For this tutorial I will
be using a nickel and a misc coin from my collection. On the Nickel
I used green foundation threads, and on the collectors coin.. i've
used red. So please don't be confused. I stupidly forgot to take
certain pictures for the tutorial.. and did so with the collectors
coin afterwards. It's all good!
1) First you need to make some Foundation Threads.
Gather your coin/mirror, a needle and some thread/fabric/whatever
you want.
Get your needle and thread ready, place your coin/mirror into
desired place and hold. Poke needle up from the bottom, close
to the coin but not too close.
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2) Once you've poked up from the bottom/back, you can then
bring your needle up a little above the mirror and make another
straight stitch directly across from where you poked up.
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3) From here, poke up next to the corner (see picture).
And make another straight stitch across. (remember we are making
a square ontop of the coin)
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4) Here we poke up on the other corner (see picture) from
where we ended with the last straight stitch. Try to make these
foundation threads even. They can be a little wompy, yes. However,
they must be close to the center of the coin rather than close
to the edges.
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5) Continue on the last corner, until it looks like this.
Notice the "square" in the center, that we have created?
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6) Alrite, now we poke the needle up from the bottom, close
but not too close, BUT... take note of where I've poked up. What
we are doing is the same 5 steps we just finished, but across
the corners of the previous square. Make sense? DON'T PANIC! It's
easy, trust me! Just take it slow! We're basically repeating the
previous steps, but twisted on top of the other square.
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7) Make a straight stitch across the coin, like we did
before.
I've got my fingers covering the other square, so you can more
clearly see what the general idea is.
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8) Here you can see the repeating square ontop of the other
square, starting to take shape.
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9) Almost there!
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10) When you are finished, it should look similar to this.
This baby isn't going anywhere!!
Can you see the second foundation threads ontop?
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11) Now here is where I got confused with the "basic" instructions
online.
First, make a small stitch from the bottom up alongside the coin.(first
pic - please excuse the color difference)
Keep the thread under the needle!
After you've poked, you want to pass the needle under the foundation
threads. (second and third pics) (I'm using a curved needle, don't
be confused by it!)
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12) Pull that needle through!
Remember to keep the excess thread under your needle (off to the
left, like in the picture)
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13) After pulling through, it should look like this.
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14) From here, you are going to poke the needle down into
the fabric, and then back up, leaving a teeny gap.
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15) After pulling through, it should look like this.
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16) You are going to repeat step 11, without making another
a poke.
Simply pass the needle through the foundation threads again, to
the left of what you just did. (we are going clockwise)
KEEP THAT THREAD UNDER THE NEEDLE!
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17) Now, poke your needle down into the "loop" created by
the previous pass.
Then poke up, leaving a teeny gap.
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18) Pull Through! Not too tight, but not too loose!
It should look like this.
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19) Repeat steps 16 to 18 over and over.
Here you can see it start to take some shape after a few passes.
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20) After a while, you start to get a rythm going!
Take note, as you repeat the pass and stitch, to curve with the
coin.
Otherwise you'll end up with an uneven shape when you are done.
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21) IT IS COMPLETE!
That wasn't so hard, was it!?
To finish off, simply repeat the same steps and try to overlap where
you started off.
Then poke the needle down in amongst the border (the loops) and
tie off!
VOILA!!!
It takes a few tries to really understand what you are doing. This
is why I suggest to practice with some nickels, dimes, pennies,
anything! And an old pillowcase or scraps of fabric.
Play around, take your time, and most of all... have fun!
If you have any questions or are stuck on something
and would like help,
please don't hesitate to contact
Enigmatic Henna!
