Gingerbread Houses by Meg Hawkey

Lollipop trees to candy cane doorways... embroidery doesn't get any sweeter than this! These colorful, hand-stitched look linework Gingerbread Houses by Crabapple Hill feature the technique of crayon tinting to make the designs pop.

In an interview with artist Meg Hawkey, we asked her how she came up with the unique idea of crayon tinting for embroidery:

"Crayon tinting has been used with embroidery for a long time. I’m always on the lookout for vintage embroidery when I’m antiquing. Many things were crayon tinted in the 40’s and 50’s. Most were children's images of dogs, cats, bunnies etc., and I thought there had to be a way to use the technique in a little more adult and “artsy” way. It really fills the images in and highlights things well. It doesn’t have to be dark and garish either. It’s amazing how very lightly colored areas will “pop” with the embroidery around the edges. I’m crazy about the lollipop trees in the churchyard. When they’re crayon tinted they really do look transparent, cool!"