When I am not stitching beefcakes, obscenities, or gay things, I have a whole other life. I’m a doctoral student in literature. This year is my first year in twenty-three consecutive years of education not sitting in the classroom as a student. Instead, I am spending the year reading a whole group of books that I will take a grueling exam on in the Spring. This means that I spend a lot of time reading and taking notes. This process, so far, has been awesome. Nonetheless, I knew I couldn’t just let my exam year be like everyone else’s exam year. I needed a bad-ass notebook. Enter my big beefcake notebook. I used the pattern that I made for my beefcake pillows to embroider a beefcake on the notebook I’m taking my queer theory notes in. Studying never looked so sexy!
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How to Store Embroidery Floss
How to Store Embroidery Floss
It is Tuesday, which means that today is How-To Tuesday! Today I’ll show you how to store your embroidery floss so it doesn’t get all tangled and looks like a piece of modern art in your home. How to Store Embroidery Floss Materials Disorganized Embroidery Floss Clothespins Small Number Stamps and Inkpad OR Fine-tip Sharpie Patience Step One Remove the labels of the embroidery floss. Then, you will want to find the middle of the skein and separate it out. When you do it will look like this! Step Two Place your hand through the middle of the loop of embroidery floss. I like your floss bracelet. Step Three Find the end of the floss. Grab a clothespin. Hold the end of the floss to the middle of the clothespin and begin wrapping it around itself. Step Four Wind it! Wind it good! Step Five Keep winding! Step Six Leave a lil’ tail at the end and place it in the pinchers of the clothespin. Step Seven If you only embroider and you don’t care what number DMC assigned to a color, congratulations you can stop there! If you want to always remember what number a color is or if you are an avid cross stitcher where numbers matter, pay attention. Using small number stamps, stamp the number on the handle. You could also use a fine-tip sharpie marker to write this on the clothespin. Step Eight Ta-da! You are done…with this skein! I use a big glass bowl that I picked up at Target for three dollars to store my floss. When put out for all the world to admire it looks really cool. Is it art or is it embroidery floss or [...]
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#inmyhoop
#inmyhoop
Today I am starting another part of the revived Domestigay! In case you haven’t taken the hint yet, I L-O-V-E Instagram. There is something about seeing photos with retro filters and blurs that makes me want to roll all around that! One time a week, I’d like to showcase what I am working on and what other embroiderers are working on. That means all you have to do is tweet or Instagram (is that a verb, yet?) a photo of your current project in your hoop. I’m followin’ ya, by the way. I see how much you are doing this already. Just add the hashtag #inmyhoop! I’ll do a round up each week and see what exciting projects we are all gettin’ stitchy with. Here is mine for this week! What project are you working on?
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Embroidered Moustache Notebook
Embroidered Moustache Notebook
Movember 2012 is almost here! I can’t believe almost a year passed since I had my Movember ‘stache. Since then, I have become much more interested in facial hair and… er… experimented with some facial hair styles that are not moustaches. I also have become much more enlightened about men’s health. With Movember right around the corner, I decided to stitch up some ‘staches on a notebook. While stitching this thing though, I got the only two lines of a song by The Format that I know stuck in my head. ”Does your cat have a moustache? / Does he remind you of me?” Damnit. Now it is stuck there again. If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen me post an early picture of this notebook too! If you aren’t following me on Instagram, you totally should. I’m @domestigay, of course!
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How To Make Your Own Embroidery Tool Case
How To Make Your Own Embroidery Tool Case
Part of the relaunch of Domestigay includes weekly features. I now officially hereby proclaim that Tuesdays shall be known as How-To-Tuesday. Or, How-Tue-Sday. Whichever you prefer. On Tuesdays I will provide you with information on how to do something. So let’s get started with our first How-To Tuesday! Embroidery Tool Case I love embroidery gizmos and gadgets. In fact, I only embroider for the cool tools. Embroidery cases are perfect to hold your needles, scissors, floss, threader, tweezers, and any other treasures that will fit. I love mine because I know where everything is at, and I can grab and go for stitchin’-on-the-run. Sometimes finding the perfect tool case can be a challenge. All the ones that I saw were too feminine or looked like something I should use only when listening to heavy metal (nothing against heavy metal). So, I set out to make my own embroidery tool case and I am quite happy with the results! Materials You will need: A cigarette case (I used this awesome case from SweetHeartSinner Creations on Etsy) Two adhesive craft/photo magnets (preferably pre-cut to 2.5″ x 3.5″ each) Scissors Measure the inside of your cigarette case. If needed, measure and mark the adhesive craft magnets to the size of your cigarette case. Remember! You will need to do this step twice! If needed, cut the adhesive craft magnets on the lines you marked in step two. Remember! You will need to do this step twice! Place the adhesive inside the cigarette case to guarantee it lies flat. Remove the adhesive from the backside of the magnet. Place the magnets (adhesive side down) into the sides of the cigarette case. Place your embroidery tools in the case [...]
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Hey There, Sailor
Hey There, Sailor
Isn’t it wonderful that we live in a country where gay men and lesbians can serve in the military? While there are still a lot of battles to be fought (and won) for queer rights, this is one that we have finally reached enlightenment on. In fact, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” was repealed just over a year ago. The Palm Center just released a study that concludes: The repeal of DADT has had no overall negative impact on military readiness or its component dimensions, including cohesion, recruitment, retention, assaults, harassment or morale. I call this an epic win and obvious. To celebrate, here is a sexy and sassy gay sailor I embroidered. I used backstitch, stem stitch, split stitch, satin stitch, french knots, and some floss blending. There are tutorials to come for all of these! Enjoy this beefcake of a sailor.
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Creative and Inspiring Workspace
Creative and Inspiring Workspace
A creative workspace makes you creative. I didn’t realize this until I moved into my new apartment and found dedicated space to be creative. Today I want to share with you my creative space. Here is where I do a lot of my designing, stitching, writing, and thinking. I love this lil’ corner of my apartment. Creative and Inspiring Workspace for Embroidery I mostly use my workspace for creative ventures in embroidery design, stitching, and creative writing. Here are some of the key features I’ve highlighted and why they make my workspace perfect for me. Tons of Storage & Swatches and WIPs I got this trunk-turned-drawers at the store and fell in love with it. Inside you can find stuff to knit a sweater, embroider ’til you bleed, and tons of different fabric selections. Aesthetically, this has a really masculine and old-timey feel. I kind of want to pack it up and go on a train across the country—ya know if this was the nineteenth century and all. This case also has an awesome bar to hang all my fabric swatches and works-in-progresses (WIPs). Floss Stay tuned for how I store my floss! But you can get a sneak-peek here! Eco-Friendly Bench Recycled Indian Sarai garments weaved into a comfortable bench? Yes, please. Floss Bowl / Cigar Case / American Hunk This stack-o-stuff is where I discard floss and store my larger notions that don’t fit into my travel embroidery case. I use an old cigar case (with Romeo and Juliet on it) as an embroidery box. American Hunk is just a great book that keeps me inspired to embroider sexy beefcakes. Content Schedule Hanging this sucker above my creative workspace always tells me where I am [...]
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Beefcake Towel #1
Beefcake Towel #1
Hey Domestigays! If you are in the United States, I hope you enjoyed your three-day weekend and saluted past and present service people for all their sacrifices and courage. Today I have some quick pictures for you! Beefcake Towels! I recently started to work out (for another big gay project) and stitched this towel up a few months ago for inspiration. Since then, I caught the beefcake bug! I’ve been stitchin’ beefcakes like they are going out of style. Thank goodness they are timeless bodies and poses. Later, I’ll post about my next big gay project and more about gay body types. (pssst! If you are in the knitting group I attend, this is the embroidery I was working on last time I was there!) X X X X X X X X X X Are you on Facebook? Then like Domestigay! Do you tweet? Follow me! (@domestigay) Have an Instagram addiction? See me there, too! (@domestigay) *New Android users, I’m lookin’ at you!* Just tag your stuff #domestigay on Twitter and Instagram or post it to the Domestigay Facebook page to see your stuff on the Domestigay blog! It doesn’t have to be embroidery or gay—just domestic! Get this Beefcake pattern from Sublime Stitching here! Related articles On Why I Need a Friend with a Disposable Income (domestigay.net)
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Crafty Girl
Crafty Girl
When I say, “Crafty Girl” what do you think? I see a woman. In a cape. Brandishing a needle and thread. Running to save the world from destruction. ”Crafty Girl” just sounds like the most bad-ass domestigay super-hero there is, right? Well, that’s what D from Texas embroidered on a tote and tea towel for her crafty-girl friend for the holidays. Check out how awesome these are! And then, D also submitted this non-crafty girl memorabilia that has two too cute monkeys on it! Adorable, right? I think we should start an entire day of “crafty-girl” stuff on domestigay, don’t you? Crafty-girl Wednesdays, perhaps in which I can feature a cute craft or a girl craft like this! It’s pretty bad-ass. Now, let’s hang out and eat bananas like these monkeys for the rest of the day! X X X X X X X X X X X Are you stalkin’ me? Good. I heard that the minute you know you are over is when people quit stalking you! Go ahead, follow me on Twitter (@domestigay), on Facebook (facebook.com/domestigay), and on Instagram (domestigay). I don’t mind! In fact, submit stuff to me on these sites so I can keep domestigay goin’ with featured posts like this one!
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Happy New Year…er… Happy New Day!
Happy New Year…er… Happy New Day!
Well, hello there. Where have you been? Here? You’ve been here, waiting for me to post? Well, I haven’t been here posting. I’ve been on adventures that have taken me from the mitten state (Michigan) to West Virginia to Texas and I’ve finally arrived back at Domestigay headquarters. I’m so sorry, that you’ve been waiting for a post for me for so long. To make it up, I have tons of great posts coming with free stuff for you for that special love day that’s coming up! So, grab a latte and let’s catch up. X X X X X X X X X X X X I finished my first semester in graduate school! Yay! But I couldn’t survive without stitching. So, late one night in my office I procrastinated by stitching. Looking around I realized there was nothing to stitch! *collective gasp* Using some ingenuity and creativity, I give you book-stitching (something I want to do for real now). X X X X X X X X X X X X X Now, remember how I said only one person was getting an embroidered gift this year (cause that’s all I could reasonably do), well here it is! My friend M is Russian and has two Russian tattoos (one says feminist in Russian, the other are nesting dolls). So, now she an embroidered tote of her tattoos! (you can get the pattern from Sublime Stitching here) X X X X X X X X X X X X And that brings us to the great state of Texas! J and I went to Texas. For New Year’s Eve we went to a B-Movie Ball. It was awful. The party was not happening—that is, [...]
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