Rosey Posey - Stitch My New Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery Flower

This is my Rosey Posey.

I'm going to share my instructions for this original Millefiori flower in a photo tutorial so you can stitch it, too. This design is for your own personal use; if you'd like to share it with a class, please direct them here to my blog (click the link), and ask them to make their own "save" or copy as explained below.

Before I start, I'm not sure how much space Blogger will let me have for each post, so I might need to make this in two separate posts. We shall see. I'm also going to share a handy hint for those who print these blog pages out and don't really want to use up 50 sheets of perfectly good paper. 

Technical Assistance:
Here's what to do. Open a Word file on your computer. Select and Copy this blog entry and paste it into the Word file. Next, reset your Word page layout to "narrow margins" and "two columns" with just 1-2 points between. This entire entry will shift into 2 columns and many fewer pages. Squish the corners of the overly large pictures to fit the column.  Go to "Line and Paragraph Spacing" and (while the entire post is on the page/s) adjust everything to "single space" on the "Line Spacing" choice. I'm typing here in the Verdana font, but you can reset your font to 10 or 11-pt Arial if you like. If you didn't have an iPad or reader to transfer this tutorial to, you will have just a few pages that you can print and take with you.

Well, now -- on to the fun!
         I've stitched this flower with 2 colors Iris (EdMar's lovely Z-twist  embroidery floss), a pale shaded pink and a bright fuchsia pink.

You'll need:   Seed beads (you only need 7), size 10/o or 8/o - or even 6/o (the largest, if you are making a Rosey Posey with Nova)
                   You can substitute pearls or crystals if you like, 3mm or 4mm
                   You could even stitch a tiny button in the very center (a little blue birdie button like it is sitting on a nest??)
     Also:       Rayon floss in two colors, or you can try a fiber such as Candlelight or any of the Rainbow Gallery threads.
                   Your #1 milliners needle (the Lola needle)

Any floss weight will work for my Rosey Posey. Every stitch is a 12-loop cast-on.
When I used Iris, I selected size 10/o seed beads (the craft store version of size 11/o seed beads - I wanted a silver-lined bead for sparkle). Try size 8/o seed beads if you are using Lola.

You can stitch this flower on any wearable item or a tote bag or anything that doesn't move. All you need to draw is one little triangle with its sides just under 1/4" or 5mm.

Stitch a bead in the center of this triangle (or you can make a 3-wrap French knot). TIP: If you attach beads with a backstitch, they will lie on their sides.

(If any of the typing on these pictures doesn't show up, just double-click the image and you'll have a larger version.) The printed image on the right is from my first set of instructions for this flower. I gave it as a freebie in the goody bags for those who attended our BDEIG 2012 Seminar.

I have bead soup! See . . .

Leftover beads in a box, all sorts and sizes. Whenever I need just a few, I'll sort through and find what I need. If I collect them on a straight pin, I can pin the pin to my embroidery and the beads will stay put.

Here is a triangle I've drawn on my crazy quilt (made with Moda fabrics in soft blue, lavender, pink)

On each of the triangle sides, make a 12-loop cast-on stitch.

Keep the Needle Path (the path of the needle through the fabric) or (a  c-d  b) in a straight line with the c-d part of the stitch in the center to "widen" the petal.

From the What-Works-For-Me Department -- A TIP:

There is a definite right and wrong side to cast-on stitches made with Z-twist rayon floss. The following method keeps the loops nicely twisted. Hold the needle with your right hand; cast floss over the tip of the needle with your left hand. When all loops are on the needle, tuck the floss behind the needle; hold the stitches gently on the needle and pull through. Keep a gentle hold on the loops until the stitch is settled in place. This prevents twists and kinks in your stitch. Check the “Basic Stitches” page at the BDEIG website to learn another method of making cast-on stitches. –and then do whatever works for you (like making your own department!).

 

When the first 3 petals/triangle is finished, change colors (the change of color floss makes this flower easier to learn the first time). Add a 12-loop cast-on stitch across each point of the triangle. Add another bead just in front of each of these stitches.

The darker-color cast-ons are stitched at each point of the first triangle:



Three beads are stitched just behind each of these darker pink stitches:

Like this:

Next, close those triangles with 2, 12-loop cast-on stitches on each side. You now have 4 triangles, total, with a bead in the center of each. Easy as pie, right?? A picture or two will help:

 

See how nicely it works!

Here's a diagram to help (visual aids are always nice):

You have just completed diagram 1 above (the first four triangles). Now you will add three more triangles around. Two sides of the next triangles and a bead are shown in the center diagram above.

 

I have already explained that it works for me to cast-onto the needle, place floss behind, and settle it in place for a kinkless-cast-on stitch.

Back to our embroidery ....

     We now have the three triangles of the second round (around the center triangle) finished:

We're going to add three more triangles and three more beads to complete the main part of the Rosey Posey. The first two sides of each of these "Round 3" triangles will be placed back-to-back with those of Round 2. I found it helpful if I drew short lines for those first two sides. Refer to the center diagram above. A picture is even more helpful; a larger picture, even more so:

 

See those blue lines? Each will hold 12-loop cast-on stitches for Triangles #5, 6 and 7.

The photo above is self-explanatory. The photo below shows that you now have  one center triangle in a light color, and 6 triangles around -- a total of 7 triangles, each made with 3, 12-loop cast-on stitches.

Finish your Rosey Posey with a little doily. Two rows of running or continuous cast-on stitches around will snug the petals together and keep your flower standing upright. Here's a diagram of what we'll do:

Change to your lighter color (the flower-center color) - or use green if you'd like your Rosey Posey resting on a bed of leaves.

Check that diagram just above for A Clue to What We Will Do.  Bring your needle up in front (or above) any triangle point (#1), slip the needle beneath triangle point #2 (work clockwise) and back under triangle point #1. Cast on 12. 

      Without going down and out, slip your needle beneath triangle #3 and back under #2 and cast on 12 times again. Repeat around. You'll have 6 "slightly stretched out" cast-on stitches around,

 

Add a second round of 15-loop running cast-on stitches, this time working through the loops of the previous row.  Like this:

See?

And now, your Rosey Posey is finished! Wasn't that fun?

Here's a picture:

And here are a few more ideas. I stitched this Rosey Posey with Lola  (on black fabric:

For this Rosey Posey I used an overdyed color. I think I used Nova weight:

This picture was somewhere on the Internet and it was my inspiration for my Rosey Posey adapted to Brazilian dimensional embroidery:



I hope you will enjoy stitching this new Millefiori flower, the Rosey Posey, by me (Rosalie Wakefield), and will visit my website to see more of my B.E. designs.

 

As I mentioned earlier, this design is for your own personal use. You are welcome to share this design and link to my blog with your classes and friends, but please don't charge them. Remember, I'm not charging you for this freebie. I know that you all know and respect that this is a copyrighted design, but you are welcome to use it on anything you'd like to stitch for yourself.

 

Let me know if you have any questions. I'll answer any comments or you can email me here. Thank you for reading here, and have fun!

 Rosalie