Free Embroidery Sampler Pattern: Bug Collectors Case – Part 2
Written by Scarlett
Free Embroidery Pattern
You can download a copy of the Bug Collectors Case Free Embroidery Pattern here –
https://StitchGothica.com/project/free-embroidery-patterns-beginners-embroidery-sampler-pattern
Bug Embroidery Pattern -Part 1
Have you stitched part one yet? Last weeks bug was the ladybird! The stitch was French Knot. You can read Part 1 here –
https://stitchgothica.com/free-beginners-embroidery-stitches-sampler-pattern/
Week 2 Embroidered Caterpillar
Featured Stitch: Bullion Knot
This week we’re going to make some uber large bullion knots! This little guys body is made of two bullion knots, each consisting of 12 strands of thread! You’ll need a size 1 to 4 needle for this chunky stitch!
Week 2 Embroidered Caterpillar
Featured Stitch: Bullion Knot
This week we’re going to make some uber large bullion knots! This little guys body is made of two bullion knots, each consisting of 12 strands of thread! You’ll need a size 1 to 4 needle for this chunky stitch!
The Tetrio Sphinx Hawk Moth Caterpillar
This is the Tetrio Sphinx Hawk Moth Caterpillar or Frangipani Plumeria Caterpillar (what a mouthful) with his cute stripy body, red head and orange legs. He grows into a rather drab moth, common in the American tropics and subtropics. However, as a caterpillar he’s not just strikingly dressed but huge in size. They travel en mass and eat vast quantities, often stripping a Frangipani tree in a couple of day.
How-To Embroidery Stitch Guide
How To Do Bullion Knot (body and head)
Bring the needle up through the fabric (point 1), pulling all the thread through after it, then back down through the fabric (point 2) without pulling the length of thread through. The distance apart these two points are will be the length of your bullion stitch.
Now bring the needle back up at point 1 but don’t pull the needle through, leave it protruding 2/3 above the fabric. Wrap the length of thread round the protruding needle as many times as needed to get the stitch length you require. Now pull the needle through, holding the rolls of thread in place. Keep pulling the needle and thread until all the excess thread has been pulled through and the bullion knot is fairly tight.
Finally push the needle back through the fabric at point 2 and pull it taut.
How To Do Straight stitch (stripes and legs)
Stitching Instructions
Tetrio Sphinx Hawk Moth Caterpillar
Body
Use a size 1 to 4 embroidery needle (1 will give you a nice chunky caterpillar but be harder to get through your fabric).
Thread it with 12 strands (2 lots of unseparated, straight from skein thread) of DMC 310 cotton. You want a thread length of 30 inches or more, then pull your needle half way down the threads and fold them in half to create 24 strands of 15 inch long thread. This will give us great big caterpillar sized bullion knots!
Make three holes in your fabric at the bottom, middle and top of your caterpillar body.
Use a wide needle or other pointy object to part the threads without breaking them like in the image to the right.
This will make it easier to get all that thread through the fabric!
Bring your needle up through the bottom hole and down through the middle hole but don’t pull all the thread down after it.
Bring your needle up through the bottom hole again but don’t pull it all the way through. Wind the thread around the needle.
You want to wind it round ten times, stopping occasionally to push the rolls of thread down the needle so you can fit them all on.
Now pull the needle through, holding back the rolls of thread.
Keep pulling the needle and thread until all the excess thread has been pulled through and the bullion knot is fairly tight.
Finally push the needle back through the fabric at the middle hole again and pull it taut from the back.
Make sure you end by putting your needle back through the middle hole, catching just a little of the previous bullion knot as you do to join them up.
Stripes
Use a smaller sized needle that will take 6 stands of embroidery thread (the unseparated thread as it comes out of the skein). Thread it with 6 strands of Ecru thread.
Bring your needle up on one side of your caterpillar (first photo below left). You want to come up two rolls up from the bottom. (Each bullion knot will be made of 10 rolls of thread). Take you needle over and back through the fabric on the left of your caterpillar.
Try to bring your needle up and back down through the fabric a little under the caterpillar so you can’t see where the stitch starts and finishes.
Do the same 3 more rolls up. Then another 3, then 2 to the middle where the two bullion knots join.
Do the same with the second bullion knot, creating more stripes 2 rolls on, then 3, 3 and 2 again.
Head
Make a small 8 twist bullion knot at the top of the body using 6 strands of red 817.
Legs
Lastly take 6 strands of orange 921 thread and make straight stitches for the caterpillar’s legs.
Make sure the stitches reach just under the caterpillar’s body so they look like they’re attached.
Don’t Forget Your Free Bug Pattern!
Don’t forget you can grab a free copy of this embroidery sampler pattern with stitch-a-long instructions and videos!
Download Your Free Embroidery Pattern here –
https://StitchGothica.com/project/free-embroidery-patterns-beginners-embroidery-sampler-pattern
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