Spirograph Hat and Patches (picture heavy)

[gypsysoul3]

Thanks!

and i have to give my friend, christine, credit (she's the one i made the patches for) b/c she helped inspire the idea!
i love my creative friends!

[firebird1919]

What a great idea! I knew that those Spirographs I have in the basement *had* to come in handy at some point.

[DanishDynamite]

Such a fantastic idea! The blue ones kinda remind me of nasa!! Your stitches are so clean and pretty -
I have a few questions (I have only embroidered a few times)

how many threads wide was your thread? (The floss I use is usually 6 threads, and I was taught to split it to 3) but yours look so nice and bold.
did you start at one point of the spirograph and just continue along the line until you got back where you started?

thanks and good job again!
-anna

[rhodora55]

I am speechless... what a fantabulous idea.  One question, what kind of stich did you use?  I know how to do embroidery but only a few types of stiches.   

[turtletrbl]

YAY!  I love your hat!

Hmm....how to justify yet another toy to DH?  Aha!  Middle child's birthday is coming up....

[gypsysoul3]

thanks for all the questions!

DanishDynamite:
 i used regular DMC embroidery floss, and kept it at 6 stands for the larger spirals, and used only 2-3 strands for the smaller ones (like in the patches), really though, i think how thick your floss is is really up to you and what you like. since the color of the hat (dark brown) and the floss i used (verigated dark blue) i went w/ "fatter" embroidery so it would 'pop' a little  more.

Also, for some of the patterns i did just start at one point and follow it like the spirograph (toy) did, and others i just sort of randomly followed the pattern. (though i think it looks better if you follow the design). did that make sense?

rhodora55:
i used the totally basic split stitch. though i was thinking of trying something different, i just don't know what yet.

[sallysparks]

very cool. i love the organic/mathematic feel of spirographs. plus, emroidery=genius! would love to copy your idea but fear i don't have the patience to pull of such tidy work.
good job!

[Emergency Exit]

This is such a good idea!  I'm so impressed!  Also, thanks for sharing how you did it.  I may have to try that.

[gypsysoul3]

sallysparks: i also love the whole "math artiness" of spirographs. i'm going though this sort of "math art" phase right now.

[gypsysoul3]

well, i (finally) finished the hat--just in time to bring it along on our trip to maui tomorrow--

i tried forever to get a smaller spirograph in the center of the larger on in the front, but the white seamstress tracing paper just wouldn't work (i think there was a ridge or seam in the hat that was keeping the white tracing paper stuff from showing up)

anyway, so i fell back on something i do quite a bit: i made a patch. i embroidered a small spirograph onto a piece of black fabric, then cut it out and used both a "heat and bond" type of thing to fuse it to the hat, and i also put a few stitches to help secure it. (i think the edges of the fabric, which i left alone, will eventually fray, and i'm cool with that).

ok, so here it is, bad lighting and all: