A little over a year ago, I was shopping at Ikea and saw a circle on a stick on a stand. I know the intention for it is that it sits by itself as a decoration, but in my crafty mind, I knew one day I’d find a better use for it. It sat, all lonely in its box until I was paired up with @sonjaboo for the Flat Rate Box Swap. She is a bee mama and immediately I knew I needed to make her this:
The bee is modeled after a white-tailed bumblebee. He is embroidered on two pieces of tulle which I stabilized with DMC Magic Paper. After he was complete, I soaked in water to remove the magic paper from around the embroidery and dried it blocked so it would be as smooth as possible. Then I cut the tulle and fastened it with embroidery floss to match the hoop before weaving in some fiber that I was gifted from JoyfulClover. It was difficult to keep the back as neat as possible and not go outside of the bee outlines at all. Otherwise, the floss would show through the back.
I doubt I would have seen the creative potential in that IKEA decoration, but I’m so glad you did! This is perfect for your circle on a stick on a stand! Seriously, what a great way to display this bee. The details are amazing and the purple woven fiber is a beautiful finishing touch!
Wow, even more impressive now that I’ve read how you made it. It is gorgeous! I love that you were shopping and saw a finished item and thought, “oooh, I could make something with that!”
This is superb! I honestly can’t pick a favourite part The bee suspended in the air is genius, and the purple fibre around the outside is just beautiful It makes me think about a bee hovering over a hydrangea
I am absolutely in love with this! You did a flawless job of hiding your stitching beginning/ending and keeping the bee clean and neat. The weaving around the edge adds such a lovely, plush texture!
Thank you so much, everyone! I was so delighted with how this bee turned out. I actually took a trip to Ikea today and was disappointed that they don’t have the circle on a stick on a stand anymore. I was going to buy a few more!
I love this so much. The bee is incredible and i love the way it is almost flying. I love the beautiful colors too. Everything about this is perfection…