Speaking of Embroidered Flowers for Elizabeth, the author, Susan O'Connor, is teaching quite a few neat looking classes around the globe this year - maybe you'll be close to one and can take advantage of what looks like some really nice embroidery classes! Here's some information on upcoming classes in various parts of the world....

In case you don't know who Susan O'Connor is, she's a designer whose work is regularly featured in Country Bumpkin's Inspirations Magazine. If you've been following my latest book-gushing, you also know she's the author of Embroidered Flowers for Elizabeth. I've always been drawn to her projects in Inspirations. I like her style of embroidery. Though I haven't been to a class with her, I bet they'd be fun, so I thought I'd pass on some class information, just in case you think they'd be fun, too!



Right around the corner, from March 16 - 19, 2010, she'll be teaching in the Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia. Here's a PDF brochure with details:

Embroidery Classes in the Hunter Valley



If you happen to be in Paris, France, in April 2010, you'll find Susan teaching at Au Ver a Soie from the 26th - 30th. Here's the PDF brochure, in French and English:

Embroidery Classes in Paris - French
Embroidery Classes in Paris - English



Are you going to be in Dublin in May? Susan is teaching in Dublin, Ireland from May 4 - 10, 2010, and here's the PDF with information on that venue:

Embroidery Classes in Ireland



She's teaching a variety of projects, some of them pictured here. It looks like the projects at the classes in Dublin are slightly different - she has some smocking in there, and an embroidered blanket project.

If you happen to be nearby any of these venues at the right time, maybe it would work out that you could take a class with Susan! I think you'd be pretty lucky! (I'd do the mirror project. It would look utterly perfect on my bedroom wall!)

From what I hear, she's also looking for a venue for the US. If you belong to a guild that would be interested, you might use the contact information on the brochures to see if something can be arranged.

You can see what's up with her embroidery classes on Facebook, too, in case you want to keep abreast of these kinds of things!

No affiliation here, by the way - just passing on information!

(And if you go, by the way, you have to let me live vicariously through you - I want the details!)

Labels: embroidery designers, needlework classes, needlework news

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, March 03, 2010
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Ready to go browsing with me through favorite needlework haunts, blogs, shops, and so forth? When time allows it, I like to browse the online world to see what's going on in the needlework field - and heck, even when time doesn't allow it, I find it's a great way to procrastinate! So - grab your coffee and come procrastinate with me!

I categorize my online browsing in my head this way: Needlework Inspiration, Needlework Supplies, and Needlework Desires and Longings (or what should more accurately be called, "The Danger Zone").

Needlework Inspiration

There's been a heap of inspirational stuff online lately. Lots of it is holiday-related, and I admit I've shied away from glutting on Christmas embroidery ideas this year. No, I'm not a Scrooge. I just haven't had time to stitch on this particular theme, so the things that have really caught my eye have been entirely non-holiday-related embroidery items.



First, there's the big unveiling of "Faith" - the 17th century embroidered jacket - over at Thistle Threads for Plimoth Plantation. If you haven't seen the pictures yet or read up on the last days and weeks before the project was presented to the public, do jump over to The Embroiderers' Story and rest your eyes on an amazing and laudable achievement! Beautiful does not say enough about it! I remember first blogging about the whole project two years ago, after it had been underway for a good year - I was so excited about it and loved following along with the whole project! Now that it's over, it seems to me that we have all benefited from the jacket project in a lot of ways - one tangible way is the fact that we have Gilt Sylke Twist available on the market. Lucky us!



Now how about something springy? Allison Aller's been doing punchneedle ribbon embroidery on some CQ squares. Have you seen her results? Well, you should! It's a great take on ribbon embroidery - and there's nothing like looking at beautiful flowers when your feet and nose are frozen.



Speaking of flowers, colors, and so forth, I introduced you last week to Sandy Vass's new blog, Gold n' Stitches. Uh. WOW. She didn't crawl into blogging, here - she leapt in, and has put up some absolutely wonderful projects that she's working on. I'm totally hooked, and I'm afraid I'm going to be drooling over her blog daily. Take a look at her latest Jane Nicholas project, and her circular Or Nue design! What think you of this? Doesn't it just make you melt into a sea of gold and silk contentedness? I want to do what she is doing! And I want to do it Now! My green eyes are getting the better of me, as Shakespeare would say (or something along those lines.)



I keep up with what's going on over at Needleprint, because, though I don't do a lot of counted work, the kind of counted work I do like is this stuff with the historical twist to it. I really like the Quaker motifs, and I'm still fiddling with turning some more of them into Quaker Surface Motifs. In the meantime, though, Needleprint isn't devoted just to counted work - oh my, no! There's this gorgeous piece of needle painted art posted last week that completely bowled me over. The pomegranate in this piece is downright scrumptious looking. If I were Persephone, I'd not stop at six seeds...

Speaking of doing the things I want to do, Meri's been plugging away at Schwalm work, and although it's been a while since she posted this one, you should go see her project! We're both working on the same project - and she's leaps and bounds ahead of me.

I'm hoping to catch up this vacation. Look out, Meri! But - better than the Schwalm whitework as far as resources go, do check out Meri's Multi-Lingual Picture Stitch Glossary that she put together. You'll find pictures of embroidery stitches accompanied by the name of the stitch in many languages. You can download it and save it to your computer as an excellent reference work.

Over on Coeur de Freesia, you must see this beautiful blue embroidery project that Elena has been working on. Scroll through all the posts, so that you can see this piece as it is developing. I love it! I want it! I want to make that. I don't. I don't have time. Stop.

Over on Maureen Greeson's blog, Vintage Acquisitions, she's been working up some ribbon embroidery flowers as well, like the ones in this vintage basket design (she's got the pattern there, too, if you want it!). I love the flowers. They look like mums. While you're there, she's also got an informative post on using silk chenille for hand embroidery.



Have you seen what Carol-Anne is doing over at Threads Across the Web? I love watching her Japanese embroidery projects unfold. They always looks so sharp, crisp, and beautiful. Her current project is particularly enchanting - I love the different patterns and colors of the cords!

Needlework Supplies



Every needleworker needs needles. Needleworkers need needles. Say that ten times fast! There are needles, and then there are needles. Bohin needles are fast becoming my faves. I'd LIKE to find them in size 10, 11, and 12 crewel. But in the meantime, Sharon over at Threads in Bloom has a small shipment of Bohin Needles - Milliners, Chenille, and Tapestry - available in assorted sizes. Get them now, before they're gone. And hope she gets more soon!

Are you looking for coton a broder in colors? You can find a set of #25 coton a broder (in 18 colors) from Vaune French Heirloom Sewing and Smocking supplies. I haven't ever ordered from them, but this is rather enticing... I just wish they had a picture of it on their website.

The Danger Zone

The Danger Zone is comprised of things I've come across that I have added to a wish list. Some of them, I will probably never purchase. But some are definites for the upcoming year. Now, if you think you might succumb, and you don't want to succumb, just stop reading now.... just move on. Click the X. Close your browser. Don't let me lead you astray!

There are some books coming out in 2010 that look intriguing - Country Bumpkin's Flowers for Elizabeth is on my list. I always get in trouble when I start wandering around the Country Bumpkin website!

Going back to the subject of colors, Hedgehog Handworks has added "Silk Collections" to their website. These are packs of different types of threads, grouped by color. They include silks and metallics, and they all look pretty sumptuous. The prices are reasonable, too. They range from $18.50 - $25-ish, depending on the number of thread types in the pack (some have as many as 10 different types of threads grouped together). You can also find that Thread of Threads Beyond Compare at Hedgehog - Gilt Sylke Twist - in all the colors that are currently available, at the most reasonable online price you'll find. I've got to get some of that Gawdie Grene. I don't have that color yet, and the name intrigues me. I think I should put it in my Christmas stocking. As a stuffer. From me. (Pathetic, isn't it?)

Ok, enough?! For now, yes! I have over-procrastinated! I hope I didn't distract you too much from what you should be doing, too...!!

Have a great day with your needle and thread!

Labels: embroidery resources, miscellaneous embroidery musings, needlework news, needlework websites, pictures

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, December 15, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, September 30, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, September 02, 2009
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Next weekend, several needlework shops in the Topeka / Kansas City area are sponsoring a needlework shop hop. I'm thinking about this, musing, contemplating, wondering....

I love needlework shops - and I love supporting local needlework shops when I have the opportunity. I strongly encourage supporting your local needlework shop, by the way, because if you don't, some day, it may not be there, and supplies will become harder to find and more expensive. Also, there's something to be said for helping your local economy!

Anyway, enough soap boxing! About this needlework shop hop in the Topeka / Kansas City area... Do you realize how much trouble I could get into, going into FIVE needlework shops in one weekend? It would be a serious glut. It would also be a whole lot of fun!



The five shops are located along the purple path indicated above. All told, the circle is about 200 miles (specifically, 199.6 miles).

The Shop Hop begins on Thursday, April 30th, and lasts through Saturday, May 2nd, so there are three days in which you can make the journey to all five shops. This is the way it works:

In the first shop you visit along the route, you pick up a "passport," which you have marked for each shop you visit along the way. If you visit all five shops involved, then you can turn your passport in at the last shop, to be eligible for prize drawings (in this case, $250-worth of gift certificates). Along the way, the needlework shops also have their own "specials" going on, for people doing the shop hop. So it's an opportunity to become familiar with some local needlework shops and at the same time, to enjoy some special deals.

The shops participating in the Heartland shop hop are:

The Sunflower Seed - Topeka, KS
Stitch-On - Lawrence, KS
Old Mill Stitchery - Liberty, MO (I couldn't find a website)
C.C. & Co. - Blue Springs, MO
Two the Point - Overland Park, KS

I list them in the above order, because that's the route I'd travel. I live quite a bit west of Topeka, which adds a goodly amount of mileage on the above treck.

I've been to three out of five of the shops, and am keen to visit the other two. Still, it's quite a drive!

To hop, or not to hop - that is the question?

I'm definitely leaning towards "hop." If I go, I'll actually have to leave on Friday afternoon, visit the shops in Topeka and Lawrence before they close at 6:00, and then spend the night in the KC area. Then I could visit the shops around Kansas City in a more leisurely fashion, methinks, between 9:00 am - 5:00 pm on Saturday.

If you're in the Kansas City or Topeka area, venture out along the route, and maybe we'll meet up!

Labels: needlework news, personal

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, April 25, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, April 15, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, March 26, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, March 05, 2009
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I noticed in answer to this month's give-away question ("what's your favorite needlework book and why?") many reader's named Trish Burr's books among their favorites. And this lead me to thinking. It seems to me (and I am open to correction on this!) that thread painting - or needle painting, or long and short stitch embroidery, or shading... whatever you wish to call it - has enjoyed in the last couple years a real boom in interest. It seems to me that three or four years ago, the technique was not as popular, and there certainly weren't as many resources available for pursuing an interest in thread painting.

Throughout the later history of embroidery - I'd say 17th c. and onwards - realistic shading in embroidery has been here, enjoying bouts of popularity. Of course, crewel embroidery employs techniques of long and short stitch shading. Then there's the "society silk" style of embroidery typical of the Victorian era through the early 20th century - a style that was all the rage, super popular, and employed similar shading techniques that we see in long and short stitch "thread painting" today. And here we are, now, in what I think is another bout of popularity in this embroidery technique.

If you've been reading along with me for a while, you know that I'm a big fan of Trish Burr's needlework and her books. Well, for those of you who are interested in the glories of thread painting, you'll be happy to know that Trish Burr has been really busy lately. Check out the following projects:



These rosebuds are a beginner's exercise in thread painting.



This daisy spray is also suitable for beginners. The style of the piece is reminiscent of Trish's latest book, Crewel and Surface Embroidery: Inspirational Floral Designs.



For beginners as well, here in an amaryllis! And finally, my favorite:



... a red poppy, a project more suited to intermediate level embroiderers who have already tried thread painting. I love the flower on this piece - the depth of color is lovely! And I also love the stem, made up of a very fine strand of Chinese silk, almost the size of a hair!

Aren't they beautiful pieces? I think they are, and I think they're perfect for learning the technique of long and short stitch shading. Trish apparently agrees, for it seems that, in the near future, she will be releasing kits for different levels of long-and-short-stitch stitchers! I'm really very excited about this! Kits like this are a great way to learn a technique!

While I haven't yet seen any of the kits in person, I can imagine that they will be very thorough in instruction, if Trish's books are anything to go by!

So there's your sneak peek on some upcoming needlework excitement! In the meantime, if you want to try your hand at needlepainting, why not take a look at Trish's website? She has a free little introductory project on there that you might have fun with.

So there's a nice little tidbit of needlework news for you! I hope you find it as exciting as I do!

Labels: needlepainting, needlework news, needlework pictures, pictures, Trish Burr

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, February 26, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, January 25, 2009
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For those of you who have been longing for the return of the Royal School of Needlework courses after the Perry, Iowa location closed, you will be happy to know that the courses are being offered again in the US at a new venue. Thanks to Margaret, here's a bit of information on that...

I knew that the Royal School of Needlework had established a new venue in San Francisco and that they would be offering their certification courses there, beginning this fall. The certification courses are the more expensive, time-intensive (three weeks, I think) courses. Since they had an RSN graduate in CA, in the San Francisco area, once they found a venue, they were able to offer these certification courses again.

But for those of us who can't afford the time or investment for the certification courses, the day classes offered by the RSN are more ideal. It took some coordinating on their part, but it looks as if they're planning to offer day classes from April 29 through May 15 this coming spring! Isn't that exciting??!!

If you want to find out what types of day courses the RSN offers, you can check out the Royal Schol of Needlework website, where you'll find all kinds of information on what they offer.



Specifically, you may want to take a look at this PDF brocher that outlines the courses offered by the RSN. Right now, they haven't published the information on the day courses being offered in San Francisco, but at least, with the brochure, you can get an idea of the quality and subject-matter of the different classes.

If you want to receive information on the course offerings in San Francisco in the spring, there's contact information on the RSN site for Gill Holdsworth, who is the head of education at the Royal School of Needlework. Drop her a line to let her know you're interested, so that you can be put on the list when the information goes out. It's also a good idea to let her know that there is an interest over here for these courses, so that they know it's worthwhile to go to all the effort it must take to coordinate such an event!

Thanks, Margaret, for the info, and thank you, RSN teachers, tutors, and coordinators, for making the effort to restore these classes in the US!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework and travel, needlework classes, needlework news, Royal School of Needlework

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, October 16, 2008
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