Cactus Embroidery with Kira

Hey everyone!  It's Kira and I am back with a little off the page project today.  Did you know you can use The Cut Shoppe cut files as embroidery patterns?!  I chose this cute little cactus from the Llama Love cut file to embroidery as a gift for a friend.

There's a few ways you can use the cut file as an embroidery pattern, but to start, you'll need to choose your hoop size and fabric.  I buy 5.5" hoops in bulk so that's the size I went with, but any size will work!  And I typically use a cotton blend fabric, but if you're a beginner, a sturdier fabric might be best.

Then to transfer your cut file.  You could print the cut file on paper and trace around the image onto your fabric by using a light box or window.  You could use the draw feature on your die cut machine to trace the image onto paper and then transfer it onto your fabric.  Or you can do what I do and let your die cut machine trace the image directly onto your fabric for you!  It's so easy!  I use just a regular black precision pen, but if you do that, you will need to make sure you cover up all the pen marks with your stitching.

Once you have your image transferred, it's just a matter of stitching.  I am no professional here.  I am actually self taught and have Pinterest to thank for that.  So if you're interested in learning, it's a really easy hobby to pick up for relatively low cost.  But in case you're curious, the stitches I used are mostly the short and long stitch and a satin stitch.

Thanks for stopping by!

xo, Kira