Last week, I mentioned the new needlebook kit in the series of French Maid Needlebook Kits from Access Commodities, and since it showed up in the mail, I figured I'd show you the insides of the kit.

Even though I'm not usually one for working things in a series - I'm just not a "collector" at heart - this particular needlebook series has really captured my fancy! These are the points that appeal to me about this series: the quality materials (Au Ver a Soie silks, Legacy Linen); the coordination of the needlework part of the kit (threads, fabric, stitching designs) with the reproduction fabric lining; the pretty finishing touches; and the fact that I can adapt the designs from counted work to surface embroidery if I want to.

Of course, if I don't get my you-know-what in gear and get the first needlebook done, I may end up with a stack of boxes on my shelf and no needlebooks to show for it! (More on that later!)



Here's the box the kit came in - you can see it's the third in this series, and it's produced by Access Commodities.



This is the cover design for the needlebook. The picture doesn't do it justice, really - the trim and finishing touches add so much to the needlebook! But still, you get the idea of the overall design of the book here as well as the color scheme.

In contemplating the design, I don't know if I could reasonably adapt the bird to surface work on this fabric. I'll have to think about that one a bit.



I love the creams, browns, and cranberry color scheme here! The silk threads are perfectly coordinated with the lining fabric. Very pretty!



This particular kit has four skeins of Soie d'Alger, one spool of Soie Perlee, ribbons and so forth for the finishing, as well as covered button hardware, lining fabric, Legacy linen for the outside fabric, interfacing for the construction of the book, felt for the needles (and three needles), and all the instructions.



It has a very clear chart for the back cover of the needlebook, too. The initial is again something you have to come up with, but there are plenty of online resources for these cross stitch initials, where you can find them for free. Well - you know me - I'll switch that to an embroidered monogram, anyway.

I purchased this kit (it's my own Christmas present - you know, any excuse!) from the Mad Samplar. It came very quickly, but at the time, they had it in stock. Now, I see it's a special order item, but I suspect that they can get it pretty quickly, if you're interested in the kit, too.

Now, what of the needlebook kit I'm supposed to have finished for Christmas? Um....

When is Christmas?

Labels: counted thread embroidery techniques, embroidery kits, Embroidery Projects, embroidery resources, historical needlework, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, December 23, 2009
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Linen is SLUBBY. There's no way to get around it. Some linens have fewer slubs than others, but linen and slubs just go together. In linen fabric, slubs can be pesky; in linen thread, they can be downright maddening. Well, until you remember it's linen... and slubs and linen just go together...

A slub is a little lump in thread (or yarn or fabric) that develops during the spinning process, when loose fibers get caught up in the thread being spun. "Slub" is a magnificent word. When I hear it, the word "slug" automatically comes to mind. There are two reasons for the connection: 1. slubs look like slugs, in a fibery sort of way; and 2. slubs in thread try my patience and make me want to slug... something, someone, anyone!

But then I remember... slubs and linen just go together.

On my needlebook project, Londonderry Linen thread is used for the edging around the needlebook. Before assembling the book, the instructions require backstitching all around the edge of the needlebook, using black Londonderry Linen thread. Once the mitering is done on the cover of the book, I think I am supposed to go back to those backstitches and work a scalloped buttonhole needlelace in them, using the same thread.

And I don't mind using Londonderry Linen thread! As linen thread goes, I like it a lot.

But if you've never used linen thread, you should prepare yourself for the experience. You should know that slubs and linen just go together.



I backstitched all around the outside edge of the needlebook.

It was a lot like writing with a bloppy pen. You can see where the black stitching is a bit thicker-looking, can't you?



In places like this, for example?



Or in places like these?



See?



This is the culprit. It is a slug. No, no - sorry - it's a slub. And slubs and linen... they just. go. together.

But you know, you can take a stand against slubs. They can be conquered. When I find them on thread, and I see that they are an obvious protrusion from the thread, I take a needle and try to pick them out, or, if it'll work without cutting the thread, I take my scissors and I trim them. I do! And when I find them in fabric, if they interrupt the design and I can do it without damaging the fabric, I carefully pick them out with a needle and tweezers. But you know, sometimes I think I might be damaging the character of the linen.

But if you find that slubs really frustrate you when you're stitching - because on linen thread, they can be frustrating! sometimes they're like pulling a small knot through the fabric! - just calm down and remember that they both (slubs and linen) just go together.

Have you experienced slubs? What do you do about them?

Labels: counted thread embroidery techniques, embroidery kits, Embroidery Projects, linen, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, December 11, 2009
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The little motif on the back of my current project - this embroidered needlebook - is finished. There are some hiccups. Lately, and I don't know why, I always have hiccups in my needlework. Despite them, though, I like the little design on the back. For this part of the needlebook, I adopted part of the counted cross stitch design given in the kit, and then added my own surface stitching to finish the motif. I'll show you my adjustments...

In the original needlebook kit, a cross stitch pattern is supplied for the motif on the back of the needlebook, an urn filled with roses. I kept the urn, though I adjusted the count on it, and then I filled the urn with bullion rose buds and feather stitch and French knot greenery.



This is a distant shot of the urn and flowers. The flowers are one of the hiccups. I wanted them to be in approximately the same place they were plotted on the counted cross stitch chart that came with the kit. But I started them in the wrong place, and things got a bit discombobulated.



The little urn is supposed to be stitched over two threads of fabric. I decided to keep it small and stitch it over one.



At first, at the very base, I went with cross stitch, with one strand of Soie d'Alger, but you know what? It didn't work! The single thread was a bit too thick to manage a whole cross stitch, so after the base, I resorted to tent stitch, which actually worked out ok. In a macro shot, you can really see the stitches, but in person, the stitches are really too tiny to see perfectly, so you get the overall look of the urn just fine, without seeing where the tent stitches didn't quite do the job!

I like the urn a lot, even stitched as it is - half cross stitch, half tent stitch.

The roses bug me a bit, though - but NOT enough to take out and re-do them! I tried to keep them more bud-like, than full-blown roses, and so I started with the long bullion center. For a regular, full-blown bullion rose, it's easier to start with a round center. Anyway, my roses came out a little bit angular. And do you notice something about the drooping bud on the right? It's true, I resorted to two fly stitches around the dark bullion center. Why? Well, it was a combination of factors:

One, I was sick of doing bullions.

Two, I worked one there and it looked awful. I picked it out.

I stitched it again. It still looked silly. I picked it out.

I tried two bullions, overlapping. The didn't fit - they looked heavy and all wrong. I picked them out.

I stitched two fly stitches.



And here 'tis - the embroidery finished on the back. Now, it's quite done - I still have to backstitch around the outside edge (where the basting thread is) in black linen thread. The backstitching will mark and define the edge, and also provide the base for some needlelace scallops around the outside of the needlebook.

I'm not making it through this kit as quickly as I thought I would. This isn't because of the kit so much as it is a matter of having time to really stitch. I'm pleased with the kit so far - I really like it! I'm looking forward to the construction part!

Labels: counted thread embroidery techniques, embroidery kits, Embroidery Projects, Hand embroidery stitches, needlework pictures, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, December 07, 2009
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Last weekend, I showed you the Big Mistake on the monogram on the needlebook I'm presently embroidering. Most of the feedback on the monogram pushed me to fix the problem on the loop of the T. You were all pretty much right! It was bugging me too much to leave it the way it was, so I picked it out and fixed the stitching. I'll tell you a bit about that...

Below, you can see the original "finished" embroidery on the monogram, with the mistake on the upward loop of the body of the T. This really bugged me more than I realized at first.



Do you ever start a project, greatly enthusiastic about it, run into a snag, and find that you lose steam right away because of that mistake? This is what was happening to me with the monogram. I disliked it so much that I found myself losing interest in finishing the project! And that's bad, because not only did I invest a bit in the kit, but I really Like the kit a lot. How could I let a mistake sit there, turning me off the whole piece?

So I finally buckled down and made myself sit down to fix the stitching.



And this is the fix. Much better, I think. I know it isn't exackitackily Perfect, but I'm happy with it now! The funny thing was that I pictured myself spending hours trying to fix this, gritting my teeth in frustration the whole time. In reality, I made a few snips with the scissors, careful not to cut any of the padding threads, then removed the stitches back to a reasonable point to work up to the area of The Mistake.

It took me a whole ten minutes to fix the problem.



The moral of the story: from now on, when something in my stitching is bugging me, I will correct it right away. No more pining over mistakes and building them up in my mind as insurmountable errors!

I finished the front of the needlebook in the same sitting as correcting The Mistake. So far, I'm pleased with it, and the more I work it, the more pleasure I get from it. I'm quite twitterpated with this kit!

If you're looking for this needlebook kit, you can order it from The Mad Samplar. It's called "Nichole," and it's one of a series of needlebook kits designed by Roberta Chase and distributed by Access Commodities. There will soon be a fourth one of these kits on the market - but I haven't seen the third one yet. I'm hoping to track it down one of these days to see what it looks like! Has anyone else run across it? I'd love to see a photo.

Dont Forget!

If you haven't signed up for this week's Brazilian Embroidery Give-Away, today's your last chance! I'm drawing a winner tomorrow morning at 5:00 am CST. It's a great opportunity to win a Brazilian embroidery kit, a very nice book, threads, a mesh project bag, and even the right needles! So stop by at the original post, read the instructions for the give-away, and leave a comment before today's over!

Now, on to the back of the needle book!

Labels: counted thread embroidery techniques, Embroidery Projects, embroidery resources, Hand embroidery stitches, needlework pictures, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, December 03, 2009
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There are some hand embroidery kits available on the market today that I like because I like the project itself - and then there are some kits I like because I like the materials. And there are some kits I like because I like the project and the materials - and this is one of the latter. The project enticed me because it is a needlebook. The materials enticed me because of the threads...

I've made several embroidered needlebooks in my life, but I've never been satisfied with my less-than-professional finish. This particular kit, I surmised, would be worth the investment, because I was certain I would learn to make a nice, finished needlebook. That was the first thing that caught my eye about the kit - the look of the needlebook. Once I read the description of the kit, I knew it would be almost a perfect match for me: the threads are Au Ver a Soie's Soie d'Alger, a thread a really love working with!



The name of the kit is "Nicole," and it is a limited edition needlebook kit distributed by Access Commodities. I bought the kit through The Mad Samplar, justifying it for all the reasons above, plus the fact that I could make the needlebook up as a nice gift for Christmas.



The cover of the box doesn't quite display the finished needlebook to its advantage - you can see the finished needlebook on The Mad Samplar website, in their new needlework shop. The description on the website reads:

"This is the second in a series of French Needle Maid Needle Books. The design was inspired by the 18th Century French Reproduction fabric procured for the lining of the needlebook. In 'reverse' fashion, the line and embroidery color choices were based on the fabric..."



I liked the fact that, when I opened the box, everything was wrapped in matching tissue paper. Right off, I figured this was a rather classy kit. And you might be thinking that, for the price tag, it should be classy! I agree... but wait. Look what's in the kit, and then let's talk price again.



So far, so good - instructions abound! There are two sets of instruction for the needlebook: one is a general little booklet that covers the question of constructing the book once it is embroidered; the other focuses on this particular needlebook, and contains specific counts and patterns for the book.



Everything is printed nicely - and this little booklet will be a gem to keep for any future needlebook projects.



The instructions are accompanied by diagrams and are very clear. After reading through both sets of instructions, I did not have any questions about what to do to create the needlebook.



For fabric, the kit contains a piece of 34 ct Wren Wing linen, a piece of cotton lining (the French Reproduction fabric mentioned above), and two pre-cut squares of heavy interfacing.



Included are seven full 5-meter skeins of Soie d'Alger. There's no way the embroidery will require this much thread - it's a generous amount, and a real sell point for me.



There's a full spool of Londonberry Linen thread in black, and a full spool of Soie 100/3 from Au Ver a Soie, in black as well. Also included are two lengths of silk ribbon (pink and black) for finish work, buttons, needle felt, and three needles.



Now, let's get back to the price tag. I surfed around online to get some prices, and added up the retail cost of just these threads. Depending on where you buy them, the threads alone will cost a minimum of $31.45. That's more than half the cost of the kit right there. I'd estimate that the supplies in the kit, retail, would cost me a minimum of $40. Between the designer, the middle-people (the store that sells it and the distributor) there's a balance of $18.50 to be split.

I think that's a pretty good deal, then, for the kit, even if the first look at the price tag made me gasp a bit.

This isn't the type of purchase I would make every day (hahahah - or every month... or probably more than even once a year!) But given my excuses above (yes, yes, I suppose they are excuses!), I'm glad I bought the kit, and I'm looking forward to working it.

One thing I wasn't aware of was that the monogram alphabet does not come with the kit. It is an old Sajou alphabet, and it can be found in a number of places online, I think. I haven't looked for it yet, but it looks familiar. I may even have it in a book somewhere, myself. But, this didn't really both me much, 'cuz guess what??

Oh, I forgot to mention... I'm not stitching this design! ???? What??? I paid that much for a kit, and I'm not even stitching the design that goes with it???!!! That's right - I'm going Surface on this one instead of counted, using my own monogram. I'm going to keep the general look of it, with the stripes down the side, and the little bunch of flowers on the back - but I'm going to work everything in surface stitches. I think the roses are begging for bullions, as are the little buds in the fancy stripes. And the monogram? Well, I haven't decided on stitches for it yet. I'll let you know when I get there! Of course, I'm keeping the color scheme. The colors all work together so well - I would be daft to change them!

So here's another little work in progress. I've started setting up the fabric and basting in the areas for stitching... I'll show you as I go along!

Ok - tell me something! Was it silly of me to pay the price for this kit? What do YOU look for in a kit? Am I NUTS?! (Ok, maybe you shouldn't answer that one!)

Enjoy your Monday!

Labels: counted thread embroidery techniques, embroidery kits, embroidery resources, historical needlework, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, November 16, 2009
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Colbert embroidery is an embroidery technique that combines surface embroidery stitches and counted work in one piece of needlework. It apparently developed in the 19th century, to mimic the embroidered laces (such as Dresden lace) of the century before. It is not so fine as Dresden lace, though - in fact, Colbert embroidery tends to look rather bold and coarse next to the delicate whitework of Dresden lace. And, to boot, Colbert embroidery is usually worked in color.

Colbert embroidery reminds me a lot of the free-form blackwork of the 17th century. Like blackwork from this early era (and unlike most blackwork today), Colbert embroidery is typified by bold lines that make up the predominant design of the piece, while the backgrounds are filled with geometric filling patterns.

Colbert embroidery is not too well-known today - look it up online, and you'll find only a few resources available, some of which have simplified the look of the technique quite a bit. In fact, in its heyday, the technique was quite elaborate and intricate, as can be seen from the samples that are featured in Therese Dillmont's Complete Encyclopedia of Needlework.



The photos in Dillmont's book are black and white, of course, but you can see clearly that Colbert embroidery was a rather "busy" technique. The flowing lines and shapes of flowers, leaves, and so forth were formed by surface stitches or couched braid. Then, within the shapes and over the background fabric, various counted fillings were worked. The technique was used to decorate pillows, mats, and so forth.



The structured, counted filling patterns contrast quite vividly with the flowing lines and curves of the designs. According to Dillmont, Colbert embroidery involves "large designs worked on coarse, transparent material with various filling stitches and braid outlines... The foundation is soft (washed) congress canvas..." and the threads used were actually quite a variety, from cording to stranded and pearl cotton to silk.

Today, Colbert embroidery still exists, and there are even books about the technique, though they aren't very common. Through The Mad Samplar, I picked up one book on the technique at the online needlework retail show that ran last week.



You can see from the cover of the book that the technique has been somewhat simplified. It's quite bold and grand, isn't it?



However, though somewhat simplified compared to the samples in Dillmont, it still reflects the combination of surface stitches in bold designs and geometric background fillings. In the book above, Broderies Colbert, the actual design area is left voided, which makes it somewhat similar to Assisi work.



The voiding of the bold designs is effective, I think. It creates such a stark contrast with the background.

While the book does not go into stitch directions (at all), it does give close up images of different background techniques, which would be a cinch to imitate. The text is in French, dedicated pretty much just to materials lists for the various projects featured in the book - so knowledge of the language isn't entirely necessary, as most of the supplies are pretty straightforward.



In the back of the book are small line patterns that are suitable for enlargement.

When I saw this technique and started reading a bit about it, I made an immediate connection between it and the book Wessex Stitchery, which I've already reviewed.

Wessex Stitchery focuses on a variety of filling techniques - some, admittedly, are probably too busy for Colbert embroidery. But others would serve the technique well, I think.



The photo above is from Wessex Stitchery - and the filling pattern featured there would work for Colbert embroidery, too, I think. The idea of combining Colbert embroidery with Wessex stitchery presents some interesting possibilities.

Colbert embroidery is worked today on Congress cloth, Jobelan or Etamin fabrics - all of which are cotton or blends and resemble canvas more than they resemble fabric. And this means that, in the areas that aren't stitched, you can see through to whatever is behind the fabric.

I am wondering how the technique would work on linen; perhaps the weave would have to be looser to accommodate some of the thicker background motifs. I'm also wondering how the technique would work for, say, a monogram, if the monogram were voided (that is, empty of stitching), but outlined with a surface stitch, and then the background were filled with some of the intricate fillings in the Wessex Stitchery book. A good pillow for a gift? A Christmas stocking? Oh, the possibilities...

And isn't this just the Greatest Thing about embroidery? When it comes to designing or to combining techniques, we really are only limited by our imaginations!

Have you ever tried Colbert embroidery? Do you know of any additional, thorough resources on the technique that you'd like to share with the rest of us? Does this technique appeal to you at all - or do you see any possibilities for combinations or for projects? What are YOUR thoughts?

Thanks for putting up with my ramblings! Have a terrific weekend!

Labels: book review, counted thread embroidery techniques, embroidery books, historical needlework, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, November 13, 2009
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This past weekend, I finished up a little project - some hand embroidered name cards for my nieces' birthday gifts. After a little trial and error, and a wee bit of "I'm-in-a-hurry-and-am-going-to-pull-my-hair-out" frustration, they finished up fine and I was happy with the results.

About a month ago, I reviewed a book on embroidery on perforated cardstock. The book focuses more on the decorative, lacy look you can achieve by cutting the perforated cardstock a number of ways, but it also shows a variety of hand embroidery motifs (mostly in tent stitch or cross stitch) that can be worked on the perforated paper.



Working at night, I found out that this kind of paper-cutting can be addictive. I don't suggest picking up your Xacto knife when you're supposed to be heading to bed! Though I enjoyed the late (late) quiet evenings cutting away the cardstock and watching the patterns emerge, I paid for it the next morning...



The first small pieces came out pretty well, so I decided to embroider my nieces' names on these cards and use them for gift cards.



Before embroidering the names, I had to decide on how I wanted them to look. I charted the names in cross stitch and also in backstitch. At first, I thought it would be fun to try different stitches on the cardstock. Chain stitch would work, I figured, so, using the backstitch design, I set out to work chain stitch on the first card.



I got through the first letter (a capital C) and immediately began taking it out, without even photographing it. Half-way through the take-out, I realized I needed a picture. The chain stitch simply looked too heavy for the paper. I was working with two strands of floss, and didn't like the look of the chain stitch At All. Switching to one strand of floss didn't help - it didn't show up well enough.



One major point of frustration while stitching these was the ability of the thread to snag up on the lacy points of the paper. I knew I had to be careful - I knew this would happen! But my gosh. It happened All The Time. And I swear I was being careful!

Part of my problem, too, was that I was racing the clock. It's never good to work on a delicate project when you're in a hurry!



I ended up cross stitching the names, and was pleased enough with the results. Clare Elizabeth got a middle initial on hers for two reasons: 1. Her first name is short, and it didn't cover much of the center card; 2. (and much more to the point!) I didn't center her first name correctly, and there was no way on God's good earth that I was going to take the whole thing out!

The cards are very light and lacy and pretty. They could be mounted on colored cardstock for a good effect, but I think the gals will appreciate the look of them like this. And since we're talking a 20 and 21 year old, I'm not really worried about the cards being torn to shreds!

I like cutting the paper, but I've learned that it's easier to stitch first and cut later, even though this requires very careful planning and counting.

These would make nice tags for Christmas gifts, for the Very Special people in your life. It's a time-consuming way to go about making a gift tag, but again, for special people or special occasions, I think it would be a really nice touch!

If you're interested in this technique, you can read my review of the book, Broderie et Dentelle sur Carton Perforé, where you'll find purchasing information. This particular cardstock is 22 squares per inch, while most other perforated paper available for stitching is 14 squares per inch. Personally, I like the higher count. The book, by the way, is also available on Amazon France.

Labels: counted thread embroidery techniques, embroider on paper, hand embroidered cards, needlework pictures, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, October 13, 2009
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Last week, I took it into my head to make use of this book on embroidery & perforated paper. I thought I would make a card. You know - one of those "I'll-just-whip-this-up" sort of projects...

As it turned out, it wasn't a quick project at all. I always underestimate things like this. ALWAYS. It used to be that I thought I was an optimist - and being an optimist is a good thing, right? But now I realize it's not optimism at all - it's a gross under-estimation of the speed at which the hands on my clock move. And this gets me into trouble.

The occasion for the card came and went.

And yet, I went ahead and finished the embroidery for the card. Some day, I'll cut out the lacy edge for it.

The design is one of the Quaker motifs available on the Needleprint blog. I picked the colors to match the cardstock I was going to mount the piece on. For thread, I used regular DMC stranded floss, mostly two strands. The count on the perforated paper is about 18 squares per inch, and three strands is too much for the holes - which was evident after I finished stitching the central "flower" in three strands, and found that the paper was trying not to warp. Two strands were perfect.



I like the blue / yellow scheme, and I think the design is neat. But you know what was going through my mind the Whole Entire Time I was stitching this? Any idea?

I was thinking.... "How can I translate this design (and similar designs) into surface embroidery?" And so, I played with it. And later on in the week, if all goes according to some kind of Plan of Sanity, I will share with you my version of the above design, re-structured for surface stitching.



I tried to get a shot where you could see how the three strands of floss started to warp that center area a bit, but I don't think you can really tell in any of the photos.

Sometimes, I kick myself for starting "quick" projects like this, because it takes away from making headway on larger projects that are already starving for time. But in this case, I made a couple discoveries along the way and came up with some ideas that I'll be sharing with you in the upcoming days and weeks. So I don't count this particular "quick (slow)" project as a complete waste of time!

Coming up this week on Needle 'n Thread: the final lesson in long and short stitch shading, a book review for a nice iron-on transfer book (really nice!), some thread talk, TWO give-aways to celebrate the end of the long and short stitch shading lessons, and any other tidbits that may happen to pop up! So do check back in during the week!

Have a jolly Monday!

Labels: counted thread embroidery techniques, embroider on paper, Embroidery Projects, needlework pictures, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, September 21, 2009
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Adhering madly to my philosophy that a little time for needlework is better than no time for needlework, I've made some progress lately using the 15-minutes-for-stitching approach.

I'm still plugging along with the Long Dog Sampler I started last year, and since my last 15-Minute Stitching Update, I've made some ok progress, I suppose. It's time for me to switch this project out, though!

I was supposed to switch it out last week and take up my Schwalm whitework project again, but the truth it, it is much easier to sit down and drop in a few stitches on this sampler, than it is to situate myself with the Schwalm project when I'm in a hurry. I just haven't had time to do the switch-out and set stuff up for easy access with the Schwalm work, so I've stuck with this project so that I'd have something to do here and there, now and then, when the opportunity struck....

... which is, of course, the basis for this whole 15-minute-session idea.

But let me tell you - time management has its drawbacks! Take a look at this:



Determined to adhere strictly to the timer one day, I sat down to spend 15 minutes on this bit of the sampler. I only had one white blotch left that needed to be filled in with the green, and when I set the timer, I was confident that, when it went off, I would have this block finished. (And then some, or so I thought!)

When the timer went off, I had three stitches left.

THREE.

Three tiny, insignificant stitches.

But they were significant enough to bug me!

That session was a serious Only-15 15-minute-session, as a minute longer and I'd be late for work. So, the timer sounded, I dropped the frame, picked up my books, and headed out the door. I was not "relaxed" or pleased at the end of that session. Three Silly Stitches! For heaven's sake!

When I came back an hour and fifteen minutes later, the timer was still going off. Hmmmm. I decided I would have to take a much more relaxed approach to these 15-minute things if I were to retain (regain?) my sanity. Rushing through the minutes, trying to beat the clock, isn't precisely the best approach.



For the next 15-minute session, I managed to finish those riffemrackemfrickemfrackem three stitches....



.... and to get out the colors for the next little square I wanted to stitch...

... and to work Nine Whole Stitches on it.

Twelve stitches in 15 minutes?

Perhaps that day, I was a bit tooooo relaxed.

Virtue lies in the middle. Next time, I will be relaxed, but at the same time, I am determined to accomplish a bit more than this!

How are your 15-minute stitching sessions coming along?

Labels: 15 minutes, counted thread embroidery techniques, needlework pictures, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, September 14, 2009
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Do you work outside your home? I do. Between the middle of August and the end of May, my real job actually takes precedent over my needlework! (Can you believe I allow that??!) Now, this isn't just because the real job pays the bills - it's also because, if it is to be done well, the job demands it, and I love my job! I like teaching a lot, even though, yes, it does occasionally have its Moments. Needlework, during the school year, becomes my carrot - the thing that motivates me to do what I need to do, work-wise, so that I can enjoy relaxing with my needle and thread. And, as you avid stitchers know, needlework can also serve as a tremendous stress reliever!

But, when the work week is hectic, it's often difficult to find time to squeeze in a needlework project. Often, what ends up happening is that, because no progress is being made at all on the project, it gets side-lined, interest in it gradually wanes, it is finally stowed away, and... The End.

To avoid this, I started "forcing" myself (ok! right! it doesn't take that much force!) to fit in at least 15 minutes a day stitching. Whether those 15 minutes are snatched on a lunch break or between classes, whether they are found at the very end of the day before hitting the sack, or whether they are squeezed in first thing in the morning, before heading out to work (assuming I'm ahead of schedule!) - whatever the case may be, those 15 minutes serve three useful purposes: 1. they provide a momentary "break" doing something I really love; 2. they keep my projects going at least a wee bit and I feel as if I'm making progress; and 3. I don't have that overwhelming feeling of "needing to start," which can make me lose interest in a particular project and relegate it to the shelf.

That's the background of my 15-minute sessions. And here are some results from a few sessions last week.

On a few days, I only barely managed 15 minutes! Other days, I had more time in the evenings, and could make more progress than shown below. But for now, here are three 15 minute sessions that were snatched during the week:



I had two projects out this week - my Schwalm whitework project and this Long Dog Sampler. I started this sampler last spring. My niece wanted to work a counted cross stitch piece since they were covering the technique in home ec, and she really liked this Long Dog sampler called "Angel Pavement." So I purchased two copies, one for her, one for me, and we went thread and fabric shopping, and settled on working the sampler on 28 ct fabric over one thread. She's still plugging away on hers, though she works more sporadically all over the place on the chart than I do!

I haven't made any progress on this since I put it away last spring, but it's out again now, because it is perfect for 15 minute sessions.



In the first 15 minute session, I didn't get very far at all! You would almost be tempted to say, "This is not progress!" But the way I see it is, any stitch is progress! During that first session, I had to dig for thread, cut it, strip it, and thread two needles (which was wishful thinking - I didn't even use one full-threaded needle).



In the next 15 minute session, I stuck the frame on my Needlework System 4 stand, rather than holding it, and I resorted to two-handed stitching, which is a lot faster than one-handed!



And, by the third 15 minute session, I was making good headway. When I ended the previous session, I threaded a new piece of floss and had it ready for beginning, and, with both hands stitching, it went fairly well.

Now, keep in mind this little piece is not quite an inch square - so, in the scheme of things, it doesn't look like much stitching! But really - it is progress! And, as I mentioned before, this really serves as a motivator! I find myself seeking the next 15 minutes, just to see how far I can get in the next session. And, better yet, I find myself getting other things done that I need to get done, with more efficiency, so that I can squeeze in 15 minutes.

Do you use needlework as a carrot? Do you try to carve out bits of your day that you can devote to it? How do you go about doing so? Does it help motivate you in your other daily tasks? I'd love to hear how you deal with limited time and needlework!

Labels: 15 minutes, counted thread embroidery techniques, needlework pictures, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, August 31, 2009
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Here are two terrific resources online for charting text for counted thread techniques (cross stitch, back stitch, blackwork, canvas work, etc.) and for calculating fabric needs when setting up a new project.

The first resource is Crosstitch.com's "Fontform," where you can chart your own text in 21 different fonts, and print the chart from the generated PDF.



All you have to do is select your font, the width of the piece in stitches, and the color, then type in your text, check off whether you want it centered or not, and then preview and get the chart. It's that simple!



Here's my test run. I'm thinking this tool would be Particularly Handy for card-making and embroidery on perforated paper!

There's also a handy stitch calculator available on the same page.

The second resource is similar: Stitchpoint offers another text-charting program, but the format is different.



There are six fonts to choose from, four cross stitch and two backstitch. After selecting the font, you use the "keyboard" on the screen to select your text, then hit print. The image prints straight to your printer.



What I really like about the Stitchpoint page is their little fabric calculator.



Up in the right-hand corner of the page, you'll see three icons. The first one is a handy-dandy stitch calculator that tells you precisely what size to cut your fabric, taking into consideration the threads per inch (or centimeter - you can calculate it either way), the number of threads you are stitching over, the number of vertical and horizontal threads in the design, and the number of inches extra you want around the finished embroidery. Very handy, indeed!

So, if you're looking for a way to chart some simple text for your next project, check out both of these resources!

Thanks, Judith, for pointing these out!

Labels: counted thread embroidery techniques, embroidery resources, needlework websites

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, August 19, 2009
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