Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, November 06, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, November 03, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, October 22, 2009
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DMC and Coats are both well-known needlework thread producers, world-wide. I marvel at the variety of threads they produce for the various markets around the world. Jeanine up in Canada recently sent me a gift from Italy - two types of thread that are available on the Italian market, but not available here in the US. Check them out...

The threads are DMC Alsatian Twist (or Retors d'Alsace) and Coats Cucirini (Anchor's Italian branch) Ritorto Fiorentino. Both threads are similar to pearl cotton, but they are not the same as pearl cotton.



There are three hanks here - the two green hanks on the left are DMC Alsatian Twist and the white on the right is Coats Ritorto Fiorentino. I put the typical 6-stranded DMC floss next to the hanks, so that you could get a proper sense of the size of the Italian bundles.



Both threads come in two sizes: 8 and 12. They are similar, as I said, to pearl cotton, though there is a difference in look and feel. The Alsatian Twist, for example, feels heavier and limper than pearl cotton, and it has more of a sheen.

Jeanine mentioned that the Alsatian Twist by DMC is a return to an old style of thread DMC stopped making at the turn of the century. They re-released the thread this past May in Italy, and they may release it to other markets as well, though there are no present plans to release it in North America. You can find references to Alsatian Twist in the old advertisements in needlework and pattern magazines from the turn of the last century, and especially in the Therese Dillmont books like this one, Motivi per Ricami (Embroidery Motifs) - a PDF hosted on the Digital Archives. Check out the advertisements in the back of that book (which is full of beautiful embroidery motifs, by the way), and you'll see this thread listed.



The Alsatian Twist is listed on DMC Italy's website, if you want to take a look at it. You can drop the URL in Google for a translation if you want. The thread comes in 77 colors in size 8 and 56 colors in size 12 - all in 20 gram hanks like these above. (They're... HUGE!)



The Coats Ritorto Fiorentino is produced exclusively for the Italian market. It comes in many colors as well, in 40 gram hanks (even HUGER!). You can read more about it on the Coats Italian website.



Now that you're in a very Italian mood, I want to direct you to another resource - a nice Italian website (with a good English translation!) - called TuttoRicamo. You'll be able to click on a flag in the left column, to choose the Italian or the English version. This is an amazing site to browse - full of great resources and inspiration. While you're there, check out the Techniques section, to read about different embroidery techniques, and the How It's Done section for many excellent photo tutorials on different techniques. What a great resource!

Thank you, Jeanine, for the thread - I'm happy to know a little bit about it and the Italian thread market, and I can't wait to try the thread out!

(I think tonight is a spaghetti night...)

Labels: embroidery resources, pictures, regional embroidery techniques, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, October 16, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, October 01, 2009
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This past weekend, I received a lovely gift in the mail - a beautiful book, in French, called Abécédaires de Tradition, published by Sajou, in conjunction with marie claire idées, which is a popular needlework (and other stuff) magazine in France. I know I've been on a French book and magazine kick lately - Mains et Merveilles and the the perforated paper and embroidery book - but I can't help it! I think you deserve to see these great resources, too, and this one is particularly nice if you like monograms, and it's available in the US. So take a look...

Though written in French, Abécédaires de Tradition is not a book that requires you to know the language, in case you can't read French. Why not? Because it is primarily a design book, plus a little bit more.



Traditional Alphabets abound in this book of traditional alphabets. It is a "stiff" paperback book, printed on high quality paper, with beautiful color photos within.



Maison Sajou, a French needlework establishment, has been well-known for over a hundred years for their quality needlework products. When I think "Sajou," what normally comes to mind are their alphabets.



The book is packed with decorative monograms which are first presented to the reader via colored plates.



Many beautiful monogram styles are featured...



... and they are all accompanied by photos of embroidered pieces featuring the monograms.



There's a wonderful animal alphabet. Granted, the names of several of the animals don't match the English translation. "C," for example, is illustrated with ducks ("canards" in French). But many of the letters do match up - Z: zebra; Y: yak; P: peacock; R: rhino, etc. Personally, for me this isn't a bother - I like the idea of a foreign language alphabet. You can look at it as a teaching moment for kids.



Oh, yes, pictures of monograms are nice - but this is the best part of the book.



The whole last half of the book is made up of iron-on transfer sheets for all the alphabets within....



... along with some nice borders to dress up your monograms.

The book contains 10 full alphabets in various sizes and in varying degrees of formality and informality. Each alphabet is attractive, and can be used on anything from household linens, quilts, and so forth, to handbags and clothing. You can even stitch up full alphabets to hang as samplers. From beautiful to downright fun, there's something in the book for everyone.

Here's a thought: Are you planning to make Christmas presents this year? How about personalizing some gifts with a monogram? That's what I'm planning to do! And these monograms will be just the thing.

You can find Abécédaires de Tradition in the US through The French Needle, which specializes in all kinds of European-style stitching kits, books, threads, and accessories. (I love this shop - this is where I got the Bayeux tapestry kit). Lisa carries some beautiful surface embroidery kits that would be great fun to work. I love the large monogram (majuscule) kits. When I saw those, I suddenly longed for a name beginning with "W" or "Y"!

Anyway, at the time of publishing today's article, the book is not listed on The French Needle website yet, but it will be posted there some time today. Click on 'boutique' in the left column of the site, and you'll see an extensive list of everything available. Go to the books category to find this particular book.

If you like the idea of hand embroidering some monograms on various and sundry articles, then, do check out this book! The beautiful monograms within it are worth the price alone, but coupled with the convenience of iron-on transfers, how can you miss?

Later in the week, I'll be showing you a thread that works well for all kinds of surface embroidery, including monograms, so keep an eye out!

Until tomorrow.... au revoir!

Labels: book review, embroidery resources, iron-on embroidery transfers, monograms, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, September 22, 2009
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If you're looking for something inspirational and different for needlework projects, here are a couple resources!

Tricia Wilson Nguyen of Thistle Threads (and of Plimoth Jacket reknown) has recently published a new Needlework Nibble that makes good use of Gilt Sylke Twist and some of the stitches used on the Plimoth Jacket. Tricia's Needlework Nibbles are tiny projects - usually only a couple inches in either direction, size-wise - that employ some interesting threads and techniques, so that you can get a taste of these without launching into a big time-consuming project. I love the idea!



Her latest Needlework Nibble is a bunch of grapes worked with Gilt Sylke Twist. She sells the little kit for a reasonable price - less than $20 - and offers the embroidery pattern and instructions for free on her website. Now, this is really generous! For those of us who might have some GST in our stash, this is a great little project to try with it, and we can do it without purchasing any supplies. But, if you don't have GST in your stash, her kit is a wonderful way to try many colors of this gorgeous thread, at a reasonable price (less than the cost of a spool of GST). Among the instructions for the project, you'll also find a Gilt Sylke Twist Primer (PDF), which details very clearly how to work with GST.

Another interesting tidbit from Tricia is a great little video on the sparkle of Gilt Sylke Twist. Yep, that alone should get you drooling over those threads!

And speaking of historical threads and so forth, recently, I've become quite avidly enchanted with the Needlprint blog and all the goings-on with the Mary Wigham samplers all around the globe. It really is fascinating to read the interesting stuff on that website! Recently, Jacqueline featured a beautiful border from a Scottish sampler, which is available for free to download, if you have the right design software for cross stitch. You can get the software through her website - look for the Infinity Beatrix Potter deal, where you get the software and all the Beatrix Potter design motifs for $20.

I think these Infinity charts that Jacqueline sells on her website are super-duper interesting, and would make a good resource especially for designers. They are counted thread designs, but I can't help thinking that many of them can be adapted to other forms of surface embroidery, too. I like the Quaker and antique-type sampler motifs that are featured on Needleprint. Have you seen them? What do you think? I did something with one of them the other day, and I'll share it with you soon. Hopefully. (I haven't actually finished it. In fact, I'm not finishing much lately. Argh.)

Now, on to the excuse... for those of you who were expecting the second-to-the-last Long and Short Stitch Lesson today, never fear - it's coming! It'll be up tomorrow! I got tied up yesterday and couldn't finish the lesson! Sorry about that!

Have a terrific Thursday!

Labels: embroidery resources, Gilt Sylke Twist, historical needlework, needlework websites

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, September 17, 2009
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When Ruth O'Leary contacted me about her taking an embroidery commission on a banner for Durham Cathedral, I was really intrigued about her banner-making plans. Since then, she has undertaken the commission and begun the work. And best yet, she's blogging the whole process!

If you haven't had an opportunity to stop by Ruth O'Leary Textile Arts, now would be a good time to do so, while she's still in the relative beginning stages of the St. Cuthbert's Banner.



Of course, if you like goldwork, you should stop by just to take a look at her header on her blog. I love it.

Ruth has been commissioned to re-create the St. Cuthbert's Banner, a banner of which there is no surviving image, but which was described in detail some five hundred years ago in writing. From the written description, she is creating her version of the banner.

So far, on the St. Cuthbert's banner, you can see Ruth's fabric choices, the conceptual design, a mock-up, the appliqué process, and the first leg of the cross, which is worked in red velvet, with red satin pieces appliqued on to create the design. You can also see a very nice goldwork circle already finished. She also shows how she neatened the edge of the applique cross with couched gold Jap - all the steps being interesting and suspense-building components of the whole creative process behind this banner. I can't wait to see it finished!

This year, I agreed to make a banner for a church-related event that takes place at the end of October. Oh golly, October is coming up fast! While Ruth's banner is much more complex, much more artistic, and much more historically relevant to the church for which it is commissioned, mine is - at least in concept so far - relatively simple, and mostly appliquéd. The color scheme, though, is the same - red, white, and gold, which are typical (and glorious) liturgical colors. Though time seems to be somewhat scarce, I have to admit that watching Ruth's process inspires me to want to push through my banner project and make some headway on it!

You reckon I can manage it? Realistically speaking, I'm somewhat doubtful. And if I don't, that's ok, I suppose. I can still enjoy the whole banner-making process (and actually, I can enjoy it a whole lot more!) by watching Ruth's St. Cuthbert Banner unfold.

I hope you get a chance to check out her website and watch this historical re-creation come to life!

Enjoy!

Labels: ecclesiastical embroidery, embroidery resources, goldwork, historical needlework, needlework websites

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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Mains & Merveilles Point de Croix is a French needlework magazine that I subscribe to. I often forget what needlework magazines I subscribe to, actually, because needlework magazines are notoriously (and understandably) far-spaced when it comes to yearly output. But the other day, I was reminded of my subscription to this particular magazine when it arrived in the mail. It is a cross stitch magazine.

I've written about this magazine company here on Needle 'n Thread in the past, when telling you about the Mains & Merveilles iron-on transfer collections that are very pretty (and used to be available at Hedgehog Handworks, but are no longer available there...)

Well, the company that put out those very nice iron-on transfer collections (Les Éditions de Saxe) also produces some Very Nice embroidery magazines: Embroidery, Creative Embroidery, and Cross Stitch (my translations of the titles). I only have a subscription right now to the Point de Croix line, having subscribed a little over a year ago because they were running a series I wanted to watch develop. Eventually, I'll pick up the other two subscriptions and probably let this one drop - when the others fit into the budget!

The needlework magazines from Les Éditions de Saxe have a distinctive European flair to them, and they are quality magazines - very pretty to look at, printed on good paper, filled with informative and interesting articles, and featuring a large paper pull out pattern section for all their featured projects. And the projects are generally beautiful. The magazines are printed entirely in French. If you don't read French, though, the content is still worthwhile - the patterns are beautiful, the instructions usually include step-by-step photos, and the pictures overall are simply worth looking at! I'd say the magazines rival Inspirations, as far as quality goes, though they don't have as much in them as each individual Inspirations magazine, and the projects differ a bit in flavor.

Getting back to the latest edition of Mains & Merveilles Point de Croix, three articles struck me in this latest issue (#74).

The first was a project article for these pretty paisley table and household linens that just look fun to embroider!



The paisleys are worked in various pinks and reds, entirely in surface embroidery stitches.



Of course, the color scheme can always be changed to match your own home! I think they're cute, and perfect for a casual, fun setting.

The next article that caught my eye was focused mostly on whitework and drawn thread techniques. As one of their regular features ("Passion Broderie"), this article shows the work of Jocelyne Dubois, who always has embroidery at her fingertips!



The whitework photos that accompany the article are gorgeous - the pieces are so impressive! What a talented embroiderer!



Her edgings are intricate and perfect. And while I don't normally pour over this particular magazine and attempt to read it, I found myself engrossed in this article (accompanied by my French-English dictionary from college days!) I was thrilled to open the magazine and find this article!

But, you know, while these two features excited me more than usual, the publishers had one more thing in store for me when I finished the whitework article. Flipping the page, I came across this layout:



There was a whole feature article on a currently running ecclesiastical embroidery exhibition that honors the work of the Visitation nuns in Europe, dating from the 17th century to the present day. And this being one of my favorite topics - historical ecclesiastical embroidery - I was really excited about this article! Better yet... I've got to go to France! NOW. The exhibition lasts until November 28, 2009, at the Museum of the Visitation (convent?) in Moulins, France. I'm ... I'm so stuck in Kansas, it isn't even funny! Anyway, I'm stuck - but if you happen to be in the area of Moulins, France, through November 28th, I bet this will be an exhibit that will knock your embroidery-loving socks off! Even if you aren't inclined towards the religious aspects of church embroidery, it cannot be denied that it is among the most beautiful embroidery work on the planet. The Visitation nuns were known for their exquisite work - the collection will certainly be worth seeing.

(If you happen to go, may I live vicariously through you?)

So I was really pleased with this last edition of Mains & Merveilles Point de Croix from Les Éditions de Saxe. While I normally just flip through the photos once and note the things that may interest me later (or my nieces or friends), this time, I spent quite a bit of time pouring over the articles and trying to get over my rusty French. It was fun - and it was the first time I really appreciated my subscription to this magazine!

Do you subscribe to any needlework magazines? If so, which ones? What's your favorite? Are you generally thrilled to get them, or do they just strike your fancy once in a while? That seems to be the case for me often, with all my magazine subscriptions (Inspirations, Pieceworks, Sampler & Antique Needlework, and M&M). Sometimes, they just don't grab me, but then suddenly - wow! They bamboozle me with magnificent content, and that's when I most appreciate the subscription. What about you? What's your experience with needlework magazine subscriptions?

Labels: ecclesiastical embroidery, embroidery resources, miscellaneous embroidery musings, needlework magazines

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, September 15, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, September 12, 2009
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Kreinik is an embroidery thread company here in the US that's been around since the 1970's. It's a family run business that has become very well known in the embroidery world - I've never been in a needlework shop or the needlework section of a craft, sewing, or hobby store that didn't have some kind of Kreinik thread available for purchase. While they are probably best known for their different metallic cords and blending filaments (that's just a guess...), they also manufacture some beautiful threads. I want to show you three of their silks and tell you a little bit about them.

Silk Serica, Silk Bella, and Silk Mori by Kreinik are all 100% silk threads for hand embroidery. The first two threads - Silk Serica and Silk Bella - are filament silks, while Silk Mori is a spun silk.

The difference between filament and spun silk is found in the silk fibers that are used for manufacturing the thread, and how the threads are manufactured. Filament silk is spun straight off the cocoon in long lengths. It is a very high sheen thread and quite strong. Spun silk is made from the "left-overs" after the cocoon has been unraveled. The silk is spun much like wool or cotton, in small pieces that, through the spinning process, work into a long strand. Spun silk has a nice lustre to it - it is soft, and generally it is "stranded" - that is, it's put up in a certain number of strands per thread off the skein (like DMC or Anchor cotton, which are stranded cottons).



Silk Serica is a 3-ply filament silk. It works well on 18-ct canvas, for good coverage with tent stitch. It's also a beautiful thread for techniques such as Hardanger, where it makes very nice Kloster blocks.



It can be used in any application in which you would use a silk buttonhole twist, but, from what I can see, the Serica is a looser twisted thread. Because it is looser, you can actually separate the plies (carefully), to use in satin stitching and so forth. When separated, the three ply thread becomes even more "shiny," and any waves that are the result of being twisted can be smoothed out by slightly dampening the thread.

Silk Serica comes in 142 colors that match Silk Mori.



Silk Bella (the second row of spools) is also a 3-ply filament silk, but it is much finer than Silk Serica. Unlike Silk Serica, it can't be separated into individual plies.



This fine thread is perfect for any application where tiny detailing is desired. It works well on high count fabrics for stitching over one thread, in counted work. It's great for blackwork, and can be used well in needle lace and pulled thread techniques.

Silk Bella comes in 46 colors.



This little picture is a sample given in the Kreinik brochure. The Kloster blocks (those are the heavier white stitching) are worked in Silk Serica. The woven bars and the tiny filler stitch in the center are worked in Silk Bella. The leaves on the outside are worked in Silk Mori.



Silk Mori (the pull skeins in the last row) is a typical stranded silk, used in the same applications you'd use stranded cotton. It's a six-strand spun silk, and, because it is silk, it has a higher lustre than cotton, and that lustre will last indefinitely. (Mercerized cotton tends to lose its sheen over the years...) Silk Mori comes in 142 colors, like Silk Serica.



Another little sample here from the Kreinik brochure helps demonstrate the differences in these three silks.

The color selection for these silks is really nice, and I'm eager to stitch with them. I've stitched with Silk Mori, but haven't personally done any embroidery with the Silk Serica or the Silk Bella. I hope to soon! You can find color charts for these silks available on Kreinik's website.

To help you get a better idea of the threads, I'll write up a comparison between them and other similar threads, so you can see these threads in relation to more familiar needlework threads. In the meantime, though, if you're looking for some beautiful silks to try out, you might want to give these a look! I love the feel of them, and I think they're going to be very nice for stitching.

Have you used any of these Kreinik silks? Any tips? Any information? Let us know!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework websites, pictures, silk, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, August 24, 2009
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Lately, you've seen a few mentions of Society Silk embroidery - also called Silk Art embroidery, needle painting, thread painting, silk shading, and ... on and on - here on Needle 'n Thread. The box of vintage needlework supplies (including silk threads and stamped linens from the early part of the 20th century) was, for me, a catalyst for further explorations into Society Silk. I also featured some of these historic needlework items in my give-away a couple weeks ago. Since then, it's been a case of Silk-Art-Embroidery-on-the-Brain.

Needless to say, then, I was super-duper delighted when a reader left a comment directing me to her Flickr page that is jam-packed full of 192 photos of Society Silk embroidery! Oh, wow! I was in Silk-Shaded Heaven.



This particular collection on Flickr includes color plates from books published by silk companies and now in the public domain. The collector has put her images together in one place, so that the rest of us can meander through some really gorgeous examples of silk shading and other embroidery in silk.



Even if nothing else in the collection thrills you to the tips of your toes (a scenario which is highly unlikely!), then this embroidered peacock surely will. It is... it's - amazing.



While you're meandering around Embroiderist's Flickr collection, make sure to click on Embroidery Collection, which will take you to a more general page that includes all her collections related to embroidery. Beware, though - you might spend hours browsing! There are heaps of vintage designs there!



I hope you enjoy browsing the Embroiderist's collections - and thank you, Embroiderist, for commenting on Needle 'n Thread and posting your link! I thought it was far too good a source of inspiration to leave it lost in the comments - hope you don't mind the write-up!

Labels: embroidery resources, long and short stitch, needlepainting, needlework pictures, needlework websites, pictures, silk

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, August 24, 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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In case you're looking for some needlework resources or inspiration, I thought I'd compile a list of a few places I've come across over the last few weeks, coupled with some needlework news, specials, and resources...

First, some needlework shop news:


I mentioned already that Hedgehog Handworks is offering free shipping during the month of August. This is a really good deal, methinks. How many times do you look for something online, only to be deterred from ordering because of shipping? Especially if you're just looking for one little thing - like a certain color or type of thread! I had a project underway a few years ago and ran out of a specialty thread that I had to order. The shipping more than doubled the cost of thread! I'm always happy to find a free shipping deal! And, as Méri pointed out, international shipping is half price. So check out Hedgehog this month to see if there's anything you need! (Floche is on my list before the month is out...)



Threads in Bloom - specializing in Brazilian embroidery supplies and kits - is also running a little deal in August to celebrate 22 years in business. (That's a long time! Congratulations, Sharon!) During August, Sharon will be including free mesh zipper bags with any orders $10 and over. For orders of $10 - $25, she's including a small bag; $25.01 - $35.00, a medium-small bag; $35.01 - $50, a medium bag, and orders over $50 will include a large bag. These mesh bags are terrific project bags - I have a few and I use them all the time! I've taken to using the large mesh zipper bag to store multiple projects of a particular kind. For example, all my Trish Burr kits are safely tucked away in a large zipper bag.



If you're looking for specialty embroidery supplies in Europe, Aurélie Clay and her mom have recently opened an online shop in France. The shop is called Brodely, and you can find it in both French and in English. Brodely has just opened up, so I'm sure we'll see some expansion on the shop. What I like about it: they carry goldwork supplies! They also carry some harder-to-find supplies for embroidery on tulle, including cotton tulle and tambour needles in a variety of sizes. You can also find silk fabrics, sequins, beads, and so forth. And, they accept Paypal, which makes it very easy to place orders from overseas! I like this little shop - it'll be fun to see how it develops.



Paint-by-Threads is an interesting online shop specializing in embroidered art (already embroidered) and kits (for you to embroider) in the Arts & Crafts Movement style. The Framed Needle Art section is quite inspiring to browse through, but what really catches my attention about the shop is the selection of linen available to purchase by the yard. The prices on the linen per yard look quite reasonable. I haven't seen any of the fabric upclose, in person, but I'm going to order some swatches. There are some Belgian linens and Irish linens on there - and, like I said, per yard, they are priced quite reasonably.

Now, onto some Fun Stops online....



Have you visited Needleprint? This is a site devoted to a huge world-wide stitch-along on the Mary Wigham sampler from the Ackworth school. The designs that abound on the website are in the "Quaker" style of samplers, and the historical information about needlework from the era and from the school is all rather engrossing. I found myself whiling away quite a bit of time, reading through the posts and seeing what's offered on the website. If you like the Quaker style of needlework, you will really enjoy this site. The stitching is counted - and it has that old world charm that is beguiling, I think. I love it! There are some nice projects and freebies on the site, too, so browse around and dig deep!



Ok, I know you're going to think this is really weird - it's not really "needlework" - why is she sending us to a hat pattern? But, anyway - enough of that! Let me explain! On Betz White's blog this week, she featured her new reversible bucket hat pattern, which she has for sale on Etsy. Ok, ok. I'm not a hat person. I'd like to BE a hat person! But I'm not. But I know several people who are - and I think this pattern (while cute as anything in Betz's fabrics) has some potential in a needleworky-sort-of-way. So stay tuned for that in a while - my niece and I are working on something! It IS a cute hat, isn't it? And think: embellishment!

Those are a few sites that have caught my eye recently! Hope you have fun looking through them!

Labels: embroidery resources, historical needlework, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, August 09, 2009
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Hedgehog Handworks has recently been ... well, "updated," for lack of a better word. It's always been a wonderful online shop, and a great resource for needlework books, costuming supplies, goldwork supplies, and threads. But nooooow, they've gotten better! Let me tell you all about it!

Hedgehog Handworks is an online-only needlework shop; there's no brick-and-mortar Hedgehog. The online store is run by a super nice lady named Joady, and I love her taste in supplies!



What will you find new on the website?

For starters, Joady is now carrying some fantastic linen - Legacy linen in different weights as well as some Strathaven linen that's similar in weave to 17th century linen.

You'll also find at Hedgehog the whole range of Hardwicke Manor hoops, which I recently discussed with you here on Needle 'n Thread.

And - jolly, jolly! Are you looking for slate frames? She's got plenty of sizes available!

Recently, I reviewed the book Letters and Monograms from the House of Malbranche, and you'll find it available at Hedgehog, too.

But here's the icing on the cake: During August, to celebrate their 22 years in business, Hedgehog Handworks is offering FREE SHIPPING to US customers.

(Murphy's Law: I placed an order last week!)



Now would be a good time to indulge in a few trial supplies, like different goldwork threads (she also carries the range of Gilt Sylke Twist - and it's less expensive than anywhere else I've seen it!)



If you're looking for goldwork supplies, you'll find a whole range of real metal threads available. The last time I splurged on goldwork supplies, I bought them from Hedgehog. Maybe you just want to "try" a thread, but didn't want to pay shippingn on top of the cost? Now you can!

Another thing: You'll get fantastic customer service, I'm sure. It's sometimes difficult to say that about a shop absolutely , because everyone has their On Days and their Off Days. But I've never ordered anything from Hedgehog without having a pleasant experience - and quick delivery, too!

So, stop by Hedgehog during August, see what's new in the shop, and enjoy free shipping!

Labels: embroidery resources, goldwork, needlework websites

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, August 04, 2009
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The folks behind the Plimoth Plantation 17th century jacket project have been busy! They've brought another new metal thread onto the market, one which was used in 17th century raised embroidery, but eventually fell out of use and disappeared from the market. We've heard the story before - remember that these are the same folks behind the Gilt Sylke Twist now once again available to the embroiderer after a couple centuries of absense! Silk Purl is the new thread, and here's a look at it...

Silk Purl is made up of a fine copper wire wrapped with filament silk, then turned into a tight coil. If you're familiar with goldwork embroidery threads (real metal threads for embroidery), you can compare Silk Purl with regular purls used in goldwork. (You can see some gold purls being worked in my beetle wing goldwork project from a while ago, if you want!) The difference between regular gold or gilt purls and Silk Purl is that Silk Purl is covered in silk, which means it's colored and shiny like silk and the coil is a little fatter than the coil you'd see on a regular gold or gilt purl.



Silk Purl is a really incredible thread! I realize that trends and tastes change as the years pass, but it's so hard to imagine that a thread this interesting could just fade from existence and not be resurrected again for some centuries!

I love the look and the feel of the Silk Purl. It feels hard (due to the wire) but smooth (thanks to the silk!), a little boingy, and bumpy.



Just like with regular purls used in goldwork, if you stretch the Silk Purl, you'll get an elongated spring-looking length of wire that will not close back on itself.



If you unwrap the spring, you can see the colored wire that forms the core of the metal thread, and the silk, of course, which becomes very limp and silk-like. It's nice silk and it feels great to the touch!



Silk Purl is hollow in the center, so small pieces cut from the length of the Silk Purl can be sewn on just like bugle beads. According to Tricia Wilson Nguyen, the lady behind the research that resurrected these historic threads, Silk Purl was sewn on in a number of ways: couched in long wavy lines (sometimes with the Silk Purl slightly stretched - think human of animal hair in 17th century embroidery); sewn on in loops; or sewn on in a kind of chipwork method to fill an area, as is done with check purl. Tricia included some great photos of historical examples of Silk Purl in use in her last newsletter from Thistle Threads. If you haven't signed up for her newsletter, you should. Though they don't come out often, when they do, they're full of interesting tidbits on historical embroidery.



To give you an idea of the size of Silk Purl, I lined a piece up with a regular piece of 6-stranded DMC cotton, which is what you see here in the foreground of the photo.



Although in size, Silk Purl is more solidly round and stands up off the fabric, you can see that it isn't too far in size from a regular piece of DMC (with all 6 strands still in tact).



Silk Purl comes in colors to that match Gilt Sylke Twist, with about 8 colors available right now. It is uncertain whether the thread will continue to be manufactured, and the colors presently being manufactured are short in quantity, so if you see a color you like over at Thistle Threads, don't delay in ordering it - you never know when it may be gone again for good.

I ordered a sample pack of the colors, to see what Silk Purl was all about. I think it's a really neat thread, and that those interested in stumpwork or any dimensional embroidery techniques, or goldwork, would find the thread inspiring. I've been mulling over all kinds of possible uses ever since the package arrived in the mail, and I've added it to my list of things to play with in the near future! I'm looking forward to it!

Labels: embroidery resources, goldwork, historical needlework, pictures, silk, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, July 28, 2009
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Going back to my pile of needlework loot I picked up on my recent road trip, here's a beautiful book by Gay Eaton called Wessex Stitchery. Now, if you're a counted thread embroidery fan, you're gonna love this book! And even if you're not, you're still gonna love it, because of the variety of stitches and applications in the book. (Well, ok... I think you'll like it, anyway!)

Wessex Stitchery is a book devoted to the study of the motifs and arrangements of stitches (on even-weave fabric) that reflect a style of embroidery made popular, apparently, during the Victorian age by a British lady - a fact I found sort of disappointing, as I thought it was a more "historical" approach to embroidery, with roots stretching way back to Medieval England or beyond. I quickly overcame my disappointment (or surprise, rather) when I realized that just about any embroidery technique has more "historical" roots than we give credit for, because, after all, that's pretty much what we do - we generally build on what came before.

The book illustrates the anatomy of groups of stitches that make up beautiful patterns (especially filling patterns).



The variety of combinations and the use of many colors make Wessex stitchery a really fascinating technique, one definitely suitable for on-going development and discovery.



The book includes explanations, patterns, instruction, and diagrams all clearly focused on teaching this style of embroidery to beginners and beyond.



The filling patterns are not relegated to counted embroidery on even-weave fabric, of course. If you like canvas work (needlepoint), I suspect you'll find plenty of inspiration here!



Wessex stitchery, methinks, would be particularly suited to make band samplers. You certainly wouldn't get bored with working the same types of stitches over and over again with this kind of embroidery!



I like the idea of using this type of stitchery for background. Who says it has to be in colored threads, for example? What about a background on a goldwork pattern, worked in gold threads? If you're not working on even-weave, I suspect you could tack on some waste canvas or netting and work up a beautiful background fill pattern.



Besides covering a wide variety of stitch combinations and motifs, the book also contains projects, including needle keeps, pin cushions, and the like, along with ideas for samplers.

This is worthwhile book for any stitching enthusiast to have on the shelf. It's especially worthwhile for counted thread enthusiasts who want to expand their repertoire of counted thread stitches or who want to add some variety and texture to their work. Surface embroiderers will find the book fascinating for the variety of filling ideas and the combinations of stitches. In short, I think anyone interested in working with needle & thread will like this book!

Strangely enough, the book is becoming a wee bit difficult to come by, though you can still find it through Lacis and some used book sources online. I bought mine at Lacis, where it was available for $25. It's still listed on their website, so just search their catalog with the term "Wessex Stitchery" and it should pop right up.

I don't advise acquiring it through Amazon in the US right now. One copy is available, used, for a mere $387.90 (a couple weeks ago, it was on there for $175). Sheeeeesh!

Still, I believe the book is out of print, so if you want it, now's the time to get it, while Lacis is still carrying it....

PS (added a bit later!) You can also buy it for $25 through Hedgehog Handworks.

Enjoy!

Labels: book review, embroidery resources, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, July 22, 2009
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My favorite needlework stand for holding my hoops or frames is the Needlework System 4 stand, with the frame clamp. I love this piece of equipment! I've written already an in-depth review of the Needlework System 4 stand, including a short video that demonstrates how it turns easily, but today I'm going to show you a new piece I bought for it...

This piece is an extension that fits on the Needlework System 4 stand, between the top of the stand and the clamp (or other devises - like scroll frame connector, etc.). It's an arched piece of metal, with the same end fittings as the other pieces, so that they all fit together.



At first, I wondered about the purpose of the extension when I heard that there was one available. I usually use my stand from the front position of wherever I'm sitting, so that the frame clamp is at the top of my work directly in front of me, and I hadn't seen the need for an extension.

However, one day I was working on a larger frame, and I was thinking it would be nice if I could put the floor stand easily to the side, over the arm of the couch, so that I didn't have the stand sitting way out in the middle of the floor, since the frame it was holding was over 20" deep....

... and that's when I realized that the extension would be pretty nice to have.



The arch of the extension allows you to put the frame easily to the side, over the arm of a chair or couch. You can adjust the extension bar to point up or down, or leave it "horizontal" (insofar as an arch can be horizontal!), and then you can further adjust the frame clamp into whatever position you want.

Besides being handy for the side-position arrangement of the stand, the extension also makes it easier to get your work right where you want it, if the stand is directly in front of you. The extension gives the stand one more option for adjustment. Also, basically, it just gets your work closer (by about 10") and from any direction.

The extension is made out of metal, and matches the rest of the stand in quality construction. It's made to last!

I really do love the Needlework System 4! It's by far the best embroidery stand I've ever used (and I think I've used pretty much every stand out there). I've only had one minor problem with the frame clamp. After using it a ton - as in, every day, day in day out, for a year, and turning it too many times to count while using it - the turning mechanism loosened up quite a bit. When I contact the Needlework System 4 company, they wrote back and told me to ship it in, and they'd fix it or replace it (no charge!) There's a lifetime warranty on the stand, but I doubt it would be much needed. And, actually, I found a better fix for the turning mechanism on the frame clamp (I didn't want to be without it for too long!). I used a wrench to tighten things up - and... voila! Back to normal.

If you're looking for a good embroidery stand, you won't be disappointed with this one. If you don't use stretcher bar frames, they have several other options for the stand: scroll bars and a Q-snap holder (though I admit, I use my frame clamp to hold Q-snaps, and it works "ok"). If you're solely a hoop person, the frame clamp holds hoops pretty well, too.

I'm totally unaffiliated with the company or any of its distributors, so there's no "sell job" going on here. Just a hearty recommendation for a really good embroidery stand!

If you've already got the Needlework System 4, consider adding the extension. It's nice. I'm glad I bought it!

So far, the best place I've found to purchase the stand is through Threadneedle Street in Issaquah, WA, which I just recently visited. They have the best prices that I've seen on the stand, plus they stock it and the accessories in the store, so you don't normally have to wait as long for delivery. The only difficulty is that their web page is kind of a pain to shop through, but it still works. You can also call them and place an order over the phone, if you don't like their online order form.

I haven't tried the scroll frame or Q-snap holder for the Needlework System 4. Each element of the system is indeed rather pricey, so I've stuck so far with just the frame clamp. But I'm considering the future purchase of the standard scroll frame attachment and the regular Q-snap attachment. I'm just not quite sure yet if I want to take the plunge. If you've got either of those - the scroll frame or the Q-snap holder - I'd love to hear what you think of them!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework tools, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, July 21, 2009
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If you've gotten to know me a bit through Needle 'n Thread, you've probably figured out that I like books - and I love needlework books. Occasionally, I read a needlework book from cover to cover, but it's rather a rare thing for me to do, especially if it is a book on a specific needlework technique. In such cases, I "scan" - I look for the information I need. For the first time in a long time, I read a needlework book from cover to cover yesterday. It wasn't hard to do, as the book is filled with pictures, and the text is made up of clear, succinct instruction.

Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework by Luzine Happel is a self-published book that I think will become the definitive guide to learning Schwalm embroidery. The English version, recently edited by Joey Colbert (who formerly owned a great little embroidery shop called Twining Thread) and with an introduction by her, is one of the best instructional books that I've seen focusing on teaching a specific needlework technique.



Do not be put off by the fact that this is a self-printed book bound with a plastic comb. I say that because I've purchased many such printed books, and some of them have been complete fizzers, even though written and sold by rather well-known names in the needlework world. This book is not a fizzer.

The book is printed in color on nice paper, bound with a plastic comb, and has a clear plastic cover. The binding, actually, is an advantage - the book lays flat on the table, which is a boon for stitchers who are following the instructions within.

The book is written around one (beautiful!) Schwalm whitework project which incorporates all the major aspects of Schwalm embroidery, including many filling techniques, from simple to intricate. The premise is that, if you work through the project - a small decorative square linen with a Schwalm design around the four sides - you will become familiar with, and practice, all the techniques involved in Schwalm whitework, including excellent finishing techniques. The author takes you through every step of the way and leaves no question unanswered.



After beginning with a discussion of materials (fabrics, threads, tools), Luzine shows you, through pictures and text, how to set up your fabric and transfer your project so that you begin on the right foot.

This section alone would be of interest to any stitcher, regardless of technique preferences, because the principles in the set-up of this project apply to setting up practically any embroidery project. The proper marking of the fabric so that the design is centered and lined up perfectly, the transfer of the pattern, including transferring an extra corner piece - all this information is useful to the hand embroiderer.



You can see here a glimpse of the design. On the right page, in the left corner of the design, you can see how the extra motif for the corner is being aligned with the rest of the design.



Luzine addresses the question of how to treat your threads - how to arrange them for easy access and in a way that keeps them neat and organized as you work through the project.



The stitches are explained with step-by-step photos, but more interestingly, the whole progress of the projects is explained with step-by-step photos, too. Each time you get through a stage of the project, a complete picture of the area is given, so you can see what it's supposed to look like at the end of that stage.

Little red arrows in the photos point to the areas that require special attention - a little instructional hint on how to come to a perfect point, for example, or how to end a thread, or where to come up next, etc. (Like I said, no question is left unanswered!)



Progressing to the next stage, you're taken step-by-step through it, and then given a clear picture of what your work should look like at the end of the stage.



Since different results are often desired from the same stitch (for example, depending on the shape of the leaf, satin stitches will be worked differently), Luzine includes photos of all the results you will want to achieve, discussing them and explaining how to achieve them.



One of the most beautiful aspects of Schwalm whitework is the variety of fillings used inside the various motifs. There are three basic approaches to fillings in Schwalm, and the author explains all three, then takes you through different stitches within the three categories. The project incorporates all different types of fillings, working you from the basic to the more intricate.



Close-up photos and detailed explanation take you through what could be tricky ground. This is the aspect of Luzine's book that I prefer vastly over Christine Bishop's book, Schwalm Embroidery Techniques and Designs, which I've already reviewed. While I like Christine's book and find it informative and inspiring, when it comes to actual stitch explanations (especially in the filling techniques) and their sketched diagrams, the book leaves the novice stitcher with questions that require troubleshooting. Luzine's explanations of the filling techniques used in Schwalm are clear, precise, and well illustrated.



And, again, as you go, you get the photos of the work as you complete a stage.



Now, in many technique books, the finish work is either neglected completely, or, if finishing is discussed, it is in the most generic of terms. Not so in this book. The author takes you through every step of finishing the project.



The finishing section alone is worth the book, for anyone interested in any kind of drawn thread or whitework embroidery that requires hemming with a decorative edge. Once you understand the principles, you can apply them to a variety of decorative treatments.



Finally, in the back of the book, you'll find two semi-transparent pages with clear line drawings of the motifs used in the project. These are marked with dashed lines on the center points, so that you can line up the design precisely on your fabric.

Now, the book is available, but it has to be ordered from Germany either directly from Luzine or from the Museum der Schwalm website in Germany, which is rather difficult to order from. This is the direct link to Basic Principles of Schwalm Whitework by Luzine Happel at Museum der Schwalm. Better yet, you can contact Luzine directly for the book and she can send you a Paypal invoice (which is much easier!). Her e-mail is leuchtbergverlag [at] aol [dot] com.

The price is a bit daunting, I know, at 29.9 EURO (about $42US). And you might think that, because it isn't a professionally published book, it couldn't be worth that. I think it is worth that. If you want to learn Schwalm, or you want to explore it further and learn some of the tips and tricks, I think this is the best book for doing so. There's just no comparison between it and the other two popular Schwalm books on the market (Christine Bishop's and Renate Fernau's). While both of those feature beautiful embroidery - and the sampler in Christine's book is really nice! - the actual instruction in both books fall short when compared to this book, in my opinion.

So, if you're interested in Schwalm or whitework in general, I think this is a book to add to your library!

Since reading it, I've decided (ut oh!) that, with the exception of the current long and short stitch stuff I'm preparing for the website, my next "complete" project - as in "real" and "serious" project, is going to be this piece. It's beautiful. And I want to learn from Luzine!! Don't be surprised, then, to see me setting up this project in the next few weeks!

[The Fine Print: No affiliation here - just a Really Good Book that I think you'll like if you're interested in whitework!]

Labels: book review, embroidery resources, pictures, Schwalm, whitework

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, July 17, 2009
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Yesterday, I had the opportunity to take a couple of my nieces out to the studio and set up some embroidery projects with them. They wanted to stitch some "quick" designs onto flour sack towels to use as bread basket liners (and hopefully sell). So, out we went...

... to the studio that was clean and neat, and there we sifted through designs and ideas. Luckily, the towels were already prepared. I had two dozen deluxe flour sack towels from American Chair Store in the cabinet, awaiting designs and embroidery. These are consistently the best flour sack towels I've come across, by the way, and they are worth the cost of $1.60 each if you buy them in packs of 10. (Like everything else, the price, by the way, has gone up... I bought them by the dozen for about $15 not too long ago...)

Contemplating designs, we very quickly settled on the brilliant idea of making use of the iron-on transfers I told you about yesterday. After all, we could kill two birds with one stone: I could see how well the transfers work, and they could have their towels ready for stitching in no time flat.

Anna selected a few different designs: the three cups, cut out and arranged askew on the corner of one towel, the "B-I-S-C-O-T-T-I" design for across the edge of another towel, and a swirly floral corner thing for another towel.

Emma selected one design - a small bunch of plums that she insisted were peaches and are embroidering them as such, so they are coming out looking like apricots.... which is fine. Emma's eight years old, so I've adopted a new policy with her concerning embroidery: Keep It Simple (despite her inclination to want to do what everyone else is doing) and One Thing at a Time. If she finishes the plums-gone-peaches-gone-apricots, she can set up another towel.

So, we got to try the transfers, and this, of course, takes me back to my reasons for preferring to trace rather than use a transfer.



The transfers took pretty well for iron-on transfers. For the most part, the designs came off very clear, and in little corners here and there where they didn't, the fault belongs to the person behind the iron. These particular transfers are definitely made to give a good, bold first transfer.

We tried a couple of the designs twice, making up, for example, two Biscotti towels. The second impression of the design was actually better than the first.



One thing I remembered I don't like about iron-ons is the thick line they can leave if you are trying for a bold impression. If I'm stitching up a towel for a gift, I generally use 2 strands of floss, which keeps the design bold enough, but not chunky looking. I'm not sure if these transfer lines will wash out, so the best bet is to cover them well when embroidering. This'll require at least 3 strands of floss.

Anyway, as far as the transfer itself goes, these work well. Whil I may still prefer tracing my designs, I have to admit that ironing them on is really quick - we were able to set up about 8 projects yesterday in less than an hour.

After setting up the individual towels, we selected floss for each, then bagged up the floss and the folded towel to make up a "kit." Now the gals will have something to keep them busy! They like to stitch and listen to audio books, which is a good passtime for summer, when they're not in the pool or frolicking about doing other things.

That's done, then.

What else am I up to? Well, I've cleaned up the studio (once again) and sifted through a few things to tie up some loose ends. Sometimes, it's just easier not to go on vacation! Playing catch-up doesn't always seem worth it! I've got a heap of mail ready to go out (the birthday give-aways from June! Finally!). I've gone through all my photos and organized them (about 10 times now), looking desperately for photos of the finished pall I embroidered recently. I never found any, which leads me to think I never took pictures of the finished piece! And now it's delivered! I could kick myself for that one - so, for those of you who have asked about the finish, sorry about that.

I'm still trying to catch up on e-mail, but I fear some may have fallen through the cracks, and, just this morning, for the first time, I've finally caught my feedreader up.

The laundry room here at home has a new coat of paint on it (thanks to my niece, Bridget), but the dining room is stacked with all the shelf clutter from the laundry room. I need to tear down my bedroom this week and get it ready for new paint, which will be followed by new furniture and new linens, curtains, etc., in the next couple months. I'm going with periwinkle walls and white trim, all white linens, all white furniture - and the palest of greens and yellows for highlights. I'm excited about that, and am looking forward, especially, to carrying out my Curtain Idea. I'm going to make (or buy) some airy white sheers for both windows and stitch some very simple, loose scroll designs on them in colors to coordinate with the new paint job. It'll be a while before this is realized, though, as the kitchen, dining room, living room and entryway all have priority.

And, in the midst of all that, I'm working on school work for next year, planning classes and so forth. As the summer passes all-too-quickly away, I must schedule several hours a day just to focus on school preparation. Anyone who thinks teachers have it made, with summers completely off, is rather incorrect in that assumption!

That's what's going on in Real Life right now. In Website Life, I'm still working on projects for Needle 'n Thread, including the long-promised long and short stitch tutorials, as well as a slew of new videos. I haven't had any prime video days yet, though - the days are too broken up with other work and visitors and all the hubbub of the summer.

I hope your summer is going well, and that you have time to relax and enjoy working with your needle 'n thread!

Labels: beginner embroidery, Embroidery for the Home, embroidery resources, iron-on embroidery transfers

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, July 14, 2009
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If you like to use iron-on transfers for your hand embroidery projects, you might be interested a really nice line of transfers produced by Mani di Fata of Italy, and available through Lacis. I purchased a couple different types of iron-on sets, including regular surface embroidery designs and cutwork designs. Here's the set for surface embroidery...

I've only occasionally used iron-on transfers for my embroidery projects. Truth is, I find it easier and more reliable to trace patterns, even those intended to be ironed on. With this set of transfers from Mani di Fata, I'm definitely tracing. Though the transfers would last through several applications, I'm pretty sure they'll last even longer if I stick with tracing them rather than ironing them.



These transfers came in a very large envelope. There are three sheets of transfers, each sheet folding out to... oh, some huge tabletop proportion! (I didn't measure them...)



Each sheet contains many motifs for embroidery. You simply cut out the pieces you want to iron-on, making note of the markings for repeat patterns if your design has a repeat. Then you set up your fabric and iron on your pattern.



The package contains motifs suitable for the bedroom, the living room, the dining room, the kitchen... you get the idea...



... and they're all more or less mixed up on each of the three sheets in the package.



There's one nice alphabet in the set - it features letters marked out with lilies of the valley. It's a very pretty, medium-sized alphabet.



Some of the highlights that sold me on this particular set were these cute cups...



... this line of cacti - though I've never embroidered potted cacti and have no idea if I actually ever will...



... and the many nice corner-type designs in the set. There are at least six or more designs specifically suitable to corners, some very simple and some more complex.

Now, I haven't tried the actual iron-on-ness of these yet, though I will, so I can let you know how well they work. But given the quality of the paper and the sharpness of the designs, I'm assuming they iron on well. I'll play with that this week and let you know.

You can find these iron-on sets through Lacis, by searching "mani di fata" in their online catalog. You'll also find that they have several cutwork iron-on sets, books, and so forth by the same company. You can also look up the Mani di Fata website, which is written in Italian, but you can switch to English or Spanish translation on the site. I found it difficult to find exactly the same set of transfers on their website, but they have all kinds of other delectable things to look at, too, including kits - cutwork tablecloth kits, for example, with the design already printed on, and all kinds of other neat stuff.

Back to the transfers - these sets really have the nicest designs I've seen in these types of transfers. I'm glad I found them while rummaging through Lacis, and now I wish I had bought more of 'em!

Labels: embroidery resources, iron-on embroidery transfers, pictures, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, July 13, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, July 12, 2009
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While at Threadneedle Street in Issaquah, Washinton, I picked up a new book on hand embroidered monograms that is more than just a book on hand embroidered monograms - it is a fascinating glance into the House of Malbranche, a French institution dedicated, since the mid-1800's, to the creation of beautiful household linens.

Letters and Monograms from the House of Malbranche by Yvonne Van de Velde-Malbranche and Christine Rosenthal is a hard-bound book that contains practical information for the embroiderer - instructions on creating beautiful monograms for household linens - as well as a unique look into an interesting part of textile history: the established "institutions" or "houses" that produced luxury embroidered goods for the rich and the royal.



The text of the book is presented in three languages: French, Italian, and English. The book begins with a history of the House of Malbranche, detailing how the insitute would fulfill orders for custom linens - from the consulting stage, to the designing, to the distribution to embroiderers, to collections and payments.



It then progresses to practical information about the embellishment of fine household linens, including embroidering to appliquéing linens for the home.



The monograms featured range from elaborate in form - scrolly, intricate letters entwined around each other - to simple, clear individual letters.



Technical information on completing the monograms is arranged alongside the photo samples included.



Along with patterns, detailed explanations of stitch direction (especially for satin stitching) are included. This type of information is of great help to the beginner who desires to achieve perfect satin stitching around the curves of graceful letters.



Appliqué and pin stitching are featured on a "modern" looking monogram - quite art nouveau-ish - worked in white on natural linen. Not only do I love the combination of white-on-natural, but I love the clean look of this monogram set!



Diagrams covering different technical aspects of the art of embroidered monograms pepper the book, helping to illustrate the instructions in the text.



One of the most helpful topics in the technical instructions is the stitch direction for satin stitching, as mentioned above. Here, you can see that stitch direction on rounded tips of letters is being discussed and drawn out.



Throughout the book, there are many beautiful alphabets suitable for a variety of interpretations.

If you're interested in whitework, in monogramming, or in the history of textiles, I think you would enjoy this book! The English translation is a little choppy here and there, but the wealth of information and beauty within the pages makes up for this.

I found the book at Threadneedle Street in Washington, but I do not know if they still have it available, as it isn't presently on their website. They can probably order it for you, if you're interested in it. Note, though, that the price tag was pretty hefty - around $50.

You can also find the book through Mad Sampler Books, available for special order at $48. I couldn't find it in too many other places online, so if you happen to know a resource, do please feel free to let us know!

I think, overall, this is my favorite purchase from my recent road trip. I picked up a lot of fun things, but this was a nice find of a not-so-common book, on a topic I like, in a beautiful format, with an interesting story to read. I really like it!

Labels: book review, embroidery resources, historical needlework, monograms

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, July 09, 2009
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Located in Berkeley, California, Lacis (pronounced "Lah-cease") is, like I said yesterday, a weirdly wonderful needlework (and more) shop. It's somewhat difficult to explain this place. I would have liked to have spent much more time there, but alas, by the time we stopped, we were behind schedule already. I ended up missing some of the "definites" that I wanted to see (and buy!), and I took lousy photos in general. 3,000 miles or so later, I'm kicking myself for that!

But, still, I'll tell you what I can about this needlework-lace-museum-gift-book-and-antique-shop sort of shop. It's a strange mix, but it works!



Located on a very busy street in Berkely (is there a street in Berkeley that isn't very busy?), the shop has two parts to it: the shop, and the "lace museum." From what I could tell - and I didn't go through the whole thing - the lace museum is an ecclectic mix of collected laces, in a very casual venue. Unlike museums where pieces are kept behind glass, in climate and light-controlled settings, this museum is somewhat hodge-podge-ish, with the various displayed laces pinned to wall displays and draped hither and thither. Perhaps, behind the outside front, there are display cases and so forth, but I never quite made it to the museum proper.



In the shop part of the establishment, vintage clothing hangs from the ceiling, along with hats and bric-a-brac and all kinds of other stuff, taking up just about every display spot in the store.

Below, needlework goods fill the shelves and racks throughout the place.



In addition to needlework supplies, lace-making supplies, millinery supplies, costume-making supplies, and vintage books and patterns, you'll find, mixed in, racks of nostalgic greeting cards and prints and so forth.



Everywhere you turn, you'll find strange little gift and specialty items, like this wooden fish puzzle.



There are an abundance of threads. These are Edmar threads, used often in Brazilian embroidery. Besides the threads visible on display racks, there are drawers and drawers of different types of threads. One thing on my list for my visit to Lacis was to check out the whole range of floche that they have available on their website. I completely forgot! C'est la vie.



Threads for crochet, specialty yarns and lace-making threads - all kinds of threads take up the shelves and racks in the middle of the shop, as do spools of lace and ribbon and so forth.



Once you walk in, your attention may be first arrested by the clothes hanging above you and draped over everything, but it doesn't take long to forget about the stuff above while perusing the stuff below! I thought the vintage apron on this dress was quite sweet.



You can buy vintage lace and vintage handkerchiefs there, as well, although I have to admit, I saw one "wedding hankie" - very fine needlework, indeed! - for $125, and was a little surprised at the price, especially considering that there were about six or so of the exact same handkerchief there (which leads one to think they may have been mass produced?). I bought one similar, in pristine condition, on eBay last year for a mere $18. So with a little shopping around, if you're in the market for antique lace or vintage handkerchiefs or the like, I think you could probably find them at a more reasonable price elsewhere. However, as far as selection goes, Lacis seems to have a pretty vast selection of vintage goods to choose from!



Upon leaving the shop, I felt a bit flurried. It's definitely one of those places that, if you go, allot a good amount of time for serious, concentrated browsing - thought concentration is somewhat difficult, as the shop was crowded with all kinds of shoppers, the staff was all very busy either helping customers or seeing to a variety of different tasks (like ironing fabric, separating buttons, answering phones, and fluttering about), and in general, the place has an overwhelming feeling of "clutter." Weeding through the clutter, though, is fun.

One of my favorite aspects of the store was the back corner, which is filled with all kinds of needlework books on every kind of technique, many of which books are out of print or hard to find, and some of which are foreign. I liked the selection of vintage iron-on transfers for cutwork, as well as some interesting old magazines that I came across.

If you like a clean, tidy, and organized needlework shopping experience, Lacis may not be the place for you. Still, if you're looking for anything related to needlework - even obscure tools - chances are, you'll find it here. If you want a bit of adventure and you like exploring, then definitely put Lacis on your list of places to visit!

I'm still regretting the floche. But I know why it slipped my mind - there was just so much to see!

I didn't purchase much at Lacis - a few books and cutwork patterns and a couple greeting cards, and I think that was about it. I don't think I bought any thread at all. I know they have fabric there, too, but I don't even recall looking at any! It was, to say the least, a whirlwind stop at a whirlwind store! On the bright side, anything I missed, I know I can find on the Lacis website, if I really need it. This, by the way, is the place that I buy my cutwork threads. I didn't bother looking at cutwork threads, as I'm pretty fully stocked with them right now.

After leaving San Francisco, we headed south to Santa Clara, and then to Monterey and Carmel. Though we didn't find our old house in Monterey (there are new homes along the street there), we did see some beautiful places.



One of my favorite aspects of Monterey, and really the whole central coastal area of California, is the sunny-foggy days. The day begins with a heavy fog covering the coastal area, but this tends to burn off by mid-morning, and the sun shines until late afternoon, when the fog starts to creep back in. Here, the fog is moving back over Monterey Bay and wharf.



I'm kind of a sucker for seascapes, marine life, and birds. In Monterey, you can find all three in abundance.



The seagulls are huge and humorous.



Upon leaving the Monterey and Carmel area, we took the coastal road towards San Diego.



We stopped for a humorous interlude with some sea lions that were lounging on a beach. No, they aren't dead. They're just... lounging. I think it's what they do best.



We visited several of the old missions along the coastal route. San Juan Capistrano, famous for its yearly influx of swallows, is certainly a beautiful setting, but it was probably my least-favorite mission stop, as it is so commercialized. The mission itself seems to be overshadowed by the swallows!

We took the coastal road all the way to San Diego, to Coronado, where my folks also lived (before I was born), and where my older sisters went to school for a bit. We found the old school and the old house. The house is about five houses from the beach, on Pine Street. Prime property today, but back in the day, my parents thought $30K was too much for it!

After a quick stop in Coronado, we headed east again - finally - to the rural parts of the country. I longed for open road and reduced traffic! And boy, did we ever get both! Through the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, there isn't much going on.



We went to the Grand Canyon - the southern and eastern rims - in Arizona. Hm. I'm not sure what to say about it. It's majestic - beautiful - awesome - but the height made me rather woozy. Still - it's something!



Finally, we went to Sante Fe, where we visited the Loretto Chapel to see the St. Joseph stairs, a very beautiful spot, with a very interesting story.

That was our last "tourist" stop on the trip - the rest was just returning to Kansas. To make the occasion of returning home memorable, we ended up in a massive thunderstorm that spawned at least one tornado within a mile of where we sat on the side of the highway, waiting for the storm to pass. Yes, Toto, we're back in Kansas!



The trip began and ended more or less where the red dot is there in Kansas. Not bad, for 14 nights, three of which were spent in Minnesota before really "striking out." It was a heap of fun! Still ... there's no place like home!

Now, that's the nitty gritty of the recent travels, but wait! There's more! Though I won't bore you with anymore road tripping details, I do want to show you some of the needlework loot I picked up along the way, especially the books and a few handy items and accessories for stitchers that I thought looked ... uh ... necessary.

I'll be sharing that with you over the next few days, while I'm trying to get together some upcoming tutorials and videos, and while I'm sorting through some projects and getting to work again. So, keep an eye out!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework and travel, personal, pictures, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, July 08, 2009
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The next needlework shop I visited is located in Alameda, California - Needle in a Haystack. Of the four shops I visited, Haystack was probably the best "fit" for me. I'll tell you why...

Located on a busy street in Alameda, a town teeming with activity, shops, cafés, bakeries, farmer's markets, and so forth, Needle in a Haystack is a large, open, airy shop filled with all kinds of delightful things for the needleworker.



I'd say that, out of the four shops I visited, the Haystack has the largest space devoted solely to needlework supplies. It's probably comparable in size to Nordic Needle, but the floor area is not as broken up as Nordic Needle's is.



With lots of floor space and a very open layout, it is a very pleasant place to shop. In the front of the store, tables and chairs invite the stitcher to sit a bit to match threads or to flip through books and so forth. The area is used for classes and stitching groups.



Much of the wall space of the store is covered with threads - lots of threads!



Additionally, they've got drawer cases for Anchor, DMC, and other threads, as well as spinning racks hung with ... threads. Lots and lots of threads! (DId I mention they have a lot of thread?)



In addition to threads, you'll find shelves tastefully arranged with displays of accessories, books, and needlework-related items.



Above the threads along the walls, you'll find heaps of hand painted canvases for needlepoint, including some very enticing historical adaptations of tapestries and slips and whatnot.

What I really liked about Haystack was the variety of embroidery techniques represented by their merchandise. I found some beautiful crewel and needlepainting kits, many books / magazines on cutwork and whitework, fabric for surface embroidery of all types, as well as a vast selection of counted thread charts, historical samplers, blackwork, and needlepoint / canvas work supplies. There was more variety here, as far as specific stitching techniques are concerned, than in any other store I visited.

My overall impressions of the place:

Merchandise: a variety of merchandise is offered for stitchers interested in different techniques. They pretty much have everything, and if, by chance, there's something you want that they don't have, they'll order it. They have the full range of Au Ver a Soie products, by the way, if you're looking for silk, among other types of silks and blends.

Layout of the Shop: Most pleasant - open, airy, easy to find things and relaxing for casual browsing, even when the shop is busy with customers.

Prices: Well. I have to admit, their prices for things that can be bought elsewhere are slightly higher than many online or brick-and-mortar shops. However, it's always worthwhile to keep an eye out for their specials, by subscribing to their newsletter and frequenting their blog.

Service: Very good - the people working are friendly, knowledgeable, and talkative and can help you find anything or make decisions on thread choices, etc. They're also very helpful when it comes to local information, goings-on, and so forth.

So ... in a nutshell... yes, I loved Needle in a Haystack. They have a great online store, too, so if you can't make it to their shop, check them out online! As far as online shops go, they're layout is really nice, too. I like ordering from them, simply for the ease of ordering.

We did non-needlework-related stuff in the San Francisco Bay area, too, by the way. In fact, my family used to live in every place we visited on the West Coast! So, while we were up in the Seattle area, we found the house my folks lived in on Whidby Island. In Alameda, we used to live on Burbank Street, which is still lined with very tall palm trees. Also in the area, we lived in a "modern" Eichler home up on Phaeton Drive in Oakland (and the house still looks great!), and we also lived in Walnut Creek for a while, so we looked for that house, too, and the school we attended as children. We didn't always have luck finding our former homes - in Monterey, for example, the house is no longer there.



Driving into the city of San Francisco, we saw a blimp hovering overhead. I had to take a picture - as a kid, we always looked for the blimp! And it's still there!



Of course, at Fisherman's Wharf, we had to eat sourdough bread...



...and ice cream at Ghiradelli Square. Boudin's Sourdough Bread and Ghiradelli Ice Cream are San Francisco icons...

Before we left the San Francisco area, I did manage to make it to Lacis, which was my last needlework shop on the trip. It's a weirdly wonderful place, so I'll tell you about that one next!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework and travel, personal, pictures, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, July 07, 2009
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After stopping in North Dakota at Nordic Needle for some needlework shopping - yes, I admit it, I bought embroidery supplies at each of these shops! - we struck out west towards the Seattle area of Washington, via Glacier National Park and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. On the way in to Seattle, very conveniently located off Interstate-90 in the town of Issaquah, is Threadneedle Street, a small needlework shop specializing predominantly in needlepoint and counted thread work.

On the way in to Washington, the scenery changes somewhat drastically after the mountains of Idaho and western Montana. The eastern part of Washington is rather desert-like and scrubby.



The Columbia River is an impressive site. There are a couple dams along the river in the middle part of the state, and one is in the vicinity of the highway, making for a nice scenic stopping point. So we stopped. And it was scenic.

Then we headed into the Seattle area, stopping at Issaquah. Really, when I say it's an easy stop, I mean it. If you're on I-90, you simply take the exit, drive into the town on the main street, and pull over to park. It's about that easy.



Of the four shops I visited, Threadneedle Street is certainly the smallest. In fact, if you weren't looking for it specifically, you might miss it altogether!



In case you're looking for the shop some day, though, the pink pig might help you find it. This gal sits at the end of the sidewalk on the same side of the street the shop is on... I didn't inspect her closely, so I'm not sure what she's all about. I suspect she's a grill...



Inside the shop, you'll find very closely arranged (as in, tight quarters!) merchandise - all kinds of threads, tools, accessories, beads, etc. - that are used in embroidery.



You'll find shelves of pre-cut fabric and racks of beads, buttons, and little items.



You'll find racks and baskets full of kits and charts and so forth. And tucked here and there, lines of neat books for sale. (I bought a terrific book here that I'm looking forward to showing you!)



You'll also find some walls devoted to painted canvases, from elaborate Christmas stockings to geometric designs, etc. They're very pretty and colorful!



But to me, the greatest appeal of Threadneedle Street is this. It's the Needlework System 4 stand and all its accessories and parts - and she stocks the pieces in the shop, instead of special ordering each time a customer wants the stand. This means that chances are, if you stop in, you'll be able to pick up a part right then and there. Every other needlework shop I've dealt with regarding this stand keeps a demo model, and then has to special order the pieces you want (and you end up with a 10 - 14 day wait). But here, you can buy the pieces you want, in stock. AND - she has the best prices in the country! If you buy the stand and frame clamp from Threadneedle Street, you're spending almost $50 less here than anywhere else. And you're not having to wait. What a deal!

I bought the extension piece, by the way, for my Needlework System 4 stand. This allows the stand to easily work from the side, over the arm of a couch. (Feel free to read my review of the Needlework System 4 stand, if you aren't sure what I'm talking about!)

So, my review of Threadneedle Street in a nutshell:

Merchandise: There's a vast quantity of merchandise in this little store! She carries all the popular threads for cross stitch and needlepoint, including wools and blends and so forth, as well as a few different hand-dyed threads that I had not seen before. Lots of little accessories are available, as well. There's a good collection of interesting needlework-related books that you won't find on the shelf of a typical bookstore, and a few that I had not seen before, one of which I bought. Seeing some Access Commodities merchandise there, I figure that the folks at Threadneedle Street can pretty much order anything that you want, if they don't have it in stock.

Shop Layout: As needlework shops go, I'd call this one "average" in size. Most needlework shops I've been to are relatively small in general. Threadneedle Street is no exception - the shop is small and seems somewhat crowded, but when you start to look around and see what's in there, you realize there's a pretty clever use of space going on. No space is wasted.

Prices: They actually seem a little bit less, overall, than in most places, though I can't be sure of that with everything there. Certainly, it's the case with the Needlework System 4 stand, but I also thought the threads were just slightly less expensive than in other shops. In any case, there wasn't anything that struck me as outlandish, price-wise, at all.

Service: This is the one shop I can say without reserve that I met with great service - that perfect balance between warm and friendly and open, capped with professional knowledge, and not overwhelming. Just a nice, friendly, open personality, ready to help and having no hang-ups about answering questions. It was, in short, very refreshing to go to a needlework shop and receive really genuine, sincere, niceness for a change. You just don't see that often in needlework shops, thought it's unfortunate to have to say so. Now, their online service may be a bit different - the website notes that they are often busy with customers in the store and therefore may have to call you back if you call to place an order. I have the impression the shop is worked by very few people (I only saw one!), so if you do call them to place an order, expect to be either put on hold or called back.

I liked Threadneedle Street. If I lived in the vicinity, I think it would be the kind of shop that I'd establish a good working relationship with. There's a real niceness and enthusiasm about needlework there that I haven't met at too many needlework shops.

I'd love to see the Threadneedle Street website updated into a regular shopping-cart type website. I think this would ease the ordering situation for out-of-town customers and it would probably make the job on the selling end easier, too.

After leaving Issaquah, we headed to the Seattle area. My folks used to live on Whidby Island, so we went there to see the old haunts and so forth.



Deception Pass is gorgeous! Well, ok - it's water! You'll find that I get overly enthusiastic about anything that looks like abundant water! We drove through Whidby Island, took a ferry to Seattle, stayed overnight, did some looking around the next day, and then headed to Oregon...



...where we saw Crater Lake...



...which is blue beyond belief, and still, and quiet, and cold. Snow still lined the roads up at the top of the mountain, with four-foot cuts of the white stuff in some places along the road. The mosquitoes up there, by the way, were huge and Really Hungry.



From Oregon, we headed into California, where we drove through the Napa Valley, stopping at a few wineries along the way. The contrast between green and lush and dry and sandy in the area is quite intriguing and really beautiful. I love the grape vines! They are something else - I'd love to see them when they are fully laden with grapes.



My favorite stop was at Peju Winery, which is a little boutique winery in the Napa Valley. I prefer boutique wineries to the Big-Wigs (like Berringer, etc.). They're more fun, more intimate, more interesting, and they do fun stuff with their wine. I bought, untasted, a bottle of zinfandel port (port-style wine, anyway) as a gift. They only make this every so many years, and they were down to six bottles left. It was a risk to pay the price without knowing for sure if it was good, but we weren't disappointed! Good Stuff Indeed!

This leg of the trip took us into the Bay Area, where I visited two extraordinary needlework shops... coming up!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework and travel, needlework websites, personal, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, July 06, 2009
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The first needlework shop stop on my 6,200-mile-road trip was in Fargo, North Dakota, at Nordic Needle. Now, this is a shop I have always and forever wanted to go to! And since I was heading to Minnesota for a three days, I figured this would be a prime opportunity to visit Nordic Needle. This was the beginning of the Great Road Trip Plan that took me in a huge loop to the West Coast and back to Kansas. Really - I was just planning to add a couple hundred miles to the trip and jump up to Fargo! But Mom and Dad suddenly got the "bug" to travel, too, and so the three of us concocted this ever-changing journey that took us to some very interesting spots and some old haunts where my folks lived and raised their kids. So, without further ado, here's Nordic Needle and some other stuff...

We left Kansas on Thursday, June 18th and drove to Minnesota, where we stayed until Sunday morning, June 21st.



Minnesota is beautiful. The lakes that dot the state are especially enticing if you happen to be coming from the Kansas prairies, where water is not always abundant. One morning, we picnicked on the shore of a lake, in the company of a pair of ducks.

On Sunday, we headed north to Fargo, arriving in time to have dinner with some friends and put up for the evening. The next morning would be devoted to Nordic Needle. I didn't plan to spend a lot of time there - I didn't think it would be quite the thing to do to the Agéd P's - but a good hour, I thought, was reasonable.

Of course, it ended up being two hours.



The outside of the shop is rather mundane, but hey - it serves its purpose!



Inside Nordic Needle, you will find practically everything a stitcher's heart can desire, to some degree or another. This is a wall of beads and accessories and little things...



One section of the store is devoted to these rotating book stands that are filled with everything from charts for counted work, to a delightful variety of books (including many books self-published by different designers, that can't be had through Amazon, etc.), to kits of all sorts, including several of Tanja Berlin's embroidery kits (among others).



Being "Nordic" Needle, there is a goodly amount of stock devoted to Nordic embroidery techniques, including Hardanger, huck embroidery and so forth.



And then, there are threads. Oh, are there ever threads! All kinds of threads! This particular section in the photo above is their Brazilian embroidery section of threads, but behind it, on the wall, is the whole line of Treenway Silks pearl and ribbon -- among other threads.

You can imagine that in the midst of all these glorious goods, I was a bit unfocused at first. I just saw, but didn't really "attack" with any clear focus. My eyes went from one selection of goods to the next, without really honing in on my own particular interests.



I have seen huckwork in magazines and books, but have never tried it. Engrossed by the samples hanging on the walls, I took a look at some of their huckwork kits and decided they would be perfect for on-the-road needlework! So I bought a couple. I never touched them. I did not lift a needle (except when purchasing needles) once during the whole trip. *Sigh*



It's difficult to explain the quantity and variety of needlework goods available at Nordic Needle. The main floor of the shop is packed with aisles and shelves and displays filled with threads and tools and kits and designs, as well as display boxes, accessories, and anything you really could want, needlework-wise.



The threads are, of course, the most colorful things in the shop! Racks of them - everywhere! I would suppose that just about any type of thread you would want, you could get through Nordic Needle. Even if they don't regularly carry it, they can probably special order anything. While I saw a whole rack of Danish Flower Thread, for example, I didn't see any floche. But I bet, if you want floche, you could special order it from them. Of course, this doesn't mean they don't have floche - I may have just missed it.



They have a nice corner - much bigger than seen here - full of fabrics on bolts, and also cut fabrics. You can find linens, evenweaves of different types, and just about anything for regular embroidery in their fabric area. Anything they don't have, again, I am pretty sure they could special order!

Nordic Needle has a neat incentive for travelers, by the way. If you travel a distance to visit them, they take a certain percentage off your purchase. If you click the "How Far Will You Go" box on their home page, you can read about the incentive. The shop is less than 1,000 miles from me, so I received 10% off my purchase. BUT - I happened to be there on a Monday, and they have this "Monday Madness" thing they do, where you can draw for a discount on one item (or many - depending on what you draw). I lucked out - I was there on a Monday! - and got 50% off my most expensive item, which was one of Alison Cole's goldwork books.

All in all, by the time I left, I was a pretty happy camper!

Here's my review of the shop, in a nutshell:

Merchandise: Wow! They have a lot of great needlework merchandise. I would have loved to have seen more merchandise devoted to other surface embroidery techniques such as needle painting, crewel work, etc., or even cutwork and other forms of whitework (in addition to Hardanger). They had Trish Burr's books in stock, and some kits of Tanja Berlin's (though not her needlepainting kits - blackwork and shadow-work, basically). They also had a bunch of nice Brazilian supplies. And I'm sure that they could order just about any kind of needlework-anything you might want, so I'm not too taken a-back by the lack of other surface techniques. They have as well a terrific selection of accessories - the best I've seen anywhere - for the needleworker, from all the convenient tools and accessories a sticher needs, to many unique and beautiful stitching-related items, tools, notions, and so forth.

Shop Layout: As needlework shops go, I'd call Nordic Needle "really big." It's crowded and a bit confusing. When it comes to finding something specific, such as a design or a kit, if you aren't used to the layout, you'll probably need help. Still, good use is made of the space they have, and once you get the general feel of the shop, it's easy enough to find your way around or just to enjoy browsing. Never-ending browsing!

Prices: They seemed fair and equivalent to other shops I've been to, or to merchandise I've found online. Nothing seemed outlandish, as far as prices are concerned. Prices were pretty much what I expected them to be. I picked up a couple little bargain bits in their "discount" room, too, which was nice...

Service: Well, this is difficult. It depends on what you want in service. The people were polite enough, though not overly friendly, and they kept their distance. If I needed something, though, I had but to ask, and they directed me politely to it. There was no real "warmth" in any communications, but they weren't rude, either. It was just business. In a sense, this is a good thing. It allows the customer to browse a shop without being hassled or conversed with the whole time so that it's hard to concentrate. I would imagine that, in a shop this size, that's probably what most shoppers would desire. And when it came to my needing anything, I had prompt attention. So in that sense, the service was good - not warm and over-friendly, but there was no curtness or rudeness (which I have, believe it or not, experienced in other needlework shops, and it's one of my pet peeves!)

Nordic Needle is definitely an A+ shop, obviously built through the hard work of the owners into a thorough supply warehouse for needleworkers all over the world. If you get the opportunity to visit the shop, you won't be disappointed, I don't think! If you don't have the opportunity to visit in person, you can always visit their website.

I finished up at the shop before 11:00 am (so, actually less than two hours!) and we struck out west from there, across North Dakota, heading towards Glacier National Park in Montana.



There are some parts of North Dakota that are really beautiful! We stopped for coffee at a friend's house in Mandan, which is located on the Missouri River. Their back deck offered us this incredible view - and it was a perfectly beautiful day to enjoy it!



The majority of North Dakota looked pretty much like this, until we got to the very western edge of the state. The "Badlands" of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota are surprising, to say the least! At one moment, you're driving along through the rolling green hills typical of the photo above, and then you round a curve in the highway, and there you are in the midst of rocky canyons and scrubby landscapes.

We made it through North Dakota and on into Montana, where we turned north to take the "scenic" route to Glacier.



It was .... sort of scenic, I suppose. We spent Monday night in a small town along the way - Glasgow, Montana - and then Tuesday, we headed to Glacier National Park.



Glacier is incredibly beautiful! It is majestic and awesome - and difficult to describe! Unfortunately, we only got to see "part way in," as the road through the pass was still considered too precarious for car travel (avalanche warnings, and so forth). No, we didn't get out to hike it! Instead, we had lunch in beautiful surroundings, saw as much as the park as we could from the eastern and southern parts of it, via road, and then headed to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where we spent the rest of the afternoon and night before heading to Seattle, where I stopped in at Threadneedle Street.

But we'll save that for the next installment!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework and travel, needlework websites, personal, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, July 05, 2009
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A couple weeks ago when scoping out the path of this road trip I'm currently on (you haven't missed me, have you?), I came across, via Google Maps, a needlework shop in Minnesota called Oak Hill Designs. While browsing their site, which features everything at 40% off right now (perhaps closing down?), I came across a section on goldwork. While most of the stock in the online store seems to be sold out or dwindled to one left (still worth taking a look!), I was happy to see that the goldwork section had four interesting looking kits in it. I bought two, and here's one of 'em.

According the goldwork section on the Oak Hill Designs website, which I double-checked while writing this post (June 17th), there are still four goldwork kits available on the site. I was a little disappointed to see that the Goldwork Rose kit (below) is listed as $22.95 on sale - when I bought it, it was $10.00, which was exciting. I thought it might be a really good opportunity for those of you who want to try goldwork to be able to do so affordably. I'm not sure, actually, if the $22.95 price is worth this little kit, but for $10, I didn't think you could go wrong. If you are looking for a goldwork kit, though, the Fishes from Bangalore is also $22.95, and I think it's (overall) a better kit - more color, kind of fun!

Anyway, should this little goldwork rose kit be reduced in price again, and if you're interested in trying your hand at goldwork, here's a little information about the kit. Maybe you'll be able to track down other similar kits by the same designer or company that produces this one.



The kit comes in a swell little gift bag. I thought that was kind of neat - everything packaged in a little bag, with a color photo of the finished project on the front.



Kit contents:

Moire fabric, on which the design is worked. I would personally back this with muslin, as I've stitched on moire before for goldwork, and without the muslin backing, there isn't enough support. The design is not printed on the fabric.

Needles in three different sizes for the various parts of the design.

Instruction booklet with design page.

Threads: Rajmahal art silk in pinks and greens for the colored threads that are used for couching and also for the embroidered details; gold-colored Rajmahal art silk for couching the gold threads; Imitation Jap gold; a fine gold thread; and two short length of purls (about 3 inches each), one check and one smooth.



The little instruction booklet covers everything from transferring the design, to setting the project up on a frame, to the various stitches used and where they're used, to color placement - in short, everything you need to know to complete the project.



Ut-oh! While the little gift bag packaging on the outside is fine, the packaging on the inside leaves a little to be desired. The purls were crushed by the other content in the kit. Not good, but this certainly doesn't mean that it would be the case in each kit. For $10, I still think the kit is worth it. For $22.95, I'd have second (and third) thoughts before buying it.

Overall, though, I think the concept is great, don't you? A small beginner's goldwork kit, all neatly packaged.

The concept is great - a small beginner's goldwork kit with a simple design at an affordable price. (Again, the $22.95 might be a bit steep for the contents herein!)

In any case, I thought it would make a great gift for a young needleworker who would be willing to give it a try!

Labels: embroidery resources, goldwork, pictures, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, June 27, 2009
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As a serious thread junkie, I'm always on the lookout for nice embroidery threads, especially silks. Margaret brought my attention to this website, which looks like it offers some delectable silk threads for hand embroidery!

The website is called Mulberry Silks, and it's located in the UK. It looks as if they carry a variety of types of threads, but for some reason, I seem to be drawn to the hand embroidery threads. Huh. I wonder why?!



The different palettes of color are really pretty! The silk is wound on spools, and the range of colors in all those lined-up spools just sets my thread-loving heart a-flutter!



Above is one of the brighter palettes...



... and this one, the Garden Palette, is by far my favorite (though it seems to be lacking yellow, doesn't it?)

I suppose I'm not actually recommending the threads, because I haven't tried them, so I don't really know what they're like. But they're somewhat intriguing, aren't they? I've added them to my Ever-Growing-List-of-Threads-I-Want-To-Try, though, so when I do, I'll let you know what I think of them.

In the meantime, since I haven't tried them, I thought I'd ask if any of you have? If you have tried Mulberry Silk hand embroidery threads, can you give the rest of us the low-down? Are they worth the investment, given shipping and exchange rate? I'd love to hear any opinions on them, especially before making that kind of investment in a thread purchase!

Thanks!

Labels: embroidery resources, silk, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, June 20, 2009
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One of my favorite resources for embroidery patterns and inspiration is Antique Pattern Library. There, you'll find such an extensive list of books in the Library that it's impossible to get through them all! But there are some real gems in there (like the one mentioned below), so it's definitely worth exploring...

This particular publication is called La Brodeuse, a periodical published in France in the early 1900's, featuring plenty of embroidery patterns. Somewhere, I have at least one original La Brodeuse pamphlet, sent to me by an antique-crazy fiend... I mean friend... who lives just outside Paris. (Thanks, Suzette!) I don't know if it's the same one, but one of these days, I suppose I'll go bookshelf-diving to find out.

These publications are very similar to La Broderie Blanche, which is the publication from which the first monogram alphabet posted here on Needle 'n Thread came.

In the meantime, though, it's there in electronic form on Antique Pattern Library for all to enjoy!



You can download the PDF copy of La Brodeuse and save it to your computer for a ready resource. It isn't too long (only six pages), so printing it out is an easy proposition, too. To enlarge the designs, a photocopier comes in handy.

For tips and tricks on transferring designs, please visit my Tips and Tricks for Hand Embroidery list, where you'll find a section on transferring patterns.

Enjoy!

Labels: embroidery resources, free embroidery patterns, online needlework books

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, June 19, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, June 06, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, June 02, 2009
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Last Friday, as usual, the postman dropped off the mail while I was at work. One of those little "we'll re-deliver" cards was included in among the regular collection of Junkmail and Boring Stuff. The postman had written that the sender's name was "China." All day long, I thought about that.

I like the man who delivers our mail on our street! He knows everyone and is very friendly - all very small-town-rural-ish, and that's great! Often, if he misses me in the morning but passes by later and notices I'm home, he'll stop to deliver a missed package. So on Friday, curious about "China," I waited. Alas, no postman.

Our post office keeps the screwiest hours in the world. They open after 8:00 a.m. (when everyone else in the world is already at work), and they close at 4:30 pm! Oh, but there's always lunch time to hit the post office, right? No, no - they close (completely) at 12:00 noon, until 1:30 pm, for their lunch. On Saturday, they're open from something like 8:30 - 9:45. Yes, it's all very small-town-rural-ish!

So I appreciate our postman and his kind efforts! I really do! BUT - on Friday - with "China" nagging me all afternoon, there was no sign of second delivery. WHAT WAS CHINA??? I knew I could not rest until I knew...

So, at 4:20 pm, I called the post office. The card said I could pick up the package the next day, and in the past, I've never had success trying to pick up on the same day I received that taunting card. But I thought it worth the effort to call "just in case," and... sure enough, I was rewarded! They had it in hand! They closed in 10 minutes! I rushed to the post office and got there just as they were coming out to lock the doors.

And there, in my hands, was placed a package. It didn't feel remotely like china. It didn't look as if it had come from China! Indeed, the return address was South Africa. And though I'll never quite know how China figured into the picture when the card was left at my door by the postman, I was thrilled and ecstatic that the package was from South Africa!

Because I knew what was in it! I had been waiting...



A mighty collection of Trish Burr's new embroidery kits!



The kits are professionally packaged in a sealed pastic sleeve, and the contents are tucked into a folded cover page that has a full-color photo of the project within on it.



On the title information, you'll find the intended skill level of the kit, and I believe each levels is further categorized by the color stripes on the side of the cover.



Inside each kit ordered with threads, you'll find the instruction pages, which include a supply list, a stitch glossary, a color guide, and step-by-step photos and instructions on completing the project. You'll also find the threads arranged in groups and marked clearly, separated either in bags or on hanging tabs. You'll find the fabric for the project, with the design clearly printed on the fabric. You'll find a needle. And finally, you'll find a most pleasant surprise - a practice cloth, with little design elements drawn out, for you to practice long and short stitch on! A very nice addition to each kit, I think!



The instructions, as you can see above, are accompanied by a photograph of the project developing at every step of the way. Very helpful!

I'm so excited to see these kits in person!!! And now that I've seen them, I can reiterate that this is a great way to learn needlepainting, or long and short stitch embroidery! The rosebud is absolutely perfect for beginners - clean instructions, simple design, and all the perfect little touches to bring the design to life.

I cannot wait to finish my currect project so I can launch into one of these kits!

You can find Trish's kits on her website, for those of you in the USA who want to try them. For readers in the UK or Australia, check the suppliers listed on Trish's site!

Also, keep an eye out this week for my Give-Away, which will include one of Trish's kits!!!

Enjoy your Monday!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlepainting, pictures, supplies, Trish Burr

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, June 01, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, May 23, 2009
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Not quite the same as needlework shop hopping, but sometimes just as fun, I've been needlework website hopping. Now, if you've time to hop along with me, I'll show you where I've been lately, and I'll highlight some resources and other things that have captured my interest...

First off, on my May Give-Away, I included one of those vinyl mesh zipper bags that are great for toting needlework projects around in. Since posting the give-away, my most frequently asked e-mail question this week has been where to find those bags.

What you'd be looking for are vinyl mesh zipper pouches sold for organization of art supplies and so forth. You can sometimes find them at local needlework shops. I've seen them, too, I think at some craft stores in the needlework section, but mostly, I've seen them at smaller needlework shops. I bought mine at The Sunflower Seed in Topeka, KS. They don't have a regular "retail" area of the website, so you might have to contact them to find out if they sell their accessories retail online.

You can find them online at other places, too. For example, they have them at Silver Needle, if you scroll down that page. Speaking of Silver Needle, it looks like a pretty neat needlework / cross-stitch shop. It's located in Tulsa, OK - only 4.5 hours away from me. Worth a day trip? Mmmm.... maybe a weekend trip! I'm not quite sure if Tulsa is the weekend get-away spot I've been dreaming about... but...?

Ok, off to other spots... I think everyone should take a look at this photo of the Plimoth Plantation Jacket! You'll get a wonderful sense of the color, the gold, the sparklies, and so forth on the project. If you haven't visited the Embroiderers' Story blog on Thistle Threads lately, OH DO!

On a blog called Tenar's Cave, you'll find a nice photo tutorial on casalguidi stitch. This is a dimensional embroidery technique that involves stem stitching over a thick cord or bunch of cords. It's pretty neat; the resulting embroidery looks rather wormish-ropish-snakish.

If you're an A-Z Book fan (Country Bumpking Publications), and if you're interested in learning to sew or brushing up your sewing skills, you'll be happy to know that the A-Z of Sewing is now available at Wooly Thread, as announced on their blog. I'm (admittedly) no great seamstress, though I can sew straight lines pretty well. There are a couple basic sewing things I want to learn how to do better, and I think this book - if it is anything like the other A-Z books - will be a gem for teaching me. So I've got it on my wish list!

Speaking of wish lists, there's a new book by Jane Nicholas coming out in August here in the States, called Stumpwork Medieval Flora, and it's definitely on my list! Check out the grasshopper on the middle stem!



It is undoubtedly another beautiful and instructive book by Jane Nicholas, and I'm looking forward to it!

On the blog Meggiecat, meggiecat has posted some neat vintage embroidery patterns for the back of hoodies. I think they look kind of fun, don't you? They remind me of camping.

Over on Pintangle, Sharon has a nice photo tutorial on working the woven picot. This is a great little stitch for dimensional embroidery. It's perfect for leaves, for grass, for seaweed, for anything long and flat or short and flat that you might want to embroider, that can stand up from the fabric (or not - you can anchor it). It's a nice looking stitch! So check out her photo tutorial. If you like videos for stitches, I have a woven picot video tutorial, with pictures of it so you can see what it looks like. You'll also find a photo tutorial on how to stitch free-style woven bars over on Pintangle, so you might want to check that one out, too, while you're there!

Are you familiar with Kelly Fletcher's blog, Materialistic? On it, you'll find a nice selection of Jacobean leaves that she's developing. She's got five out of eight featured on her website so far. Check them out! They're a great introduction to Jacobean motifs.

Another blog featuring some intriguing needlework is Karen's blog, Contemporary Embroidery. She does some really pretty things with large eyelet-type motifs, touched with color. It's hard to explain - you really have to look at her blog to see what I'm talking about! While you're there, check out her post on embroidering trims! I love the colors and the little appliqued squares. Really neat stuff!

Allison Aller is always at it, with beautiful examples of crazy quilting popping up on her blog all the time. Check out her spring CQ post - it's really Springy! I love the colors, the flowers, the birds....

Megan of Emsley Rose sent me a link via e-mail of a magnificent example of Or Nué. This is something worth seeing! It's a coronet, embroidered entirely in gold Or Nué, and you can see it develop step-by-step. Amazing job by the stitcher!

Méri, over on Agulhas da Méri, as been stitching up a storm with monograms, drawn thread work, and all kinds of delightful things lately! I love the little pouch she made with lace scraps as an accent - it's so simple, beautiful, and very tastefully done! And - talk about cute - the little pouch with the sunshine, rainbow, and French knot sheep is really darling! While you're there, check out her drawn thread work and monogram on this towel - really exquisite!

It was really fun squizzing around visiting different needlework websites online - I haven't done that in a while. Work is keeping me pretty busy as the school year comes to a close! Summer is almost officially here! I've got heaps of plans for the summer - keep your fingers crossed for me that I can see at least some of them realized!

Have a terrific day!

Labels: embroidery books, embroidery resources, needlework websites

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, May 21, 2009
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I've been dying to try out hand embroidery on waffle weave towels, because I see a lot of waffle weave out there in colors that I like. I've always thought the texture and relative looseness of the weave might be deterrents to hand embroidery, though. When BJ's package arrived in the mail - replete with a bright yellow waffle weave tea towel - I decided to give waffle weave a try as a ground for hand embroidery.

I'll tell you right off the bat that my approach was simple and not too ingenious. The towel was yellow. I like yellow, red, and white. So - why not big white daisies with red centers? Nothing too extravagant - I planned on filling petals and centers with chain stitch. And that's what I set out to do.

BUT - then I got an e-mail from a reader who embroiders on waffle weave towels, and uses the weave as part of her design... and that's when I saw a much more exciting potential to waffle weave! I'll show you down below...

First, my dabbles with daisies on waffle weave:



Using a tiny micron art pen, I drew a line of random large daisies across the lower edge of the towel. Drawing on this particular weave with a tiny pen tip is somewhat difficult, as the pen snags on the longer threads in the weave. The best thing is to go slowly and to try drawing in smooth long strokes, rather than short sketchy strokes.



Once I had the daisies drawn on, I started foraging for thread. I wanted to use something a bit heavier than regular floss, with a bit of texture to it - but not as thick as #5 perle cotton. I happened to have some #8 perle cotton in both red and white, so that's what I decided to use.



Knowing that my stitching time would be a bit sporadic, I arranged everything in a bag for easy access - hoop, scissors, threads, needles and towel all fit into one of the mesh-like bags that's featured in this month's give-away.



The first time I had a moment, I started stitching. I'm using chain stitch as a filler - nothing too complicated here!



It works great! Waffle weave is easy to stitch on!

Now, this is the thing:

Janice Miller took embroidery on waffle weave to a different level of fun! She went all out, embroidering this design with a variety of stitches, and ingeniously using the waffle weave squares as part of her design. Here it is - her "To Market" towel:



This towel is amazing! It's not just the design, which I think is rather hilarious - the little lady with her perfect curls, sunny hat, breezy dress, carrying the fat chicken (which looks be-dazzled) to market - but it's the meticulous attention to detail in stitching that's really delightful!



Using the squares created by the waffle weave, Janice filled in the dress, hat, and chicken with a checkered pattern.



She filled in many places with chain stitch - the face and arms, the sash on the hat, the bow on the dress, etc. - and worked the hair in perfect bullion knots!



You can see satin stitch, straight stitch as a filling, French knots, running stitch, a buttonhole wheel for the eye... an amazing variety of stitches on a really cute design, all on waffle weave!

So, now you know! Hand embroidery works on waffle weave - and it not only works, but in the hands of some stitchers like Janice, it works great!

Go grab a waffle weave towel and see what you can do with it! You can find them in most stores that have a kitchen linen section, or online through various sources that sell embroidery blanks. BJ found the yellow set at All About Blanks, for example - the set includes a large yellow-and-white checker print, a small checker print, and the matching yellow waffle weave towel.

Just as an aside on waffle weave... my shower curtain is white waffle weave fabric, and I can't tell you how often, when in a position to contemplate the shower curtain, I have considered embroidering it. Hmmmm....

Thanks, Janice, for sending the photos! Thanks, BJ, for the towel!

Labels: beginner embroidery, Embroidery for the Home, embroidery resources, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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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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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, May 13, 2009
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I can't help it. I'm a thread junkie. And when there's a sale, it's Really Hard for me to resist - especially when it's gorgeous needlework fibers like those made by Gumnut Yarns, among other delicious little morsels....

Right now, Needle in a Haystack is clearing out some threads! They've got a really interesting selection of grab bags for Gumnut Yarns different lines of embroidery and needlework threads.



The grab bags are a really good deal! For example, you get 10 skeins of Gumnut stranded silk ("Stars") for $30 (regular price: $70). You don't have control over the color choices, but they've done their best to group the threads by color families, so that they aren't wild and weird mixes of color (thought sometimes, I like wild and weird mixes!)



Gumnut "Buds" (perle silk) grab bags are 10 skeins for $35 (regularly $85).

I like Gumnut threads. They're soft and beautiful and feel really nice. The only type of their thread I've ever stitched with, though, is "Buds" (perle silk). I liked it. I'd love to try their "blossoms" (crewel wool) and "daisies" (fine wool) and some of their blends. Unfortunately, they're very expensive threads, so the best way to get them, in my mind, is to get them on sale.

The names are a bit of an enigma, by the way. Here's the list of thread names and what they actually are:

Blossoms = crewel wool
Stars = stranded silk
Buds = perle silk
Poppies = 50% silk / 50% wool blend
Daisies = 1-ply fine wool (finer than crewel wool)
Tulips = kid mohair
Gemstones = variegated crewel wool (discontinued by the manufacturer)
Aztecs = variegated stranded silk (discontinued by the manufacturer)
Jewels = variegated perle silk (discontinued by the manufacturer)
Opals = variegated silk / wool blend (discontinued by the manufacturer)

To view the shade ranges on each of those, click on the links of the names, which will take you to the Gumnut Yarns website's color range pages. It seems all the variegated threads have been discontinued.

Anyway, back to the sale at Needle in a Haystack! Besides these magnificent grab bags, they've also got the remaining of their DMC Medici (discontinued by DMC) wool thread on sale for $.75 / skein, as well as the whole range of Danish Flower Thread on sale for $1.25 / skein. (The latter is listed on their sale page for $1.30 / skein, but if you visit the actual shopping page for Danish Flower Thread, you'll see it's $1.25).

So, some great deals there! I'm still sticking to my resolution (after last week's needlework shop hop loot!), so I won't be adding any of this to my stash! But if you have the opportunity to do a wee bit of stash building, then I figured you might as well know about the sale, too! Enjoy!

Labels: embroidery resources, supplies, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, May 09, 2009
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The Heartland needlework shop hop took place this last weekend, and I survived it! It was my first needlework shop hop - apparently they do this every year, and from what I hear, lots of areas around the country feature shop hops. So if this is something that interests you, check with your local needlework shop to see if they participate in anything similar each year! Though, if you're like me, at the end, you just might be sorry you found out! Let me show you the damage...

I generally budget for my needlework stuff - hobbies deserve budgeting, and I figure if I don't budget for hobby-related supplies (or if I go into debt for them!), I could not enjoy them. That dark cloud of "I Owe You" hanging over my head would certainly dampen any pleasure I had in my hobby! So, I budget. And I have spent my budget for the next... oh, several months! So, enjoy looking at the loot, because it'll be a while before I spend anything again on hobby-related supplies!



Depending on how you look at this pile, it can either look like a lot, average, or not much at all! For me, it was a lot to buy in one weekend! I console myself by saying that I got some really good deals on some stuff, and that I have prepared ahead with some gift-related items.



First off, I did get some Evertite Frames, which is really the only thing I convinced myself I needed. I need a variety of smaller (10" - 14") frames to set up fabric on for filming stitches, and if I'm going to spend money on frames, then I might as well get the ones I really like, that I can use for a variety of projects. That was my reasoning, anyway! And darn it, I'm stickin' to it! (Two the Point in Overland Park, Kansas, carries the whole range of Evertite Frames, and they were 15% off, and I didn't have to pay shipping! Yippee!).



I suppose I didn't need these threads from Gentle Art - their Simply Wool line, a very nice, fine wool for embroidery. But I've wanted to try them for a while, and I thought it would be fun to do a wool thread comparison for everyone, so, yes, I bought a few cards. I picked these up at Old Mill Stitchery in Liberty, Missouri. In fact, I'm kind of twitterpated with that shop.

Of the five shops I visited, two had "atmosphere" - Stitch On in Lawrence, KS, and Old Mill Stitchery in Liberty, MO. Of those two, Old Mill Stitchery is the more atmospheric. It's situated in what I think is perhaps an old mill (ingenious - I think that accounts for the name!), and connected to a few other shops and a restaurant inside the one old complex. It's roomy - with a fantastic project room overlooking an outside little tree area full of birds - and the floors are slightly uneven. The shops adjacent include a bead shop, a wool rug-hooking supply shop (neat stuff), an antique and gift store, and a nice little luncheon-type restaurant. I would definitely make the long treck there again, just for the fun of going, on a day trip to KC.



Now, I realize this doesn't look very exciting. But these are hanks of soie d'alger from Au Ver a Soie. That's 45 meters at One Time of the same color of one of my favorite threads! But that wasn't the appeal. The appeal was that they were 50% off. I use greens all the time, and I am certain I will have use for them as time goes by. The darker blue in the background is another question - but, one never knows...



I rarely buy threads from Rainbow Gallery. I don't know why - I suppose I don't often have use for them. They do have some weird, interesting, fun threads, though. And I bought a few. Each item in this photo, including that jolly spool of green Trebizond, was a dollar. What was I supposed to do? Besides, they'll be fun to include in give-aways. And a dollar? Really, what was I supposed to do?



Oh, it's another Bohin pencil, with all the lead colors available. I have come to really like this pencil for transfers. I bought the yellow, grey, and blue fills... and another pencil. I found this at a fabric store near one of the needlework shops through which I was cheerily hopping...



Now, this may not seem very thrilling to you. But it was the Only Thing I saw at one shop that really thrilled me to my toes! It's a frame! And not just any frame! It fits perfectly my little miniature embroidery piece. I'm going to frame that for the Agéd M for Mother's Day.



In this dark, dim picture you will see the only two things I ran into along the whole hop that were specifically surface embroidery items. I felt somewhat compelled to stand up for surface embroidery, so I purchased them. The fact that the table topper was reduced 50% helped - I wouldn't have paid full price for it. And the towel was 40% off, I think. They are simply ironed-on motifs from Aunt Martha-type iron-ons. In fact, the dish towel is definitely Aunt Martha. One is a butterfly motif on a 35" square table topper made out of 65% linen, 35% cotton, in a natural color, and the other is a vineyard motif on a striped dish towel. I'm admittedly not so impressed with them, but they are both something that the kids would enjoy stitching, so they won't go to waste.



This is the only "elaborate" thing that I bought - completely unnecessary, with no purpose that I could pin on it at the time, and rather a bit on the pricey side. It's a tray from Sudburry House (purchased at Two the Point). The bottom of the tray is glass, under which you can mount a piece of needlework. Truth is, it isn't the tray concept that sold me. It isn't that I even had a plan or idea for it. Quite simply, it's the square redness of it. It is Square Red Perfection. There was not even a decision-making process involved. I saw it. I picked it up. I never even considered not buying it. I didn't even try to justify it to myself. I still haven't tried to justify it. In fact, if I think about it too hard, the only thing that comes to mind is, "..." ... nothing. Of course I bought it. It's as if I had walked past the shelf it was sitting on, put my right hand on the shelf, then walked away, taking my right hand with me. I couldn't leave my right hand behind - I couldn't leave the red tray behind.

If they hadn't made it so very red, and so very square, with such perfect rounded edges and handles, I probably could have left it. But under the circumstances, what else could I do?

Oh, here comes some justification: it was 15% off. And it would look beautiful with a nice Jacobean something under that glass.... or something.

I bought a bit of floss - probably at least one kind in each store I went into, and in some stores, several. By the way, what's the difference between Weeks Dye Works sold in Topeka and Weeks Dye Works sold in KC? Thirty cents per skein! It's more expensive in KC! I liked coming across "discontinued colors" in different stores - I was able to pick up some skeins of different types of silk for 50% off. The only other interesting thing (to me, anyway) that I purchased was wool roving in bright colors and some felting needles. I'm thinking it might be fun to do some felting with the kids this summer.

So, that's the damage. I'll be enjoying all this for a while - which is good, because "fun spending" on needlework-related stuff just came to a screeching halt!

You'll also be seeing the benefits of my shop hopping in little upcoming give-aways, so keep an eye out!

Labels: embroidery resources, pictures, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, May 04, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, May 02, 2009
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If you've been around the online needlework scene for a while, you may have run across the Tristan Brooks Design website. It's been around for a while, but lately has undergone a facelift!

Tristan Brooks Design is the place where folks in the US can find Pearsall's Silks and Heathway Crewel Wools. You can also find some beautiful crewel kits there, with several that are suitable for beginners.



If you're not familiar with crewel work, all you have to do is visit Tristan Brooks, and you'll immediately see how beautiful it can be! The website is built around the look of crewel work, and the picture in the banner (as well as the photos of the various kits) are really sumptuous!



My favorite aspect of the overhauled website is the shopping feature, though. Although not all the shopping aspects are functional (the fabric page isn't up yet, for example!), the threads section is Terrific! You can see the colors of the threads you're buying, and there's an easy drop down box for color, then you just click into your cart, and you're done. You don't have to write down product numbers and submit an order form or anything like that. This is very nice!

You can also find slate frames at Tristan Brooks. I haven't tried them from there (yet), but they look nice, though a bit pricey. A 10" frame is a whopping $63, but a 20" is only $69. (The latter isn't so bad...)

So if you're out and about looking for some crewel projects or embroidery accessories, stop in at the Tristan Brooks Design website to see what they have. I'm looking forward to watching the site develop a bit further!

Labels: crewel work, embroidery resources, needlework websites

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, April 30, 2009
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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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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, April 24, 2009
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Are you familiar with the magazine Sampler & Antique Needlework? It comes out five times a year - quarterly, plus one special holiday edition. The magazine is devoted, firstly, to historical samplers of a variety of types. Within its pages, you'll also find lots of informative articles, pictures, and insights to embroidery tools and techniques, and to the needlework trade in general throughout history.

I just recently began subscribing to the Sampler & Antique Needlework, because I was enchanted by an article I saw in a friend's copy. The article was about a specific historical sampler worked by a seven-year-old. The sampler was beautiful, and it amazed and inspired me that it was worked by a child seven years old! Wow! Flipping through the copy of the magazine, I found many interesting articles to read, some neat facts about different needlework tools, and plenty of patterns to recreate various historical pieces or try various techniques.

When I had the opportunity, I looked the magazine up and found that I could order a slew of back issues, too. In fact, Wyndham Needleworks carries many back issues and they detail on their website the contents of each issue - a very handy reference, if you have something specific you're looking for!

This is my collection of back issues of the magazine so far:



It's a goodly little stack of interesting and valuable needlework information! What I particularly like about the magazine is that it focuses on a variety of needlework techniques and samplers, beyond simply the "ABC" style samplers that we tend to associate with the word "sampler." That's not to say there aren't plenty of those, too, as there are - and I find them fascinating. Looking at them is like looking at a little clip of a needleworker's life long ago. I love that!



The focus project or sampler of each magazine is usually featured on the cover. This is a beautiful crewel work piece made into a needlebook. Inside the magazine are all the instructions to make the piece, using materials available today. (Oh, and don't worry - there are lots of other projects in there, too!)



Some issues of the magazine focus on a theme, such as the issue above, which explored birds in antique needlework. I'm a bit of a bird lover myself, so this issue was really fascinating for me.



The focal point of this issue is the sampler featured on the cover. Inside, you'll find the chart to recreate the sampler. You'll also find all kinds of information about this historical piece, from its creator to its conservation.



Each magazine features many projects, and some of the featured projects (like the one above) are relatively small, so they can be completed in a relatively short period of time, as opposed to some of the larger samplers that can take ten forevers to complete! So there's a nice variety of projects within the magazine...



All types of historical needlework find voice in Sampler & Antique Needlework - including beadwork!



Aha! Now we're arriving at the pieces that hooked me into collecting some back issues - this stumpwork sampler...



... and this little goldwork piece...



... and this fantastic piece of needle lace! Wow!



The inside of the magazine is nicely laid out, which beautiful pictures, plentiful articles, and clear instructions for the projects featured within the issue.



In some cases, the instructions are drawn diagrams; in other cases, they're photos.



Above in a section of instruction on the stumpwork sampler. You'll probably recognize the plaited braid instructions, and you can also see detached stitches and stitch direction and color change being demonstrated.



The articles on historical pieces, needlework tools, and so forth are scholarly and well-written, with citation of sources and insights from experts in the field of needlework and in other related fields. Clear and close-up photos abound!

I wanted to introduce you to this magazine, if you weren't already aware of its existence, in case you might find it as interesting as I do. I've subscribed to several needlework magazines over the years: Inspirations, which is the nonpareil of needlework magazines as far as projects, quality, & aesthetic appeal are concerned; Australian Smocking & Embroidery; Piecework; Stitch; Classic Stitches; Threads; Embroidery & Cross Stitch; and a variety of others. The only subscription that I have consistently kept is Inspirations. Content and quality-wise (for my interests, anyway), as long as Sampler & Antique Needlework maintains its present quality, it'll definitely be a magazine to which I consistently subscribe.

If you're interested in back issues of this magazine, I'm sure there are several online needlework shops that have them. I know Needle in a Haystack carries them. I ordered mine from Wyndham Needleworks. They're reliable, but don't expect fast service. If you want to subscribe to the magazine, you can subscribe through Hoffman Media. I'm not at all affiliated or anything like that - just passing on the information in case you're interested in the magazine, too! Right now, it seems that the "one year subscription" on their website is listed as "out of stock." I'm not exactly sure what this means, but I've inquired and should receive a reply soon. I sincerely hope it doesn't mean they're not publishing it anymore! (Wouldn't that be ironic?!)

Note: For those who might become twitterpated with any particular cover project featured above - for example, the stumpwork project - keep in mind that some larger projects (like the stumpwork one) are serial features in several issues, so you might want to check the contents of each issue before ordering back issues.

Enjoy!

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

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, April 23, 2009
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I've received lots of questions lately about the Bohn Ceramic Pencil that I wrote about a year ago last February! I think someone must be recommending them for certain projects (besides me!) and so people are looking for them!

I use the Bohn Ceramic Pencil to transfer embroidery designs on darker fabrics, and even on white fabrics such as silk. The chalk, though white, is matte, and it shows up quite well on shiny white silk.



The pencil is pictured there on the right. It's a mechanical pencil, and fine enough for good lines for stitching over. I like it very much!

But, it is hard to come by! I don't know of any online sources for it, though Erica's does carry the yellow ceramic refils (but strangely enough, no pencil!).

I bought my pencil at Sarah's Fabrics in Lawrence, Kansas. While they don't sell notions on their website, I have heard from another reader that they were very gracious about selling it over the phone and mailing it to her. Their website is mostly in Flash, so I didn't link you directly to their contact information. You can find it by entering past the introduction.

I think the pencils are a nice tool and worth having in your toolbox. If you come across them anywhere while you're out shopping, pick one up! You'll be glad you did!

Hope that helps, Robbie, Kassandra, and Julie! And of course, everyone else looking for a good white transfer pencil!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework tools

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, April 21, 2009
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If you like goldwork embroidery and you like butterflies, this project might be just up your alley!

Jane Zimmerman has a really beautiful goldwork project featured on her "what's new" page: a goldwork butterfly, only the butterfly is voided, and the goldwork surrounds it.



Jane describes the technique used to create this piece and offers an instructional booklet for it, too, if you want to check it out.

I love the circular patterns in the passing thread - really stunning!

From what I understand, this is a "limited offering," so the instructional booklet won't be available for long.

It's fun to squiz through Jane's website - there are some really beautiful projects on there, and lots of fun pictures to look at! If you have a chance, give her a visit!

Labels: embroidery designers, embroidery resources, goldwork

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, April 16, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, April 04, 2009
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Here's a little needlelace pattern for you - it's oval (not quite egg shaped, but close enough) and perfect for decorating something Eastery.

It seems there are many names for this kind of lace. I call it needlelace, which is a more general term. In some books, it's also called point lace or reticella, and I've even seen it called needlepoint lace.

Needlelace is worked independent of fabric. In fact, it can be worked over paper, removed from the paper, and then added to fabric. When I venture into needlelace like this, though, I generally work it over my fabric, then cut the fabric behind it in an X shape, then turn the fabric back to the edges before working the final buttonholing or overcasting around the motif, catching the fold of the fabric. Then I cut the excess fabric away.

Still, I have worked it on paper, and it works up fine! The last step when working it on paper is overstitching it to the fabric (buttonhole or overcast on the outside lines) and then cutting away the fabric beneath it.

Mostly, needlelace is worked in conjunction with whitework. That's not to say it has to be worked on a whitework piece - no way! You can make little pieces of lace to decorate anything you want, really!

A very long time ago, I featured a tiny sample of needlelace here on Needle 'n Thread. If you want to see some nicer examples of needlelace, check out Textile Dreams, especially the reticella heart. There's also a very nice needlelace tutorial on Textile Dreams!

An excellent online book on needlelace is Therese Dillmont's Needle-made Laces, which you can find in two PDFs hosted at the On-line Digital Archive of Documents on Weaving and Related Topics (that's a mouthful!) In the first PDF file, you'll find clear step-by-step directions for this type of needlelace. Here are the direct links to the PDFs:

Needle-made Laces, Part I
Needle-made Laces, Part II

This particular design is cleaned up from an old Variety magazine pattern. The original booklet was printed in 1926 by Carmela Testa & Company. If you come across any of these old booklets, they're really nice to have! (But they're not always in the best shape!) Still, snatch them up! They're worth it - a great addition to a needleworker's library. Keep in mind, though, that sometimes these old booklets - though full-up with wonderful little patterns like this - lack clear instruction, especially when compared to today's step-by-step photo books! They assume the stitcher has already achieved a certain level of skill.

Well, without further ado, the egg. Below it, you'll find a link to a PDF version.




Needlelace Egg (PDF)

Enjoy!

Labels: embroidery resources, free embroidery patterns, needlelace, whitework

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, April 03, 2009
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I know I've been on an embroidery-kit-writing trend lately! I hope you don't find it a "turn-off," but I do like to see what's available in the needlework world, and I'm very interested in what designers are marketing these days.

I call it trend-mapping. The trend I'm currently mapping is interest in the traditional, or classic, surface embroidery kit. There aren't a lot of them available, you know. Classic surface embroidery kits are not the most popular of needlework-related kits. Compare the number of surface embroidery kits you see available on the market with the number of cross stitch kits, and you'll understand what I mean!

But I have noticed in the past few years an increase in interest in regular surface embroidery kits, and, answering that increase in interest, suppliers are beginning to include surface embroidery more frequently among their selections.

So, I like it when I find another place that offers what look to be nice surface embroidery kits!

Do you know about The French Needle? Mostly, they specialize in cross stitch kits and charts, but Lisa of The French Needle is "on a mission" to push surface hand embroidery, and is now offering some interesting hand embroidery kits.

If you go to her Boutique page, you'll see she has a page of surface embroidery kits that feature, predominantly, monograms - and they are really beautiful monograms! I'd love to work all of these 7x7 monograms - I love the A, the V, the W, and the Y, especially! These would make terrific gifts for weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays (already worked and framed, or as kits for your needle-working friends). Note that they don't come with thread - they come with the design stamped on linen, instructions, and suggested color lists for different thread manufacturers.



But besides the monograms, it's the Bayeaux Tapestry kit that caught my eye! Now, I think this would be fun! If you like historical embroidery, you might be especially interested in this kit, and if you don't like historical embroidery, I think it would be a neat framed piece for a home - a conversation piece! It'd also make a great gift, finished and framed, for a lover of history, art history, literature, and so forth.



Besides the monograms and the Bayeux kit, you'll find a couple really nice floral pieces - a very bright one on a dark background, a pillow sham with flowers and bugs and garden creatures on it, and a couple more natural-looking flower pieces, like these Graminees. There are also a couple fun alphabet samplers, too, for surface embroidery, which is nice. Normally you see alphabet samplers in cross stitch, so it's fun to see a few in surface embroidery for a change! The ABC Fruits looks fun!



Besides surface embroidery offerings, The French Needle has a long list of popular cross stitch designers' charts, such as Long Dog Samplers, Rouge du Rhin, and others - lots of Quaker-look samplers, many European designs, some sampler reconstructions, and other pretty offerings. I especially like the sampler kit, Dutch Beauty. If I were going to work a cross stitch sampler, that would interest me.

I like the Long Dog Samplers a lot, too. In fact, I'm getting ready to work Angel Pavement with my 13-year-old niece on 28 count linen (over 1). Sound strange? You bet! (I'm not a cross stitcher!) Well, she wants to learn on something "fun," so that's what she picked out! Charts at the French Needle are reasonably priced, too - at least $1 below other places, from what I can tell. And I paid $3 more elsewhere for Angel Pavement!

Discount for Needle 'n Thread Readers! (For April!)

Lisa is generously offering a discount to Needle 'n Thread readers! For the month of April, you can get a 10% discount on all kits and charts, by typing "Mary sent me" in the special instructions box at checkout. Lisa will adjust your order on her end at the time of processing, taking off 10% from your purchase! Isn't that great? The discount's only available for this month (April, 2009), though - so if you're in the market for a new project and any of her kits, charts, etc., appeal to you, now's a good time!

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

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, April 02, 2009
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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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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, April 01, 2009
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If you don't work from embroidery kits or books, then you probably come up with your own designs. What inspires them? Throughout history, artists have taken their inspiration from many sources - from nature, from religion, from life and all aspects of life.

When it comes to embroidery and needlework, looking around at all the brilliant designers and stitchers out there, I often find myself somewhat dissatisfied with my comparative lack of inspiration. But there are a few things that do inspire me, and occasionally, there are those little moments when something bursts upon the eye and lights up the brain, screaming, "You want to embroidery me!" The fat robin outside my window right now... the frozen tulip in the corner of the yard, encased in late-season ice... the twiggy branch covered with pale green buds that's scratching on my window; the design in the carpet at my feet; the colorful engravings on a piece of foreign currency... these things catch my eye, and I think they would make interesting subjects for embroidery.

But, to tell you the truth, that's about as far as they go. They catch my eye, they spark my interest, they suggest a design. But they rarely materialize.

Why not, I wonder... Part of the answer lies in my lack of drawing ability. I would like to be able to draw better than I do. Stylized patterns and motifs are fine, but realistic sketching is not a skill I've remotely perfected. Another part of the answer (and probably the greater part) lies in a lack of concentration or focus on creating, due to the lack of time and the overabundance of other responsibilities. Without the "leisure" required to attend to artistic pursuits, it is difficult to hone in and take perception to fruition in a completed project - or at least to do so while the inspiration is vivid. In fact, it's often difficult just to take the time to really see things and get inspired!

But inspiration doesn't have to come from the "raw," and, in fact, as far as actually working a project goes, I take more inspiration from other pieces of art - already done, already realized in another medium - than I do from nature or other raw sources.

I'd like to show you an example of what I mean. Lately, I've been musing and stewing over stumpwork. Do you know what it's like when an idea, technique, or project begins to gnaw away at your imagination and consume all your thoughts? That's how I've been about stumpwork lately. You've actually seen some of the consequences of this stumpwork obsession in my recent posts - my re-awakened interest in the Plimoth Plantation jacket project; the kits I posted the other day; the links to Thistle Threads (with that beautiful museum-licensed box project!); Jane Nicholas's Stumpwork Embroidery book review; the book review on Embroidered Flora & Fauna - all of these posts are related to my recent stewings!

More than anything else, though, two books that are not embroidery books have occupied my mind. I'm not writing a book review here! Rather, I want to show you how one art form can directly inspire ideas for another.

This isn't a new connection, though. Illumination (painting or drawing to embellish a written work) and embroidery have developed side-by-side throughout history. But take a look at these two books on illumination, and you'll see where my thoughts are going as far as stumpwork is concerned.



The first book here is Beasts Factual and Fantastic by Elizabeth Morrison. This is a beautiful little book full of colored photographs of different illuminated works throughout history. The author concentrates on the animals (both the realistic and the fantastic) in illuminated manuscripts and books. From bunnies to bears to gargolyes and strange mixed breeds, somehow, they all found their way into illumination.



This picture in particular captures my embroidering fancy. The bear is a study for padding and French knots. The hives, for couched gold on felt padding. The monster bees, perfect for turkey work and wire wings. Further additions of flowers and grasses could cheer the scene up a bit. While there's something about the picture that borders on grotesque - the long claws of the bear, the more "human-like" form of his body, the insanely disproportioned bees - there's also something charming about it, and it could be made really charming with the addition of a little brightness. I like it! It's morphing about in my mind! Will it result in anything finished? I don't know yet!



The second book is The Medieval Flower Book by Celia Fisher. This book explores in particular flowers as embellishments of manuscripts and books.



The close association between illumination and stumpwork can certainly be seen here. I love this dragonfly and the bright red poppies.



Again, another illumination that begs for a stumpwork interpretation! The blue flowers, the thistles, the butterflies, and the little hairy petals that surround the painted pearls are all perfect for interpretation in embroidery.



It's funny how, when looking at the page on slant, the butterfly is so perfectly rendered that its wings seem to be lifted up off the page!

These two books have provided my night-time reading lately, as well as my lunch-time book browsing. When I see something I particularly like, I note it down or put a marker in the book, so I can come back to it later and consider it from the point of view of the embroiderer.

Inspiration can come from anywhere, really. Right now, mine is definitely coming from a variety of books that I've been reading. As the weather warms up, perhaps there will be more of an opportunity to get inspired outside, but in the meantime, I'm completely besotted with these two books and the ideas they're fueling in my head!

What inspires you?

Labels: book review, embroidery books, embroidery resources, historical needlework, miscellaneous embroidery musings, pictures, stumpwork

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, March 30, 2009
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Here's a nice resource for some free embroidery designs and some excellent embroidery instruction.

The last couple days, I've been mentioning Tricia Wilson-Nguyen's website, Thistle Threads, first in conjunction with the embroidered jacket at Plimoth Plantation, and second, when I was discussing needlework kits yesterday.

If you haven't perused her website deeply yet, you may have missed a couple real gems on there. The website, by the way, is newly over-hauled, so if you were familiar with her website, Thistle Threads, before but haven't been in a while, it's worth taking a look at it!

On the new Thistle Threads website, you'll find a section called Web Instructions, under which you will find two categories, projects and stitch diagrams.



Under projects, you'll find three little free projects, with thorough stitching instructions.



Under stitch diagrams, you'll find 8 PDFs for different stitches, and each one is detailed and easy to follow.

So, if you haven't visited Thistle Threads, you might want to take a look at these excellent offerings from Tricia!

Enjoy!

Labels: embroidery resources, free embroidery patterns, needlework websites

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, March 29, 2009
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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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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, March 28, 2009
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When I was finishing up my miniature embroidery piece a while ago, I ran into a little dilemma. The piece called for beads speckled here and there on the original design. I was going to sew some on... but...

... I forgot that the miniature embroidery piece was so much smaller than the original design was intended to be! The beads called for were Mill Hill Petites, which are size 15/0. They're relatively small, but they look huge on a miniature piece.

Not knowing too much about sizes of beads (I've not done a lot of bead embroidery - just used them as embellishments here and there...), I wrote off the beads entirely.

One day, though, I was perusing Robin Atkin's site, Beadlust, where you can see some drop-dead-gorgeous examples of bead embroidery. I left a comment mentioning my lack of teeny tiny beads, and Susan Elliott of Plays with Needles kindly responded and recommended Beadcats, an online bead store that features vintage beads that are ... well... tinier than I ever thought beads could be!

Look. I am a downright weird-o when it comes to embroidery supplies. I was on a kick of sorts. I felt I lacked beads, that beads were something suddenly essential to any embroidery that I was ever to do again in my life, and that I had to have beads. Beads! LOTS of beads.

And now I have exactly that - lots of beads.



The sizes range from 16/0 - 24/0. Remember that Mill Hill Petites are 15/0. The higher the number, by the way, the smaller the bead (like needles... and wire).

Not knowing much about beads - that they are actually classified beyond just color, in jolly categories such as "greasy" or something to that effect - I felt obliged to try all different types and descriptions. Greasy beads, by the way, look eerily greasy. And little bags of teeny tiny black beads look eerily like tiny caviar. Opening the package and exploring the beads was an interesting experience!

But what amazed me, and what I want to get across to you, is the size of these beads. Mill Hill Petites, the common "little" seed bead you can buy at any bead-carrying craft store, hasn't got anything on these when it comes to being "petite"!



It's really hard to get across sizes online. In the photo above, the metallic pink bead looks remarkably large, and yet it is a 15/0 Mill Hill Petite. The blue is a 16/0 vintage bead. The black is a 23/0 vintage bead.

That black bead can get lost under your fingernail. It could be mistaken for a speck on a table. A speck of something really small, that is. Horton Hears a Who comes to mind here!



The black bead practically fits in the hole of the Mill Hill Petite. I'm pretty sure it would've fit, with a little manipulation.



Guess what? It was really hard to stack those little guys up and get them to stay put. They had some sort of serious static charge running through them that made them want to dance around a bit!

Anyway, that was my adventure with teeny tiny itsy bitsy super-dee-duper small beads. Have I actually done anything with them yet? No. I'm not exactly sure what one does with such things that small. But I am sure they have a purpose, or they would have never been made! I look forward to the discovery of that purpose some day. I suppose I better do it while I'm still in my 30's... or my eyes may revolt!

Do you embroider or embellish with beads? If so, have you ever used beads in sizes 16/0 - 24/0? What do you use them for? Can you recommend any books? Can you recommend any websites with photos and ideas? I'd love to hear something about these intriguing tiny things!

Labels: beads, embellishments, embroidery resources, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, March 26, 2009
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Have you heard of The Silk Mill? It's a company in the UK that produces silk thread for needlework. It's a nice company - professional, friendly, and... silk producing. What more could you want? I had the opportunity to try out some of their threads this week, and so I thought I would introduce them to you.

The Silk Mill produces an amazing color range of silk threads for hand embroidery and other needlework techniques. They have over 500 colors, and it looks as if they are producing new colors with regularity.



Along with the packet of threads came a very nice brochure with all the colors (with corresponding names and numbers) illustrated. I'm just weird enough to really enjoy spending time looking at these types of brochures. I read them. Yes, I do! Like a book. There isn't a lot of information in the brochure, but I read the names of all the colors and look at the colors. I am sure this is a result of my fiber infatuation, but at the same time, I think it's also an attraction to color. I find the variety of names we give to colors fascinating!



The brochure groups the colors according to... well, colors! So in the yellow group, you'll find great names like Tiger Flower Yellow, Golden Sultana, Corn-on-the-cob, Saffron Crocus, Yellow Wagtail, and so forth. In the Orange list, some of the colors are Glazed Carrots, Firecrest, and Mexican Sunset. In the pink list, try Salmon Mousse and Popsicle Pink!



Besides individual skeins of colored silk, the Silk Mill packages skeins in different "theme" colors. For example, the package I'm reviewing here is titled "Winter at the Beach," and the colors correspond to a wintery beach. There are color packs (they call them mini-sets) titled enticing names such as "Moonlight and Champagne," "Summer Dress," "Winter in the Woods," and so forth. And all the colors work for the names! I love that!



You can purchase The Silk Mill threads individually, but they are more cost effective if purchased in groups of ten, or in mini-sets or full sets.



Here, you see my first set of Silk Mill silk, "Winter at the Beach." It's a five-skein set. The sheen on the silk is quite nice! This is monofilament silk, so the sheen is much higher than that of spun silk (like Soie d'Alger).



The skeins are actually a twist that, when untwisted, come apart into a large circle.



To untwist the skein, just find the knot that holds the bunch together. Once you find the knot, hold onto it and take the twist out, until you have a large circle. I'll show you below how I prepare this type of thread for stitching, in order to avoid frustration from tangling...



The silk is stranded - 6 strands in a bunch, like DMC floss.



After I opened the skein into a large circle, I cut the point where the knot was, so that I had a bunch of very long strands of silk. I divided the bunch into three equal lengths. You can divide it just in half, but I think the stitching length would be too long, for reasons mentioned below.

After cutting the threads to my stitching length, you can see that I had a rather boingy mass of silk... which would be a pain in the neck if it were left just like this - destined to knots and disorder... Plus, I don't like the boinginess of some silks. I prefer, if possible, to calm that down a bit.



Here, you can see that the thread is significantly "calmer." How did I manage it? I put the kettle on for a cup of tea, of course! I didn't think it right to play with silk from the UK without enjoying a good cuppa!

As soon as the tea kettle was whistling, I took the silk bundle in my hands, holding one end in one hand and the other in the other, and moved it back and forth in the steam coming out of the whistling tea kettle. I do this with a lot of different types of threads and have never had any adverse effects. I don't leave it soaking in the steam - I just pass it through. It goes straight immediately.



Once the thread was straight, I let it sit while I found something to hold it with. I used a key tab, as demonstrated in my previous article on thread organization and key tabs. Using the method shown in that article and the article on preparing coton a broder, I looped the silk onto the key tab ring and loosely braided it. I secured the end of the braid with a slip knot made out of soft cotton thread, gently and loosely secured. Now, I can pull one individual strand at a time from the braid.



At last! The comparison: on the left, one strand of DMC. On the right, one strand of Silk Mill silk.

Do you notice something? Look closely at the twist. I didn't notice this until I lined these two threads up for the picture. DMC is an S-twisted thread. The Silk Mill is a Z-twisted thread. If you are already familiar with rayons and some other silks (I believe Trebizond is also Z-twisted), you have stitched with Z-twisted threads. It doesn't make much of a difference in stitching, except with a few specific types of stitches. For example, if you work a stem stitch with a Z-twisted thread, it will look more like outline stitch (the stitches will roll around each other and be less distinguishable). If you want your stem stitch to look like a stem stitch, with the "rope" look and more noticeable separation in stitches, when stitching with a Z-twisted thread, you have to actually work an outline stitch. Also, with bullions, you twist the thread around the needle in the opposite direction. But for most stitching, the difference is minor, if not at all.

Back to the strands themselves: you can see that one strand of DMC is slightly smaller than one strand of Silk Mill silk.



Looking at a thread is never enough to tell you whether or not you will like it. You need to stitch with it! Put the thread through some paces and see how it feels. The thing is, I can never really "know" a thread until I stitch with it quite a bit. Still, a little bit of stitching should tell you right away if it's likely you'll like it.

So I stitched a few small bits. First, I stitched a little satin stitch swash. I also worked the chain stitch using two strands together.



I worked some cross stitches, stem stitch, Holbein stitch (double running stitch) and back stitch, and some split stitch.



Conclusions:

1. The silk is beautiful! It feels good in the hands - it doesn't snag or anything like flat filament silk is prone to do. It's smooth and luxurious feeling. The colors are vibrant and consistent. The thread is soft and fine.

2. I found it requires short lengths for stitching. As I neared the end of lengths of thread I was playing with, the thread started to exhibit some definite fuzziness. In short lengths, it performs fine (14 - 15").

3. It stitches beautifully. The sheen is nice, and thread, though boingy at first, behaves ok. In this regard, I would classify the ease of managing the thread somewhere between managing regular cotton and managing rayon (which I always find to be more persnickity than other threads). The stitches looked nice, and the sheen is exceptional.

4. Would I buy the thread? The brochure I received says the skeins are £2.75 each, or £2.50 for 10 or more. Mini-packs (5 skeins) are £8.50 each, and larger sets range from 11 skeins in a certain color group at £19.50 each, up to 27 skeins for £39.50. On the brochure, there's also a sticker that indicates that all skeins are £2 each, so perhaps there's a price reduction thing going on there? Also, on the website, you can see deals such as 10 skeins for £17.50...

With the current exchange rate, £17.50 ends up to be about $24.35 - $24.50. So one skein of silk would be $2.43 - $2.45US. And you know what? That's not a bad price! Of course, there's shipping to consider, but even with shipping, if I were ordering a larger order, I still think the silks would be a good price. This all depends, of course, on the fluctuation in the exchange rate, but right now, it's not bad! If the skeins are £2 each, the work out to about $2.70... I think the economical way to go is to buy them in packs.

So... would I buy Silk Mill silks? I think I would! In fact, I think I will! I like them! I like the threads - especially the feel and the sheen; they have a magnificent color selection; and they are reasonably priced.

Just for the sake of comparison:

Treenway Silks: 10 yards - $5.00
Soie d'Alger: @ 5.5 yards - $3.75 - $4.00 (it's got seven strands in each length, though)
Caron Waterlilies: 6 yards - $5.75 - $6.35
Needlepoint, INC: 5.5 yards - @$4.00
Thread Gatherer Silk 'n Colors - 7 yards - @$6.50 - $7.00 (12 strands per length)

So, if you're looking for silk, and you want to try something new, try the Silk Mill silk threads! If you order from them, tell them I sent you!

And let me know how you like the threads... I'd like to hear other people's opinions on them! Have you tried them already? Do you like them? What type of needlework do you use them for?

And, finally, just so you know - I'm not affiliated, this isn't a paid advert or anything like that! It's just my review and my opinion... you may have a different opinion - if you do, don't hesitate to share!

Ahhh. It's Friday - enjoy the weekend!

Labels: embroidery resources, embroidery tips and tricks, needlework pictures, pictures, silk, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, March 13, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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... but is it cheating?

You see, I just love daffodils, and I don't go outside this time of year without seeing them, and thinking, "Golly. I just love daffodils." I've never embroidered daffodils, and in fact, I've never seen them in any needlepainting kits or books... Why not, I ask! The daffodil is the Cheeriest Flower of All! And it is the harbinger of that happy season, Spring! Woe is me! Why hath the poor daffodil been overlooked??!

With such thoughts bouncing around in my head, I began to think of the daffodil as a subject for embroidery. Needle painting, of course! Sure, it could be cross stitched, it could be needlepointed - but needlepainting would do it justice!

I'm not an artist, when it comes to good sketching of realistic things. Oh, yes - I try, but ... wow. Never mind! That's one skill I'd love to have - to be able to sit down, whip out a sketch book, and produce something that looks real, with the correct proportions, shading, and so forth. Some people say it just takes practice. I think it probably takes a wee bit of specialized talent.

So, I jumped online and started looking for images, which brought me to the popular site, How Stuff Works. I don't get how this fits under the heading of "how stuff works," but they do have a section on there on "how to draw a ___ in 5 easy steps."

I bet you're thinking I sat right down and taught myself to draw a realistic daffodil in five easy steps, right? WRONG!

It's the finished product on the "how to" pages that caught my eye.



The finished product of the five easy steps is supposed to resemble these daffodils. Well, there they are! I figure you can print out these black and white drawings, make some adjustments if you like, play around a bit with color using pencils or watercolors, then match threads and there's a good needlepainting project!

Now, to make things really exciting, I started roving through the list of "how to" drawings and found the following plants, flowers, and fruits, all of which would make nice embroidery patterns:

Grapes

Daffodils

Irises

Poinsettias

Lily of the Valley

Daisies

Flower Arrangement

Orchid

Cacti Scene

Wheat Field

Geraniums

Lilacs

Lily

Marigolds

Palm plant

Pansies

Plant Arrangement

Poppies

Pumpkin on a vine

Roses

Strawberry and Blossoms

Tulips

African Violets

I especially like the grapes, daffodils, tulips, lilies, and strawberries. The cacti scene and the wheat field could be the beginning of a highly textured landscape piece.

All in all, it was a successful search for the daffodil. I'm afraid I probably won't be paying homage to the chipper little flower any time soon by setting it down in thread, but some day, some day...

I hope you find these drawings useful for your own embroidery projects!

In the meantime, I'm still plugging away on my goldwork iris, as well as the whitework sampler. I'll show you a bit of both of those this week!

Labels: embroidery design, embroidery resources, free embroidery patterns, needlepainting

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, March 08, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, March 07, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, March 06, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, March 05, 2009
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My miniature embroidery trial project is finished! Overall, I liked working on it - a lot!! As with most projects, now that it's finished, I can take a retrospective view on the experience and conclude that, sure, there are a few things I'd change if doing it again... but overall, I'm pretty happy with the wee thing.

For this little piece, I used 48 count Alabaster Angel from Legacy Linen. The design comes from a Sweetheart Tree kit I picked up while on vacation a couple years ago. In the original kit, the fabric was a 28 count pink checkered linen, which was to be stitched over 2 threads. If the piece were stitched by the kit directions, the final project would be between five and six inches square.

I used one thread of DMC in the colors recommended for the kit. Unfortunately, the beads included with the kit (Mill Hill Petites) were too large to include!



The finished size of the embroidery is just barely shy of 1.5" x 1.5". I used the tent stitch (half cross stitch) for the whole piece.



In needlepoint, which generally makes regular use of tent stitch, the stitches are generally always worked in one direction. However, I found that, when adapting a cross stitch design - especially one with different parts pointing in four different directions in the corners - it is acceptable, wise, a good idea, necessary even, to change the direction of the tent stitch... I figured that out a bit late with some parts of the design.



In the original kit, the inside of the parallel lines that make up the central diamond is filled with Algerian Eye stitch worked in white. I suppose I could have been a bit adventurous and filled in the diamond thus, but I liked it better as it is. I though the filling stitches would crowd the piece too much.

Now, for another treat, here's a photo Ginger sent of a miniature coverlet, stitched in surface embroidery stitches. She took the photo at a museum, where the curator allowed her to. The silver stitching and the silver lace on the edge are really nice, and I love the fact that it is all regular surface embroidery! What fun! Imagine the time that went into this tiny thing...



Thanks, Ginger, for sending the photo. I've replied in the usual place...! Sorry! I'm looking into getting that problem fixed!

I suppose most miniature embroidery is done for doll houses. I, on the other hand, intend to frame and hang this little piece, along with Christiana's sampler!

Speaking of framing miniature embroidery, here's an excellent tutorial by Larry at Wood'n Bits on making miniature frames for embroidery. He takes you step-by-step through making tiny frames which you can then mount silk gauze onto, and stitch, and, when you're finished stitching, you have a framed piece. It's a great tutorial. He continued it with another post on more miniature frames, which he sells - take a look!

And finally, speaking of silk gauze, once upon a time, I thought I had a link to somewhere online that offers 72 gauge silk gauze. Of course, I've lost the link... but to wonder if I imagined it? Does silk gauze come in such a fine mesh? Anyone know? and if so, would you happen to know where I can find some? I think I like this little stuff - not for looooong term, on-going embroidery, trust me! But for fun little projects, I like going micro!

Labels: counted thread embroidery techniques, embroidery resources, miniature embroidery, needlework pictures, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, March 04, 2009
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Since I've been playing around with drawn thread embroidery on my whitework technique sampler, I thought it worthwhile to look around online for some good resources for technique and design ideas. As usual, one of my first stops when looking for needlework instructional books online is Antique Pattern Library. I love this website! And I could spend many long, lingering hours there!

I was happy to find Therese Dillmont's Drawn Thread Work (DMC Library). Typipcal of these Therese Dillmont books (there's a whole list of them on Antique Pattern Library), there's heaps of information, diagrams, and so forth in the book.

While many of the Dillmont books listed on the APL index are in French, the drawn thread book is in English. No matter what language you speak, though, the diagrams are clear enough to follow, if you have at least a little understanding of drawn thread embroidery.



I like the choice of colors in the project on the front cover!



The book is in PDF format, in two parts. The first part addresses mostly the different types of drawn thread work, with pictures of how to work out different bunching techniques, as well as decorative corners, needle lace accents, and so forth.



The second part features some really beautiful ideas for drawn thread projects.

If you're looking for some inspiration for your own drawn thread embroidery, do check out Therese Dillmont's book:

Part I - Drawn Thread Embroidery by Therese Dillmont (PDF)

Part II - Drawn Thread Embroidery by Therese Dillmont

And if you're just longing to spend some time browsing some old needlework books, pop in at the Antique Pattern Library and enjoy lingering for hours over some of the wonderful books available there!

Labels: book review, drawn thread embroidery, embroidery books, embroidery resources, online needlework books, whitework

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, February 16, 2009
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Another goldwork thread I ordered recently that struck my fancy is "gimp." Yes, you're right! Like flatworm, it has a weird name!

Gimp is a goldwork cord. I can't bring myself to call it a thread - it's pretty large! It fits in the goldwork category because it is metal; it's made up of a thread core that is wound with gold wire. I'll show you the anatomy of gimp cord in a bit, but for starters, let's look at it and then compare it to another twisted goldwork thread.



Now, if you like goldwork, when you take a look at gimp cord, you won't be able to help liking it, too! It's beatiful. It's heavy and rich, a beautiful three-ply cord. Unlike other goldwork threads, there isn't much "sparkle" to it. Gimp gleams. It almost has a matte-like look to it.



When you look at it up close, you can see that it's made out of some kind of wrapping that seems to divide a bit. The camera really helps here - to the un-aided eye, the cord simply looks golden.



Compared to gold twist, gimp suddenly doesn't look as "metal" looking. The gold twist - also a three-ply twisted goldwork thread - reflects the light differently, because it's made differently.



Size-wise, this is a #6 (so, relatively large) twist in the front, with the gimp behind it. Gimp is bigger, and it is more tightly twisted.



If you measure them under a ruler, you can see that gimp is practically an eighth of an inch wide, compared to the twist, which is certainly less than half that wide.



When you buy gimp, it comes with the edges taped or clamped, for a Very Good Reason. Because of the tight twist, once the ends are unbound, the whole cord very quickly starts to unwind. To solve this, bind the cord where you plan to cut it, and leave the ends bound until it's sewn onto the fabric! Anyway, for the photo above, I unbound the end before I realized what would happen, and the gimp began to furiously untwist. I caught it before it went too far - about three inches - but still, three inches is a lot, when you're talking about a thread that costs $18 / yard... That's $1.50-worth of unwinding. I learned my lesson!



This is the fascinating thing about gimp cord. It doesn't look as metal-like, but it is truly just as much a metal thread as smooth passing or twist. You see, twist, is made up of what looks like three strands of smooth passing twisted together. Smooth passing is made from a core (cotton or other fiber) wound with a wire that is wide and flat, kind of more like a very tiny tape of gold. Gimp cord is made with a core of threads, around which is wound teeny tiny gold wires - they're about the size of a hair. Three of the wires are grouped together and wrapped around the core. If you pull on the wire end, the core will unwrap (just as it does with passing thread) but the gold that comes off is entirely different stuff!



It was difficult to get a decent photo of them, but there they are. Three gold wires! WOW - those tiny wires are the rich coating that makes gimp cord so gorgeous! Amazing!



Gimp cord is a heavier, more supple thread than twist. It is really lovely stuff!

I can see it used in a lot of ways, but primarily, I could see it outlining stitched areas on ecclesiastical work or used as thick vines or stems on goldwork pieces. I'm eager to try working with it!

Have you used gimp cord before? Or have you seen it in use? Any pointers or observations about it?? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Labels: embroidery resources, goldwork, pictures, supplies, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, February 06, 2009
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Shortly after Christmas, I was able to replenish some of my depleted goldwork supplies. I like 2% gold threads, and after making my goldwork and silk Christmas ornament and working on the goldwork embellished crazy quilt square, I found that I was low on 2% gold threads. With plans for a bit of ecclesiastical embroidery this year, I wanted to stock up on some (yeah, yeah - excuses! excuses!!)... Anyway, when placing my order with Tanja Berlin (which is where I buy my 2% gold threads), I purchased a couple "new" metal threads - new to me, anyway. Read on, and I'll tell you about one very attractive gold thread with a really unattractive name!

I've been curious about "flatworm" for a while. Admittedly, it's the name that caught my eye in the first place. Imagine being in the company of gold threads with names like "pearl purl" - names that evoke notions of beauty and richness - and having to own up to a name like "flatworm."

"I'd like to buy some flatworm, please..." (Bait shopping?!)

"Hey, I want to embroider something beautiful. I think I'll use flatworm." !!!

The name is curious. Once I saw the thread, though, I realized it's just a name. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and I suppose a gold thread named "flatworm" can still be ... a gold thread.



This is 2 yards of gilt #6 flatworm. Pretty, isn't it? It shines!



If you look at the thread close-up, the thread looks as if it is made just like smooth passing thread - it has a core of thread, around which is wrapped the gold thread. This is gilt, so it's only about 1/2% gold (as opposed to 2%). Unlike smooth passing thread, which is rounded, flatworm is flat, but it has a kind of gradual twist in it - it isn't like broad or whipped plate, either, which is completely flat, without a thread core, and is more like a metal ribbon.



Here, you can see the gilt flatworm (in the background) and #4 smooth passing thread (2% gold - which has a higher content, and a deeper color).



Next to each other, the threads are decidedly different. The #4 passing thread looks tiny. The flatworm looks almost leather-like and supple, as opposed to wire-like look of the smooth passing. The flatwork isn't really supple, though - it's stiffish, too. Perhaps not as stiff as the smooth passing, but pretty stiff, nonetheless.

I haven't worked with flatworm before. From what I've read about it, it's a couched thread, like smooth passing, but I'm curious about the way one would couch it. Can it be couched as a filling, in lines? Do you straighten it as you couch it? If not, how well does it sit on the fabric and actually "fill"? Is it used as a more randomly worked thread? Does it fit in with traditional goldwork techniques, or would you take a more contemporary approach to the way it is used? These are the questions that have come to my mind about this thread. I'll enjoy experimenting with it to discover some of the answers.

Have you ever used flatworm? Or have you seen it on any goldwork pieces? Do you have any ideas about how you would use it if you were going to play with it? I'd like to hear your take on this intriguing thread!

There were a few other new-to-me threads in my recent order - I can't wait to show them all to you! I'd rather be showing them to you in some kind of goldwork piece that could employ all of them, but my brain hasn't yet concocted a reasonable plan for one! When it does, I'll let you know!

If you haven't signed up for my January give-away, please take the opportunity to do so before tomorrow (Wednesday) morning at 5:00 am CST. I'll pick a winner first thing tomorrow morning! If you want to sign up, visit the original post, where you'll find the directions for signing up towards the end of the post. Thanks for participating in it!

If you want to make sure you don't miss anything on Needle 'n Thread, you might take the opportunity to sign up for my e-mail newsletter. Just enter your e-mail in the box provided in the right hand column, and the newsletter will be delivered to your inbox daily. You'll need to verify your subscription, so keep an eye out for the verification e-mail. I don't use e-mail addresses for anything else except the e-mail newsletter, I assure you! Keep in mind that the daily newsletter you receive features the article from the previous day.

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Hope your week's going well so far, and that you have at least a little time to enjoy some stitching!

Labels: embroidery resources, goldwork, pictures, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, February 03, 2009
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I came across a fabulous step-by-step tutorial for making needle lace when I was looking for (of all things) images of the plaited braid stitch. I was about 10 pages into google's images under "plaited braid stitch" - long past the point where plaited braid stitches were showing up! - when my attention was arrested by the image of a most intriguing piece of needle lace.

Needle lace - or "needlepoint lace" (as it is called on the website I was viewing) is lace that is really made by a series of embroidery stitches worked between couched thread outlines of shapes. There are a variety of different styles of needle lace, and a variety of ways of going about setting up the foundation to work the stitches that make the lace.

But one thing most needle laces have in common is the use - in some variety or another - of the buttonhole stitch.

For example, take this tiny sample of needle lace I worked up about a year ago, when I was fiddling with Italian cutwork. The fill stitches in the triangle parts of the center are all buttonhole stitch, as are all the stitches covering the lines and the outline. It's not the most well-executed piece of needle lace in the world, but I recall thinking it was really fun to do at the time!

Anyway, to get to the link!

So there I was, looking for images of plaited braid stitch, when I came across a picture, which led me to this website:



The fact that the photo I came across (featured there on the website image above) was needle lace was the first thing that arrested my attention. When I clicked on the photo and enlarged it, without knowing at all where it came from, I was furthered intrigued by it because it looked like....

What?

What does it look like to you?

Well, childhood memories came into play here. It looked to me like a pile of "helicopters." Did you call them "helicopters"? Those seed pod things with the wings, that circled around and around as they fell? We called them helicopters, and I said to myself when I saw the needlelace, "Oh. Helicopters."

Guess what? I went to the source of the photo, a website called Textile Dreams - Fibery Wake-up, and found an excellent tutorial on making needle lace, from beginning to end - making the pattern, setting up, laying the foundations threads (with hints and tips along the way), filling the sections with different lace stitches, finishing the edges, and removing the piece from the pattern. An excellent, thorough tutorial! And I was really excited! Someone went to a lot of trouble to put that together, and it's really well done!

The other thing that excited me - silly as it may sound - is that I was right!



They were helicopters!

If you you'd like to see a great tutorial on making needlepoint lace, do stop in and check out the nine steps posted on Textile Dreams! I think you'll enjoy the thorough tutorial! I know I did.

Don't forget, by the way, to sign up for my January stash give-away if you're interested in a chance to receive a really nice book and collection of new threads. To enter the drawing, read the original post, follow the directions, and leave a comment on the original post before Wednesday morning, February 4th.

Have a great Sunday!

Labels: embroidery links, embroidery resources, needlelace, needlework websites, whitework

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, February 01, 2009
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If you take hand embroidery remotely seriously as a hobby, one of the first tools you should invest in is a decent pair of embroidery scissors. Now, please don't get me wrong - I'm not a scissor snob! I realize that a $5 pair of scissors from your local craft store will still cut thread. Still, do indulge me, while I talk a bit and rave a little about good scissors!

There are scissors for embroidery... and then there are Scissors for embroidery!

What are the most basic criteria for embroidery scissors? That they be small and sharp. Beyond that, people have different preferences in scissors: different styles they look for, different price ranges they can afford, and so forth.

I like scissors that reflect quality workmanship, that perform well (the blades fit together, the mechanical opening and closing is smooth and easy), that are comfortable, and that will stand up to the ravages of time and hard work.

I've not spent a real fortune on scissors, though I have collected a few over the years. You can purchase good quality scissors, actually, without spending a fortune. A decent pair of Gingher (made in Germany and very widely available) embroidery scissors run from $15 - $30, depending on the type and where you find them.

I have a total of 6 embroidery scissors, three of which are used for goldwork and three for threads. I also have a pair of sewing shears and a pair of applique scissors, which are handy for cutwork. All except one pair are Gingher - this isn't so much due to preference as it is to affordability and availability. Most of my scissors, I bought on sale at local needlework shops or sewing shops.



However, I don't use them all most of the time! Here's the array of scissors presently inhabiting my tool box. They're all Gingher, except for the greyish pewter looking pair, which I'll talk about in a second.



These two scissors are my favorites. Notice that they are both the same size as far as length goes. The shiny pair is by Gingher and the pewter-looking pair is by Dovo. They both have decent-sized finger holes. I've never had big hands (they're more like... paws), but I can't stand forcing my phalanges into small-holed scissors, especially the ones that have decorative nobby lumps all over them!



Of the two scissors, the Dovo scissors are by far my favorite scissors ever! They are finer than the Gingher scissors, they are light and comfortable, sturdy, the movement of the blades is smooth and exact, the tips are perfectly pointed, and the blades are quite thin.



When the two are stacked on top of each other, it's obvious that they are the same length, but notice that the blades on the Dovo scissors are smaller. I always feel as if I have more control with the Dovo scissors and can be more precise, and I think this has to do with the size of the blades. (And it might just be because I'm infatuated with these scissors, so I imagine every good thing about them!)



Here's a close-up on the blades, with the Dovo on the left. If you compare the thickness of the blades, you can see that they are close, but the Dovo scissors are just a bit finer than the Gingher.



Strangely enough, if you take the ever-popular gold-handled stork embroidery scissors by Gingher (among their smallest scissors) - pictured on the left - and compare their blades to the Dovo blades (on the right), you can see that the Dovo blades are significantly finer than the Gingher stork's blades. (My stork scissors have been through it! They need to be sharpened!)

I love Dovo scissors, and this pair especially. They are excellent for small detail work. They're perfect when cutting out stitching (oh, yeah - I do that!). I love them for any kind of work where one or two threads in the fabric must be cut (for drawn thread work, for example), and they're great for cutwork and needle lace.

The Dovo scissors are a bit more expensive than Gingher, though, and hence, I only have one pair! This pair runs around $40 - $45, depending on where you find them.

I'm convinced, though, that if you are going to spend time and effort and money on a hobby, then you should have the right tools. At least one good pair of embroidery scissors is really essential! And they don't have to be Dovo, necessarily! Your budget will most likely dictate your options. But, here's an idea! If you have a birthday coming up, or some other occasion to receive a gift (um.... I wouldn't necessarily want scissors as a Valentine gift or a wedding anniversary present - the message could be wildly misconstrued!), consider dropping a subtle hint for good scissors if you don't already own a pair.

So what's your favorite brand of scissors? Do you have a faithful, favorite pair that you would be loathe to lose? If you were recommending scissors to another stitcher, which would you recommend, and why? Please tell us! C'mon - there's nothing quite as fun as talking about tools!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework tools, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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