Backstitch and Lazy Daisy stitch tutorial...

It has been eleven years since I first shared this tutorial, and I still receive many emails, comments and messages on a regular basis from lovely ladies asking how I embroider with such small neat stitches, and though I shared this very detailed tutorial all those years ago in response to the same question, I thought it was time to 'revisit' it for those who missed it back in 2014, andfor the new readers who've visited the blog since then. 

There's also a link at the end to download the pretty sweet vase of roses pattern I have used for this tutorial, which is a nice quick one to practice with.

So let us step back in time today, and revisit that 2014 tutorial....

I am asked to share many things on the blog, but the number one request (by a large margin)  is "how do you make such neat tiny stitches?"

In the past I've shown a couple of different backstitch tutorials but this time I'm going to take you through some 'extras' and hopefully this will be the tutorial I can refer future blog readers to when they email and ask that same 'how' question.

The design I've prepared, "Sew Sweet Roses", is a tiny one and quick to stitch.

Start by downloading the free pattern sheet HERE and grab yourself a piece of solid quilting fabric to trace it onto, but don't trace it yet!

Look at the pattern, and look at what I've traced...

Can you see that I have not traced the leaves?

When you are preparing a design that includes sewing lazy daisy stitches don't trace the whole shape, only place a small dot where they start and where they finish. This will prevent tracing lines peeping through as often happens with a lazy daisy.

Fuse a piece of fabric stabiliser behind the block. My favourites are Weaveline, Staflex 3045 or Whisperweft.
Weaveline and Staflix are as thin as tissue paper but are actually a fine fabric.
Whisperweft is woven, and is the stabiliser I chose to use when putting together this tutorial because I had plenty on hand...

(Update 2025 - these days I always use Staflex 3045 and Weaveline)

Gather what you need to begin stitching the block.

I use a size 9 embroidery needle, and never use a hoop. Instead, I rest the base of my palms on a small 'sewing cushion'...

Thread your needle with two strands of embroidery cotton. (I've used some DMC threads for this stitchery)

We'll start with the vase. Bring your needle up from behind the block and out along the traced line...

This is what it looks like behind the block. No knot, and just a little tail of thread. You can easily hold this tail in place with one of the fingers on your non-stitching hand...

To begin the backstitch, do exactly what the name suggests. Take you needle back, behind the exit hole of your first thread, and push through to the back of the fabric, and up again through the front, just ahead of the original stitch.
Keep your other hand securing that little tail at the back for a moment longer...

Now you're going to bring the needle 'back' again. This time push it into the original stitch hole. When you do this, you automatically secure that tail of thread behind the block. Don't tug hard on the thread, it only needs a gentle pull to sit flat...

When you've stitched the full vase make a small knot behind and trim your thread.

Now we'll stitch the small shabby roses.

Again using two strands of thread, begin your rose the same way you began the vase, and always begin stitching a shabby rose from the centre...

NOTE: The key to a neat circle of  roses is to keep your stitches very small, but I'll share more about that at the end.

Continue around the rose...there are 18 tiny stitches in my sweet little rose!

When you finish a rose, secure the thread behind the block before you move on to the next rose. Never carry your thread across from one shape to the next.

Now I'll show you how to make a lazy daisy leaf around the roses.

Secure the green thread on the back of a previously stitched shape, one that is closest to your leaf...

There are two dots marked on your fabric for each leaf. Choose your leaf, and bring the needle and thread up through the dot closest to the rose. I'll begin with the leaf at the top right of the vase...

Bring the thread across the front of the needle entry hole to create a circle of thread around the needle. Push the needle back through the same exit hole...

...and out again, but this time through the other marked dot for this leaf.

Let the needle exit above the circle of thread, and gently pull the thread to reduce the circle to an elongated daisy petal shape...

Bring your needle over the front of the lazy daisy stitch and push it through to the back of the fabric. Secure the thread in a knot behind and trim the end.

Stitch the rest of the roses and leaves.

Add some extra running stitches inside the vase if you like...

Now about those tiny stitches.

Do you know how many backstitches you personally sew to an inch?

Draw yourself a true one inch line onto a piece of fabric...

Using two strands of thread, backstitch along the line. When you've stitched your line, count how many stitches you have made.

I stitch 15 to the inch, but from what I've seen in my years of embroidery, most people don't.

The reason my little shapes, whether they be flowers, birds or bees, look so good in photos is wholly due to the small size of my stitches. But you don't have to stitch 15 to the inch for that result; 12 stitches to the inch also brings a lovely rounded result.

Here's the difference between 15, 12 and 8 stitches to the inch. Do you see that the larger your stitches the more difficult it will be to achieve circular and rounded shapes?

If you're not happy with how the curves look in your stitched projects try practicing smaller stitches. 

It makes all the difference, and you'll be surprised at how quickly you'll master those smaller stitches if you...s l o w  d o w n...when you stitch. After all, it's not a race to the finish but a piece of art made by your precious hands.

Another little tip I shall leave you with about backstitch is to be sure and let your stitches share the same entry and exit holes in your fabric, thus avoiding a gap between them.

No gap between the stitches creates a lovely flowing continuous line...

But gaps? The flow is missing...

 I hope this tutorial has helped answer a few of those questions many of you have asked?

Don't forget to download the free practice block HERE and remember, go slow, and enjoy the process.

Be blessed as you stitch!

You will find my design account on Instagram HERE @jennyofelefantz

And my other Instagram account, just for homemaking, HERE @elefantzhome

Subscribe to my free Friday newsletter HERE and never miss a blog post, pattern or tutorial

Stitch my free 2025 block of the month 'The Sewing Room' HERE

Trying something new, and repairing the garden...

This year I have been enjoying learning more about Japanese embroidery and sashiko, and these are two things I find incredibly relaxing, especially as I like to keep my fingers busy in the evening, when the work of the day is behind me. 

Currently I'm working on a pattern by Yumiko Higuchi, from her book 'A Year of Embroidery'. The book was gifted to me by a very kind blog reader, Debby, for my birthday in February, and I have chosen the cover design as my first project from it. Living in the tropics, we are constantly surrounded by geckos and lizards - in fact you can watch geckos running here and there across our floor and ceiling every night - so the lizard in this design caught my eye immediately. 

In my own designs I always use two threads, or perhaps a single strand for bees or words, but its been quite a learning curve to embroider with six strands! But I am loving it. :-)

When I visit our local library nowadays, the first shelf I walk to is the one where I can find Japanese craft books. They don't have many, but the ones they have are good, and this week I came across this one...

I don't usually 'read' craft books, but flip through to find something of interest to make, however, I could not put this down last night. The author creates the most interesting and lovely clothes from old worn pieces, to which she will stitch patches, in various sizes and overlaps, to cover holes or threadbare sections, but also adding more to bring visual balance to the item. She saves all her scraps, and gathers more from trips to charity stores, so that she can take her time repairing her clothes, or making something from various pieces, using just the right colour or scrap. 

Boro began from sashiko, the simple art of running stitch to mend. Over time sashiko became more decorative, but boro is still associated with mending patches over each other. 

The author, Harumi Horiuchi, takes you through different stages of her clothing makeovers, and shows the varied techniques she uses, including dying old fabrics and sashiko threads together to get the right shade for mending or adding extra patches to the background fabrics. 

I am so inspired by her, that I dug out a few very plain cotton dresses, white and cream, that I had purchased for a few dollars back in 2020 and intended to dye. I also pulled out my stash of linen scraps, and created a bundle of pieces to use in my own version of a boro dress. 

I have an idea in my mind of how I'll do this, but in reality this will be about learning a new skill, and creating something useful and wearable in the process. I shall keep you updated on my progress with this. 

Kelly has been with us for two weeks now, and already he is a very different dog to the nervous and sick little boy he was when we brought him home from the animal rescue shelter. He brings us so much joy, and in return he showers us with love. He is still very wary of other humans, but loves Blossom and her family, including their dog, Barnaby. 

This morning we took Kelly over for a visit, and Barnaby and he met outside on the front lawn, both on leads. Now both Kelly and Barnaby do not like other dogs, but they quietly rubbed noses, had a sniff, and hung out together for the next twenty minutes, calm as can be. We are overjoyed! Now we know they are fine together, Blossom can bring Barnaby over when she and the children visit us. 

Our garden was pretty well decimated during the months of monsoon rain and floods, but we're slowly removing things that couldn't cope, nurturing things that did, and planting a few veggies and herbs (a little at a time).

It's lovely to see flowers in bloom again, and various herbs thriving. Interestingly, the only things that survived well, were plants in pots or raised beds, as we could move the pots, and the larger raised bed had good drainage. 

(white angelonia, and the sage in the backgound flourished all through the summer monsoons and heat - sage never has before)

(likewise the basil never let up, and all areas of the garden where we had it in pots or raised beds, it thrived)

(chives and spring (green) onions struggled and most died, but they are coming back wonderfully now - I also sprouted some basil from a cutting and it's doing well in a pot)

(more sage, and purple angelonia)

(mint, lemon balm, lime balm, a potted bay tree, aloe vera, and ferns, among other things, have come along well in their pots over the past few dry weeks)

 

I did a lot of pruning after Easter, and cleared this area above. To kick start our winter growing I have planted out parsley, rocket (arugula) and cucumber seedlings in various pots around the yard, and planted seeds of snow peas, dill, coriander, and various flowers into raised beds and a few pots. 

There's still so much to do, but small steps add up and I can see life in the garden once more. The passionfruit and mulberry are fruiting, as is our lime tree (though it gave an abundance of huge heavy fruit all through the monsoon season). My ginger also fared well and will be ready to harvest in another month.

Our fallen Poicianna has been chopped into pieces for burning in Blossom's fire pit through winter, but hubby kept one long piece of trunk for us to use as a bench seat. He still has a lot of work to do on it, but it will be lovely one day. 

He took advice from Rosie's husband Brian, who is very knowledgable about all things horticultural, and we're trying to save what's left of the Poinciana, hoping it will regrow. Only time will tell. 

It is odd to see the cut piece of trunk growing, but that just means there's still a lot of nutrition in it. The piece of trunk still in the ground is also sprouting. Time will tell if we can bring new life to our dear tree. 

I hope you have had a lovely week, and wonder if you are working on anything in your own garden? Have you tried Boro, or some other new-to-you craft? I'd love to hear about the things you're doing. 

God bless dear ones, and I pray that just like my garden, if you've had some difficult times this year, that you can see recovery in the weeks and months ahead. My garden is currently a lesson in slow and steady, patience, hard work, and hope. We must never lose hope. 

Until next time, may the light of Jesus fill your dark spaces, and His JOY overflow in your hearts!

You will find my design account on Instagram HERE @jennyofelefantz

And my other Instagram account, just for homemaking, HERE @elefantzhome

Subscribe to my free Friday newsletter HERE and never miss a blog post, pattern or tutorial

Stitch my free 2025 block of the month 'The Sewing Room' HERE

New Tilda peek, and a free Grace pattern...

It's mid April already...how has this year run so quickly through my calendar? I'm still not used to writing 2025, but I imagine when it does become second nature a new year will be upon us. We've had many birthdays in the family so far this year, and next month dear Blossom will be 31. How quickly they grow up, and how soon we grow old. My husband and I occasionally talk about having less years ahead than behind, and I think for a while that bothered him, but the Lord holds our days in His hand, and so now we just give thanks for His grace each morning and keep moving forward. 

For myself, I feel less hurried these days, less inclined to be bothered about the things which used to catch my attention, and more easily able to let things go - stuff, responses, ideals, regrets, and sorrows. God's grace holds me fast, and because of that I am able to show grace in ways I never used to. But that's all part of walking closer with Him. The more we seek to live according to His ways, the more we take on His character. Of course, I am far from being where I ought when it comes to the character of Christ, but with every year I am that little bit closer. His grace is indeed sufficient for me, and this year GRACE has been a very real prayer and pondering point. 

Which is why I am sharing this pattern with you today - a reminder for us all to grow in the grace of our Lord and Saviour. 

To grow is "auzano" in the Greek, and means to enlarge or increase. Paul uses the same word in 2 Corinthians 9:10, when he writes to those at the church in Corinth that they should increase (auzano) the fruits of their righteousness. In Acts, Luke writes how the Word of God increased (auzano) and the number of disciples in Jerusalem were multiplied as the gospel spread. 

2 Peter 3:18

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen

So 'auzano' is an active word, not a passive word. It's an active directive from Peter in this verse...we are to increase, to enlarge, in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. How do we do that? By studying the Word, by seeking His help in growing us closer to His likeness, by surrendering our fleshly nature and putting on the nature of Christ. 

I used to think a Scripture verse was lovely when stitched and displayed in the home, but now I want it to be more than a decoration - I need to understand all that it is saying, and then act upon the depth and breadth of what God is saying to us through that verse or passage.  

Many of you have asked me to share more of how I study the Bible - well, its by using the concordance, and then cross referencing everywhere in the Bible that word is used. When you do this, the word comes alive in ways you may never have imagined. The English language is very limited when compared to the Hebrew and Greek of the Bible. Go on an adventure, dear sisters in Christ, and dive right in to word studies. 

Use the link below to download the free stitchery pattern...

DOWNLOAD Grow In Grace

How has your week been so far? I've had a string of migraines lately, but in between there's been gardening to do, jam drop biscuits (cookies) to bake, jalapenos to pickle, and some secret sewing for Tilda's next fabric ranges, Wallflower and Bellflower, which are due in quilt shops this coming June. 

I'm very blessed to be one of the Australian designers who are given the Tilda fabrics many months in advance to design with, and this time I had fun creating projects that were slightly different than my usual style. 

This 'Round the Garden' bag featured many of the new prints, both on the outside and in the lining. I've had the wooden handles for about twelve years and they were just perfect for my bag! 

Apart from the machine sewing of the stripes, everything else is hand stitched and quilted. Even the handles were hand stitched in place, because I doubt it would have worked with a machine.

The stitchery is one I designed back in 2014, and has long waited for its moment to shine. The contrast of a circular embroidery on a striped background was exactly what I wanted when considering a bag design. 

I left the back as simple stripes. This will be my new bag for short outings, or trips to the market with hubby. 

The second project took quite a bit longer to make, as it began with a paper-pieced star, to which I added smaller fussy-cut paper-pieced diamonds inside the larger diamonds.

From there I drew leaf shapes and appliqued them around the large star, before sewing smaller diamonds either side of the larger one. The larger leaves were all fussy cut...

Over time the ideas continued to flow. I added little blue birds. Their body is from Tilda's Creative Memories, whilst the wings are all fussy cut from the Wallflower range. 

There was too much open space though, so I drew some large daisies in the top right and bottom left corners, and stitched them. Still more was needed, so smaller flowers were drawn in place and stitched.

Scattered berries were positioned in and around the leaves...and finally, I was content with the display.

I hand quilted with cream Pearl 12 thread around the stars and all the applique shapes, before completing the project with an envelope style backing, binding around the outside, and the insertion of a pillow form. I can't wait to display this on our bed!

For now, it's on the reading couch as that was the only place with good natural light for photos today. Over the Easter break I'll set to work looking at what I have in the linen cupboard to re-do our bedroom in colours that will let this lovely pillow take centre stage for a season or two.

These Tilda fabrics will be in quilt stores from June 1st, and I'll have the patterns for my bag and pillow available through my Etsy Shop in May, but I'll let you know exactly when in a couple of weeks. 

Thank you for your hugs and encouragement over our Kelly-dog. He has been with us a week now, and is so settled that you'd think he'd always lived here. 

Blossom, Ross and the children are coming for lunch on Easter Sunday and will meet him then, which we're all excited about, but it has been good for him to just find his footing around our home first. The grocery delivery man came the other day and dear Kelly was hiding behind me and terribly anxious, even though the man is a lovely gentle fellow...but Kelly has had a traumatic start to life for his first year or more, so he needs a lot of time to heal. Praise God, he is happy and loved here. 

I wonder what plans you have for the Easter break? 

It's a very special time for those of us who love Jesus, and I'm thrilled Blossom always has a new activity for the children each year. This year they built a tomb, and on Good Friday they will place a bowl in there with rocks and then cover it with a black cloth. On Resurrection Sunday the children will remove the cloth and see the tomb empty...the rocks replaced with little chocolates. They will all cry out "Jesus is risen!" and celebrate with chocolate, a gift to remind them that God gave them the greatest gift, His Son. 

God bless YOU dear ones...and thank you for coming by, and for your prayers over our family, and sharing your lives and thoughts in the comments. It's like a big kitchen table at Elefantz, with sisters from all across the globe dropping by to catch up with each other. 

Oh, and Blossom is recovering slowly. Her doctor is wonderful and is trying a new treatment, which is making a difference. God heard your prayers, and I thank you. 

Till next week, 

You will find my design account on Instagram HERE @jennyofelefantz

And my other Instagram account, just for homemaking, HERE @elefantzhome

Subscribe to my free Friday newsletter HERE and never miss a blog post, pattern or tutorial

Stitch my free 2025 block of the month 'The Sewing Room' HERE