I can't help it! I'm really excited about this! If you've been hanging about Needle 'n Thread for a while, you know I'm a great fan of Trish Burr's design work and thread painting techniques...

In fact, if you haven't read them yet, feel free to read the articles here on Needle 'n Thread about Trish Burr and her adventures in the needlework field. You'll find some gorgeous examples of her embroidery in those articles, and you'll also discover the many reasons why I admire her and her work.

And now... the news! Prepare yourselves to be delighted and excited!

TRISH HAS KITS! And they're on her website and ready for sale! For US customers, you can e-mail Trish if you're interested in a particular kit. She accepts Paypal. For customers in Australia and the UK, she has some shop listings there, through which you can purchase the kits.

You'll find four levels of needlepainting kits: beginner, intermediate, intermediate-advanced, and advanced, presented in five different needlepainting projects. You'll also find kits available for two monogram styles.

The prices of the kits are super reasonable. You can order them without threads - with the printed fabric, full instructions and thread list, for anywhere between ZAR 85 - 105 (US $10.07 - $12.45, according to the present currency exchange rates), or you can order them with threads (combination DMC and Soie d'Alger) for anywhere between ZAR 150 - 325 (about US $17.75 - $38.45) for the needlepainting kits. The monogram kits come with the full alphabet, fine linen, and specialty threads, for ZAR 175 - 185 (US $20.70 - $21.88). Remember, exchange rates fluctuate, so those prices are approximate, based on today's currency exchange rate.

These kits will be an excellent way - I am sure of it! - to learn needlepainting from Trish. You can rest easy knowing you have an accurate design transfer (the fabric has the design pre-printed on it) and no doubt her instructions are clear and easy to learn from. If you're familiar with her books, you know this is the case! If you're just starting to venture into needlepainting, the rose bud is a perfect beginner's kit. If you've done a little but want to improve your skills, try the intermediate to intermediate-advanced kits. And if you've done a bit of needlepainting and want a new challenge - oh, you must get the kingfisher!



I am completely twitterpated with this bird.

The link again: Trish Burr Long and Short Stitch Embroidery Kits. Get 'em while she's got 'em - they're definitely stash worthy, too, if you don't have time for them right now!

Labels: embroidery kits, embroidery resources, needlepainting, Trish Burr

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It's always useful to write about the embroidery and needlework products that one is interested in! I actually never have any "mercenary" motives when I write about the things I like - but I did manage to land a nice needlework kit for my birthday this year - the Bayeux kit I mentioned when I told you about the French Needle!

So, here I am, musing over this kit. The kit allows the needleworker to recreate a small section of the famous Bayeux tapestry - and I've since learned that there are many of these kits available, featuring different parts of the tapestry. I like the one I received, and I think I'd also like (eventually) one with ships on it. BUT - that remains to be seen! I'll let you know if those sentiments change after working this kit!



This is the kit I received. You can see at the top of the picture the design printed on the fabric. The fabric is a sturdy cotton, and all the lines of the design are printed on it in black. In fact, it's a lot like an almost-cartoonish-looking linedrawing of this section of the tapestry, and it looks strange in just lines - until you realize that it really is exactly what the tapestry looks like, minus the colors!



Besides the printed fabric, the kit contains wool for embroidering (seems about the weight of crewel wool, maybe slightly heavier) and a chart of the embroidery project, indicating what colors go where.

Note: there are no stitch instructions, really. The whole piece is supposed to be worked in Bayeux stitch, which is a laid and couched stitch. Even though there are no stitch isntructions, the kit should be pretty easy to work! Time consuming, but fairly simple.



What struck me as strange was the limit of browns. In fact, for the elements in the tapestry that seem "brownish," there is only one brown and one rust color. There's also a navy blue - apparently, some the horses are to be worked in navy blue.



See the dark horses? They look black to me, but apparently, they are navy blue. Check out their red legs!



Well, to get some better insight into the project before undertaking it, I thought I would drag out David Wilson's book on the Bayeux Tapestry. It's a nice book - besides getting the history of the tapestry and the story translated and explained, you also get very close up images of the entire tapestry.



And, in fact, in opening the book to the pages corresponding to my kit, I found a very helpful resource for working this kit. The individual threads and stitches are crystal clear! You can even see that the blue is really blue. Notice the color changes in the work. Apparently, the stitchers weren't too concerned about color changes. When their thread ran out, it is surmised, they merely took up another color.



And the colors didn't always match, even if they were the same.

Still, it seems to me that in this section, there is at least one more shade of a tannish brown color. I suppose that could have come about from fading and what-have-you, but even so, I'm thinking I might invest in one more color of thread before I work this kit.

In the original tapestry, no more than 8 colors are used throughout the whole piece. But I would imagine that dye lots would have provided slight variations within the colors, whether these variations were desirable or not.

I love the kit, and am looking forward to working on it ... some day! In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for the opportunity to go thread shopping in person, to see if I can come up with one more compatible shade of tannish-brown.

If you want to see what the Bayeux Stitch is, you can check out Bayeux Stitch, Ancient and Modern (PDF), supplied by the Embroiderers' Guild of the UK.

If you're interested in these kits, you can find them at The French Needle - and if you want to order a different scene of the tapestry, you can contact The French Needle to find out what other scenes are available. Also, if you read my previous post about the French Needle, you can find out how to save 10% on any order during April.

Labels: embroidery kits, embroidery resources, historical needlework, pictures

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Well, I know we weren't just speaking of them, but the other day, I rambled a bit about embroidery kits...

... and here's another designer whose kits I would add to the list! Helen Stevens has embroidery kits on Fritillary now!



Check out these kits, featuring the four seasons. I like them! And they'd be a great way to familiarize yourself with Helen's beautiful techniques.

I like the Autumn and Spring best - I love the birds!

While you're there, check out the bunnies on the Fritillary homepage. If that were a kit, that's actually the one I'd go for!

Her greeting cards, by the way, look beautiful, too! They'd be great to have on hand for special birthdays, Mother's Day, and so forth.

Enjoy browsing Fritillary!

And thanks, Margaret, for the heads-up on the updates!

Labels: embroidery designers, embroidery kits, embroidery resources, needlework websites

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  Do you use embroidery kits? The answer to this question seems to divide embroiderers into different groupings: 1. The no-never types; 2. The yes-always types; 3. The yes-but-only-selectively types. Within these categories, there are different mentalities about kits. There are, for example, the no-nevers-on-principle, who believe that kits stunt the creative process. Then there are the no-nevers-on-opportunity, who don't want to pay for kits. Then there are the no-nevers-whatsakit?, who have really never considered kits, and don't care either way about them. And the list could go on....

I belong to the 3rd category - yes, but selectively.

I have a couple embroidery kits on hand that I want to work, and I'll show some of them to you here.



My favorite kits so far in my needlework life have been Tanja Berlin's needlepainting kits. Through them, I've learned a lot about needlepainting! I haven't worked a kit in ages, but I've got a few of hers in my stash, awaiting the day, specifically the squirrel and a bird or two...



Country Bumpkin needlework kits are also among my favorites. One of my Christmas gifts this year was an order from Country Bumpkin, and included in that were two kits: a little "Summer Harvest" stumpwork kit and a needlepainting kit called "True Love" that I find downright hilarious and that I'm planning to use as a future wedding gift.



The differences between Tanja Berlin's kits and Country Bumpkin's kits are notable. I thought I'd point some of the differences out to you, in case you're looking for a new project to work or a new technique to learn and are thinking about starting with a kit.

Country Bumpkin Needlework Kits:

1. Country Bumpkin relies upon your owning the magazine in which the project is featured. Kits are an off-shoot of their magazine, Inspirations. The purpose of CB kits is simply convenience: the kit includes all the supplies you need to complete a project featured in one of their magazines, but it doesn't include the design or the instructions. It is simply a materials kit. If you don't subscribe to the magazine, you have the option, when you purchase the kit, of purchasing the copy that coincides with the kit. The articles in the magazine have very detailed stitch instructions, diagrams, up-close pictures, and so forth. Each magazine has many beautiful projects in it, so when you buy one magazine, you're actually getting excellent instruction on many projects, not to mention all the other interesting stitching tidbits and stories. It's a great magazine!

2. The kits (in my experience) always have PLENTY of fibers to work the project. I've never felt as if I would run out of the required thread. Whole skeins and spools of most threads are included, rather than partial skeins or bits of threads. Also, any notions required in the project are also included (buttons and so forth), as well as supplies such as interfacing, wire, etc. In short, all materials! (Note: some blanket kits do not include the fabric backing; this is always noted in the kit contents.)

3. The design is not transferred onto the ground fabric. This is something you have to do, using the design in the magazine. I was a little surprised by this at first, because when I am working from a kit, I do like to launch right in (and forego the pre-work of transferring, which is not my favorite part of a project!). However, it makes sense. Country Bumpkin's first focus is their magazine. If they sold kits with instructions and designs, it would be somewhat of a conflict of interest! On the bright side, if you are out to really learn embroidery, then knowing the ins and outs of transferring designs is an essential part of the process, so it's good for the learning curve!

4. Country Bumpkin kits ship from Australia. For those of us in the States, anything we save in exchange rates is definitely eaten up in shipping. In this regard, the kits are somewhat expensive... and shipping tends to be a bit slow. But, if you want the kits, that's part of the package!

Tanja Berlin's kits:

1. Tanja's kits come with everything you need to complete the project: instructions, design, colored photo of finished project, all diagrams, detailed stitching instructions and troubleshooting guide, all fibers, fabric, needles. She also has the option on her website of on-going consultation for stitchers working her kits, so if you run into a trouble spot, you can contact Tanja and she'll help you through it.

2. Tanja's kits contain just the amount of fibers you will need to complete the project, with a little leftover. So you don't normally get full skeins of floss or spools of threads. She organizes the threads on a color card, with each color number marked clearly next to the thread.

3. In her surface embroidery kits, the designs are already transferred on the fabric for you.

4. Tanja is located in Canada. Depending on the exchange rate (which has fluctuated quite a bit in the last couple years), if you're in the US, the kits may be slightly more expensive or slightly less expensive than the actual listing on her site. Shipping, too, is somewhat pricey, but she has lots of shipping options, so you can choose the least expensive one (though you'll probably wait a little longer for your order). Tanja ships very quickly if she is not out of town teaching (she always leaves a notice on her website if she is out of town, and tells you exactly when she'll be back...)

So those are the two kinds of kits that I have primarily indulged in over the years.

Other Types of Embroidery Kits



I've also worked kits from Roseworks Designs. They're located in South Africa, and have some pretty kits available through retailers or ordered directly through Roseworks Designs. Their kits include fabric with the design on it, detailed stitching instructions, and a color key for Anchor and DMC colors, but they don't always include the threads. These kits were more widely available in the US, but now I can only find one online retail shop that sells them here. The other shops I knew of that sold them have since gone out of business.

Another type of kit that I've purchased but haven't worked is an Anchor Fleur de Lys teacloth. Margaret Cobleigh, however, persevered through the finish of the same kit, and graciously wrote up a whole document on how she altered the kit to make it more interesting. To see what these kits look like, you can check out her Spring Teacloth and her Strawberry Teacloth here on Needle'nThread. I have never quite gotten back to the Spring Teacloth. It has just never "grabbed" me, though I think Margaret did an absolutely stunning job on hers!

Embroidery Kits I would Like to Work

Now, there are other kits offered out there that I'm interested in, but have not had the opportunity to try.



First, Alison Cole's kits. One of these days, I may indulge in a couple of those, including her Illuminated Floral stumpwork and goldwork kit (which I've mentioned before) and some of her mini Or Nué kits (the frog, gecko, and strawberry, to be precise). Though I haven't worked her kits, I assume they come with excellent instructions - her books are certainly excellent.



Then, there's Tricia Wilson-Nguyen, the lady behind Thistle Threads, known for her expertise in historical needlework and her current work on the Plimoth Plantation 17th-century embroidered jacket. Did you know she offers kits? They're mostly of an historical nature, and some are quite elaborate. Besides her exquisite licensed museum adaptations (part of the proceeds go towards the museums that host the original studied object), Tricia offers some limited edition kits that are neat, and many "regular" kits that are also enticing. The kits that I'm really interested in of hers are a bit out of my range, but it's inspiring to look at them, nonetheless!

Trish Burr is also working on putting together some kits, and if and when that happens, those will definitely be something I'm interested in. Her books are greatly instructive, so I'm sure her kits will be, too.

My Embroidery Kit Philosophy is pretty much this: A kit can be an excellent way to learn or polish an embroidery technique. If the kit appeals to me in some way, I am not adverse to working a kit, and actually can find great pleasure and freedom in working one. I like buying kits from specific designers (as opposed to mass-produced commercial kits such as those found on the needlework aisles in chain stores). It's a lot like making the effort to shop at a local needlework shop. Embroidery designers, writers, instructors, etc., keep the art of needlework alive - and many of them rely upon their designing and teaching for their livelihood. I don't mind supporting that at all! (when I can afford to!)

That's pretty much the way I look at kits. Do you like kits? Why or why not? Do you have favorite kit designers that you would recommend? In general, what are your experiences with kits? Please share!

Now, having said all that, I bet you think I'm heading off to get started on one of those kits. Nope - I've got "real" work (school work) to do all weekend long! No needlework for me this weekend (unless I can sneak in a wee session here and there when no one's looking!)

Have a great weekend!

Labels: embroidery kits, embroidery resources, goldwork, historical needlework, miscellaneous embroidery musings, needlepainting, stumpwork

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