Stitching through the alphabet
Welcome to the ABC Stitch Along Review page! As we work on stitching through the classic Penguin & Fish ABC Animals Collection, we'll be updating this page with our finished blocks. We will also include links to the YouTube playlist from that block and any other resources mentioned, such as special techniques used. Feel free to click on any of the finished pattern images below to purchase that pattern.
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Aa - Alligator
We kicked off the ABC Stitch Along with the Alligator pattern. This pattern was stitched the week of January 31 - February 4, 2022. We stuck to the colors and stitches suggested for the original pattern and filled in the letters 'Aa' with satin stitch. This pattern actually features two A animals, the alligator and the albatross birds. Watch the Live stitch along replay below!
Buy the A - Alligator iron-on pattern
Bb - Butterfly
The Butterfly pattern was stitched the week of January 7-11, 2022. For this pattern we tried a fun new technique called Color Tinting, or fabric coloring. Using colored pencils, we shaded the butterfly and letters prior to stitching to add a new dimension of color. Click here to read more about color tinting. Watch the Live stitch along replay below!
Buy the B - Butterfly iron-on pattern
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Cc - Cat
This fun Cat pattern was stitched the week of February 28 - March 3, 2022. We chose our own fun colors and made the cat grey with orange stripes. Then, I filled the 'Cc' letters in with satin stitch. The "Marew" word in this pattern can be replaed with whatever sound your cat makes! This is the kind of meow my parent's cat made while I was designing this pattern. Watch the Live stitch along replay below!
Buy the C - Cat iron-on pattern
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Dd - Dog
We stitched the Dog pattern the week of March 7-10, 2022. Although we stuck with the original colors for this pattern, we mixed up a couple of the detail pieces on the dog's collar. First, we stitched the collar in a crosswise satin stitch to make it look like a woven collar. Then, we pulled out the Nishikiito metallic embroidery floss for the decorative French knots on the collar, and it turned out so fun! It looks like real bling. Watch the Live stitch along replay below!
Buy the D - Dog iron-on pattern
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Ee - Elephant
We stitched up the Elephant pattern the week of April 4-8, 2022 and added some fun touches to this one! Someone suggested we do turkey work for the tail, and this stitched turned out perfect as an elephant tail. We also switched the flower that the elephant is holding to a sunflower. We were able to quilt this block in the same week as well. I love how the little flowers turned out. Catch up on the elephant stitching by watching the Live stitch along below!
Buy the E - Elephant iron-on pattern
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Ff - Fox
The Fox embroidery pattern was stitched the week of April 11-14, 2022. For this pattern, we tried to stick with the colors and stitches on the original pattern, but did mix it up by using French knots for the letters. This fox pattern uses the chain stitch as an embroidery fill stitch for the end of the tail and on the head. In the stitch along, we did both the forward and reverse chain stitch method. Catch up on the fox stitching by watching the Live stitch along below!
Buy the F - Fox iron-on pattern
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Gg - Giraffe
The Giraffe embroidery pattern was stitched during the week of May 2-6, 2022. We tried some fun types of stitches with this pattern, including different ways of satin stitch, turkey work, and a whipped backstitch for the letters. If you look closely at the giraffe's spots, you'll see that the satin stitch is done in multiple direction. This gives a fun texture to the giraffe. We also used turkey work for the tail again. Catch this quick preview of how I did it over on TikTok. Watch the full giraffe stitch along Live replay below!
Buy the G - Giraffe iron-on pattern
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Hh - Hedgehog
The Hedgehog embroidery pattern was stitched the week of May 9-13, 2022. We stitched this hedgehog with a lighter brown than the original pattern shows. We also gave the hedgehog green eyes and a sweet pink nose! The letters are filled in with the chain stitch, and we quilted "chain stitch" style loops around the hedgehog to make it look like a little sweater stitch. Catch up on the Hedgehog stitch along below!
Buy the H - Hedgehog iron-on pattern
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Ii - Inchworm
This fun Inchworm embroidery pattern was stitched May 31-June 3, 2022. We stuck to the same colors from the original pattern, but did choose different shades for some of the colors as we went along. Thanks to the suggestion of a Live viewer, we also added the whipped backstitch to the outline of the worm's body. This gives the worm a neat textured look. Lastly, we filled in the letters with a longer satin stitch, to mimic the satin stitch colors on the worm's body. Catch up on the Inchworm stitch along below!
Buy the I - Inchworm iron-on pattern
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Jj - Jellyfish
The Jellyfish embroidery pattern was stitched June 6-9, 2022. This pattern is loaded with French knots so we spent some time during the Live stitch along to talk about how to do this stitch, including the three things you may be doing wrong if your knots don't quite look right. We also used our small embroidery floss scraps to satin stitch the 'Jj' letters. We even combined two floss colors together at times to give an ombre effect. Catch up on the Jellyfish stitch along below!
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Kk - Koala
The Koala is a community favorite and was stitched July 11-15, 2022. We had fun with colors while stitching this pattern! Using a technique where we combined multiple colors to create one strand (for example, 2 blue strands and 1 purple), we gave this koala pattern a fun new texture. The eucalyptus branch and Kk letters also used a combination of colors and were stitched with the back stitch to fill in the space, placing the rows of stitches right next to one another - this is sometimes called brick stitch. Catch up on the Koala stitch along below!
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Ll - Lion
The Lion was stitched July 18-21, 2022. The bulk of the time spent on this pattern was put into creating the mane for the lion. We decided to give some extra floof to this guy through the turkey work stitch. By going around the face a couple of times with turkey work, we were able to create this fun, fluffy mane. We used scrap embroidery threads to get the rainbow effect which also used up a bunch of scrap floss - win-win! Catch up on the Lion stitch along below!
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Mm - Monkey
The Monkey was stitched August 1-4, 2022. We stuck with neutral colors for the monkey and used basic stitches to complete his look. A simple satin stitch brings the banana to life, and a long satin stitch gives that satin-like finish to the 'Mm' letters. The M - Monkey marks the half way point of the ABC Animals! Catch up on the Monkey stitch along below!
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Nn - Newt
This sweet Newt was stitched August 8-12, 2022. We had fun playing with colors for this pattern. We made our newt purple with pink, grey and cream spots. We also went over the 3 things you may be doing wrong with a French Knot in the beginning of video 2. The Nn letters are stitched with satin stitch in two different colors. Catch up on the Newt stitch along below!
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Oo - Owl
The Owl was stitched August 6-9, 2022. We embraced a sunset theme with the colors on this pattern. Both the French knots in the owl's belly and the letters below it are stitched with an ombre effect. The Penguin & Fish colors used for this were: Bumblebee, Tiger Lily, California Poppy, Garden Rose, and Lilac Season. Catch up on the Owl stitch along below!
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Pp - Pig
The Pig was stitched August 12-16, 2022. This simple pattern was calling for more, so when someone in the Livestream suggested we add wings, it was an immediate yes! We filled in the wings and the letters at the bottom with a long and short stitch in white, then traced them with a light blue backstitch. To add a pop of color, we also put a layered lazy daisy on the back of the pig. We then spruced up the mushroom with a fun new stitch - the drizzle stitch. This created a fun 3D 'boingy' stitch that immitates grass. Catch up on the Pig stitch along below!
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1 comment
Betty
beautiful work and wonderful instructions. we are blessed to have you as our instructor thank you.