I know I will wear it outside of Halloween. C’mon it has a subtle creepiness and sweet pearl softness. Even though spiders give me the gee willies, I feel pretty good about my pearl spider in her glorious web. I’m going to call her Ellie, in memory of the spider that lived in the electronics of Mums roller door. The Sister is pretty spider friendly and named her. She stayed in her spot, so Mum never killed her (only ones who are in the house) and I freaked out about her regularly. And I’ll just say that pearl spiders as the best kind of spiders and leave you with that…. But if you want more Halloween fun you should definitely check out my other posts for creepy food & beverages, costumes and decor! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!
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