A couple weeks ago, I posted a hand embroidery pattern for a Quaker sampler design, converted for surface embroidery. I haven't had time to stitch it myself, but Jan Miller has. Using the bird in a tree design, Jan made a beautiful Christmas ornament - and she sent pictures. Thanks, Jan!

My first thought when I finished converting this design into a surface embroidery pattern was that it would make a pretty Christmas tree ornament. So I was delighted to see Jan's rendition.



Using simple stitches that suit the pattern very well, Jan stitched the ornament on white velvet, I think. She finished it with a matching hand-made tassel.



I love the dark green and the deep red - they suit the design. One reader suggested that simple color tones were best, rather than a variety of shades, since plain color choices would work best in keeping with the simplicity of the Quaker design.

I still want to stitch this pattern up, and hope to one of these days! Has anyone else tried this design? I'd love to see what other people do with it!

Thanks again, Janice, for sending along the pictures!

What are you working on? If you want to share photos of your recent needlework adventures, drop me a line!

Labels: Christmas, needlework pictures, pictures, Quaker designs, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, October 27, 2009
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Patterns for hand embroidery are extremely versatile - they are useful for a variety of arts and crafts. So even if you don't always go in for surface embroidery, you might find the plethora of embroidery designs available online and in books capable of producing Muse-juice for all other kinds of crafts. Here's an example to illustrate what I'm talking about...

Gitte doesn't hand embroider, but she does indulge in paper crafts. Taking one of my scrolly medallion embroidery designs, she used it to make a beautiful card out of vellum and cardstock.

First, she embossed the design from the back, then, using special scissors, she cut each individual tiny scallop around the embossed lines, creating a gorgeous lacy effect. WOW! The card is beautiful - a real work of art.

The picture below is clickable, and if you click on it, you'll be taken to a larger version.



Beautiful, isn't it?!

If you're one of those Have-to-Craft people who move from craft to craft, making things, I'm sure you've already discovered that you can cross from one craft to another, taking designs and ideas with you. This card is a perfect example of doing that. There are really only two categories of crafts I get into - textiles (from needlework to Kumihimo, felting, and so forth) and paper crafts. I love how this card uses something I intended for needlework in a whole different application in paper craft. It maketh the Muse-juice flow, and all kinds of ideas are popping up in my head now!

Labels: embroider on paper, free embroidery patterns, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, July 15, 2009
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Ashley's linen napkins embroidered with silk ribbon are gorgeous! Hemstitched linen napkins served as the ground fabric for her first forray into embroidery. This sumptuous spray of flowers is so beautifully executed that it's hard to believe the project comes from a beginner in silk ribbon, let alone a beginner in embroidery in general!

I'll let Ashley tell you all about her first experience with silk ribbon embroidery...



I have never embroidered before and picked up Country Bumpkin's A-Z of Ribbon Embroidery while in a needlepoint store and found it simply irresistible! Knowing nothing about embroidery and especially ribbon embroidery, I typed the supply list into a search engine, ordered the products, and waited on bated breath to begin my new project!

The design is called "Desprez a Fleur" by Lynda Maker. The roses are a gathered ribbon rose with two ribbons (a 7mm yellow ribbon and a 4mm pale yellow) stitched together to give it some depth. In the center of the roses are little French knots out of gold Madeira silk floss. The rosebuds were made by covering a pearl bead with ribbon stitches. The design called from glass beads; however, I decided that was a bit impractical for a napkin, but then so is silk ribbon embroidery! These are definitely going to be "looky lu" napkins only!



Of course, after purchasing all of the supplies, I went on to read about the horrors of silk ribbon embroidery...the fraying, tearing, etc. I was beginning to think I was getting in over my head. Luckily, I didn't have any problems and it all went very smoothly and quickly. After doing needlepoint for the last 6 years, I love the
freedom, creative expression, and delicate femininity involved in embroidery. Needlepoint canvas can be rather limiting, even with all of the stitches that are available today. As my Mom says, needlepoint is earthenware, while embroidery is delicate fine china.

I think my next undertaking will be goldwork on a Bible cover. I have been needlepointing a Bible cover and I am just about finished, so I thought maybe I would try an embroidered cover after seeing one of your posts on them. I begin an internship as a hospital chaplain in the fall, so I figure there's no such thing as too many Bible covers!

I know I am probably being a little over ambitious to move straight to goldwork! But I have a touch of youthful hubris-- if others can do it, why can't I too?!

Thanks, Ashley! Um... I think if you launched this easily into silk ribbon embroidery, you should have no problems at all trying your hand at goldwork! Best of luck!

Labels: readers embroidery, ribbon embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, July 02, 2009
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Ashley, of Oooooh, Silk!, though relatively new to embroidery, undertook to embroider, in Holbein stitch, a coif. She is going to tell you all about the adventure...

I was inspired by history to learn blackwork (Holbein stitch, double running stitch). I play in the SCA (a medieval/renaissance reenactment group) and have slowly come to dabble in the beautiful fashions that were present in the mid to late 1500s (about that time that Holbein was painting his lovely portraits featuring blackworked cuffs, collars, and clothing). I thought they were gorgeous pieces, but I didn’t really see myself doing it until I looked through Janet Arnold’s newest Patterns of Fashion book. Her meticulously researched book of patterns, illustrations, research, and pictures of 16th century costuming made me realize that if I ever wanted to take myself seriously as an Elizabethan enthusiast, I had to learn embroidery. The full color photos of blackwork, pulled work, and insertion lace beckoned to me, and I had to have some of my own.



The pattern was created by Laura Mellin, part of a series of headwear patterns from museum or other 16th century sources, usually dating between 1590 and 1620 (when Elizabethan and early Jacobean embroidery was most popular). While several of her patterns have beautiful and (to my eye) highly complicated botanical and animal designs, I was struck by the “Genevieve� pattern, a fairly simple grid work of lines and fleur-de-lis surrounding isolated flower motifs. Thinking that it would be a good starter piece, I purchased the pattern at a local SCA function.

For the fabric, I used a rather unusual source at our local thrift store. My husband and I are still going through our Poor Newlywed phase, so I really didn’t have the budget for the really expensive linens for the project’s ground, and I didn’t want to use the discount linen typically available through the internet, since it tends to be very low quality. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to spend so much time working on a project and end up with something substandard and incorrect to the time period I was going for. It was a magical day when $5 men’s shirt appeared in front of me at the local DI, and I was so impressed with the quality of the fabric (not perfect, but certainly better than I’d seen commercially) that I immediately knew it would be perfect for the coif.



After ripping out the seams, it was a simple matter to stabilize the fabric with wax paper (applied with a hot iron, another tip from Laura Mellin) and transfer the pattern using a micron pen. I congratulated myself for finding a garment that exactly fit the pattern, with just enough room for hoop space and seam allowances!

I am using two strands of RG Splendor silk floss for the embroidery, conditioned with beeswax. I find that the Splendor shreds a bit more than the DMC cotton floss I was used to so the wax goes a long way to keep it smooth and workable. The size of the coif meant I could not easily mount the project on a scroll frame, and while I would have loved to get a good slate frame and even tried to build a simple wood frame, in the end, a simple (and cheap) plastic hoop became the best and most economical option. I was worried at first that it would damage the blackwork or cause odd stretching, but so far it seems to be fine. It also makes it highly portable – I carry it in a gallon size zip lock bag with the thread, wax, scissors, and spare needles, so I can work on it any spare moment I have.



In working on it, I’ve come to love seeing the design appear as I work. The curlicues and loops of the flowers have become some of my favorite parts to work. The one thing I haven’t liked, I have to admit, is the grid work. I’ve found straight lines in double running stitch to be one of the hardest portions of this project, especially in places where my transfer might not have been the greatest (a ruler would not have been amiss in the transfer phase, I realize after the fact). It’s much easier to do the flowing naturalistic designs, and flaws in the stitching are far less noticeable. Sometimes I have to ‘reward’ myself with flowers after one or two passes at the grids. Couching might have been a better option, but by the time I realized that I was already committed to doing them in double running stitch (i.e. I didn’t want to pull out what I’d already done and start over).

Even with the difficulties, I’m really enjoying this style of embroidery. I love the idea of making a project better than the sum of its parts (in this case, about $15 in materials and a whole lot of time), and ending up with wearable, historical art. If I keep up my current progress, I hope to be able to finish it by the end of the year.

If anyone is interested in Laura Mellin’s embroidery patterns, they are available through Reconstructing History (reconstructinghistory.com).

Labels: historical needlework, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, June 30, 2009
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This post is from Jo in New Zealand, the writer of a popular blog, No Matter Where I Go, I Always Meet Myself There, focusing mostly on crazy quilting and other textile ventures.

Jo's had some really good success with her latest Etsy ventures. Selling the products of one's creative ventures is vastly popular today, as popular sites such as Etsy and Artfire attest. I thought it would be of particular interest to readers on Needle 'n Thread to hear about Jo's adventures, since it isn't unlikely that there are many of you who do, or plan to do, something similar with your arts and crafts.

I think you'll enjoy Jo's article, her sense of humor, and her creativity! Here she is:



No Matter Where I Go…I Always Meet Myself There. This is a saying I heard many years ago, and it stayed with me. I am not sure why, but at the time, I was at a low point in my life, and I thought “Well, that’s it, then. It’s all up to me isn’t it�. I was responsible for me, my own happiness, or conversely, my own unhappiness; there was no one else who could ‘fix’ it , except me.

Over the years I have moulded this it fit the needs of my life at the time. To me now, older and wiser, it means I have to be happy with the end result. I feel it revolves a lot around integrity and doing what I feel is right, and being happy to live with the outcome. Looking at my blog title almost daily reminds me of this.

How am I going to lead this nicely into an article about my craft…I don’t think I am, to be fair (lol), but I don’t think I have ever told the story of my blog title before, and when Mary honored me with a “guest spot� while she is enjoying her down time, I had to think what to write about.

I have been blogging for a number of years now. I never dreamed it would lead me to where I am now. Many friends and acquaintances all over the world, with wide and varied interests that I get to experience and enjoy. I have Round Robined, Swapped, Exchanged, ROAKed, Moderated and Donated. My recent ventures, though, have taken me into the world of ‘retail’….



For a good while, and after a few suggestions from various quarters, I had been considering a book. Just considering, no formal plan (or even informal plan for that matter). It is difficult to know what people would actually want to read. It turned out, however, that words would be surplus to requirements in my foray into publishing. One night – I am a night owl, never in bed before midnight – I received a discount coupon in my email box from an online photo service. It was for a small, spiral bound photobook. I thought it was a good idea.



As a part of my ‘offline ‘life, I spend many hours in conferences. Although usually work is highly embellished with beads and ribbons, sequins and silk ribbon embroidery, my “conference box� has pre-pieced fabric postcards, and a selection of threads. Back to basics, and no plan, except to stitch and experiment. It keeps my brain engaged, and therefore able to listen.



So, I got my coupon, loaded up my photos - deciding to focus on layered seam treatments for Crazy quilting - picked a template, ordered 6, thinking I can give them away if nothing else, and waited for them to arrive. During this time I blogged about my “book� and people expressed an interest. “Great, I might actually be able to sell a couple of these!� I thought. I needed a venue to do this. I have been a member of ETSY for a while as a buyer, so I set about creating my shop and I listed 4 copies. You cannot imagine the thrill to open up my email box the next morning and see that two copies had sold. The other two copies had sold by the end of the day. Within 3 weeks I had sold 30 copies!!



This little venture has been successful beyond my wildest hopes. The reason for its success? Well, it all comes back to blogging, links and connections with people, finding common denominators. Joining yahoo groups, ning groups, facebooks (I haven’t embraced twitter yet…) building a network of likeminded and interested and interesting people, that, 20 years ago would have been next to impossible without the internet. In fact, I believe, next to impossible without a blogging presence online. I could have put this book out, but without those people who take the time to read my words and admire and comment on my work, who would my client base be? I am incredibly lucky and blessed to be part of this online community, and lucky to have been supported so well by its members.



With the success of my wee book, I added some bags I had made to my shop. Both of those sold and I am now working on custom orders for 3 more. I have added a range of Victorian inspired pedestal pincushions, beautiful and functional handmade pieces. They are slower to sell, but then I create “just because�. It helps keep me sane in a life busy with 3 young children!! I am also adding some postcards as I finish them, and I would like to invite you all to enter my monthly giveaway for a hand embroidered fabric postcard. Finally, to link back to my blog title, I strive to create well made, long wearing items, that I know I can be proud of, because no matter where I go…I always meet myself there.



I feel a bit like an advertorial, but when Mary suggested advertising an online shop, I felt it was a great opportunity. I hope that I have offered you some other insight along the way, not being too blatant with asking you "stop by." However, of course, I would love for you to “stop by�! You can find me here at my Etsy Shop and on my blog, No Matter Where I Go, I Always Meet Myself There.

Labels: readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, June 29, 2009
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Yesterday, I posted Part I of Nita's explorations of applique, embroidery, and other textile techniques in her aquatic sampler, which she finished into a gloriously vibrant banner. Today, I want to show you the rest of the photos and the finished piece!

I really think there are few scenes in nature that provide such color and variety for the artist or embroiderer as the coral reef does. Though I can rarely look at such scenes anymore without automatically wondering where the heck Nemo is, I can't help being drawn to them! Perhaps it's because I live in Kansas, and the only water we ever see is a half-empty muddy river, or an occasional flooded, murky field. I grew up, though, on both coasts (West and East, chronologically), with my high school years being spent in Florida. We were never very far from the ocean wherever we lived, and this is the only thing I ever really miss living in Kansas. *Sigh* Water sure is likeable stuff.

Anyway, on with the aquatic sampler!



This big fishy fellow is worked in a foiling technique using Misty Fuse. He has that scaly irridescent look, doesn't he? What a perfect combination of techniques to achieve the fish look.



Here you've got some of Nita's gazillion French knots highlighting the green coral. Note the variety of colors of green and blue-ish green...



Stepping back a little so that you can get the effect of the stitching, notice the ripples in the water and the different types of bumpy coral.



Turkey work was used to create this bunch, which looks as if it's swaying in the water. The shading on this is perfect!



Woven picots are featured here in the front of this shot, and on the right, you can see the single feather stitch.



Here, felt beads are used to make clumps of coral. The felt has been sliced open to reveal the colorful insides.



Bullion knots add dimension to this piece of appliquéd coral.



And absolutely my favorite part of the sampler - the rippled water, created by a combination of cast on stitch (the ripples in the water) and beading (the edge of the water). Beautiful effect!



And finally, the masterpiece!

Thank you so much, Nita, for sharing all these gorgeous pictures with us and telling us about the techniques you used! It's a stunning piece!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, June 26, 2009
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Nita's Aquatic Sampler is just about everything you would expect an aquatic sampler to be - and then some. A combination of applique and embroidery, this colorful banner is, to say the least, bedazzling! I have always been drawn to aquatic landscapes (I even went through a phase in my life - I think 11th grade? - when I thought I wanted to be a marine biologist!), and I love the vivid life of the coral reef. To see it come to life in stitching and embellishment is pretty exciting!

I'm going to let Nita tell the story behind this textile sampler. I've divided the project into two posts in order to include all the pictures...



I used this project to practice embroidery stitches I wanted to learn as well as other techniques, eg. trapunto, foiling with Misty Fuse and Bonash, Angelia fibers and applique.

I started with a scrap of a fabric panel from Michael Miller, called "Scuba Time" which had various fish fussy cut out of it. My Mom got this piece from a scrap bin somewhere. I also used a fat quarter of the water bubble material that I got from the Sarasota Quilt show and a little over a yard of a beautiful batik fabric for the back and for water stripes that I got from my favorite fabric store in my area, Fiberologie, in St. Petersburg, FL.



I cut the fabric panel and reattached to eliminate the big holes, I also used some fish and coral sections to applique on to panel.



I started by using "Designs for the Needle" 6 strand cotton floss and then bought some "DMC" 6 strand floss and perle cotton. I used a yellow eyelash fiber and a red fiber I picked up somewhere along the way.



I used felt beads that I bought at Fiberologie and cut some in half to show the beautiful colors inside at the suggestion of Karrie Klement, owner of Fiberologie.



I experimented with a number of stitches, a gazillion french knots on the coral, bullion knots, feather stitch (wasn't 3-D enough) then I played with cast on stitches, drizzle stitch, turkey work, woven picot.

I used your video library of stitches for at least the turkey work if not other stitches. I used the stitch dictionary at In a Minute Ago for the drizzle stitches and cast on. I know there are other on-line resources I used but can't remember which!



I used the Pat Trott book I show in the photo for woven picot, among others. I used a lot of books from the library including Reader's Digest "Very Easy Crazy Patch Work" and Reader's Digest "Complete Book of Embroidery" among many other that have since been returned.



As a beginner embroider I found the laminated pocket guide that I picked up at the Tampa Sewing and Quilt Expo invaluable when I am mobile with my embroidery.

I also took a class with Marlene Glickman, a very talented fiber artist and great teacher at Fiberologie, in which she taught a collage class using various fusing methods such as the Misty Fuse and Bonash with foil. It was by far the most interesting and fun class I have taken. (I also took her silk dye class the same day, great class also)

Aren't you dying to see the completed project?! Well - check back in tomorrow!

Thanks so much, Nita, for the gorgeous photos, the interesting write-up, and the refreshing splash of inspiration!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, June 25, 2009
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Mabel recently embroidered a beautiful quilt for her granddaughter. It's really a pretty piece of work, with each different heart embroidered in flowers and featuring a little inspirational word - like happiness, hope, friendship.

The "fancy" flowered hearts are embroidered on every other square on the front of the quilt, and in between each of those squares is a simpler square, with four hearts embroidered that meet in the middle of the square.



Mabel used one thread of DMC throughout, and stitched each heart differently.



I think the colors are really beautiful! I love the addition of that little word in each square - a perfect little touch for a little girl's blanket.



Every other square is embroidered with this motif of four hearts, meeting in the middle. The running stitch outline is perfect here - a nice, simple approach to contrast with the surrounding fancier squares.



This is the whole quilt - you can see the layout of the various embroidered squares.



The center square is the L-O-V-E in a Box embroidery pattern available here on Needle 'n Thread. Originally, Mabel worked the letters in running stitch, but she wasn't satisfied with the way they looked, so she laced a darker pink thread into the stitching. I like the somewhat "wavy" effect on the letters that this technique of lacing creates.



On the back of the quilt are embroidered certain inspirational verses. This one reads, "Dance like nobody's watching, Love like you've never been hurt, Sing like nobody's hearing, Live like it's heaven on earth." Mabel asked is I thought she should re-embroider those in darker thread. What do you all think? I tend to think that, if the thread color she has used corresponds well to the threads in the front of the quilt, to go ahead and leave the verses as they are. From up close, they can certainly be read, and that's what matters, anyway, because that's how her granddaughter will see it. But... what do you all think?



On the back of the quilt, what better signature than "Super Grandma"??



And, of course, there's the lucky recipient of this hand embroidered treasure, Sienna-Lee, who will be one in August and is reported to be a very fast crawler! She's cute as a button, that's for sure!

Mabel also mentioned that she has just started quilting, so this is a beginner project for her. The bumps on the quilt, she said, bear witness to this. I'm not a professional quilter, myself, but I have made quilts and went through a phase of reading a lot about quilting techniques. So, for all you quilters out there, here's my question: I'm wondering if, in the long-run, Mabel might be a bit happier with the finished product if she were to quilt the quilt a bit more with a neutral-colored (white) quilting thread, in order to help eliminate some of what she calls the "bumpy" spots. I foresee the filling shifting with use.... It would not take away from the embroidery at all, to quilt a little bit around the hearts, for example, or maybe just another quilted line half an inch in from the ribbons around each square? Even if she quilted, say, another small heart within the hearts, using white thread, that would help secure the batting and anchor everything in place.

I know that sounds like a lot more work to add to the project, but after all this gorgeous embroidery has been done on the quilt, I would hate to see it lump up after a bit of use!

Perhaps some other quilters out there might offer some advice on this point for Mabel?

The embroidery on this project is really gorgeous, and of course, the whole quilt is made with such obvious love! What a perfect gift for a gorgeous granddaughter, and I'm sure she will treasure it all her life (and hand it down to her own kids, hopefully!). Congratulations, Mabel!

Labels: needlework pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, June 22, 2009
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This ecclesiastical embroidery piece is an icon of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, from the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Lynn, who is an iconographer, has taken to embroidering icons lately, and this one is gorgeous!

You will probably be amazed to know that this is Lynn's first attempt with goldwork!



The Theotokos (Blessed Virgin) was embroidered separately, then appliquéd to the veleveteen background, onto which the text and flowers are directly stitched. The finished embroidery measures 12" x 21".



The figure is worked in silk shading techniques, following the traditional color schemes and definition found in icons. The cloth on which the figure rests is worked in Or Nué and the gold background is made up of couched double gold threads.



The halo or nimbus is also couched gold - very neatly and well done, I'd say! The head of the Virgin rests on a very life-like pillow. You can also see here the neat stitching in red, and a close-up of the white stripes on the background cloth.



In iconography, the art is more two-dimensional. Unlike the realistic shading found in later art (Medieval, Renaissance, and beyond), the Byzantine art and icons tend to look flatter. This was done on purpose, to concentrate the viewer's thoughts on what the art is expressing, rather than on the art itself. (This is also one of the reasons why most iconographers in early history were anonymous, and the same holds true for church art in the West, even into the medieval era just before the Renaissance.) I think this icon tradition is reflected really well here at the base of the gown. It's just realistic enough to give the impression the artist wants to give, but not overly detailed - perfect shading for an icon.



Here are the hands, folded in repose. I wanted actually to draw your attention to the very fine gold line around the red robe. A nice touch!



Lilies are a symbol of the Virgin. These were stitched directly onto the velveteen background, along with the text:



Isn't this piece beautifully done? I think it's absolutely gorgeous. And to think that it is a "first attempt" at goldwork is astounding!

Thanks, Lynn, for sending the photo! Congratulations on a beautiful piece of art!

Labels: ecclesiastical embroidery, goldwork, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery, silk

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, June 05, 2009
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This last February, I posted an embroidery pattern for Love, in a Box. I LOVE it when readers send photos of embroidery they've done with my patterns, and it just so happens that Janice worked Love, in a Box, and sent me photos. I thought I'd share those with you!

The pattern for this embroidery project is made up of letters from the flowered monogram series here on Needle 'n Thread. Janice worked the design in blue, on white, then quilted around the outside of the design with a very nice feather design.



She backed the pillow with a pretty blue flowered fabric, to make a really gorgeous finished project!



When I developed the pattern, I had in mind an embroidered pillow, so I was really happy to see this finished project from such a talented stitcher! And hey, I really admire anyone who finishes a project, and finishes it so well! (I'm not the best finisher in the world!) Janice is also the stitcher of the "To Market" embroidered waffle weave towel I posted a little while ago!

Thanks so much, Janice, for sending along the pictures! It's always really encouraging to know that people do like and use the embroidery patterns posted here on Needle 'n Thread!

Labels: needlework pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, May 28, 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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Pam has done something I've always wanted to do, but never had the guts to. Using a design from Therese Dillmont's book, La Broderie Au Passé, she embroidered a piece of fabric to fit the seat of an antique chair, and the results are beautiful!

The embroidery for this chair seat is worked on cotton twill, using DMC threads. The design was a perfect fit for these chairs that belonged to her grandmother.



The colors chosen for the needlework are gorgeous - I agree with Pam that they compliment the wood of the chair really well.



Pam used a variety of stitches with two strands, and sometimes four strands, of DMC.



The majority of the filled areas are worked in satin stitch, though it looks like she also used some buttonhole-type filling or trellis stitch in parts.



Isn't the medallion a perfect fit? And far too pretty to sit on!

You can find this particular pattern in Therese Dillmont's book, La Broderie Au Passé, at Antique Pattern Library. The book comes in four parts, and this particular pattern is in Part 3, on page 4 of the PDF. (That link will take you straight to the PDF of Part 3). You can also see this particular pattern on the frame, in the first page of the introduction in Part 1 of Dillmont's book. (PDF link) Although the picture is in black and white, it's interesting because the pattern is being worked on a dark background. This is one of my favorite books at Antique Pattern Library - it has a really nice collection of designs for "flat" embroidery! The fourth PDF, by the way, is a scan of the German version of the book.

Thanks, Pam, for sending the photos, and congratulations on a beautiful job! Thanks as well for the inspiration.... maybe, maybe one of these days, I'll get up the guts to do a footstool or something! (But feet? On my embroidery? Hmm.....)

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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Anne G. sent along some photos of her latest piece, an embroidered icon. The the piece is small, it "packs a lot of punch." Though the piece has a somewhat modern flair to it, it reflects the icon tradition in religious art. I thought you would enjoy seeing it.

Anne embroidered the piece as a gift. The completed size is 4.5" x 5.25", so quite small, but the space is used really well.



The design is from a book called A Brush With God, and the original picture is called "Peter's Mother of God." The original is by Peter Pearson, who kindly gave Anne permission to use it. The representation is of "Our Lady of Tenderness."



The embroidery is worked entirely in flat silks, on silk upholstery fabric, mounted on high count muslin. The halo, or nimbus, is worked in pairs of #8 Japanese gold - it's really beautiful!



And this is the framed piece. I think the framing is ingenious - it really sets off the embroidered piece well.

Thanks so much for sending the photos, Anne! It's always a pleasure to see you're work!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery, silk

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, May 11, 2009
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Elissa sent along photos of her beautiful cutwork and needlelace pillowcases she's currently working on, so I thought I'd share them to you!

Elissa made the pillowcases herself, from an extra sheet from her bed set. The edge is stitched with a diamond quilting pattern that reflects the cutwork motif. The cases are made extra long, so that the edge of it can drape and show off the needlework.



The cutwork diamonds are taken from one of the Variety magazines that feature Italian cutwork. Elissa plans to work some surface embroidery around the cutwork diamonds.



She's adding a little scalloped trim worked by hand. This needle lace is really well done! The picots are made from bullions, and each scallop takes her about ten minutes to complete.

Gorgeous, isn't it? Doesn't it just make you want to make up a whole crisp set of gorgeous hand embroidered linens??!

Thanks, Elissa, for sending along the photos!! Beautiful work! Congratulations!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, April 16, 2009
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The purpose of today's article is both instructional and inspirational! I usually post reader's embroidery projects because I find them particularly interesting or inspirational, and I think it's nice to see what others out there are doing with their needles and thread. Here's a beautiful metal-thread embroidery project which features satin stitching...

Christiana embroidered this fleur-de-lis in satin stitch, using #1 silver Jap. The design she's using is from Tanja Berlin - one of the elements on her goldwork sampler. But Christi says she doesn't like filling with purl, so she wanted to try satin stitching instead, using the #1 silver Jap, which is a very fine metal thread.

She chose a blue silk ground, which sets off the silver beautifully.

In communicating over this project, we sent pictures back and forth and discussed the methods and so forth, and she took notes on what she was doing, which she subsequently scanned and sent along, too. So what I've done here is put together her project so that you can see how she did it, and maybe pick up some tips and tricks along the way.



Christi was working on her goldwork feather and the fleur-de-lis at the same time, so both projects were set up on a slate frame. Notice that the slate frame is dressed with linen, then the ground fabric (blue silk in this case) is basted onto the linen, so that she is working through both the linen and the silk. This is normal for most ecclesiastical work - and goldwork in general - that, behind the ground fabric, there is another layer of supporting fabric. Specifically, in ecclesiastical work, it is typical to set up a slate frame with a piece of linen, then mount the finer ground fabric on the linen. Often, when several small motifs are being worked, they'll be set up on one frame to save time and linen.



She used tissue paper to tansfer the design, tracing the design onto the tissue paper then using dark blue thread to stitch over the design to transfer the pattern. Using the dark blue (same color, more or less) as the ground fabric eliminates problems later, if the tacking threads can't all be removed. They aren't as noticeable!

For the top part of the fleur-de-lis, thin felt is used to pad the shapes. Christi stitched over the felt with a fine white thread to secure the felt to the fabric. This method of securing the felt differs from person to person and technique to technique. When I secure felt, I generally stitch very tiny stitches along the outside of the felt. This causes the felt to stand up a bit in the middle. Stitching over the felt as Christi has done helps minimize the height of the felt, which is what she wanted.

Instead of using felt on the arms of the fleur-de-lis, which are narrow and spindly, she discovered something: when removing the tissue paper from transferring the pattern, she noticed that the tacking threads held the tissue paper pretty firmly in place on the arms of the fleur-de-lis. She wanted the arms to be less padded than the top part of the design, and she thought that perhaps the tissue paper would serve to barely lift the thread off the fabric, to provide a white background behind the silver, and to give her a sharp edge for satin stitching. Maybe she didn't have to use felt on the arms after all, and this could save her a step!



And that's what she did - she left the tissue paper from the transfer on the pattern and stitched over it. She said it worked really well and it's a technique she'll use again. You can see in the photo above the tissue paper still attached to the fabric...



Here are the two arms and the base completed. Funny how the cameral makes the threads look more gold than silver... but really, it's silver!

Now, with the base of the design, Christi said she had some problems deciding how to stitch it, and here are her notes on the subject. You can click on them to see a larger version.



When satin stitching different shapes, it's important to take into consideration the length the stitches will cover in the longer parts of the shape. Stitches that are too long can loosen over time. Also, they don't always lie well. So this was good thinking, to split up the design!



You can see here the base of the design. I think it looks good, but I understand why it would have been better to split the design into three, instead of two, stitching areas.



Satin stitching around curves can be tricky, and one of the most common problems is keeping "perfect" stitch direction. Christi didn't like her shifting stitch direction in the areas marked, so she noted that for future improvement. Um.... well, the truth is, we always look at our own work more critically. I think this looks good.



After finishing the satin stitching, she outlined the main part of the design with silver pearl purl.



And here's the finished piece - really beautiful!

Thanks, Christi, for sending the pictures along and the explanation of work!

I hope you enjoyed seeing this project, and that you picked up some ideas from her experiences working it!

Feel free to ask any questions...

Labels: embroidery tips and tricks, goldwork, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery, silk

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, March 15, 2009
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Here's a bit of goldwork done by Christiana - a peacock feather... it's really beautiful and speaks for itself...

The project is a type of goldwork called Or Nue´ in which colored threads are used to couch gold passing thread to form a picture. The gold that isn't couched in color is couched with regular gold couching thread. Christi worked the design from a grid, rather than on a painted surface, using the lines of the gold to form the "grid" for the picture. I believe the original design was one by Michael Cook, who made it for weaving.



Here's the piece in progress. You can see the grid on the left. Working over the gold threads, the grid got a bit "squished" so that the feather ended up a bit shorter and wider - but it doesn't in any way diminish the beauty of the piece!



Here it is! Isn't it amazing? I think it's really beautiful! The "hairy" threads on the end still need to be plunged...



This is the design the threads made on the back of the fabric. Neat, eh?



Here you can see a distance shot of the feather, set up on a slate frame with another project (a fleur de lys worked in Japanese silver #1, on a blue background - more on it later!).

I really love this piece, and it, and Margaret's Or Nue´ flower, have done gone and inspired me! I set up an Or Nue´ project this weekend between bouts of company (it's the only embroidery-related thing I accomplished!) I'll chronicle my progress on it, and hopefully be able to share some tips and tricks as I go along. You can learn from my mistakes, for I'm sure to make some!!!!

Thanks, Christiana, for sending along the photos! Congratulations on finishing a really beautiful project!

Labels: goldwork, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, March 01, 2009
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Jayashree sent photos of a gorgeous project she has recently finished - a beautiful hand embroidered Indian sari, worked in vivid colors on a silk ground. I think you'll agree it's really gorgeous!

The embroidery technique used on Jayashree's sari is called Kasuthi. It's a technique that originated in the Hubli Dharwad region in North Karnataka around a thousand years ago, and is quite similar to blackwork.



The geometric designs embroidered on the dark silk in vivid colors are stunning! The sari is 5.5 meters long and 45 inches wide, with designs embroidered all over it. The entire sari, including the pallu (scarf portion) has 125 motifs worked over it!



You can see here the intricacy of the main motif, repeated above the striped area - imagine (I can't!) the time and diligence involved in adorning the magnificent piece of silk. I love the gold edges, too, which are just visible on the outside edges of the photo. The striped area is really stunning - a magnificent display of color!



Here, you can see closer up some of the individual motifs. The embroidery is worked without a hoop, over net, so that the individual fabric threads in the ground fabric are not counted.



A maximum of four colors are used in the embroidery, and only four stitches: double running stitch (also called Holbein stitch), cross stitch, diagonal stitch, and weaving stitch.

And, finally, most amazingly - the work is reversible, so that the image on the back is as clear as the image on the front.

Jayashree has put the instructions for working Kasuthi embroidery on the IndusLadies forum, if you would like to check them out. You must be registered to view the attachments.

Beautiful, isn't it? What a superb piece of clothing! Thanks, Jayashree, for sending along the pictures!

If you'd like to share your embroidery with Needle 'n Thread readers, please don't hesitate to contact me! It's always a pleasure to see what people all around the world are doing with their needle & thread!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery, regional embroidery techniques

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, February 19, 2009
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Here's another sample of a reader's ventures in hand embroidery. Margaret Cobleigh is a regular whiz when it comes to improving embroidery kits! And this one is really breathtaking....

Not long ago, I received an e-mail from a reader regarding working kits. She asked if she was allowed to change the stitches or the threads, if she wanted. At first, I assumed she might mean that she was using the kit for instruction in a group or guild project, so I suggested she contact the designer. But it turns out, she just wanted to know if it was right to make a change from what the designer or publisher intended. (She didn't like the threads or colors and she wanted to try some different stitches).

To all such questions, I send out a resounding YES!

If you're working a project from a design or kit that you purchased, and you're working the project for your own personal pleasure, it stands to reason that you can make adjustments that you will find pleasing. In fact, many of the embroidery kits found on the retail market are indeed sub-quality, in my experience. I'm not talking about kits by designers such of Tanja Berlin or Trish Burr, or even specialty kits found in local needlework shops. I'm talking about those "brand name" kits (Bucilla, Leisure Arts, etc.) that are widely found in hobby, craft, and sewing stores, and that often leave the stitcher feeling a bit stunted when it comes to creativity. Sometimes, too, such kits - especially put out by lesser-known companies - will offer threads that are not the best quality. I remember, for example, getting a crewel kit years ago that had "crewel wool" included in it. Now, Appleton crewel wool is fine. And it's not expensive. But the stuff in this particular kit was bound with a white band that read "wool" - nothing else - and the wool itself was over-fuzzy, and within few a few stitches began to fray apart. It was awful! Needless to say, I changed it!

Don't be stunted by the limited scope of a kit. If you see a kit you like and you want to try it, go for it! But if you find it isn't meeting your expectations - either in choice of color, materials, stitch suggestions, etc. - feel free to make some changes! In that way, you personalize your work, too.

Margaret made some vast changes on this particular tea cloth, which is a Fleur d'Lys kit from Anchor, titled "Spring." I have the same kit, but when I first got it, I had a really hard time getting into it, because I didn't like the color and stitch choices. Well, Margaret had the same difficulty, and she overcame it.

It's difficult to tell you the thought processes that go on when making changes in a piece of embroidery, so with this in particular, to show you the specific changes Margaret made, I'm sharing with you (with her permission) the PDF file that she sent me, taking me through all the changes she made (with photos!).

This is the finished cloth:



You can click on that to get a larger version. Compared to Margaret's finished piece, the original is flat and really boring! Margaret added real depth and life to the whole thing by changing the stitches, adding more stitches in some motifs, and by adding more shades of color. The whole piece has really come to life!

If you'd like to read about the changes that she made in working the kit and see some interesting before and after photos, here's the PDF:

Spring Tea Cloth - Fleur de Lis kit stitched by Margaret Cobleigh

Margaret mentions in her article another tea cloth from the same company - the Strawberry Tea Cloth. Do check out her photos of that piece, too - it's really pretty!

Thanks, Margaret, for sending along the information!

I hope everyone enjoys it, and I hope it gives you some creative motivation to make changes in your embroidery pieces if they aren't measuring up to your expectations!

Labels: embroidery design, embroidery tips and tricks, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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Today's particular topic tends to put me into the state of Embroidery Frenzy. I always feel as if I'm singing the same song to all of you dear, patient readers! "I want to do this! ... I'm going to start that soon .... I need to start this project, that project, do this, do that!!!! To much to do, not enough time!" I'm sure, to an extent, every fanatic needleworker is in the same boat. There are so many projects I want to do - so many little tips and techniques I'd like to show you - but, regretably, so little time.

Here's one technique that I'd really love to dabble and experiment with, and convince others to try their hands at. It's called Or Nué - it's a goldwork technique involving couching gold threads with colored threads to produce a painted-like picture with a gleaming gold foundation.

This particular example of embroidery over gold threads comes again from Margaret Cobleigh, who faithfully sends me pictures of her projects so that I can drool and grumble and glow green with envy! Truthfully and seriously, she's a great source of inspiration for me and has become a great correspondent on all things embroidery-related! And, on top of it, she generously provides me with pictures of her projects for Needle'nThread, so I can pass on some neat stuff to you!

Last year, Margaret participated in a workshop that had as one of its projects this little Or Nué flower. It's a small piece, only 1.5 inches square, but it took many hours of what I think was probably rather meticulous stitching to complete it.



This is the work in progress. You can click on that photo for a larger version, so you can see it a little better. The gold thread is the same size as Japanese gold #8, and for this project, she used imitation gold. The threads used are DMC stranded cotton which have been waxed. The gold thread is wound on a wooden spool (called a koma, used in Japanese embroidery), and all the threads you see are the different colors that are used to couch the gold. You have to have the threads all working in the project at the same time, so that you can switch from one color of couching thread to the other.

The technique works this way: on the ground fabric is painted the design to be embroidered. Over that, the gold is couched. In the places the gold does not pass over the design, it is couched with gold-colored couching thread. Wherever the gold passes over the design, it is couched with colored floss. When couching with the colored floss, care is taken to space the couching stitches in such a way that the gold is not completely covered, so that it does, here and there, shine through.

Shading can be achieved in Or Nué a couple ways: you can use darker and lighter shades of color to couch the gold, or you can also vary the distance between your couching stitches. In the latter technique, to achieve a darker shading of color, your couching stitches would be closer together (often touching and covering up the gold completely). As the design moves to a lighter shade, the couching stitches move farther apart, and the thread may even be changed to a lighter color.

In this design, the shading is achieved by the color of the floss. In its finished state (below), the colors are somewhat muted. I don't know for sure, as I haven't seen the piece in person, but I think that the muted colors can be attributed to a few things: the nature of the technique, with the spacing here and there between the stitches; the fact that, next to the gold, the thread is bound to look a little muted; and, finally, the waxing of the thread probably dulls it down a little bit, too.



I think this is a beautiful little project, and beautifully stitched!

I was trying to think of a way for beginners to try Or Nué without spending a lot on real gold threads, and without having to paint a canvas. The thought occurred to me that a small, simple flower printed on fabric (you can buy sheets of fabric that pass through a bubble jet printer) would suit for a foundation to try the technique on. Then, instead of real metal threads, you could invest in one of the less expensive metallic cords put out by companies like Kreinik, and use DMC for your colored couching threads. If you're eager to see how the technique works, this would be a relatively inexpensive and accessible way to try it out!

I couple tips to keep in mind, if you do decide to pursue a testing project: gold passing thread (which is what the gold is here) is normally couched in pairs. That's how Margaret did it here. I've seen Or Nué worked over one passing thread at a time, which would allow the stitcher to achieve meticulous detail. When couching the colored threads, often the build-up of thread between the gold causes the piece to bulge as it fills out. Some books recommend a hair of a space between the gold threads - not enough to show a lot of fabric or anything. But just enough to make the colored couching threads fit comfortably. Playing with the technique a bit will give the stitcher a sense of the right spacing between the gold to avoid bulging.

Finally, if you've been hanging around Needle'nThread a while, you probably recall that I've written about this whole subject before. I've got one article in particular on Or Nué with good links and resources in it, if you're interested in reading up any further on the subject.

Well, once again, I shall leave you as I moan the same old song....

All I need is Time. Doo da doo da doo. All I need is time, time. Time is all I need....

Or maybe it's that other song...

Oh give me time, lots of time, with my Ott light up above.
Please fence me in!
Let me spend every minute on the stitching that I love.
Please fence me in!
Let me be by myself in the evenings, please!
In linen, and gold and silk threads up to my knees!
Send me off forever so I can stitch at ease...
Please fence me in!

It's really amazing to me that I'm about to hit the "publish" button and make such an utter fool of myself......... Seriously, though. I suppose we do what we can, when we can. Thank goodness for weekends!

Have a Happy Friday! May you find plenty of time on the weekend to enjoy some stitching!

Labels: embroidery tips and tricks, goldwork, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, January 30, 2009
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You know I like goldwork and silk shading - they're possibly my favorite embroidery techniques - but ... wow... this piece makes everything I've done with goldwork look rather dull. It's like the sparkling city cousin that the country mouse can't hold a candle to! This bright splash of color and gold was an exercise in creative goldwork from a Royal School of Needlework course that Margaret took back in 2007.

The project is worked on a background of silk dupoini woven in purple and red. Predominantly, the purple shows up, but you can see the reddish highlights in the photo. It's a gorgeous fabric!



I think the whole piece is beautiful, but the part of the piece that intrigues me the most is the bold leaf on the lower left, which is made out of gold kid leather. Rather than try to explain it myself, here's Margaret's description of the technique:

What was interesting was that we had a basic outline for the leaf and a piece of leather that was larger than the outline (at least at the top). Starting at the bottom we tacked down the leather to hold it in place. Then at the top we manipulated the oversized piece to fit within the design lines. This let us create the veins. So, everyone's leaf was different, of course.

I love the leaf, with it's bulging gold veins - and my hat's off to anyone who would stitch it and not scream before it was over! Yeeeeesh. I don't particluarly like stitching kid leather, but I'd like it even less if I had to manipulate it and squeeze it into an area! I think it turned out so pretty, though, that it's sort of tempting to want to try something similar.

Here's the finished project, framed up:



Isn't it gorgeous?

Thanks, Margaret, for sending the photos! Margaret, by the way, is the one who designed the Golden Pomegranate project I stitched last fall.

When Margaret sent me these photos, I came to the realization of something that I find rather funny, and I'd love to hear what others have to say about the same subject! It went like this: Margaret sent me photos of her frame jobs on three gorgeous pieces of embroidery: the Golden Pomegranate (hers is matted in greens, with a gold frame), her goldwork rose, and this goldwork project featured here. When I saw the three framed, I thought, "WOW - wouldn't those make a gorgeous set to hang together on a wall??!" And that's when I realized something...

And this is what I realized: in my house, I have one tiny bird I embroidered that's framed and hung. Other than that, I don't have one finished thing that I've embroidered. Everything else I've done has been given away, or was made at the request of someone else.

Ok, wait - with the exception of my silly pillowcases and my goofy felt needlebook thingy. And, no, I don't use the pillow cases myself.

My question is this: do you retain your work, or give it away? Are you fortunate enough to have nice embroidered things around your house? I just realized how nice that would be.

But how does one remedy that? I can't exactly go snatching up the things I've given away. And I wouldn't, anyway. Deep down, I wouldn't want to. (Or wait - maybe deep down, I do want to....!)

I was thinking that a resolution of some sort could help solve this: each year, I could make at least one nice project for the house. It doesn't have to be a big project or a major deal - just one nice something to be finished and framed.

Well, now that I'm thinking along those lines, I suddenly want to make another pomegranate or grab a silk shading project and ditch the whitework sampler!

Yeah. Thanks a lot, Margaret! ;-)

Labels: finish work, goldwork, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, January 25, 2009
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Have you ever looked at a piece of needlework in stunned silence, turned it around in your hands, looked closer, turned it over, touched it, studied it, then looked up and said to anyone willing to listen - "Oh gosh. You're just not going to believe this thing!" And then shown it off, to find that your reaction isn't an isolated one?

Well, that's exactly how things went when I opened this amazing embroidered sampler sent as a Christmas gift from a friend. You might be tempted, at first glance, to say "Oh, it's another sampler," but I think once you see it in context, you can't help but say, "WOW...!"

So here it is, for your first delightful glance:



And here's the back of the sampler, which is neat and tidy:



Here's a side shot:



And, finally, here's the sampler in perspective, next to a postage stamp, a quarter, and an inch ruler:



That's right - this tiny little detailed sampler is 1 3/8" x 1 3/4" - not a whole lot bigger than a postage stamp!

Christiana embroiders miniature things. She uses kitchen towels (flour sack towels) for her ground fabric, stitching over one thread in the towel. The stitches are half cross stitches (or tent stitch), and I think she uses one strand of embroidery floss - but it's so incredibly tiny, that she might be using regular thread. She'll have to enlighten me on that!



Now can you understand my reaction? I was awe struck! I never considered doing miniature embroidery like this, but I can see how it would be perfect for a number of little applications - doll houses, for example, come to mind. But there are other uses, too: a little special pendant or to adorn the lid of a little tiny box... I haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet. I'd like to find the perfect small frame for it, so I can display it.

I willingly and profusely admit that I love this little sampler! It was such a surprise gift! It came in a great little package:



Along with the sampler were some other treats: a spool of Tire Silk, some Japanese snippers, and a nice little package of Glorianna threads and ribbons!

Thank you, Christiana, for the sweetest of little Christmas presents!

Labels: Christmas, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery, sampler

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, January 01, 2009
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Cissie has been putting embroidery stitches to good use by embellishing doll clothes for her granddaughter for Christmas. I love this little doll dress! From the dress pattern with the wide pleats, to the sweet, crisp fabric, to the little embroidered collar - it's a little girl's dream!

When I saw this dress that Cissie made for her granddaughter's doll, I couldn't help doing a wee bit of reminiscing. Two of my most memorable childhood Christmasses include dolls with handmade accessories.

In my family, we had seven girls. That's shocking to most people today, I know! But it was great! (And, uh, still is, you guys. Really. Honestly!) The four oldest were the "Those Four Big Guys," divided from the three youngest ("Us Three Little Guys") by a break of a few years in Motherly Production. Us Three Little Guys often got variations on the same theme for Christmas. One year, my mom made the three of us Holly Hobby dolls, replete with wardrobe and accessories. Oh, those Holly Hobby bonnets! And braided hair! They were great!

The second doll-memorable Christmas had to have followed shortly thereafter, or we would have been out of the Doll Appreciation Years. And perhaps the oldest of Us Three Little Guys didn't actually get a the same doll that year! Poooooor Sarah! Because that was the best Doll-bearing Christmas ever! Madame Alexander baby dolls - you know, the kind with the heavy bodies and the eyes that closed when you put them to bed! And if you tilted them stomach-side down, they cried! Mom (and an older sister) made at least two of Us Little Guys a whole set of bedtime accessories - mattress, eyelet-lined blankets, pillows - all neatly fitted into a wide slatted, handled basket. They were the Best Dolls Ever. I was eight years old at the time, I think. Do eight-year-olds receive dolls for Christmas anymore?! I loved my dolls to death!

I think Cissie's granddaughter is going to be equally enchanted with her doll's dress! Here it is:



I think (but I could be wrong!) that this is either Molly or Samantha, of the American Girl Doll line. My nieces have these dolls, and they love dressing them up! But I have yet to see as sweet a dress as this on their dolls!



The little collar is embellished with a red flower, dots, and leaves matching the dress, and then edged with Palestrina stitch, a perfect stitch for outlining a collar.

The doll is also receiving a new wool challis coat, which I'm sure will be precious. Lucky, lucky little four-year-old!

I wonder if people would notice if I ... you know.... took up playing with dolls again? Possibly, that's a bad idea. But making their clothes and embellishing them would be heaps of fun! Nice job, Cissie!

Thanks for sending along the picture and for drumming up good memories of ages past.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.....

Labels: Christmas, embroidered clothes, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, December 16, 2008
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I love satin stitch. I think it's one of the prettiest embroidery stitches. When done well, it reflects a simple elegance that just can't be surpassed on embroidered goods. I think there's a huge difference, too, between satin stitch worked by hand, and satin stitch worked on a machine. I've yet to see machine satin stitch that can quite compare to satin stitch worked by hand, when well done. Well, I just like satin stitch - what can I say?

Usually, though, when I see satin stitch, or when I work something in satin stitch, it's in combination with other stitches, and in small quantities of spaces. That's one of the reasons I am in absolute awe of Charlie's embroidery. To understand, you have to see the pictures - words aren't enough for this project!

A little background - Charlie sent the photos in response to my comments on the creative process that often involves picking things out, and how we learn from picking out as well as from putting in stitches, and from experimenting as we go.

Charlie got back into embroidering when she worked a quilt square for a commemorative quilt in honor of a good friend who died young. The quilt is for her friend's daughter, and each square incorporates a scrap of fabric from her friend's clothes. When she set out on this project - it's amazing in itself - she was using six strands of DMC all at once, not realizing that she could reduce the number of strands!! But it doesn't matter - the outcome is fantastic. Take a look at this quilt square!



Then Charlie set out on her Jacket Journey, working on a completely hand embroidered jacket covered in satin stitch. She's designing it as she goes. By the time Charlie launched into the jacket, she realized she could reduce the number of strands of floss, and is working the whole thing in 3 strands of DMC, in satin stitch.



This is the first photo of the jacket that she sent me. I couldn't believe it! It's fantastic... I wanted more photos!



So she sent me more, showing the front sides - how she began them in one pattern (in the picture above) and then changed her mind, picked that out, and ....



... restitched the side in a smaller, more random block pattern. I love the vibrant colors - especially the various blues.



She's started on the jacket back as well - here you see the beginnings, in the pinks, which are surrounded by little quilt-looking squares in various shades of browns.



Then she's worked this yellow and brown motif along the sides of the back. Still, she's unsure whether or not she likes it here... so it'll be interesting to see if she keeps it or tries something else!

Now I have a whole new respect for satin stitch! The fun thing about this project is that Charlie makes it look and sound so fun! I think she's enjoying the journey! She's done an amazing job, and I can't wait to see what new elements get added, what gets taken away, and where the whole project goes. And I REALLY can't wait to see it sewn up! It'll be incredible - and what fun to wear and show off!

Thanks, Charlie, for sending me the photos all the way from rural Ireland! Good luck on the project and keep going!!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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I think this is great - Pat embroidered a hat label for her "contraptioneer." The word cracks me up, but you'll see why it fits so well!

Here's the embroidered label applied to the hat! "Contraptioneer" is a long word to fit on the front of a hat, but I think she did a great job!



The title is super-duper appropriate, because Pat's contraptioneer really is just that. He made her a yarn winder:



... as well as other amazing things, like a loom with heddles made from flattened coat hangers, an apple peeler and corer, an electric spinner, and on and on.

Now, who wouldn't want a Contraptioneer like that around??!

Good work, Pat!!

Thanks for sending the photos, and I hope your Contraptioneer really enjoys the hat!

Labels: pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, November 08, 2008
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A couple weeks ago, Marika sent along photos of a beautiful and cleverly designed piece she embroidered for her brother and his new fiancee. Her combination of colored embroidery and whitework is really well done! I thought you might enjoy the photos...

The piece of embroidery is a set of monograms - two S's - for his brother and his fiancee, both of whose names begin with S. It seems that Marika's soon-to-be sister-in-law likes her whitework, while her brother likes her colored embroidery. So Marika cleverly combined the two color options in a double monogram set.



Using the monogram pattern for the letter S here on Needle 'n Thread, Marika designed the piece so that the two letters were joined by a central flower combining both whitework (on the petals) and color (the center). The whitework monogram is entwined with colored flowers and the colored monogram is entwined with whitework flowers. I don't think I would have ever thought of doing that - I think it's really cleverly done, especially considering it's an engagement gift.



She worked the monograms and flowers with a split stitch outline, then filled them with long straight stitches, over which she worked satin stitch, using one strand of DMC stranded cotton for the white, and the color is worked in Chameleon Threads space dyed Soie de Paris for the colored threads. (More on this thread later - I'm intrigued by it, as I hadn't heard of it before. Anyone? I wonder if it's available in the US...)



I really like the blue with the whitework flowers - I love the contrast! It reminds me of my grandmother's Wedgewood Jasperware. Notice as well that she embroidered the date of the engagement just below the S, a very nice personal touch.



But I think my favorite is the white S with the colored flowers. It looks light and colorful. I want to try this combination.

Congratulations on a job well done, Marika - I'm sure the happy couple will love the gift!

Thanks, Marika, for giving us a new take on combining different styles of embroidery! I think I may have to try this whitework / color combination on an oatmeal colored towel... I've added it to my ever growing list of things I want to do...

If you have a project you'd like to share with the rest of us, please drop me a line and I'll send along my e-mail address to you. It's always fun to see what the rest of the creative world is up to!

I hope you're all having a pleasant weekend. For me, I've got heaps of school work to do (for my real job, I'm a high school English teacher...), so I'll be busy with that most of the weekend. But I do plan to get in a wee bit of stitching on my Christmas ornament later tonight! Here's hoping!

Labels: monograms, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, November 01, 2008
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Anne sent along the following little masterpiece that she embroidered - it's an icon in a modern style, worked with Japanese techniques. Take a look...

The original picture that inspired Anne's embroidery is found in the John Paul II Center. The icon is a modern rendition of the Good Shepherd. The bold lines and bold colors are really enhanced by the techniques used in stitching. In fact, I can't imagine the picture painted. The embroidery just "fits" it, if you know what I mean.



Here, the piece is still mounted on the frame. The colors are so vibrant, aren't they? I love the red and the blue background.



Here, you can see the work a little closer. The two stitched elements that really grab me are the red robe (the honeycomb stitching in flat silk) and the wool on the lamb. Now, I would try to explain how the wool is done, but the truth is, although Anne described the process to me, I can't figure it out yet because I haven't had the opportunity to play with it. But I want to! I love that wool. While you're looking at it, check out the expression on the lamb - startled, to say the least. He's caught!



And here's the piece, in a very nice frame job.

The piece is certainly brilliantly stitched, isn't it? The stitching is so precise, the bold lines are so perfectly caught, and the colors are so vibrant - overall, a pleasing combination of technique and color.

Thank you so much, Anne, for sending along the photos!

If you have a project you want to show us, do feel free to contact me, and I'll send you my e-mail address so you can send pictures of your masterpiece along. Personally, I like seeing what others are doing out there in the needlework world, and it sure serves as inspiration for the rest of us!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery, silk

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, October 21, 2008
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I love seeing what readers are doing out there in the embroidery world. And it especially thrills me when they use a pattern or stitch suggestion from Needle 'n Thread, and send pictures! Here are some monogrammed towels from a reader - you'll recognize one of the monograms.

These little towels were hand embroidered by Queenie. The first set is from the flowered monogram I posted earlier this year.



This second set, though, is my favorite! I love the W - I think it's so pretty, and the stitching is so neat. And I love the little locked hearts with the Mr. and Mrs. on them! Very nice! Those would be a great set to give as a wedding present!



Queenie also sent this picture of another project:



Funny, eh?

Thanks heaps for sending the photos along, Queenie! It looks as if you're having fun with embroidery!

If you've made something recently that you'd like to share with readers, do send along a photo! Just drop me a line, and I'll send you my e-mail address. I'd love to see what you're up to with your needle 'n thread!

Labels: pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, October 15, 2008
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If you're like me, when you look at a piece of thread painting (also called needle painting, long and short stitch shading, etc.) that's really well done, you can find yourself lost in the details, color contrasts, individual stitch placement, and all the elements that work together to make the piece a work of art. Thread painting, when done by a true artist, is a source of delight and awe for me. This is certainly the case with this very special gift I received in the mail this week.

Much to my delight and suprise, a package arrived for me halfway through the week. Can you imagine how excited I was to see an envelope arriving from Trish Burr in South Africa? She sent me one of her own works of art!

I want to show it to you up close.



This is the piece. You can be that I'm going to frame it and hang it in a prominent place of honor!

What particularly amazes me about the finished piece is how the contrasting colors work together to make the whole piece come alive. The colors in the piece, on each element - whether flower petal, leaf, or bud - are really amazing.



The flower moves from a bright white on the tips to a deep purple in the center, but that depth of color is achieved not just with the plum colors. Looking closely, you can see browns interspersed that give shadow and dimension to the petals.



If you look in the lower right corner of the above photo, you can see the brownish greys in there, shadowing the petal above.



In the leaves, you can see the same - the turnings on the leaf are made real by the masterstroke of the artist's 'brush' (a needle and thread, in this case), placing just the right color at just the right spot.



Look at the perfect stitch direction in every element!



Each row of stitches works perfectly into the next, blending the colors together.



All the details - the little white flower accents, the sprays of tiny leaves and bullion knots, the round buds - are fascinating.



These tiny buds have no less than four colors in that small space! The edge of the embroidery is smooth and slightly raised.



The white flowers with their little golden centers seem to pop up from the picture.



Step back and look at the whole piece - the artist's touch brings the embroidery to life!

Oh boy. I don't grow tired of looking at pieces like this, do you? I look in wonder, and then I remind myself that I have a heck of a lot to learn!

Thank you, Trish, for your gift! It's a treasure!

If you're interested in learning long and short stitch shading from a master, do check out Trish Burr's books on the topic. She has three of them: Long and Short Stitch: A Collection of Flowers; Redoute's Finest Flowers in Embroidery; and her latest, Crewel and Surface Embroidery: Inspirational Floral Designs (in which you will find the project for the piece I've shown you above).

Labels: needlepainting, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery, Trish Burr

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, October 04, 2008
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Jeannine sent along pictures of her third-ever embroidery projects... she sent these a while ago, so by now, she must be on her hundredth-ever projects!! (Maybe?) These are quilt blocks of the month, and I think they're pretty darned cute - not to mention really well done!

One reason I like these types of hand embroidery projects is because they are filled with a variety of stitches, and you have pretty much an unlimited choice of colors. I think these types of blocks are excellent for beginners, and are a great way to make something that can be treasured by family or friends for a long time to come.

Here are her blocks:



I love the seed stitching in the flowers, and the variety of leaves, don't you?



Again, the seed stitching is great for filling! I can't decide what I like best on this one - I think I like the sand!



It's easy to pick a favorite aspect of this block - I love the turkey's feathers!

Good job, Jeannine! These are great - what a lot of fun! And it's wonderful to be able to see what others are doing out there in the embroidery world... seeing other people's work is a great way to get inspired!

If you've been working on something lately and want to send along a progress report, I'd love to see your current project. Contact me, and I'll e-mail you back, so you can send an attachment!

I hope everyone's having a great week - I, personally, am work-swamped. But this, too, shall pass!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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Christiana sent me several pictures of some of her embroidery projects, so I thought I'd show them to you. I didn't know how to group them together, so I decided to stick with a somewhat "opposite" theme on this one. If you happen to like Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, you'll know why I was thinking in terms of opposites...

First of all, here's a pretty cool piece of Celtic knotwork that Christi stitched for her brother. He found the design somewhere and liked it, so she decided to convert it into an embroidered piece. He calls them "Saxon Dogs," and if you follow the intricate lines of the knotwork, you can finally arrive at the part that looks like a dog! Click on the image for a larger version, if you want to see it up close. It's worked in satin stitch and (I think?) stem stitch on muslin, with black DMC stranded cotton.



I love the knotwork - I think it looks great in black. I especially like the way the design flows so smoothly.

So that's the Saxon part of the post...

The "Norman" part of the post is a little fleur de lys that I think is really pretty:



I like the seed stitching for the shading, and I love the colors!

Christiana is in the process of repairing a piece of ecclesiastical needlework right now - the hood of a cope, worked in gold metal threads and silk. I think she was rather valiant to take the job on, and I hope she's surviving it!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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Here's a nice selection of free-style embroidery stitches, worked in individual heart motifs. Jeannine was practicing different stitches, so she decided to work some redwork hearts for a quilt, using a variety of stitches to try them out. Good idea - and the results are really nice!

If you've been hand embroidering for a long time, or even if you're just now getting into needlework as a "newbie," you've probably already discovered there are hundreds of embroidery stitches! In fact, this is one of the great things about surface embroidery - you can really work with a variety of stitches, and create a whole, almost limitless range of looks, just by altering your stitch choice. With all the stitches out there to try, I swear, embroidery is just one of those hobbies you could never get bored with!

Jeannine is relatively knew to embroidery - but I think she does a terrific job on her work, and I love the idea of these "sampler" hearts that employ a whole bunch of different stitches. It's a great idea to try out stitches, and using the squares for a quilt is a great way to make use of the sampler, without just stashing it away.

So, here they are - a whole series of sampler hearts:













Nice, aren't they?? I'm quite taken with that bunny in the last one! He's hilarious! I like the "primitive" look to the blocks. But most of all, I like the variety in the stitches!

Great job, Jeannine! It looks like you're having a BLAST with your needle 'n thread!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, August 03, 2008
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I'm glad to see that some readers are having fun embroidering some of the monograms from the alphabet I've been posting recently! Meeta sent photos of her recent hand embroidery project - a guest towel made from dark brown linen, with the "K" on it worked in white....

Meeta used a nice combination of embroidery stitches - seed stitch for the filling on the K, stem stitch around the outside, and the flowers are satin stitched.



I really like the effect of the embroidery in white on the darker fabric! I find it very striking!



I like it!!! Thanks for sending along the photos, Meeta! Congratulations on a job well done!

Labels: monograms, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery, whitework

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, July 06, 2008
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Another day for embroidered household goods - this one is a tea cloth, featuring strawberries. It reminds me of summer!

Margaret sent along the photos of this pretty little tea cloth made from a Fleur de Lis kit, featuring Anchor threads. The strawberries are just gorgeous!



Margaret shared the following information about the kit:

• Size: approximately 32" x 32"


• Brand: Anchor/Fleur de Lis (European) - I bought it from a UK site.


• Floss: Anchor (I really like Anchor floss)


• Availability: It's still out there


• Problems with the kit: not enough floss. I am a very thrifty stitcher so if I run out, then there wasn't enough thread in the kit. I expected to run out of yellow because I changed the kit, but I ran out of some of the reds and greens as well.

Here's a close up on the motif:



And here's a little more information from Margaret on stitching the piece:

Stitching: I stitched with two threads except for the bees which I did with single strands. If I remember correctly, I think the kit called for 3 strands. I followed the kit except that I changed the seeds on the strawberries. Where you see light yellow (as opposed to gold) the instructions said to use white. I thought the white was too stark.

One thing that was a challenge was the stitching direction on the three leaves in the middle. (They are satin stitched with a stem stitch edge, not buttonholed.) Normally, I would have followed the angles of the leaves with longer stitches. Since this was not going to be a framed piece I needed to keep my satin stitches shorter and sacrificed the direction. I couldn't have really long stitches on a tablecloth as they would be floppy.

I love the Fleur de Lis tea cloth kits - I've got one in progress as well, but haven't gotten back to it in ages. You can find them at various online shops in the UK, and you can view the range of Fleur de Lis kits on the Anchor / Coats website.

I found one source here in the US for the kits - Arts Crafts USA - but I've never ordered from them. It makes me a bit nervous that they list the Fleur de Lis kits as "stamped cross stitch," when they aren't cross stitch at all! But it may be worth trying them out, to avoid shipping costs and currency exchange rates from the UK! Incidentally, this Spring Flower kit is the one I have.

Well, Marlena's tablecloth I posted yesterday and Margaret's strawberry tea cloth have inspired me to dig out mine as well to see just where I left off on that!

Thanks, Margaret, for the photos and the information!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, June 01, 2008
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A few readers have recently sent me some photos of their own embroidery work, and coincidentally, they're all table linens of some sort! Hand embroidery has been used to embellish items for the home for ages, and I love to see that it's still done for that purpose. Marlena sent along photos of two table cloths she's done - one is complete and the other is in the works.

The first embroidered table cloth Marlena completed, she framed! Because she has little kids, she figured it was a good way to preserve it from paint and dirt.



I love the colorful ring of flowers, don't you? Daffodils have always been a favorite of mine!



Here's the piece framed up. I would have never thought of framing a tablecloth to preserve it - it's a good idea, since she still plans to use it in the future. In the meantime, she doesn't have to pack it away in a box and can still enjoy it.



Here's the second flowered tablecloth. I love the shades of blue! I meant to ask what type of floss she's using (sorry!) and how many strands, so Marlena, if you read this, do let us know!



Here's a close-up on the embroidered flower. Very nice!



And the work progressing in the hoop!

I was really happy to receive these! Thank you for sending the pictures, Marlena!

One of the reasons I find it delightful to see embroidered table linens right now is because I am STILL in the throes of preparing my summer classes. I hope to take a few days off work before they start, so that I can devote some concentrated effort to patterns and stitch directions. We'll be working on some household linens, too - the kiddos are doing kitchen towels at one point, and the adults have some monogrammed guest towels on their list.

The way things are turning out, I may end up with a theme of posts this week on embroidered household linens! Margaret sent along a tablecloth embroidered with strawberries, which I'll have up for you to admire, too.

Thank you again, Marlena! Congratulations on your very fine work!

Labels: Embroidery for the Home, needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, June 01, 2008
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Here's a real treat: a beautiful example of goldwork embroidery, highlighted by a shaded couching technique called Or Nué. Margaret C. sent along a photo of this recently finished project, along with some information about it (and permission to share it with readers!). I think you'll be impressed - it's a real work of art!

There's quite a variety of goldwork threads (real metal) used in the project: there's purl, pearl purl, gold passing, check purl, and rococco, as far as I can tell.



The petals of the flower are worked in Or Nué and surrounded by pearl purl. Or Nué is a couching technique, where colored thread is used to couch gold passing threads. To achieve a shaded look, the couching threads are placed close together, and when you want more gold to show through (and the area to be less shaded), the threads are spaced further apart. This is so nicely done! The base of the petals are shaded really well!



You can see here a beautiful example of s-ing. This is a technique accomplished with purl, which are stitched on in a manner similar to stem stitch. When stitching purl, you cut it to the size you want and then sew it on like you would a bead, except that the purl "bead" is maleable, so it bends and curves easily. It's a difficult technique, because purl tends to "crack" sometimes, leaving kinks in the gold. The s-ing here is so nice and even, and it looks terrific!

The shape of the leaves is accomplished with couched passing thread (a double row), and then the leaf is outlined in rococco, which is a kind of kinked and wavy passing thread.



At the base of the flower, you see a technique called "chipping" or "chipwork." That's what's filling the inside of the sepals, which are outlined with pearl purl. The chipwork here is done with check purl, which is made like regular purl, but faceted, so it glints and sparkles. The check purl is cut into small "beads" and sewn down randomly to fill the area.

You can also see, in the photo above, gold leather which is probably padded underneath then sewn down. Margaret said this was really difficult - and I can imagine she's got holes in her fingers from it!

You can also see the stem covered with purl - again, cut like long beads and sewn over the stem area, which is probably padded with a bundle of waxed yarn, couched onto the fabric. The purls are sewn over the waxed yarn at an angle. This is another tricky technique - if the purls are too short, they don't go flush down to the ground fabric; if they're too long, when you pull your thread through, they "crack."



And, finally, the masterpiece! Isn't it beautiful? I was so pleased that Margaret sent the photo along! The project is a testimony to perseverence and precision! Very, very nice!

Thanks, Margaret!

I'm always keen to see what everyone else is up to! If you want to send photos along, don't hesitate to contact me, and I'll e-mail you back. AOL users: My return e-mail always bounces back, so if you have an alternate e-mail address, please send it! Thanks!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, May 21, 2008
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When I mentioned using floche for embroidery several weeks ago, Margaret was very kind to send along a sample of a piece, part of which she worked with floche.

The floche really changes the look of the piece. I guess that's so when you're talking about any thread, really - the thread you choose to embroider with is going to have an effect on the outcome of the piece. The neat thing about floche, which is one strand of mercerized cotton, is that it's thicker than regular stranded cotton, and a little... oh... mmmm.... well, in a sense, it's "looser," which seems to make it softer, and it's smoother, which gives it a great sheen. Does that make sense? Some day I need to develop the correct vocabulary for these things, I guess! In short, it's nice stuff to work with!

Enough, enough. On to Margaret's piece. This is a kit - specifically, a Rowandean kit. The cat itself is stitched in floche. The rest is stranded cotton.

I've left the picture large, so you can click on the image below and get a much bigger version. That way, you can see the threads a bit closer.



This is the original kit photo:



I like Margaret's color scheme for her cat. She wanted to match the colors and style more to her own cat, so she adjusted it. The results are great!

The size of the actual piece is smaller than the large version of the photo: it's only about 4" x 2.75" - so really little! Nice, isn't it? And when you realize how small it is, it's even more amazing!

Thanks, Margaret, for sending the photo along!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, May 12, 2008
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I like redwork - I think its simplicity is charming: pretty, delicate (or rustic, depending on the look), and normally executed with simple stitches. And of course, its usually red! I love red. Jeannine's redwork square here is her first attempt (you'll find it hard to believe she's an beginner, which makes it that much more impressive!)

The embroidery pattern is from Needlecrafter, where you can find some nice vintage embroidery patterns, all cleaned up and ready to go. For the first time in ages, it looks like Needlecrafter is busy again! There have been new additions, and, although there are some broken links in the photos (and the pictures in the new gallery don't display yet?), I'm excited to see that there may be life on the site again! So check that resource out for online patterns!

But first, check out Jeannine's redwork square:



This is a closer-up on the top half of the design - the stitching is nice and delicate.



And here's the whole thing! I love the feet and slippers, and the pretty dress!

I think the stitching is really well done on this! It's nice and neat and tidy, and just the right delicacy for the design. Jeannine used DMC 814, which is a deep, rich red. I think it was a good color choice!

Congratulations on your first redwork, Jeannine, and thanks for sending the pictures along!

I've got a few other readers' projects coming up soon. If you have pictures to share of your recent projects, drop me an e-mail and I'll reply!

And in the meantime, I'm crunching an embroidery project this week - I started it Saturday afternoon, and it has to be finished this Saturday. I'll show you photos tomorrow!

Labels: beginner embroidery, embroidery resources, free embroidery patterns, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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Here's another photo of beautiful embroidery work from a reader... Thank you, Anne, for sending along this photo!

Anne has been working through the phases of Japanese Embroidery. These pansies are her Phase VII project, and now she's moving on to Phase VIII.

I think you'll agree with me that this is another stunning example of what's going on out there in the needlework world! The pansies are gorgeous, and the silk - wow, it shines!



It would be really, really hard to pick a favorite flower out of that bunch. I love the blue and white one!

Check out the edges on the flowers - although the photo isn't a close-up, you can see how perfectly smooth the edges are.

Nice job, Anne, and I'm so glad you sent the photo. Pansies are cheery flowers - perfect for this greyish day that needs a bit of sunshine!

I love seeing reader's work. It's great for inspiration, and it's also just plain nice to know that embroidery and the needle arts are still very much alive today. If you have a photo of your work, do send it along! Contact me to let me know if you have something you'd like to show the rest of us!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery, silk

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, March 29, 2008
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I love being able to share readers' needlework projects, and this one is really stunning. It's a piece of crewel work - embroidery done in wool, with a lot of shading and so forth - called "Enchanged April" and stitched by Margaret.

Margaret works with an embroidery group that focuses primarily on counted work, but she likes surface embroidery best. This particular piece was voted to represent her embroidery guild at the EGA national headquarters display this year. She was also asked to send a photo for possible inclusion in NeedleArts, the publication put out by the Embroiderers' Guild of America.



It's a lovely piece, with many hours of work put into it! Margaret said she got a little tired of working on it (it's quite large), which makes the finished piece even more impressive! To persevere to the finish line on a piece of embroidery when you're weary of it is reason enough for congratulations! But really - look at this close up! What a beautiful job!



The bird looks so wispy and white and stately, and the shading is incredible. I love it!

Thanks, Margaret, for sending it along! And really, you should feel pretty darned good about it! I hope to see it in an issue of NeedleArts this year!

I'm always happy to receive pictures of readers' embroidery. If you have a piece you'd like to share, do send it! Contact me, and I'll send you an address for sending along photos.

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, March 28, 2008
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WOW. If you have not checked out this website, it's a must, for a lot of reasons, but most especially for one of the most enchanting examples of an embroidered face that you may ever see!

Maria del Valle's websites focus on needlework and her other creative interests, which include drawing and painting. Her main site, AlarTTex, is in Spanish, but she runs a parallel site in English and French, AlarTTis, and she also has the option to translate on her main site.

Her embroidery and needlework are really inspirational - but what caught my eye, and has been floating around in my head ever since I saw it, is her Da Vinci angel, in blackwork.



It's not uncommon to see embroidered faces, but usually we see them worked in long and short stitch, split stitch, and so forth. But when you see one like this in shades of crimson, done in blackwork, with such detail, you can't help being mesmerized by it!

If you view the picture at AlarTTex, you can click on the image for a larger version. The eyes are amazing!

The angel is taken from DaVinci's painting, the Madonna of the Rocks.



The Madonna of the Rocks is a beautiful paiting! If you want to click the link to see it at ARC (Art Renewal Center), please be aware it's a large file and takes a while to load. I have never looked very closely at the angel, but Maria's needlework prompted me to do so. It is really a lovely face!

Visit Maria's websites to enjoy other beautiful works of art! She is amazingly talented, and I think you'll really enjoy your visit.

Labels: embroidery links, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, March 26, 2008
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Maria likes beads and sparkly stuff! And she sews well! Combining these two interests, she made a really nice A-line skirt which she embroidered and then embellished with sequins and beads. Read on to see the results - she did a really fantastic job, I think!

Bead embroidery, which often includes pailettes or sequins or spangles (I'm never absolutely sure what the difference is - they are all defined the same way in some sources and differently in others), is a great way to embellish anything, but when you embellish clothes with beads and so forth, you can really make a statement!

Maria put together a somewhat simple A-line skirt in what appears to be a kind of light wool, in a warm brown color. She picked out a motif that is somewhat paisley-ish, turned it into a repeat design, transferred it with dressmaker's carbon (I think that's what she said), and stitched on the shape in a lighter goldish-brown embroidery floss. Once the shape was embroidered on, it was a matter of embellishing the shape with sequins and bugle beads, then doing the finish work on the skirt!

So here's the skirt:



Nice, isn't it? She alternated between gold colored spangles and silver colored ones. These are the round, flat "sequins" - no bumps or ridges in them (spangles?). They look like the spangles I use for goldwork, only they aren't gold.



Here's a bit of a close-up on the repeat.



And here it is, even closer up, so you can see the difference in colors on the spangles and on the bugle beads.



And there's the corner flower.

Fun skirt!! I think she did a great job! It was time-consuming, but I think it was worth the effort, don't you??

Thanks, Maria!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, March 12, 2008
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After posting a bit ago about hand embroidery on paper - making embroidered greeting cards and so forth - my sister decided to try it out, too.

Using a free embroidery pattern from Stitching Cards, she improvised some tools: for the paper piercing mat, she used a mat she has for bobbin lace, and for the paper piercing tool, she used a crewel needle with the eye stuck in a cork. (Hey, it works!)

For embroidery thread, she used regular stranded cottons, and I like the way it looks!



I like the idea of making these bookmarks - I've been planning for my summer embroidery classes for kids, and I think I'll venture in this direction for one of the projects. Quick and satisfying (kids like that!).

If you wanted to fill up the whole bookmark, you could flip over the design and pierce the blue flower out again below the pink.

Speaking of bookmarks, Nordic Needle has recently introduced this year's Bookmark Challenge. Each year, together with other stitchery stores throughout the country, they encourage stitchers to stitch a bookmark (or two, or three...), coordinating the turn-in time for the challenge with Children's Book Week. The bookmarks are donated to local libraries as rewards to encourage children to read. As an incentive to participate in the Bookmark Challenge, Nordic Needle will draw from the participants' names, and the lucky winner will receive a $100 gift certificate to Nordic Needle.

If you're interested, take a look at the details of the Bookmark Challenge in their most recent newsletter.

Thanks for sending a picture of the bookmark, Susie!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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You may remember that a while back (November) I embroidered a set of pillowcases. Well, imitation being the best form of flattery (excuse the cliché!), I was really thrilled to see Meeta's completed pillowcases. She sent along pictures, and so I thought I'd share them.

Meeta's embroidered pillowcases look almost just like mine, with a couple exceptions: 1. She says there aren't as many faces; 2. Hers are worlds NEATER and more carefully stitched than mine are! They're so cleanly and crisply done. Mine are sloppy fuzzy messes in comparison! Meeta was smart - she used a hoop, and you can really tell the difference on the tension of the fabric. Also, she was obviously very careful about her thread length and avoided the fuzzy fraying that comes from over-use of the same thread. I, on the other hand, was rather lazy in that regard, and it does show in the work!! And her stitches are nice and precise!

Meeta also made her black pillow case herself. On the white one, she took apart the "cuff" at the edge and put an extra lining of white inside so that no background thread (which is predominantly black) shows through.

I think you'll agree she did a great job!

Here are the photos:



Both pillow cases...



Close-up on the white...



And the other half of the white...



And the left half of the black pillow case...



And the right half! Yep, the drooly guy is still my favorite!

Nice job, Meeta! I'm glad you had fun with it, and can't wait to see what you work up next!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, December 16, 2007
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Have you ever looked at an embroidery kit, and liked the idea of it, but didn't like the finished product shown on the front of the kit? Have you ever seen a kit and thought, "If I were going to embroidery something like that, I'd do it differently"? You aren't alone!

A reader recently sent me two photos of embroidery - one is a photo of the cover of a kit, and the other is a photo of her rendition of the embroidery after she completed the kit.

Gaze in wonder at the difference between these two photos:



This is the photo on the front of the kit. It's what the finished piece is supposed to look like, after you've worked the kit. It's "cute," but it's really blocky and paint-by-number looking. The overall idea of the kit is great, though - I like pansies, and I like embroidered flowers. An embroidered pansy kit would probably be something I'd consider purchasing. But the recommended outcome isn't exactly my style, so I would pass this up!



When Margaret stitched the kit, she put into practice her knowledge of shading techniques and improved the finished look 100-fold! If I saw a kit with this picture on the front of it, I'd be inclined to get it. The flower is simply more beautiful. It looks like a flower. She did such a pretty and perfect job!

So the moral of the story is, when you see a kit you "kind of" like, look beyond the recommended finished product! You're the one who is going to work it - who says you have to slavishly follow the absolute directions? If you think you can produce a better finished product, go for it! It will make what was a "mass-market" product more uniquely your own.

Speaking of kits, what do you think about them? Do you use kits? Do you prefer kits? Or do you avoid kits? Do you think using a kit indicates something about the embroiderer? Do you react differently towards a piece of needlework when you find out it was worked from a kit? I'd love to hear what readers think about embroidery kits - if you use them and why, if you don't and why not, and if you alter them, etc...

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, December 09, 2007
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Joyce sent along some photos of a gorgeous embroidered quilt she is working on for her granddaughter. In selecting patterns to embroider for the king-sized quilt, Joyce told me, "I picked out pictures I thought would be ok for her now as a little girl and would be ok for when she has grown up." This is a grand idea!

So far, Joyce has embroidered fourteen cream colored squares and sixteen colored squares. She sent along photos of a selection of the squares - it's obvious that she has put a lot of time, effort, and love into this work! So let's take a look at some of the squares so far:



Can you imagine the amount of time this iris took?! It's worked entirely in French knots! Amazing work!



I love these two dragonflies. It looks like the wings are worked in a metallic thread, and the bodies in two tones of floss. Nice!



The purple and yellow pansies look like they were worked in either buttonhole stitch, or satin stitch outlined by another stitch. Whatever the case, they are really pretty!



Another French knot grouping - these, I think, are lilacs. I like the combination of the different purples, the white, and the green.



I recognize this butterfly pattern! I used the same one on an embroidered baby girl's quilt that we raffled last spring! I thought it was a fun pattern to work, although we both interpreted the design differently.



The swan gliding under the willow is beautifully embroidered in all white - I am a huge fan of white work, and I think this works really well for this pattern! Pretty! It reminds me of a piano piece I had to learn when I was a kid. The words to the piece went something like: "Stately as princes the swans... something something... and glide under the willows. Are they enchanted men soon to be free again here, under the willows? Oh, how I'd like to be there when a fairy wand touches the leader and changes his looks. Will he be handsome and brave as the heros I find hidden in my storybooks?" (The "something something" is as close as I can get to the missing words!) Funny - I haven't thought of that in years. But that's just exactly the picture of it!



This is a super-nice whitework basket. The contrast between the flowers, the leaves, the bow and the basket is really nice!



Very pretty little wreath, dove, and heart!



These intertwining hearts and bullion roses are so pretty! Working them in white was a great idea, I think.



And finally, Joyce also sent a long a shot of the finishing fabric - the colors are her granddaughter's favorites. Purples and greens are a great combination!

Thanks, Joyce, for sending the photos along! Congratulations on your amazing work! Your granddaughter will have quite an heirloom! I hope we can see the finished product!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, November 24, 2007
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Jo of New Zealand sent a photo of one of her recent pieces, on which she embroidered the little fuschia design I posted a while back. Her crazy quilt fabric postcard is really nice!

You can find the fuschia design listed in my list of hand embroidery patterns, which I just updated last night, if you didn't catch it when I first posted it.

Here's Jo's piece:



The fuschia makes a great accent on the square! It's pretty, isn't it? And I love the seam treatments! I keep thinking that some day I'll do at least one nice crazy quilt square, just to try it - the attraction to me is the variety of stitches that can be used to embellish the piece.

Thanks, Jo!!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, November 15, 2007
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I'm always happy when I find out that people really do use the embroidery patterns and other resources on Needle 'N Thread! Actually, I find it really exciting! It makes the effort of keeping up the website worthwhile! One reader sent pictures, so I thought I'd share them...

Meeta used the sunflower cross pattern and the flower medallion pattern, and stitched up two really nice projects! She used a variety of stitches, especially in the second medallion, where you can see bullion stitch as the filler in the "buds" at the four points, vandyke stitch as the center flower petals, stem stitch, seed stitch, satin stitch, etc.!

They're both well done, and I like the use of color in them! So here they are for your enjoyment!



I love the use of seed stitch as filling in the outside leaves - it "frames" the design and finishes the edge.



The center flower is worked in long and short stitch, with a lattice work center. Although the photo is somewhat blurry, you can still get a good idea of the stitching.



And I like the interpretation of this pattern, too. The center, the filled areas, and the buds put the color and weight of the design in good places. I especially like the fact that she didn't fill the large leaves, as that would have been too heavy-looking!

Don't you think she did a great job??

Thanks, Meeta, for the photos and permission to publish them!

Labels: needlework pictures, pictures, readers embroidery

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, November 11, 2007
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