I have lately been hearing a lot about embossed embroidery designs. In such a design it is the area surrounding a letter or name that is covered with thread rather than the letter or name itself. When a plush fabric such as terry cloth or fleece is compressed by the stitching, the unstitched area inside pops out in contrast.
This type of design often has a very high stitch count, as the fill for the background area is fairly dense. Satin stitches around the perimeter and the edge of the inner design add even more stitches. I have seen designs for the 100 x 100 mm hoop that have more than 10,000 stitches. The look is lovely, but I wanted something quicker.
Once again, I turned to the contour fill pattern my digitizing software offers. I started with a tall hexagon and added a monospace font. (Monospace means that each letter is the same width. Since the hexagons are all the same width I thought the letters should be, too.) I named the alphabet Contour Cut-Outs since the letters appear to be cut out from the contour fill with scissors.
I just had to play with the variegated threads I love. The KCS design is stitched with a Robison-Anton thread and the CAB with Superiors Rainbows. I prefer the all-over color of my initials but many others (including my friend KCS) prefer the look of the bands created by the longer intervals of color.
I also tried the Superior thread on white terry cloth. Since I forgot to use a soluble topper for the embroidery, the loops peek through the embroidery, but it still gives a very nice look. The tone on tone version shown with it isn't quite as bold.
Here is Lacy enjoying her fleece awning. I arranged her name and stitched it in the diagonal corner of the fleece. What better home can a cat want? To embellish a similar blanket (for pet or human), fold one corner diagonally and lightly mark the fold. Use a ruler to mark a centering line perpendicular to the first, making sure the space is wide enough for the design you have arranged. If you prefer, you can print a template and use that for determining the position for your design. Stitch and enjoy.
Seeking feedback, I shared my new alphabet with a few friends. One of them suggeted that a rectangular block would also be nice. It does give a very different look, doesn't it? I named this version Contour Cut-Outs Rectangle.
Both alphabets are available 35 and 45 millimeters wide. The rectangular blocks are about twice the width in height and the hexagons are slightly taller. I kept the blocks small so that a reasonable number of letters can fit in a hoop. Six 35mm or five 45mm letters will fit in a 240mm wide hoop. (If there is enough interest in larger blocks, I will be happy to create them later on.)
In addition to upper case and lower case letters, numbers and punctuation, I also include a club, a diamond, a heart, a spade and a flower. A pound sign (#) will allow fun embellishment for guest towels: #1, #2, etc. will help your guests identify the towels they used.
Click here to view the complete collections. You can also download a sample letter and a guide to using this alphabet.