• 0 items$0.00
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Hands Occupied

Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

  • BLOG
    • Knitting
    • Crochet
    • Latch Hook
    • Macramé
  • ABOUT
  • Shop
  • Studio
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Election Embroidery & Mini Star Stitch How-to

November 1, 2012 3 Comments

I got really into embroidery when I was out of town last month. With the help of Wild Olive’s embroidery basics series and a couple of spare hours in an airport, I think I’ve added a new skill to my personal crafty toolkit.

Today, I want to share an easy embroidery project idea that can come together in just a few hours, as well as instructions for a custom stitch I invented at 10,000 feet (more on that in a second).

Vote Embroidery & Mini Star Stitch How-to | HandsOccupied.com

This began as a simple sampler on a 3-inch embroidery hoop. I really just wanted to master the chain stitch, French knots, and the satin stitch. Many years of dinking around with simple sewing projects prepared me to learn proper embroidery technique. I have been using the running stitch since I was a little kid, and the back stitch was simple enough for me to easily grasp.

Skip to: VOTE Embroidery Design Instructions // Mini Star Stitch How-to

Supplies

3-inch embroidery hoop

red, blue, silver, and charcoal-colored embroidery floss

needle

embroidery canvas

scissors

Directions: VOTE embroidery design

Vote Embroidery & Mini Star Stitch How-to | HandsOccupied.com

As you can see in the picture, there are only a few steps to this embroidery design. Running parallel to the embroidery hoop, simply chain stitch all the way around the circle. Then, do a circle of French knots, followed by a circle of mini stars (see below for instructions). Then in the center of the circle, embroider the word VOTE onto your canvas. I free-handed the letters, but you can use a transfer pen to draw your letters first and then stitch over the marks if you prefer. Learn more about transferring patterns here. I outlined the word VOTE in back stitch and filled them with satin stitch. I really love the look of the satin stitch on the finished project!

Directions: Mini Star Stitch

I took some creative liberties with my otherwise-proper embroidery project with that mini star stitch. I was flying in a plane, i.e. no internet access for searching the web for a legit star stitch tutorial. With over an hour left in my flight, I didn’t want to have to stop working on my project or do more rounds of stitches I already felt confident using. Evidence of my plane-stitching, as if it’s an excuse for how lazy/impatient I can be with crafting…

Anyway, a couple things about the star stitch before we dive in. I did all of my star stitches on the VOTE project at a much smaller size that what you’re about to see in the pictures. I first photographed the steps true-to-size, which was not a great idea tutorial-wise. So I redid it bigger for demonstration’s sake. Just keep that in mind as you follow these steps. :)

Vote Embroidery & Mini Star How-to | HandsOccupied.com

Click for larger image.

As you can see, the first part of this “stitch” is sewing a star that looks just like one you’d draw with paper and pencil. But when you do this on a teeny tiny scale, the star basically looks like a crappy French knot fail, and not a star at all. The next step is critical for the mini star to look like a star in your embroidery.

Looking at the pictures below, you’ll see that you come up from the back at approximately the center of your star. Then you’ll sew an X, with one bar of the X securing two of the five points of the star, and the second bar of the X securing two more points. The fifth point finds its place on its own.

Vote Embroidery & Mini Star Stitch How-to | HandsOccupied.com

Click for larger image.

I also sewed a mini star using the exact same process as the big demo star to show you the difference in how they look. The big star ends up looking like an asterisk, whereas the little star looks just like a little star should. It’s so cute!

Vote Embroidery & Mini Star Stitch How-to | HandsOccupied.com

 

Filed Under: How-to Tagged With: election, embroidery, How-to, Sewing, star stitch

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

Previous Post: « Halloween 2012 In Pictures
Next Post: Vogue Knitting LIVE Roundup »

Reader Interactions

DID YOU LIKE THIS POST?
Visit similar articles...

  • Quilted Flower Tote & English Paper PiecingQuilted Flower Tote & English Paper Piecing
  • Weekly ReaderWeekly Reader
  • Little Fox Embroidery (with pattern!) Little Fox Embroidery (with pattern!)
  • How-to: Kermit CollarHow-to: Kermit Collar

DON’T MISS ANOTHER UPDATE

Comments

  1. Cherie

    September 12, 2016 at 12:39 pm

    Love it Heidi!! Been looking for an easy star pattern – thank you!!

    Reply
  2. Geri Wurth

    April 30, 2017 at 11:54 am

    Love your little star creation! Nice job, just what I needed for a moon and stars project!

    Reply
  3. Donna Burge

    August 18, 2019 at 1:17 pm

    This is so so cute! The Star Stitch is excellent!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

work with heidi

UPDATES BY EMAIL

Get a free pattern + biweekly updates sent to your inbox.

Let’s be friends!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Latch Hook by Heidi Gustad

Footer

INSTAGRAM

handsoccupied

Craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. / #latchhookbook out now!
.
knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé

Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s c Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s coincidentally International Punch Needle Rug Hooking Day today, so I’d be remiss not to share a first look at this project finished JUST in time to wear while I watch some rasslin’ on a pirate ship in a football stadium in Tampa! 💪🏻 I’m excited to watch tonight’s women’s matches the most. Eee!
.
.
Pictured: A blond woman in a denim dress and glasses wearing a giant belt made with punch needle. The belt is made with wool in primary colors and was inspired by the WWE Universal Championship title belt. 
.
This is just a preview - after jab 2.0 tomorrow (feeling grateful 🙏🏼), I’ll be editing together a vlog about the design process for this wooly waist cover. Sometimes it’s hard to know how to make some of your wilder craft ideas come to life. Stuff you’ll never find a pattern for, you know? I’ll finish editing that ASAP, but I might take a few days to edit if I feel like trash from 💉 and only want to watch wrestling and wrestling YouTube for a day or two. 😂
.
.
#ipnrhd #punchneedle #wwe #wrestling #championshipbelt #wool #yarn #handmade #universalchampionship #universalchampion #rugmaking #wrestlingfan #wrestlemania37 #wrestlemania
A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-ins A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-inspired punch needle project! It’s interesting to see how fuzzy the handspun beige yarn is compared with the primary color sections of @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky. ❤️💛💙🤎 
.
Pictured: The back of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool sits on the work.
.
#punchneedle #woolrug #rugmaking  #kpambassadorsapr21 #sponsored #griefproject #handsoccupied #wrestlingfan #universalchampion #yarn #yarncraft #wool #needlepunch
Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishin Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishing up the punch needling part of this crazy @wwe inspired project by tonight. 💪🏻🧶 Anybody else have crafty plans for this fine spring day? 
.
Pictured: A blond woman sits, smiling and holding an in-progress punch needle project inspired by the Universal Championship belt. Houseplants are in the background and there’s lots of sun. 
.
#punchneedle #griefproject #handsoccupied #heidigustad #wrestlingcrafts #wwe #universalchampion #universalchampionship #wool #wooloftheandes #primarycolors #oxfordpunchneedle
I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back from the past few weeks, and as I dip my toe back into production mode, the long-promised seamed sweater knitting YouTube series is at the top of my list. I've got FOUR versions of a simple sweater I've been playing with since last JULY to feature as a free pattern for folks who want to knit along during the series. Pictured is the first prototype for the series, knit in 2 colors of @knit_picks Mighty Stitch yarn. I imagine this soon-to-be short sleeved number will come in handy as an emergency Waldo costume or Christmas sweater. 🌲 
.
I've got my own list of topics I think folks would like to see in a series like this: things like tips for construction, working with vintage patterns, how to seam as invisibly as possible, and more, but as always, I'd love to hear from you: What scares you about knitting seamed sweaters? What would be helpful to cover, especially since we'll be doing more long form video content. I get so much positive feedback on my series of 20 minute+ intarsia tutorials, so I'm using those as a starting point as I produce this series. Seamed sweaters using vintage or self-improvised patterns are one of my favorite things on the planet, so I'm eager to share some seamed sweater skills with y'all super sweet folks. 😉 
.
.
Pictured: A red and white striped, short sleeved sweater knit in pieces that have yet to be seamed. They are laid out on a yellow and orange colorblock background and one sleeve is yet to be bound off. 
.
#handsoccupied #seamedsweater #kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #waldo #waldosweater #wip #yarncraft #yarn #knitting #knittersofinstagram #heidigustad #vintageknitting #sweaterknitting
Work continues this evening on my absurd punch nee Work continues this evening on my absurd punch needle pro wrestling inspired championship belt project. I’ve finished most of the front pretty quickly thanks to the @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn I’m using. For now, I’ve got a couple more weeks until Wrestlemania, & I’m on track to finish this in time! 
.
The biggest question I have is what to do with the “plates” - the open circles in the picture. Should I try to closely replicate the Universal Championship belt or go rogue and make it wool themed? Please advise in the comments. ☺️🧶🙏🏻🐑 
.
Pictured: The front of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool with navy yarn running through it rests on top of the work. 
.
#kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #punchneedle #rugmaking #primarycolors #punchneedlerughooking #punchneedlelove #wool #wip #yarncraft #yarn #yarnaddict
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 / Foodie Pro Theme On Genesis Framework / Branding by Ink + Mortar
All Site & Shop Policies / Privacy Policy / Cookie Policy