Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Tapestry Woven from Spider Silk!
Thanks to Pam Alley, who sent along this really interesting news article on a tapestry woven completely from spider silk. It's an interesting article - if you have a chance, take a look! The tapestry is on display in NYC at the Museum of Natural History.... might be worth seeing if you live in the area! Enjoy!

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, September 30, 2009
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Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Commissioned Embroiderer Sought
Are you a skilled embroiderer who has considered the possibility of taking commissions? Commissions are often a good way to supplement income while doing what you love. If the thought has occurred to you, and if you are skilled with the needle, here's an opportunity you might want to pursue.

Gardiner Hall International is seeking a skilled hand embroiderer (or group of embroiderers) in the United States to work a commissioned ecclesiastical embroidery project. The techniques employed in the project may include (but may not be limited to) needlepainting (including the side profile of a face) and goldwork. If you are a capable embroiderer and are interested in commissioned work, you can contact Gardiner Hall International through their website and communicate with David Gardiner. You should probably be prepared to provide work samples in appropriate techniques.

If I had the time right now, I would pursue acquiring this commission (it doesn't necessarily mean I would get it, though!). The piece is already designed and quite beautiful, but I cannot commit to any commissions right now because of the school year. If you have the required needlework skills and have wondered how to go about getting commissioned work or wanted to make contacts for aquiring commissions, here's a chance to try.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with either the company or with any commissioned embroiderer. Should you choose to pursue this opportunity, all negotiations or agreements will be made between the company and you. This is simply a "public service announcement" for those who have the necessary needlework skills and who are interested in taking commissioned work.

If there is a big interest in discussing commissioned work, I might write a post on my experiences, the pros and cons, considerations in negotiating payment, and so forth. I haven't discussed it in-depth before, because it can be a sticky subject, but if there's interest in it, maybe I could write something about it from my perspective.

Have you had experience in taking commissions? Would you be interested in hearing about this subject? Leave a comment below to let me know! You can also contact me if you have any specific questions, but please understand that I cannot discuss or recommend specific financial information for the commission mentioned above.

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, September 02, 2009
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Saturday, April 25, 2009

Heartland Needlework Shop Hop
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!

Heartland Needlework Shop Hop Map


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!

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, April 25, 2009
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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

The Online Needework Show....
 
If you want to see what some popular needlework vendors are offering new this spring, make sure you stop by the Online Needlework Show, which opens for general viewing at 2:00 pm (EDT) today. Most of the offerings fall in the needlepoint and cross stitch categories, but there are a few thread vendors on there, as well as accessory-related people. For example, I like Kelmscott Designs - their thread rings and keeps are nice accessories and make great gifts for needleworkers. For those of you lucky enough to have a local needlework shop, you can make note of what you like at the show and ask your shop to order it for you. There are a couple online retail stores that will take orders directly from the show, too, and most of the vendors at the show have company websites you can order from. It's an easy way to browse from your home and create your wishlist for the year! Enjoy!

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, April 15, 2009
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Thursday, March 26, 2009

17th Century Embroidered Jacket Info
 
Well, I'm a little slow on the uptake, but for those of you who also didn't know, the Plimoth Plantation blog, The Embroiderers' Story, has changed locations! I didn't receive the last two post notifications in my feedreader for some reason, so I was oblivous. Thanks, Megan, for the heads-up!

The new Embroiderers' Story blog is being hosted by Tricia, and you can find it at Thistle Threads:

The Embroiderers' Story blog at Thistle Threads

Plimoth Plantation has suffered a bit from the present troubled financial climate, so they've had to make some changes in plans for the jacket, which will still be completed. They'll be announcing the plans for the jacket soon, as the exhibition at Plimoth has been cancelled.

Anyway, to catch up on all the news surrounding this masterpiece, visit the Embroiderers' Story at Thistle Threads, where you will see more progress on the jacket! Oh, and they've started the birds, and they are GORGEOUS! So don't miss it!

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, March 26, 2009
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Thursday, March 05, 2009

Crewel Work Company Kits...
 
Just a quick note to let you know that Wooly Thread is carrying Crewel Work Company kits. These are exceptional crewel embroidery kits from Phillipa Turnbull in the UK. The kits are nice - and the selection Wooly Thread is currently carrying is quite suitable for beginners. If you've wanted to try real crewel work, this would be an excellent introduction. You can find the kits carried at Wooly Thread listed on the Wooly Thread blog, but if you want to see the designs up-close, you should go to the Crewel Work Company website, where you can click on the photos to enlarge. Also, you'll see all the supplies listed for each kit on the Crewel Work Company Website.

I'm not sure what price Wooly Thread is asking for the kits, but I do know that they only have one of each! So stake your claim soon!

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, March 05, 2009
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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Oh, The Glories of Thread Painting!
 
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:

Rosebuds by Trish Burr


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

Daisy spray by Trish Burr


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.

Amaryllis by Trish Burr


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

Poppy by Trish Burr


... 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!

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, February 26, 2009
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Sunday, January 25, 2009

CQMag Online - Volume 8, Issue 1 Available Now
 
Just a quick note to let you know that Volume 8, Issue 1 of CQMag Online is out now - it's got a huge line up of really good articles! Among them, yep, you'll find the (really insanely long) article I wrote on goldwork and crazy quilting. If you're not up to reading the whole thing, you can scroll down to the last photo for the complete block. Click on it for a larger version....

Enjoy!

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, January 25, 2009
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Thursday, October 16, 2008

The Royal School of Needlework is Back in the US!
 
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.

Royal School of Needlework Website


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!

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