Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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Sometimes, photos of needlework can be the best source of inspiration for me. When I see a beautiful piece of needlework in a photo, it makes me..... well. It makes me want to DO something - to make something beautiful! But the fact o' the matter is, there just aren't enough hours in the day, days in the week, weeks in the year to do all the needlework things I'd like to do! Do you ever feel that way? So, often, I content myself with looking at pictures. And along those lines, here are some photos of magnificent examples of Schwalm whitework embroidery.

These first two pieces belong to a friend, Joey, who helped Luzine Happel with the translation of two of her Schwalm embroidery books, Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework and Fancy Hems.



This first piece is a teacloth embroidered by Luzine. Isn't it gorgeous? You can click on the photo for a closer view of it. The stitching is so stunning! Check out the variety of filling stitches!



This second piece is a decorative pillow, with the Schwalm work covering a red pillow - which makes the whitework stand out beautifully. I had not considered finishing a whitework pillow this way, with a contrasting fabric behind the whitework, but it makes all the sense in the world if you really want to show off the whitework. Again, you can click on the photo for a larger version.



The books above are published by the Museum der Schwalm in Germany. The books are a kind of photographic journal of the pieces that have been featured in the museum's displays. Talk about inspiration!



Here's one piece featured in one of the books. Pretty, isn't it? I don't know if it's exactly "traditional" Schwalm embroidery as far as design goes - the design seems a bit more contemporary. I like it a lot!



A lampshade! I think I would love to have this in my house... but I can't help wondering if it would stay this pristine? I'd feel obliged to put it under glass to keep the Kansas dust off it!

Yep, I do love to browse through these types of books!! They goad me into doing something with my needle and thread.

A Give-Away!

Now, speaking of Schwalm work (again), I'd like to give away another book. Joey sent me a copy of Fancy Hems, but since I already have one, I thought it would be a good opportunity to put this excellent book into some other keen stitcher's hands.

You can read my thorough review of Fancy Hems here on Needle 'n Thread, to see what the book is about. Note that it's not just for stitchers interested in Schwalm whitework. Anyone interested in drawn thread or pulled thread embroidery will find this book useful and instructive.



If you'd like to win this copy of Fancy Hems, here's how the give-away works:

Leave a comment below (on this article, on the website - not via e-mail or on other posts), answering the following question:

If you could launch into a Schwalm project right now, assuming you have the materials and instructions at hand, what would you make?

Make sure you leave a name, even if you use the "anonymous" feature when posting your comment. I'll draw for a winner on Wednesday, October 28th, by 5:30 am.

Best of luck!

Labels: Book Give-Away, needlework pictures, pictures, regional embroidery techniques, Schwalm, whitework

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, October 26, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, October 12, 2009
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Just to convince you that I do still pick up a needle and thread now and then and do some stitching, I thought I'd give you an update on the Schwalm embroidery project I'm working on. The project comes from Basic Principles of Schwalm Embroidery by Luzine Happel, and although it seems as if I began the project a hundred years ago, I haven't gotten very far on it! So, to make up for the lack of noteworthy progress in stitching, I think I'll throw in a give-away!

First, the Schwalm whitework project! I've managed to get through the first two steps on one side of the square in the middle of the teacloth.



Woe is me! I know that looks just awful - a wrinkled mess! I don't want to iron it until I've finished the stitching and washed it because the transfer marks might set.

So far, I've outlined in coral stitch and I've done all the buttonhole scallops and wheels.

Not very impressive. *sigh*



I worked this mostly in hand (without a hoop). I think this lends to the general wrinkled appearance of the linen!

When working the buttonhole scallops, at first I progressed without a hoop, and it went ok, but I found it wasn't so easy to manipulate that much fabric while trying to work the scallops. I ended up wadding the linen up in one hand while stitching with the other.



Eventually, though, I decided to hoop the project up for the rest of the scallops and wheels. Stitching the scallops with a hoop seemed much easier!



I enjoyed stitching this part of the project. If I had all four sides of the square done, it would've been nice to keep going and going on buttonhole scallops and circles. It's a fun stitch! But my design has faded too much on the other three sides of the square, so I can't really do anything on those parts until I re-transfer the design.

So that's my progress right now on this project.

Now, for a give-away!

Thanks to Joey, who sent me an extra copy of Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework, I am offering this book to an interested reader who wants to try (or improve upon) techniques of Schwalm embroidery. Schwalm is a beautiful form of whitework, and the stitches learned in the technique can be widely applied to other embroidery styles.

If you're interested in owning your own copy of this superb book, leave a comment below (on this post, on the website) letting me know you're interested in the book. Please make sure you sign your name to the comment, even if you use the "Anonymous" feature.

The give-away deadline is Monday, October 12, 2009, at 5:30 am CST.

If all goes as planned tomorrow, I'm going to spend Friday evening making some serious progress on this piece! I want to get to the point of drawing out the threads for the center fillings - wish me luck!

Labels: Book Give-Away, needlework pictures, pictures, regional embroidery techniques, Schwalm, whitework

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, October 08, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, September 28, 2009
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To celebrate the (upcoming) end of the series of Long and Short Stitch Shading lessons, I'm giving away one of Trish Burr's books!

You might be thinking, "But the lessons haven't ended yet, because we haven't seen the final leaf!" And, you know, you would be right in thinking that! The final lesson will be up soon. But I thought we could gear up for it with one give-away, and then follow up with a second give-away once the lesson is posted.

(Do you get the feeling that I think it's worth celebrating the end of this series?!)

Now that you have the basics of long & short stitch shading down and hopefully feel more confident in tackling needlepainting projects, you need a good book with plenty of projects and further (and better) instructions within! Trish Burr's books are just that - full of beautiful projects and excellent instruction.

Bonnie, a very kind reader, sent me a copy of Trish's book, Crewel & Surface Embroidery: Inspirational Floral Designs, in case I wanted to use it for a give-away. Her timing was absolutely perfect - I received the book just at the beginning of this week, and I'm so happy to be able to pass a copy on to a lucky reader! Thank you, Bonnie!



I've posted a thorough review of Trish Burr's Crewel & Surface Embroidery previously, and you're welcome to read it to see what the book is about. I think you'll find it a wonderful and inspirational resource.

To join the give-away, please follow these instructions:

1. Leave a comment on the website at the end of this post. Comments sent via e-mail and left on other posts can't be included, so if you're reading this via the e-mail newsletter, click on the title of the article, which will take you straight to the post on the website, where you can leave your comment.

2. In your comment, please include a name. You may post anonymously if you don't have a Blogger account, but please at least sign your comment so I can announce a winner who has a name.

3. Answer the following question in the post:

When you stitch a design from a book, do you stick rigidly to the author's designs, instructions, color choices, and so forth? Why or why not?

If you haven't ever stitched a design from a book, do you imagine yourself as the type of person to follow rigidly the author's instructions, or would you be the type of person who would branch out and try your own interpretation? Why or why not?

4. The deadline for this give-away is Monday, September 28th at 4:30 am US CST, so leave your comment before then! I'll announce the winner on Monday.

5. The give-away is open to all. Should the winner live in a different country, I will mail the book the least expensive method, and please understand that I cannot be responsible for any difficulties with international mail.

Good luck!

Labels: Book Give-Away, long and short stitch, needlepainting, Trish Burr

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, September 24, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, September 07, 2009
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Would you like your own copy of Jane Nicholas's new book, Stumpwork Medieval Flora? Then you're in the right spot, because...

... I'm giving one away! To read all about this beautiful embroidery book that focuses on medieval flora in stumpwork, you can visit my review of Stumpwork Medieval Flora.



Stumpwork, though a more advanced embroidery technique, is accessible even for beginners. It utilizes many of the same surface embroidery stitches we see in other embroidery techniques.

This book is written for the needleworker who has ventured into stumpwork already. While the instructions are detailed enough for the novice, they are not necessarily written with the beginner in mind.

Still, if you are a beginner, don't let this deter you! If you've been inspired by stumpwork and have found yourself wanting to try it, this book will become a source of inspiration and motivation.



My favorite parts of each of the stumpwork designs are the bugs. It isn't often that I call bugs "beautiful," but these critters really are just that!

So, if you want a chance to win a free copy of Jane Nicholas's new books, do join the give-away. Here are the particulars:

1. Leave a comment on this article, on the website (responses via e-mail or on other posts are not eligible).

2. In your comment, answer the following question:

What do you find most fascinating about stumpwork embroidery?

3. The contest ends Monday, September 7th, at 5:00 am CST. Check back on Needle 'n Thread on Monday, September 7th, when I will announce the winner. The winner will have to contact me within 48 hours with a mailing address, so don't forget to check back to see if you are the lucky winner!!

Good luck!

Labels: Book Give-Away, stumpwork

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, September 04, 2009
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Here's a little give-away that spans a few historical styles of needlework. It's not a huge, multi-item give-away, but in itself, it's rather meaty. We've got 17th century embroidery, 18th - 19th century Quaker-style sampler needlework, and finally, surface embroidery from the 19th / early 20th century - all in one give-away!. Hey, what more could you want??! (Rhetorical question!)

I thought it would be fun to group together some embroidery items by era and style and give them away to someone interested in all kinds of embroidery! And, if you're only interested in one thing represented here, I suppose the rest would make good gifts to other needleworking friends.



It's an odd mix of needlework-related goods, actually...



First, representing the 17th century, I've selected four blank cards from the Plimoth Plantation Jacket notecards. These are nice cards, printed on quality paper, and featuring up-close photos of motifs embroidered on the Plimoth Jacket. The four cards each feature a different motif, so you'll probably have a hard time deciding which to keep and which to give away! They'd make great birthday cards, thank you notes, or what-have-you for anyone interested in textiles. You can view the designs on all the cards on Thistle Threads. 10% of each purchase of the box of cards goes to the support of the Jacket Project.



Representing the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in the style of Quaker samplers, here's the Ackworth school memory book. This is a nifty little book where you can record your stitching. It has a zipper pocket in it, and various sleeves and pages for affixing stitch samples and so forth, as well as areas for writing commentary, some card threadwinders to cut out and use, some postcards that can be cut out and sent through the mail, and even little stitch diagrams for Quaker motifs. Neat little book! You can see inside the memory book on Needleprint, which is the publisher of the book. I happened upon a special on these not a year ago, so I picked a couple up, thinking they'd make good gifts.



And, moving into the late 19th and early 20th centuries, we've got a pre-printed vintage linen (in fairly good shape). These are from the box of linens and threads I wrote about the other day.



And two skeins of M. Heminway & Sons silk. If you've been itching to see this silk up close, here's your opportunity to get your hands on some!



The skeins are in fairly good shape - still braided with tags - but you can see that the pink is having a bad hair day. Still, it's usable, and it's beautiful!

Needlework Giveaway Participation Guidelines

To participate in the giveaway, please leave a comment below this post on the website. If you're reading this in your feedreader or in the e-mail newsletter, just click on the title of the article, and that will take you straight to the website!

In your comment, please leave a name. If you comment annonymously, please make sure you sign a name inside the comment box before you submit it!

In your comment, please answer the following question:

What's your favorite style and / or era of embroidery and why?

I'll draw for a winner on August 14th at the end o' the day, and I'll let you know on the 15th who won. The winner will then need to contact me with a postal address. If for some reason contact isn't made, I'll re-draw for a new winner.

Thanks for participating!

Labels: Book Give-Away, historical needlework, linen, pictures, stash contest, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, August 10, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, January 30, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, October 27, 2008
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, October 26, 2008
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Heirloom Embroidery by Jan Constantine is a pretty book, and it's packed full of projects for the hand embroiderer. Here's your opportunity to add this book to your collection for free, with my book give-away. Let me tell you a little about the book and show you some photos...

Heirloom Embroidery isn't quite the book you might think it is when you read the title. When I hear "heirloom embroidery," I think of vintage linens, Victorian whitework and lace, embroidered christening gowns, and so forth - embroidery projects that are certainly gorgeous, but technically more difficult and time consuming.

When you see the cover of the book, you'll realize this isn't quite the type of heirloom embroidery we're talking about!



The book is full of great little (and some big) projects taht are accessible to any level of embroiderer.



For example, here's a colorful fleece scarf pattern - what a great gift this would make for the upcoming holidays! The author provides a list of materials, clear instructions, and all the finishing techniques.



Inside the book, you'll find the instructions for the strawberry sachet featured on the cover.



Speaking of Christmas and the holidays, you'll find several Christmas-oriented embroidery projects, from these snowflake hearts...



... to appliqued and embroidered reindeer and dove pillows...



...to a cozy Christmas stocking.



But don't think all the projects focus on winter. There are plenty of projects perfect for spring decor, like this tablecloth.

You'll also find plenty of seashore scenes - lighthouses, shells, boats. You'll find dragonflies and bugs and flowers and even a trout worked in a style reminiscent of free-style blackwork.

Besides thorough instructions for each project, a materials list, finishing techniques, and so forth, you'll find a stitch glossary in the back of the book.



In short, the book has everything you need (except the actual supplies and your own stitching time!) to create many projects that are certain to be family heirlooms.

It's a nice book - I like it a lot! And the projects are, again, accessible to all levels levels of embroiderers.

I thought I'd give you the opportunity to enjoy the book, too - so, to enter this give-away, leave a comment below! Tell me why you'd be interested in having the book, and include a name in your comment! I'll draw a winner by random number on Monday morning, October 27th, at 5:00 am CST.

The give-away is open to anyone, anywhere! Thanks for participating!

Labels: Book Give-Away

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, September 19, 2008
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, September 19, 2008
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I happen to have an extra copy of a pretty nice book that I think you might want (for you - or maybe as a gift for someone else?)... so I thought I'd do a little give-away and ask you a Very Important Question!

The book is Trish Burr's recently published Crewel and Surface Embroidery book, which I've reviewed here on Needle 'n Thread.



This is a gorgeous book! And if you've wanted to tackle long-and-short stitch shading but are perhaps intimidated by the techniques, this book will help you overcome your intimidation. The floral projects are arranged in order of ease, from beginning to advanced. For more details on the book, feel free to read my review.

Now, to be eligible to win, you have to answer a question in the comment section below. To do this, you scroll down to the bottom of this post (on the website, not on the newsletter) and click the link that says "Click to Comment" under the "Posted by" information.

The question is posed by Trish Burr this time, not by me. It isn't too often that, as a consumer, you get a chance to give input on what you'd like to see in a book, but here's your opportunity. Trish is gearing up for a new book, and she's exploring two options:

1. Needle Painting Basics:
This would be a guide to stitching flowers, birds, animals, people etc. How to direct your stitches for the different type of motifs, how to choose the right picture for reproduction etc etc. It would be aimed at the beginner and beyond but might also be helpful to the advanced needleworker.

OR

2. Color blending for Embroidery:
This would help the reader to choose color combinations for shading in embroidery. It would be made up of sections on each color e.g. red, blue, yellow etc and each section would show a number of combinations that could be used for each color scheme from the color chart. The idea behind it would be that the reader would learn to enhance their needle painting (or any other needlework projects) by the correct use of color. The color combinations would be visual and listed by number so that they could refer to it for future projects, and the book would contain sample projects worked in various color combinations. The book would apply to long and short stitch, but also to other techniques where shading and color blending are required.

The question is: which would you prefer, and why? or which do you think general audiences would prefer and why?

Leave a comment below, and your name will be entered for the drawing, which will take place next Friday (September 19) at 4:00 am (the deadline). The drawing is open to all readers around the globe.

It's probably not too often that you can give input on a book and voice your preference! So speak up - don't be shy.

Labels: Book Give-Away, needlepainting, Trish Burr

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, September 12, 2008
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A little late on this one - I should have posted the winner yesterday morning! Whoops! Well... I know you're just dying to hear, so ....

Last Saturday, I posted a give-away for the book Wool Felting Workshop. It's a cute book - it doesn't get into the nitty-gritty of real felting, but rather it concentrates on working with wool felt in a variety of ways. Felting, I think, is touched on, but it isn't the focus. The focus is stuff you can make with felt.

This time, I tried something different. I counted the number of posts that were entries, and went to a random number generator, took the generated number and counted down the number of comments that were entries (so, I had to skip one comment, as it wasn't an entry.)

This is the number that was generated (no comment on ill luck!):



Yep, it's a 13. If you count down 13 entry comments, then, you'll see that the winner is... Mary Grace McNamara (MGM)!! And so, MGM, congratulations - please contact me with your shipping address, and I'll send that book to you!

I'm thinking about a stitch dictionary this weekend - I haven't quite convinced myself to let it go, as I could reasonably give it as a gift.... or just keep it, and hoard it, because I like it so much.... BUT.... I have duplicate copies of A-Z of Embroidery Stitches 2, and I was thinking..... aaaaack.

Isn't it hard to part with things we Really Like? Even if we have more than one of them? But I think it would make an appropriate give-away for a book on here! And of course, there's always the argument that the gift means more when it's harder to give.

But there's that little wicked selfish side of me that's saying "nooooooooooo, it's Mine...." I guess you'll have to check tomorrow to see what side wins out!

Labels: Book Give-Away

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, August 15, 2008
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This week's book give-away is for a book on wool felting and crafts made with wool felt. Some of the projects in the book include a bit of needlework, some are cute and funny, some are funky and cool, some are household decor, and some are functional clothing-related projects.

Wool Felting Workshop by Vivian Peritts looks like a fun book for anyone interested in making all kinds of things with wool felt. There are heaps of projects featured in the book, from penguins out of wool felt, to sweaters, to pillows, to fish pot holders. The neat thing about any of the projects is that you can personalize them by adding your own touches pretty easily. Felt is fun to work on, takes stitches well, and, in general, is a pretty hearty fabric.



Here's the cover. The book is brand-spanking new - never used, except for browsing through it. If you look up Wool Felting Workshop on Amazon, you'll see it sells for just over $10 new.



I have to admit, I think the penguin is Pretty Darned Cute.



And here's the fish pot handle holder, but I think it could be adapted to all kinds of purposes.... maybe, with a little creativity, it could be made into a pencil case. (I have pencil cases on my mind right now - part of the reason is that school's coming up again, and the other part is that my niece and I are working on a pattern). Anyway, the fish is embroidered - all the accents and the edges are done with different embroidery stitches.

So, that's the book, and here's the deal on the give-away. Like I mentioned last week, I'm trying to reduce my bookshelf content. I have too many books that I just don't use - and probably never ever will. Many of them were given to me (not purchased by me), and the ones I'm passing on, for the most part, are brand new. I have no more room for books! And my shelves are bowing. Argh.

SO - one lucky winner, picked by random draw, will get this book! All you have to do is leave a comment below, on the subject of wool felting.

The contest ends at 4:00 am on Thursday, August 14 (Central Time, US).

Overseas readers are welcome to participate - I'll send the book the cheapest air rate possible. For domestic mail, I'll send it book rate. If you do leave a comment, do be sure to check back on Thursday for the winner. If I don't hear from the winner by the end of the day Friday, I'll draw another name. Please make sure you leave a name with your comment!

How to comment: scroll to the bottom of this page (on the website - not on the newsletter!) and click on the "click to comment" link. You can choose to post anonymously, but please sign a name to the comment!

If you win, please contact me with your mailing address...!

I mailed out all kinds of stuff today - one of the quilt books from last week's book give-away, July's stash contest (A little late! Sorry, Chrissy!), and some GST. Trips to the post office are not as fun as receiving mail, I guess, but... still, it's good to get the things on their way. I hope the recipients find them delightful!

Have a great weekend!

Labels: Book Give-Away

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, August 09, 2008
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, August 07, 2008
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In an effort to save my bookshelves from bowing under the weight of the books that I've accumulated over the years, I'm going to start giving away needlework and craft books that I don't use. Many of these books relate to hobbies or needlework crafts different from the ones I normally focus on - and a lot of the books were given to me, so ... I figure I'll just pass them on to someone who wants them! So here's the first of what will certainly be many give-aways, if people like the idea!

The book featured this week is called Blue Ribbon Quilts by Linda Causee and Rita Weiss. If you like quilting, methinks you might like the book! They're both brand-spanking new.



As you can see, I have two copies! So, I'm giving both away, to two winners.



The book features full-sized quilts and wall hangings. The projects include a photo of the finished piece, patterns for cutting, and information on assembly techniques.



There are some really neat projects in the book. I kind of like the oceanic one. This might have something to do with the fact that it's 102 degrees here and I haven't seen a large body of water in over a year!

So - the details -

Leave a comment below, on this post, answering the question "Why do you want this book?" To leave a comment, you need to be on the Needle 'n Thread website (not in the feedreader or daily newsletter). Click on the link below this post, where it says "Click to Comment."

The give-away ends Thursday morning at 4:00 am US Central Time. If you haven't commented by then, I won't be able to draw your name!

I'll announce the winners on Thursday, at which point the winners must contact me with a mailing address. If I don't hear from the winners within two days, I'll pick other names.

The books will be mailed the least-expensive rate. For overseas readers, I will mail them air mail, if possible - it depends on the weight of the book. In most cases, they should go airmail, but if not, I'll notify you.

I plan to run these give-away posts as secondary articles on Needle 'n Thread, until I've dispersed all the books I don't want. The give-aways won't replace regular content, I hope! It'll be a bit challenging to keep up the pace, but - who doesn't like a challenge now and then? If I fold under the pressure, I suppose you'll know right away!

Have a great weekend!

Labels: Book Give-Away

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, August 02, 2008
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