Stitched Leaf Tutorial

Hey everyone! I'm so excited to share two of my current obsessions right now...Wild at Heart and stitched leaves! 

The Cocoa Vanilla Studio Wild at Heart collection is absolutely gorgeous! I can't stop drooling over it. The florals are outstanding and lately I'm loving adding stitched leaf elements to florals!

Here's how I have been adding some dimension to those gorgeous florals...

First step, draw your leaf with pencil. Then back that part of your cardstock with duct tape. Next, pierce the edges of your leaf, you want your holes to be somewhat close together to get a better fill (this is why you need the duct tape, to support all of those tiny holes!).

Next, about halfway down the middle of your leaf add one hole straight from the tip (point B in the photo). Your first stitch will be from the tip (point A) to point B. 

Now you are ready to start filling in your leaf! Go up through point C, the point parallel to the left of point B. And now down through point D (directly right of your leaf's tip). 

Next you will go up through point E and down through point F. 

This pattern will continue until your leaf is filled completely. Go up through the hole directly below point C, down through the hole directly below D. Now up again directly below point E and down through the hole directly below point F. 

I have relabeled the points for you to make this more clear. Up through A, down through B. Up through C, down through D. Working with the next point each time, quickly your leaf will be full! 

It seems complicated at first, but once you figure out the pattern, it goes very quickly! 

If you want a two toned effect you can easily switch floss colors! 

Now your leaf is ready for a flower! 

If you haven't already, go grab some of this gorgeous collection and save 20% with code Ali!