Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, November 06, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, November 03, 2009
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Here's a wee tidbit on the real metal thread called "flatworm" that's used in goldwork. This is going to make a Really Short Post, but I thought the information was interesting, nonetheless...

Flatworm is a real metal thread used for embroidery. It is also called "oval" thread, and is made just like smooth passing thread used in goldwork, but then it is rolled between two rollers to flatten it out.



This is what the wonderful, lustrous stuff looks like! Flatworm! Ahhhhh - a Bee-yoo-tee-ful goldwork thread! I've written about Flatworm before, and I still have a bit of an infatuation with it every time I see it. And yet, I have not done a lick of stitching with it. But it's pretty, isn't it? And it's got a great name!

While none of this information so far is too unique, this is the part I like:

Flatworm really does have a connection to its namesake, the Worm. It has been and is produced for the fly fishing industry. Fly fishing enthusiasts cut up the flatworm for making fishing lures, hoping to trick the little fishies (actually, they probably want to trick the Big fishies) into thinking that the somewhat twisted, flat broad reflective metal thread is a worm.

I never quite felt as akin to fish as I did when I learned this bit of information. In fact, I have never felt akin to fish at all.

But now, I admit that I can relate. If I were a fish, I'd go for a flatworm lure. Wouldn't you?

Info from a goldwork threads manufacturer who contacted me to explain! Thank ye kindly!

Labels: goldwork, supplies, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, August 28, 2009
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In case you're looking for some needlework resources or inspiration, I thought I'd compile a list of a few places I've come across over the last few weeks, coupled with some needlework news, specials, and resources...

First, some needlework shop news:


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



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



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



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

Now, onto some Fun Stops online....



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



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

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

Labels: embroidery resources, historical needlework, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, August 09, 2009
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If you like to use iron-on transfers for your hand embroidery projects, you might be interested a really nice line of transfers produced by Mani di Fata of Italy, and available through Lacis. I purchased a couple different types of iron-on sets, including regular surface embroidery designs and cutwork designs. Here's the set for surface embroidery...

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, July 13, 2009
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Located in Berkeley, California, Lacis (pronounced "Lah-cease") is, like I said yesterday, a weirdly wonderful needlework (and more) shop. It's somewhat difficult to explain this place. I would have liked to have spent much more time there, but alas, by the time we stopped, we were behind schedule already. I ended up missing some of the "definites" that I wanted to see (and buy!), and I took lousy photos in general. 3,000 miles or so later, I'm kicking myself for that!

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



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



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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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



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



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



The seagulls are huge and humorous.



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



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



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

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

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



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



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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

My overall impressions of the place:

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

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

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

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

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

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



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



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



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

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

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

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, July 07, 2009
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Lately, I've gotten quite a few e-mails asking questions about coton a broder, so I figured I'd address them all in one post, and hopefully those who e-mailed and asked are regular readers and will find the answer here! (Two e-mails bounced back and wouldn't deliver!) So... here are some questions about this embroidery thread, and, to the best of my knowledge, the answers to those questions.

#1: Does coton a broder come in colors?

Yes, it does. Technically, though, I've only seen #25 coton a broder available in a very limited range of colors.

However, if it is #16 and listed as coton a broder, chances are, it is "floche" that you want, if you want it in a range of colors. Floche, by both DMC and Anchor, comes in a wide range of beautiful colors, and can be used for the same applications as coton a broder. The only real difference between the two types of thread is that the thread that DMC calls "coton a broder" here in America is a 4-ply softly twisted thread, while floche is a 5-ply softly twisted thread. But they are completely compatible, more or less the same thing, so if you're looking for a #16 in various colors, what you need to look for is floche rather than what we call "coton a broder," which is more of a whitework and cutwork thread.

This is floche:



#2: What's the difference between Danish Flower Thread and coton a broder?

In America, coton a broder is actually a mercerized thread, which means it has a sheen to it. Danish Flower Thread is non-mercerized, or matte, and has no sheen. However, it seems that, in other countries (South Africa, Australia, New Zealand), coton a broder is actually a matte thread, the term used interchangeably with flower thread. However (again!), in America, what we buy as flower thread is definitely more tightly twisted than coton a broder or floche. You can see the individual twists in flower thread more distinctly than you can in floche or coton a broder. Look:



The top thread is mercerized (it has a sheen) and has a looser twist. It is floche. The bottom thread is not mercerized (it is matte) and the twist is a little tighter. It is flower thread.

#3: Where can I find coton a broder, for cutwork or for colored embroidery?

If you're looking for cutwork thread, coton a broder in white, you can find various sizes available through Lacis. Look under "materials," then "Needlework, DMC, etc." in their online catalog. They have sizes 16, 20, 25, 30, and 40.

You can also find floche in colors on the same page of the Lacis online catalog. However, I like to order my floche from Hedgehog Handworks, where you can order it in large hanks or smaller skeins, and where you can also order Danish Flower Thread, if you're looking for matte thread.

If you're looking for Danish Flower Thread (matte coton a broder, more or less), you can order that through Hedgehog, on the same page as the link in the above paragraph, or you can order it from Nordic Needle. Right now, it looks as if they don't have many colors listed on their website, but I saw a whole rack of the entire range of flower thread, so I'm sure you can probably call them with the colors you want.

For further information on these threads - floche, coton a broder, and flower thread - check out these articles:

Comparison between floche and other common DMC threads

Comparison between floche and Danish Flower Thread

I hope this helps answer some questions about these threads. I'm sorry I couldn't get through to a couple of those who e-mailed with the questions, but since it's useful information for needleworkers in general, I thought it worth a little write-up!

Labels: danish flower thread, embroidery tips and tricks, floche, pictures, supplies, threads, whitework

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

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



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

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

Of course, it ended up being two hours.



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



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



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



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



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

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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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



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

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



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



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

But we'll save that for the next installment!

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

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

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

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



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



Kit contents:

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

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

Instruction booklet with design page.

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



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



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

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

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

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

Labels: embroidery resources, goldwork, pictures, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, June 27, 2009
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, June 02, 2009
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Last Friday, as usual, the postman dropped off the mail while I was at work. One of those little "we'll re-deliver" cards was included in among the regular collection of Junkmail and Boring Stuff. The postman had written that the sender's name was "China." All day long, I thought about that.

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

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

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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy your Monday!

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

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, June 01, 2009
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I must reiterate everything I said the other day about the generosity of needleworkers! Yesterday, I was thrilled and speechless when I emptied my mailbox. There, inside, was a package all the way from Portugal, from Méri, of Agulhas da Méri fame. Inside the package - some gorgeous threads and a piece of Portuguese linen, woven at the textile mills of northern Portugal.

I just have to show you pictures of this thread and the fabric. Pictures won't do the linen justice, or the threads, for that matter.



First, the threads. There are two kinds of silk here - one is still on the market and available in Portugal.



It comes in very long skeins, and the thread is beautiful - it's a fine twisted silk, non-divisible. The sheen is hard to capture in a picture...



...but a close up serves to show the nice twist in the thread.

I can't wait to give these threads a try! I haven't seen anything like them here in the States. Buttonhole silk is usually a bit fatter and more tightly twisted. And stranded silk doesn't have this kind of sheen.



Now, these other threads have captivated me! This is a soft, thick, luxurious silk, no longer sold, and Méri estimates that these skeins are from the beginning of the 1900's, as they were passed down through family. They are typical of the embroidery from Castelo Branco in Portugal. They are unbelievable threads!



You can see that the thread has a very soft twist to it. Each strand is rather thick - I'd say at least as thick as a #3 pearl cotton, though not twisted tightly like pearl cotton.



To explain the sheen - and even to photograph it well (for me, anyway!) is almost impossible. How can I get across the idea of the sumptuous "fire" of these threads? They're incredible! I would imagine that they will make beautiful satin stitching, if worked in short lengths. I'm eager as well to try them with long and short stitch and with stem stitch.



And finally, the linen - a beautiful, durable, medium-weight linen with a nice hand, and a good, practically even weave. It looks like it will be a perfect linen for drawn thread work. I also think it would be perfect for crewel work or Jacobean embroidery in wools. It's really nice stuff! Méri said this linen is sold as what we call "seconds" - that is, not suitable for shops or exports, but still available at the source. She buys it by weight. I can't imagine that this is "second quality" linen. It's pretty nice!

Méri, how can I thank you for the wonderful package?! I'll try to do the supplies justice! Thank you so much for your generous gift!

Labels: linen, pictures, regional embroidery techniques, silk, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, May 22, 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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Since I started blogging here on Needle 'n Thread (almost three years ago!), I've come into contact with some great and generous online stitching friends! I'm pretty convinced that one of the special marks of the needleworker is generosity. From hundreds of needlework bloggers that generously share their tips online, to the needleworkers who swap magnificent hand-made treasures, to the needleworkers who share their interest by sending bits and pieces of stash hither and thither to friends - needleworkers tend to be generous.

This weekend, the Theory of Needleworker Generosity was once again made manifest in my life by a package I received in the post on Saturday.



You know what it's like to receive a delightful and unexpected package in the mail that contains Just the Stuff you like? Well, that was me on Saturday - and it was such fun to open this package! In addition to the above items were two other yellow and white tea towels that match the yellow waffle-weave towel on the left - but they're out in the studio awaiting ideas already!



There were three beautiful tea towels in sunny yellow and yellow and white, three very nice-sized pieces of linen, one of which is the dyed linen in the background of the photo above, and a good sized piece of Aida cloth... as well as coton a broder in size 20...



...a goodly selection of Kreinik's silk mori, which I have never actually stitched with, but which I've wanted to try...



... some Gentle Art embroidery cotton, along with Anchor and DMC rayon...



... and a length of pearl purl!

Now, is that not all the stuff that I just love? Have you ever seen a package that hit the nail on the head so well?

There are a couple reasons I'm sharing this with you in such a public way, by the way! No... I'm not hinting for everyone reading to send me stuff! No... I'm not bragging... "Na na na - look what I got!" ... First, to thank BJ for her kind package, and second, to tell you that one of the reasons she sent it was a kind of "pay it forward" notion, in relation to my stash give-aways. So... some of this will be coming to you, too! That way, we can all be recipients of BJ's generosity!

I have to admit, though.... heh heh. I've been wanting to try out some hand embroidery on waffle-weave towels, so I have a feeling the sunny yellow towel will probably stay with me, at least for a bit. Once I stitch on it, I'll pass it on as a gift. And the tiny yellow and white check towel is going to get used, too, I'm afraid - I'm going to test a drawn thread theory on it!

So keep your eyes out for upcoming stash give-aways that will feature some of the goodies from BJ!

I'm also going to add a couple fibers and a piece of linen to the May give-away, which I posted this past Saturday. If you haven't signed up for it yet, please do by reading the original post and leaving a comment on the original post (answer the question posed in the give-away!).

A great big THANK YOU to BJ for the goodies and for the opportunity to pass them on to others!

Labels: pictures, stash contest, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, May 18, 2009
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I can't help it. I'm a thread junkie. And when there's a sale, it's Really Hard for me to resist - especially when it's gorgeous needlework fibers like those made by Gumnut Yarns, among other delicious little morsels....

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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: embroidery resources, supplies, threads

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

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



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



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



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

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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

Labels: embroidery resources, pictures, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, May 04, 2009
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Another goldwork thread I ordered recently that struck my fancy is "gimp." Yes, you're right! Like flatworm, it has a weird name!

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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, February 06, 2009
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Beats me how the weekend can possibly go by so fast! But I did manage some embroidery this weekend, and I learned a little bit in the process. So ... here goes....

Here's the extent of my hand embroidery endeavors this weekend. I know it's not that impressive! But still....



I managed the embroidered elements of two cards, plus the beginnings of a third, and I put in the rest of the berries and one pine cone on that blasted towel!

Cards first....



This card pattern comes from Erica Fortgens' book, Merry Christmas Embroidery on Paper - that's an Amazon link, if you want to read more about it. The design stitched up pretty quickly. In fact, it stitched up really quickly - the whole thing took less than an hour, including piercing the paper. I have some other ideas for this design. I think it would make a great snowflake, on blue, worked in white or pale silver, with tiny crystals attached. So I may try that later on. I'm going to cut this in a more interesting way, add a few little red crystals to it, put it on a printed background and affix it to a card, with a little ribbon at the top. Whatever... eventually, I'll show you what I mean!



This little heart-wreath-thingy took less than an hour as well, including piercing the paper. I used the wrong sized piercing tool for the thread. I should have used an extra-fine tip, but I used the medium one. Still, it'll pass muster, I suppose, once incorporated on a card with other distracting stuff attached! I'll add some little red crystals in the middle of the open red spaces.



This one's in progress. It's a wreath, so there'll be some greenery between the red balls. And of course, some little crystals in there, too. I like sparkly things on Christmas stuff! I can't help it!!! This card is a little more complicated. I estimate it'll take a little longer to stitch - so, all told, maybe an hour and a half.

Something I learned about embroidering on paper, or at least, about this type of embroidery on paper. It helps TREEEE MENDOUSLY to have the correct materials. All the Erica Fortgens books recommend Anchor Alpaca (edit: it's Anchor Alcazar - sorry!) for the most part, which is a machine embroidery thread. Since I didn't have any, in the past I've just used regular rayon embroidery floss. It works ok, in very short strands, and it gives a very pretty coverage. But it does get frustrating to work with! First of all, you have to work with short pieces; otherwise, the embroidery floss frays, and that's a pain in the neck. Another thing is the nature of rayon embroidery floss - it's cranky!

Well, finally I figured that it doesn't actually have to be Anchor machine embroidery thread! Machine embroidery thread in general works great on these paper projects because it is supple, it stands up to abuse, it's fine, and, depending on the type you get, it's very pretty and shiny stuff, perfect for Christmas cards. You can also get it in metallics, which are much easier to use on paper than regular metallic embroidery floss. MUCH EASIER. I couldn't believe the difference.

Anyway, I found I could stitch a lot faster with the right materials, once I took out a few spools of machine embroidery thread.

Sheeesh. I was a bit slow on that discovery, wasn't I??

I'll talk about the towel later - I'll show you that pine cone up close. I really don't want to talk about the towel right now. Aaargh!!

Finally, it's December, so I will have my monthly stash give-away coming up this week. It's a rather special give-away. Not quite the same type of loot as before, but ... loot, nonetheless! Some people will be excited about it, but I realize there will be some who say... "?!?" It won't interest every stitcher, I'm afraid.... !!! Yes, yes, enough enigmatic talk. Wait for it!

Hope your Monday is terrific!

Labels: Christmas, embroider on paper, hand embroidered cards, hand embroidery information, supplies, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, December 01, 2008
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A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I broke down and bought some needlework supplies for upcoming projects, and I showed you some of the silk buttonhole twist that I purchased. Well, here's some good news for you! There's a sale on...

Evening Star Designs is the place I recently purchased a heap o' stash stuff - some fabric packs, some fun threads to play with, some hand-dyed silk ribbon, the silk buttonhole twist I wanted to try out, some ribbon samples, some bead packs, and on and on and on...



Evening Star Designs is a great place to pick up sample packs of different things - from fancy fabrics perfect for crazy quilting and other applications (I'm using a few pieces from my new stash to back embroidered Christmas ornaments) to bead mixes to trims - as well serious quantities of supplies for special projects. For example, if you're making a Christmas dress for a little one and you want some nice lace, you might find that the selection of laces (which can be purchased by the yard) is just right for your project. You can also find some fabrics by the yard, as well as a good selection of embroidery threads and silk ribbon.



It's a great place to shop any day, BUT... for those of you reading this post today, Sunday, November 30th, if you're not on the mailing list for Evening Star Designs, you might not know about the sale going right now!



Until midnight tonight (Sunday, November 30th), you can get 25% off most everything in her shop (it doesn't include already discounted merchandise).

This is a pretty good deal! But if you want to take advantage of it, you have to do so before midnight, Sunday, November 30th.

I found it a good opportunity for trying out some other threads.



By the way, at Evening Star Designs, you'll find Needle Necessities threads (they've gone out of business, but she has a pretty good stock of them still on hand) deeply discounted. The Needle Necessities overdyed cotton floss, for example, is only $1.67 / 20-yd skein. That's a great price, and there are still some beautiful colors left. (Note: Because it's already so deeply discounted, the Needle Necessities thread is not included in the 25% off sale.)



I hope you get a chance to check out the sale today at Evening Star Designs. Even if you miss it, though, you can still find some good deals on the website, and you will certainly enjoy browsing her stock of STUFF.

Enjoy!

Labels: crazy quilt, embroidery resources, fabric for embroidery, needlework websites, supplies, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, November 30, 2008
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, September 25, 2008
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I don't usually gush on about good days, bad days, and the like. Pretty much, I have relatively even days - but today was a banner day, for a number of reasons, and I'd like to tell you about one reason and show you the other!

First, the telling:

You know my embroidery stash contests and book give-aways? Well, I recently fell behind on mailing. So, if you are waiting for something in the mail from Needle 'n Thread, guess what? It's finally on its way! Our post office has strange hours. It is never open when I'm not at work. But today I was off early, so ... I finally made it! I was one of those last-ten-minutes-of-the-day customers with-lots-of-packages-to-mail, all of which had to be fit-into-the-right-sized-mailer and then addressed-at-the-counter, after which I had to fill out customs forms. Oh boy. I kind of felt bad. But if they would change their hours.....!!!!! However, in a spirit of great congeniality, I chatted with the lady behind the counter, and all got safely posted. I feel as if the burden of the world has been lifted from my shoulders (a slight exaggeration, but it is nice to have that off my mind!)

And the showing:

The day after I went thread shopping for the first time in eons, I placed an order for some threads, and today, they arrived! Now, you may be thinking that's a heck of a long time to await an order, but in all fairness, most of the order was made up of special orders. So once they were all in, Needle in a Haystack sent the order out in good time, and here is what will be my Last Purchase of Embroidery Goods for a Very Long Time.

And because of that, I shall revel and rejoice and enjoy my socks off with this shipment of goods. So let me show you what came today that has me all Giddy with Excitement.



This is the whole shipment. Ok, ok. So it doesn't look that thrilling. Well, let's look individually at the items, and see what they all mean.



This is a heap of white thread. Cordonnet and Cebelia in a vast variety of sizes, along with several sizes of coton a broder. For whitework? Well, some of it, yes. For needlelace? Well, yes, some of it. For filet lace? Oh, yes. That's the exciting part. I'm going to rope my dear mother into following through on her initial interest in "perhaps trying" filet guipure. And since I have the threads - and I have a goodly supply of netting of the knotted and unknotted variety - she will just have to succumb.

Needlework in the company of others is always fun, I think, don't you? So I'm looking forward to that. We'll probably argue quite a bit. I can't wait!!



Then there are these few new threads to try, which I will tell you more about later, after I try them. I don't want to horn-honk on any thread until I try it, but I sure do like the colors! Behind the thread, you see - yes - Q-snaps. I have succumbed to peer pressure here. Generally, I like wood. I know people out there may think that's really rather narrow-minded, but I like wood frames, wood hoops (the good ones), wood slate frames, wood stretcher bars, wood scroll frames... wood. Using plastic for tension does not tickle me. BUT - peer pressure won. So many people have recommended and raved over Q-snaps that I decided to give a set a try. I'll try them and let you know what I think of them. I don't want to offend anyone, but the truth is, if I don't like them... I'll probably say so! But that sounds so negative. As Alfred P. Doolittle would say, I'm willing to try them. I'm wanting to try them. I'm waiting to try them.



And then... aaaaaah.... see that pile of blue? That, my friends, is a pile of blue Impressions, for the background of the Pelican. I ordered larger hanks, all the same dye lot. And once my current goldwork project is finished, I launch into the Pelican for a good bit. Joey - if you're reading - no, I haven't tried them yet, but I will soon!



And finally, this is the Needle in a Haystack Stitching Has Its Rewards card. Oh, golly. How long have I been ordering from them, and I never knew about this? I finally started reading their newsletters and blog, and low and behold... I got a card. This means that I can build up rewards points that equal cash off my next order. Unfortunately, I won't be placing another order for a while. But hey. Some day I will. And gosh, I just feel really good about being an official card-carrying stitcher.

So that was my banner day.

It was un-banner day in the fact that I didn't get a post published this morning (sorry), and I didn't get the write-up finished about my concept of long-and-short stitch lessons, and I didn't get the face transferred. But I did dig out this:



It's my flesh tone package of Soie d'Alger. Did you know you can order a whole set of only-flesh-tones of Soie d'Alger? I've had these for two years. I'm finally going to use them!

Thank you all for your good advice on the face. I will take each bit of advice and try it out, and let you know what actually ended up working out best!

I hope your Monday was a banner day, too! See you tomorrow!

Labels: embroidery resources, needlework products, pictures, supplies, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, September 22, 2008
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Well, if you liked the first 8 colors of the Gilt Sylke Twist imported by Access Commodities, through the efforts of the folks at Plimoth Plantation, you're bound to be just as thrilled as I am about the new colors out!

I am so HAPPY to see the three new colors of GST that have been released and are now available to the public. The colors are Lincolne Green, Sable, and Black.



I love the bright green - and the sable is a deep dark brown, which looks lovely. Black, of course, is black - but with the gold!! Imagine how this could be incorporated into surface blackwork! Oh gosh. I am just in love with these threads, and these new colors are G-R-E-A-T. I think the two greens out so far will mix well together, too. Just think - leaves, stems... aaah. What bliss!

So - where can you get them? Well, Joady from Hedgehog Handworks e-mailed me earlier, to let me know they had them coming in. All three new colors are up on their website, but it looks like the sable is temporarily out of stock. Of all the online stores I've found so far carrying this thread, Hedgehog is the least expensive. They charge $19.80 / spool. You can find Gilt Sylke Twist online at other spots, though, too - like Needle in a Haystack, where it runs $22 / spool. It looks as if they don't have the new colors, though. Both stores provide excellent service and quick shipping.

I'm pretty excited to see the color options expanding on this gorgeous thread, and I hope to see the growth in selections continue!

Labels: Gilt Sylke Twist, goldwork, historical needlework, supplies, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, July 15, 2008
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, September 19, 2007
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Stash, glorious stash! If you dabble in needlework as a hobby or even as a "serious" pursuit, chances are, you've built a stash. That's a great part of the fun of needlework - setting in your supplies! It's also a part of the creative process - exploring new items, seeing how you can integrate them into your techniques, or just plain playing around with "stuff" because it looks fun! I love stash! But it has its downsides...

An obvious downside of stashing a lot of stuff is organization. Organization of supplies is a huge topic, and since most people have their own approach, it's kind of hard to go into it thoroughly. Suffice it to say, if you're going to invest in "stash," you should develop a system to keep it organized, so that you know what you have and can access it when you want it.

Another downside is that you can end up spending a lot of money, often unnecessarily, simply because something catches your eye. Oh golly. I've done that a lot. You can regulate this by setting up a "budget" for your hobbies. In your regular budget, make a little concession for your hobbies, and add to it a little at a time as you can. Then, when you have the opportunity for one of those "fun days out," when you go visit a favorite store (or even a website!), or you go explore a new store, you know how much you can spend and you are cautious about what you buy. Set your limits and don't go beyond them. Think of things you know you want or that you'll really use, and try not to get distracted by Peripheral Stuff. Avoid impulse buying, just for the sake of buying! You'll feel better later about your superior sense of self-control, and you'll avoid "buyer's remorse"!

All that having been said, I thought I'd share some photos of goods I added to my stash this past summer when I had the opportunity to visit a few needlework shops I had never been to. I'll also share with you a couple of observations and one big mistake!



Here's the general colorful pile. You can note the things in the pile that are typical of me, if you've read my website: silk floss (soie d'alger) in a couple colors I like and will use and some Caron Collections waterlilies (silk) and watercolors (cotton). There's also, in the far background, barely visible, some little white cotton lace trim, perfect for linens. Ribbons, ric-rac, and a big blob of Sari Silk yarn.... some of these were definitely impulse items, and one was just plain a big mistake!



The Sari Silk yarn was actually not a mistake - when I came across it at one shop, I was delighted, because I've wanted to play around with it for a while, but the one time I had tried to place an order for it, the place was out of it. So here it was in person, I could touch it, examine it up close, and consider seriously whether or not the $14.00 was worth it. I thought, in the long-run, it would be - if not for me, for one of my nieces who crochets or one who knits, or even for my mom. Is it suitable for embroidery? Well, I want to see how it couches, just out of curiosity. So I will do that someday!



These are Rajmahal Art Silks. I've never actually worked with this thread, but I've always wanted to. It's from Australia, in fact, and it isn't silk! When I came across it that fateful day, I was already familiar with what it is, and in fact, I had one skein on hand, and I figured this was a good opportunity to expand to a few, so that I could give them a good test.

This particular shop experience was one of "those" experiences. You can always tell what store clerks know or don't know about embroidery by certain things they say. In this particularly fine store, which focuses more on "unique" supplies, antique ribbons, and various antique needlework items - a beautiful and rather ritzy store - the clerk greeted us at the door with the "warm" enthusiasm of someone who would not mind taking the time showing us around, if she had to! She was dressed sleekly, in a skilled imitation of "haute couture" fashion. I was duly impressed and let her show me around, although I pretty much knew where my interests lay once I walked in. I asked if she were the owner - no, no. But she and the owner, she told me, are both artists - textile artists, actually. She pointed out several of the focal points of the shop, including antique buttons and beads, antique ribbons, "modern" ribbons, some fun trims, and whatnot. I wanted to take a closer look at the real antiques they had on display - a beautiful shawl all worked over in goldwork, and a fantastic Victorian crazy quilt behind glass, covered in gorgeous stitchery - and many other items of delectable interest! I asked if I could take pictures of the shop, and it was the first retail place where I'd ever been told "no." (Next time, I'll contact them in advance and speak to the owner instead of the clerk!)

Then, as she warmed up a bit and realized that I wasn't there to pilfer the shop or to ask "stupid questions," she asked me if I was a textile artist. Textile artist is a strange phrase - I wouldn't use it to describe me at all, because it's far to professional and polished, (especially when you're in a store like that!), and none of my degrees are in the study of textiles by a long stretch!
"No, I just dabble in embroidery," said I. "I'm particularly interested in goldwork."
"Oh," was her rather non-committal reply.
"That's why I wanted to take a photo of that shawl."
"What shawl?"
"The goldwork shawl?"
"I'm not exactly sure what you mean by goldwork."
So I explained. "I've never really heard of goldwork. I'm sure Gretchen has." (Apparently, the shop owner...)
Then I mentioned I like working with silk. "OOOHHH - we have some marvelous silk thread here." And she showed me .... the Rajmahal. "It's so nice. We use it for all our needlework. We love silk. And Gretchen swears by this brand because of the sheen." [I was chuckling internally by this time]... "Natural silk," she continued to explain, "has the highest sheen."
I was in awe of her knowledge. I showed my approval by selecting the three colors above, and by agreeing with her that the thread had an extraordinary sheen. Considering there were a few other folks in the shop, I didn't want to... you know, put her on the spot!

Then I went on to look at the various ribbons, and this is where I made My Big Mistake! And this is what I get for feeling so SMUG about the "natural" silk!



I explored the various typical but darling tiny ric-racs and trims, and bought a few of those, and I picked up a couple yards of the above trim, only because it was different and rather neat. I could see it used to trim out a little something at some point.

And then I saw this stuff:



Isn't it pretty? It really is pretty! I could see it trimming out a collar on a little girl's dress or blouse. And I fell in love with it. I'm not super "up" on ribbon, types of ribbon, and whatnot. I saw it, saw that it was beautiful, and wanted some. I glanced (key word - glanced) at the casing, on which I saw marked $1.10. I had just bought some $.80/yard ric-rac, some $1.00 / yard other stuff, and even, yes, some $2.50 / yard other stuff. So I saw that, and I thought, "Wow, it's so pretty - and so inexpensive!"



The whole ribbon is actually a composite of little ribbon pieces, put together very attractively so that they look like flowers and bows.



You can buy all the separate types of ribbon, actually, and make up your own composite ribbon, if you're game for it!

This specialty ribbon, I've since learned, is Mokuba ribbon. Mokuba is a company name synonymous with high quality trims in the fashion world. I might know my silk, but I don't know my ribbon!

I decided on a yard, of course - why not? And it also came in violet - so a yard of that, too. While the clerk cut the first yard (working behind the sign that clearly read, "All cuts final"), I continued to explore. She asked how much of the violet flowered trim I wanted. "Oh, a yard is fine." She hesitated. I wondered. She measured it out. And then she said (God bless her!) "Are you sure?" I suddenly figured it out. "How much is it?" I asked. "It's $1.10 an inch."

Oh well. I swallowed my pride. I declined the violet, but in all fairness, paid for the coral flowered trim, because, after all, all cuts were final. She was just doing her job - and she did save me from a SECOND $40 mistake. She explained that most "clients" didn't purchase even a yard at a time. Well, heck -- if you're not buying a yard of ribbon, what could you possibly be using it for??? I know, I know - little things.

As I checked out, trying not to visibly wince, I did manage to mention that Rajmahal is actually viscose - as it says on the tag - and not silk. But I did concede that it does indeed have an exceptional sheen!

Labels: miscellaneous embroidery musings, pictures, supplies, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, September 13, 2007
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, August 24, 2007
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One thing I noticed when I was perusing various embroidery shops on the East Coast was that the ones I visited carried the full range of Needlepoint, Inc. Silk. So here's a little word about this silk thread...

Needlepoint, Inc. is a reeled filament silk (as opposed to a spun silk), which means that the individual fibers that make up the threads are longer and stronger. The luster of a filament silk is also greater than that of a spun silk. The threads are 8-ply, meaning they can be divided into 8 individual threads, and they come in 5 meter skeins (or really large hanks of 45 meters, for those BIG projects!). The company produces its own Chinese silk for its threads; they claim that they therefore have better control over quality and over availability, which makes sense.

What I like about the Needlepoint, Inc. threads is that the shades are carefully graded, so that you can easily select from the color card or the rack a series of colors (say blues, for instance) that will blend into the next lighter or darker shade really nicely.

When comparing the Needlepoint, Inc. silks to Au Ver a Soie's Soie d'Alger, this is what I found:

1. Needlepoint, Inc., silk is slightly more expensive - averaging around $3.80 - $4.00 / 5 meter skein, whereas Soie d'Alger averages around $3.40 - $3.75.

2. Needlepoint, Inc., silk has one more ply per strand, which means you are getting a little more thread in 5 meters.

3. Needlepoint, Inc., comes in 476 colors, whereas Soie d'Alger comes in over 600 colors.

4. Needlepoint, Inc., is "softer" thread - it does not have the same body as Soie d'Alger, and the twist seems somewhat looser

5. In my opinion, Soie d'Alger has a "richer" sheen to it.

For stitchability, Soie d'Alger always wins out with me. It may be because I'm used to it. I do use a variety of threads, though - and I do like stitching with the Needlepoint, Inc., silks. Still, I seem to get better results, and a smoother stitching experience, with the Soie d'Alger.

If you're looking for a pretty good silk, I don't think you can go wrong with the Needlepoint, Inc. silks. Try not to be bothered by their label - it's bright yellow and can really be a turn-off at first glance (like a whole rack of defective clearance items - not that I have anything against clearance items, but that much yellow on a display of colors is a bit annoying!)



If you want to see what colors they have available, check out the Needlepoint, Inc. color card. You can also browse the Needlepoint, Inc. website for needlework items, primarily (as the name implies) needlepoint. The most intriguing part of the website, in my opinion, is the furniture section - some really ambitious and beautiful stuff in there!



If you want to find out if there's a store near you that carries Needlepoint, Inc. silk, they have a convenient store locator online as well.

As soon as my camera's back, I'll post some photo comparisons!

Labels: embroidery resources, silk, supplies, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, June 19, 2007
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When I stop in at a needlework shop, the most difficult thing to do is to leave without buying anything! While on vacation this summer, I visited a few shops and added to my embroidery stash. When I buy new threads, fabrics, kits, or patterns - anything, actually - I try to make certain I'm buying stuff I actually WILL use. So I'd like to share a few finds with you. Perhaps they aren't too extraordinary, but they're beautiful threads!

Since the shops I visited in the Southeast focused mainly on needlepoint or counted thread techniques, the threads I picked up are highly suited to those techniques. For the first time, I got to feeeeel some threads that I've read about but have never come across in shops.



Here's a rather disorganized pile of all the embroidery goods I bought: Silk 'n Ivory, Vineyard Silk, Soie d'Alger, good ole cotton perle, ribbon floss, Rachelette by Caron, a couple little kits, and some stretcher bar, which aren't pictured!



Vineyard Silk is a Chinese silk that's produced in thicknesses suitable for needlepoint, but its use is not limited to needlepoint! It's an excellent, lustrous substitute for the traditional wools used in Jacobean or crewel embroidery, and would do well, I think, in any surface embroidery where you want a thicker thread. If you want to read about Vineyard Silk and see what's available in their line, check out the Vineyard Silk website. The classic colors are fantastic, and the subtle shades are perfect for long and short stitch flowers, etc.



Silk 'n Ivory is one of those threads I've longed to see up close and feel, but haven't had the opportunity to do so until now. Again, another thread good for needlepoint, but not limited to needlepoint. Silk 'n Ivory is a 50% wool, 50% silk thread, non-divisible and twisted. It has a nice sheen (not as much as the 100% silk threads, but very close), and it comes in a fantastic color range. It's distributed by a company called Brown Paper Packages, and is Swiss in origin. They also distribute the thread Trio, which is similar to Silk 'n Ivory, but it is divisible.



I probably don't need to explain Soie d'Alger by Au Ver a Soie, as I write about it quite often. But for those of you who are not familiar with this fine silk thread, it is French in origin, and possibly the best silk on the market. It comes in 5 meter skeins of 7-ply thread, one strand being about the same size as one strand of DMC stranded cotton. The difference between the silk and the cotton is the beautiful natural sheen of the silk, which will last for generations and generations. Soie d'Alger is a very strong silk; it doesn't fray easily and is great for any embroidery project. It's produced in well over 600 colors, so you can imagine the variety of color and the subtle shades you can achieve in your needlework with this thread! I just love the stuff.



Here's a jumbled little pile of DMC #5 perle cotton. I guess it's not something that you'd go "WOW" over, since it's pretty commonly available everywhere. But I liked these colors, and I use the #5 perle in my summer embroidery classes for kids, so... I bought a bunch of it in colors I knew they'd like. Their first project this summer is embroidery notebook covers worked on wool felt, so these threads will be great for that.



You may be wondering what ribbon floss is, and I will tell you truthfully that I'm wondering the same thing. I gather it's a floss that looks like ribbon, or a ribbon that behaves like floss, or something along those lines! I've never used it before, and, as you can see, I haven't even unwrapped the packages yet, but it intrigues me, so I'll have fun trying it on something. It's rayon, which could be a big drawback, as rayon threads can be a pain to work with. But given the general width of the floss (or ribbon?), I don't think it will boing up the way other rayon does. It apparently is comparable to one full (6 strands) of DMC, size-wise, and it works like ribbon, with the flexibility of floss. We shall see! I imagine it makes a pretty good accent thread for any kind of project.



I thought the Rachelette by Caron looked like a cross between funky and gorgeous. It's a nylon thread, with an outer net-like thread over it, and it's got a metallic sparkle to it. Another item which will make neat accents in the right place on the right kind of piece.




And finally, I bought two little kits - The Sweetheart Tree makes some really pretty counted thread kits. They aren't all cross stitch; many incorporate specialty stitches as well. I had such plans for these little gems! I didn't take any needlework along with me, so I bought these at the beginning of my trip. The only thing the kits lack is scissors. So I bought a pair of those, too. Anyway, I left the kits behind me in Florida when I left, so as I was sitting on my balcony in Charleston, overlooking the water and enjoying the evening views, I couldn't do one stitch of anything! My sister kindly mailed them home to me. Ah well - that's life!

So those are some fun new supplies I've picked up. If anyone's used any of these threads, I'd love to hear whether or not you like them, how you use them, and if there's anything out there you prefer to them!

Labels: embroidery resources, pictures, supplies, threads

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, June 15, 2007
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The third needlework stop on our trip through the Southeast was at It's a Stitch, located on Maybank Highway on James Island, outside Charleston. The focus of this needlework shop is knitting and needlepoint.

Of the three needlework shops we visited, It's a Stitch had the most comprehensive selection of threads. Crammed into a space of some 400 or so square feet, the shop offers just about every kind of needlework fiber you could want. Right now, the shop is a bit on the crowded side, but they are moving their business a little way down the road soon, to occupy a space of over 1,000 square feet. This will be great!



The drive to this needlework shop from our hotel in Mt. Pleasant (on the other side of Charleston) was a pleasant one. The area is very typically "southern" looking and it's quite pretty! So the fact that the shop is located a distance outside the city is not at all a problem for those visiting the area. We continued our drive further down Maybank Highway after our stop and It's a Stitch, and visited the Charleston Tea Plantation - a convenient combination of sight-seeing and shopping.



Right now, you'll find It's a Stitch tucked into a little rural building that's home to a few other businesses as well. From the outside, it's inviting. There's a nice little chair on the front porch, and some baskets with daily specials.



Inside, you'll find three rooms. They are filled with fiber displays, while painted canvases line the walls and ceilings. This is the "main" room.



You'll find a whole wall of Silk 'n Ivory, Trio, and whatnot. You'll also find Needlenecessities, several different types of Au Ver a Soie, Trebizond, Gloriana, the whole range of Anchor, and on and on.



Each wall is filled with a display of fibers, the center of the room is occupied by racks of fibers - in short, if you're looking for threads, they're bound to have what you want!



Painted needlepoint canvases line the walls - and the ceiling! They have a great selection of colorful canvases. There was an absolutely gorgeous set for a child's upholstered chair. If I'd had the room.... and the budget....



They also had some great display items around the shop. This little knitted hat is precious! I had to buy the pattern! I also satisfied my thread craving by purchasing some Au Ver a Soie and a few other types of threads what will go into the general stash.

It's a Stitch is a neat little store - if you're in the area, you should swing by! Look for it further down Maybank Highway soon.

And that was our last needlework stop! I did manage to drive past the Embroidery Guild of America Headquarters in Louisville, KY, but it was too early in the morning to stop, and we couldn't wait around. Overall, it was a great trip!

Labels: needlework and travel, pictures, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, June 11, 2007
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A couple other needlework stops caught my attention while I was on vacation. After Florida, our next stop was Charleston, South Carolina, where I found a great needlework shop in the historic downtown area.

Cabbage Row Shoppe has been operating in Charleston on Broad Street since the early 1970's.



It's at a beautiful location on Broad Street and State, right near the Old Exchange. There are plenty of sights nearby - the street is perfect for strolling, shopping, and sightseeing.



As you walk down Broad Street near the intersection of State, you'll see a cabbage on the wall, indicating the location of Cabbage Row Shoppe:



In case you miss the cabbage, there's also an overhead sign to indicate that you've arrived:



As you can tell from the sign above the door, Cabbage Row Shoppe specializes in needlepoint. They have an incredible variety of the most beautiful hand-painted canvases I've ever seen.



You'll find canvases lining both walls and covering racks in the middle of the store. There is also a small selection of counted thread designs to choose from, but the focus of the shop is definitely needlepoint.



All the canvases are unique and really gorgeous. I had to resist the temptation to purchase a set of beautiful Fleur de Lys squares that I would have loved to have - the difficulties being that 1. Needlepoint is not really my "thing" (though I like it, and I like the looks of it - I just don't have the time to devote to it); 2. I was searching for fibers, not designs to stitch; and 3. I would have overstepped my embroidery budget big time. Hand-painted canvases are not inexpensive, I've found, but, after contemplating their nature, I think that they are a good value. First, you're getting something unique that is a work of art; second, once it's stitched, it becomes your work of art as well; third, you can do useful and beautiful things with such canvases - from typical decor (pillows, framed works for the walls), to furniture upholstery (footstools, chair backs), to housewares (the base of covered glass trays), the needlepointed canvas can be a really beautiful addition to the home and something that can last from one generation to the next.



I loved this little elephant fellow. It's both exotic and fun.



And this camel canvas caught my eye, too! But I wasn't looking for canvas, I was looking for threads! They have plenty.



You'll find a range of colors of Paternayan Persian Wool, which is a three-ply 100% wool yarn used for needlepoint, but which can also be used for other needlework, for tassle-making, etc.



You'll also find the range of Silk 'n Ivory, a 50% Merino wool / 50% silk blend yarn made in Switzerland. The color range for the Silk 'n Ivory is gorgeous - they have 186 colors available, and the shading is wonderfully subtle, perfect for modern Jacobean and crewel work. And they carry Trio as well, made by the same company. It's a three-ply, divisible yarn made of silk and wool and can be used for fine work.

Cabbage Row also carries a variety of specialty flosses, some silks (Caron Collection, for example), the whole range of DMC, and notions and accessories, including stretcher bar frames.

They have a website, but it is not frequently updated. However, you can contact them via the website and they will help you fulfill your needs if they can. The proprietress was certainly the model of southern hospitality and graciousness. It was a pleasure spending time at Cabbage Row!

Labels: needlework and travel, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, June 10, 2007
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I'm home from a long road trip through the Southeast, where I did manage to get in a few embroidery shops along the way. I thought I'd give you the lowdown on the ones I visited, in case you're ever in the area - or looking for them online.

My first embroidery stop was supposed to be at the Japanese Embroidery Center in Atlanta, Georgia. I knew it would be the highlight of my trip, and I couldn't wait to check it out and to SHOP there! Alas, it was not to be. I thought I was lost, since the directions took me to a beautiful residential area in Dunwoody, a suburb of Atlanta. I landed at the address that I had, but it looked to me like one of the fine residences. It was 10:00 a.m., and I didn't think ringing someone's doorbell quite the thing to do, so I chalked the experience up to bad directions, and went on with my journey. When I finally had the opportunity to call to let them know I wouldn't be there for a tour (you have to arrange one with them at least 48 hours in advance), I found out that I had indeed been in the right place! So if you're ever looking for the Japanese Embroidery Center in Atlanta, it is in a residential area. Don't be shy! Ring the doorbell.

While in Florida, I made it to a little needlework shop in Altamonte Springs, called Needle Orts.



The shop is conveniently located in Altamonte Springs, just a bit outside (north) of Orlando. If you're vacationing in Orlando and love threads especially, this is a great place to stop to take a look at what they have. I was there on a Saturday morning, when they have their local stitch get-together. It looked like heaps of fun, with small group of stitches around a table, with lunch and snacks set out for all.



The shop itself (like the other shops I went into in the Southeast) specializes in hand-painted canvases for needlepoint, but they also have a good array of fabrics for (counted) embroidery, many of which can certainly be used for surface embroidery.



Painted canvases line the walls, and thread racks fill the center of the shop. They carry the full range of Soie d'Alger by Au Ver a Soie, as well as the 100/3. They have Trebizond as well. They've also got the full range of Needle Necessities silk, as well as a large selection of wools and other combinations of fibers. Caron Collection threads, DMC, and too many others to count are in abundance.



They've got plenty of little kits, too, which are perfect for the traveller looking for something to do in leisure time. I purchased a couple pretty little counted thread kits to keep me occupied, as well as selecting a bunch of Soie d'Alger colors for an upcoming guild project.



Just like many places in Florida, the shop overlooks a pretty little lake. This is a big sell-point for me. Being from Kansas, we don't see abundant water throughout the year, so I like to see it everywhere I go!

The staff was friendly. My only complaint as a shopper would be that the shop is Very Crowded! However, I think that has to do with the Saturday gathering they were having. But hey - I'd rather have it crowded with stuff I'm looking for than roomy as anything, but with a lousy stock! So this wasn't really a negative point. They had a great selection of all kinds of stuff.

Needle Orts has a website, but it isn't fully functional for shopping, although it apparently will be soon. If you're looking for something in particular, you can find their contact information online and you can order over the phone.

My next needlework stop was in Charleston, South Carolina, where I found some real gems .... I'll fill you in on that next time!

Labels: needlework and travel, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, June 09, 2007
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If you like Aunt Martha or other iron-on transfers, whether today's styles or vintage, and you're looking for a source for iron-on embroidery transfer patterns, here's a good one!

Colonial Patterns is located in Kansas City, Missouri, practically smack-dab in the middle of the US, so your orders come pretty quickly. You'll find all the typical iron-on motifs, including a whole list of soon-to-be-retired patterns.



Colonial Patterns also carries items to embroider, such as flower sack dish towels, pillow cases, and aprons. You can also buy DMC floss and needles through the website. Essentially, they carry everything you need to work up Aunt Martha's patterns on a project.

The prices are reasonable, the selection is better than I've ever seen in any retail location, and the shipping costs and speed are reasonable as well. So, if you like iron-on patterns and want to work up some quick gifts, check out Colonial Patterns!

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

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, May 14, 2007
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Thread Express is an online embroidery supply depot where you'll find, among other things, heaps of embroidery threads.

The online embroidery shop apparently has a real-life counterpart by appointment only located in Maine. Thread Express online offers a good amount of embroidery supplies, but, as the name indicates, it's all about the thread.



What kind of threads will you find here? You've got cotton, linen, wool, blends, synthetics, silks... You'll find the full palette of Anchor stranded cotton available, at $0.59 / skein. You'll also find Anchor Pearl Cotton #5 in a few select colors. You'll find the Caron Collection threads - Wildflowers in the cottons, but all the other types as well (silks, blends, etc.)

For silks, you'll find predominantly Eterna Silk, but you'll also find Alyce Schroth silk embroidery floss, which is a two-strand, low-luster silk, along with some Au Ver a Soie, Caron Collection, Thread Gatherer (Silk'n colors), lots of Rainbow Gallery (which I hesitate to recommend - if you're looking for silk, this isn't such a great thread, and I'd avoid it!), YLI, Glissen Gloss Japanese Colorwash Silk, and J. L. Walsh Silk - and maybe even more...? The nice thing is, when you want to order more than one color of most threads, you can go to an order page and just check off the ones you want and hit the button once. You don't have to go back and forth between a shopping cart and an ordering page.

There's also a good amount of embroidery books available on the site. You'll find many of the A-Z books, as well as some specialty books in techniques like crazy quilting, etc.

You'll find patterns for redwork, punchneedle accessories and kits, and a bunch of beads and "small delights."

I'm not super-impressed with the accessories offered - I think you can find better items, less expensive, elsewhere - but I think the site is well-worth a look, especially if you like trying out different threads! Enjoy!

Labels: embroidery links, embroidery resources, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, March 15, 2007
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Stumpwork is a fascinating hand-embroidery technique, producing three-dimensional images out of embroidery stitches. If you've delved into stumpwork and liked it, or if you've heard of it but have no idea what it really is, you should check out the work of Jane Nicholas.

Jane Nicholas is an Australian embroiderer who has spent years researching stumpwork and developing gorgeous works of embroidered art, books, and kits. Her website alone attests to her appreciation of beauty and her artistic sense - it's a pleasure to look at! And you've just GOT to love the bugs!



While you're perusing Jane's site, check out her gallery! Her dragonfly specimen box is not to be missed, and her 17th century sampler is really unbelievable.

I like her stumpwork kits that correspond to the projects and designs in her books. I haven't personally worked any of her kits (I'd love to hear from someone who has!) but I think it's a neat idea to offer kits for the projects in her books. I've got hundreds of embroidery books with great ideas in them, but how convenient would it be to have all those ideas pre-packaged into kits?! While you may argue that it takes away the personal creative aspect, I think, for the learner, it's the way to go!

Jane Nicholas also offers an extensive list of supplies that can be ordered through her website. For those of us in the US, it might be a bit much to order these from Australia, but if you can't find them anywhere else, it might be worth it. From what I saw on the site, most basic supplies can be ordered here in the States.

The only thing that's missing that I'd like to see on a website like this would be a mini-tutorial or two - something that gives the reader (and beginners especially) a little taste of the technique. Just a little how-to project that one could print out and follow, that would produce maybe one simple flower or something. This would not only "sell" stumpwork, but it would probably sell people on her products, books, etc.

So if you want to take a delightful journey into the world of stumpwork, Jane Nicholas's Stumpwork Website might be just the right place to start. Enjoy the trip!

Labels: embroidery designers, embroidery resources, stumpwork, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, March 10, 2007
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Real color cards are the best way to find just the right threads for your embroidery project. By "real," I mean that the color cards are wound with swatches of the thread. This is the only way to know if you are ordering your embroidery thread accurately.

Think about it: when you view fabric online, do you really get an accurate sense of the color, feel, or weight of the fabric - unless you've used it before? Consider the variation in colors on monitors, of colors when printing, etc., and you can see why the thread you ordered that you thought was going to be just right, ended up a tad bit off.

Even printed color cards won't do. Light has an adverse affect on inks. This is why, when you want a color print job done, professional print shops will show you their color cards (which are generally kept in black cases) but will warn that the color might be slightly different in the final print job. This is also why professional printers have to replace their color cards frequently (and why a set of color cards for printing is so darned expensive!)

But back to embroidery - if you want to be accurate when you select threads, I suggest investing in palettes of color cards with actual thread samples on them.



Last summer, I bit the bullet and invested in the Au Ver a Soie (Soie d'Alger) Color Selection Guide. This guide arranges all the colors in the same manner that a painter would arrange a color palette. Rather than having the threads listed by number, they're arranged by color groups - cool and warm, hues, etc. I ordered my selection guide from Twining Thread, and along with it came a hefty amount of coupons for silk, which I immediately cashed in for Soie d'Alger.

Question: Was the purchase worth it? ABSOLUTELY! In the last year, I've used it innumerable times to confidently order the exact thread colors I wanted, saving me time and money on projects.

Today, I received my latest investment in a color palette - the Color Card from the Japanese Embroidery Center.



The card sports some 258 colors of flat silk offered by the JEC. Oh, how I wish I had it in hand a month ago! This flat silk is great to work with - I ordered several spools of it a few weeks ago to test it, and I'll do a photo comparison of it soon (like this comparison on other flat silks). If I had the time to start my sky over again, I'd switch threads! Live and learn!



I like the fact that the sleeve folds up nice and compact, and has a handy ring on the end of it. This makes it great for toting about when necessary.

If you can get your hands on the real thread sample palettes of your favorite embroidery flosses, you won't be sorry - it's a great way to ensure precision when ordering, and it will save you both time and money.

And I'm just weird enough over color selections that I like to sit and pour over the colors to no apparent end....! So they can be entertaining, too!

Labels: embroidery resources, pictures, silk, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, March 06, 2007
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Helen M. Stevens is currently one of the UK's foremost embroidery designers and educators. Her books are popular all over the world - I have four of them myself, and intend for my collection to keep growing.

Helen Stevens not only offers on-site, in-person embroidery classes, but she even offers on-line video classes through the Helen M. Stevens Website. Here, you can find an array of classes in her specialty, which is needlepainting.



Helen Stevens's online classes range from beginner to advanced, and feature needlepainting projects illustrating flowers and animals. They echo the quality projects found in her books, but I would imagine that the classes are even more effective than her books, since you can view video clips of every part of each project. If you think it's something you would like, try her free class. I like the video clips - they don't last too long, but they show the essentials.

Helen's work features Piper's silk, conveniently wound on tubes (this is a great sell-point to me when it comes to flat or softly-twisted silk). I've never tried Piper's and I'm not sure what it looks like close up. From the photos, it looks a lot like the silk from the Japanese Embroider Center, but I have no idea, as I haven't tried Piper's. Piper's Silk is located in the UK, and their website indicates that orders can take up to 21 days for shipping within the UK. I assume the wait must be longer for an order from the US! I have not found any specific purveyors in the US, although I am certain there must be, given the popularity of Helen Stevens's books. On Fritillary, the website which sells Helen Stevens "goods" (fabric, notecards, tools and accessories, threads, and fabrics), you can find True Embroideries Sleave Silk which looks like Piper's silk under a different name.



The Embroiderer's Year is one of the several books I have by Helen Stevens, and I like it very much! Although we're always advised to never judge a book by its cover, the cover is what sold me on this book, and I'm not sorry for it!

Going back to my previous blurb on kits and designers, I don't think you could go wrong withHelen Stevens's projects and designs for anyone wanting to learn and perfect the technique of needlepainting.

While you're checking out her site, be sure to check out Fritillary. There's some beautiful stuff on there! The silk cabinet and the Bobbin Joe (both found under furnishings) look like fantastic additions to any embroiderer's stock of accessories. They'd make perfect gifts. Too bad my family doesn't frequent my site - or I'd leave a really BIG hint!

Remember when ordering from the UK that there's a hefty difference between the British pound and the American dollar - and that you'll also be paying a pretty penny in shipping, with a longer wait than usual. The ideal would be to find a US distributor who sells Helen Stevens supplies and such. If anyone has any resources available, I'm all ears!

Thanks to Marilyn for suggesting the topic!

Labels: embroidery designers, embroidery resources, needlepainting, pictures, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, March 03, 2007
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Silk embroidery floss is perhaps one of the most pleasurable and beautiful threads to work with, and there are a variety available on the market. When I'm looking for "flat" silk, though, it isn't as easy to come by. Even the shops that carry, for example, Soie Ovale only carry select colors, and you have to wait for a special order if you want something out of the ordinary. I've compared two flat silks here, with photos, so that you can "see before you buy."

First of all, what is flat silk? Well, in my book it's untwisted silk embroidery threads or "amost-untwisted" (with a very subtle twist). Your standard stranded embroidery floss, if you look at it closely, has a twist to it that holds the even smaller strands together. This stuff comes in cotton, silk, rayon, linen.... etc. But the untwisted silk lies flat (more or less), and, as far as threads go, has the highest "natural" sheen, which will last for years and years and years and years. That's the nature of silk.

Compared to rayon floss (which is also shiny), the flat silk is somewhat easier to work with. The silk is also, in my opinion, "richer" - and the fact that it's a natural fiber is also a big sell point for me.

So, in searching for flat or nearly flat silk over the years, the only two "standard" brands I've ever found are the Au Ver a Soie (Soie Ovale) and the Eterna Stranded silk, which has very little twist to it. Apparently, Kreinik also, once upon a time, sold a flat silk called Soie Platte, which was also the former name of Soie Ovale by Au Ver a Soie. On some websites, I've seen Kreinik Soie Platte listed, but it's not on their official website. Now, I don't know - I think there must've been some kind of cufuffle about four or five years ago, because I recall Kreinik's label on the Soie d'Alger stuff in some shops back then. Perhaps it was a marketing glitch of some sort? Who knows!

So I've found only two readily available "flat" silks, and I thought I'd show you the difference between them with photos. Sometimes it's just nice to see what you're ordering....



First off, Soie Ovale is pretty much non-divisible, unless you want to go to a whole lot of careful trouble. The Eterna silk divides into 12 strands.



Up close, this is the end of the Soie Ovale.



And these are the ends on the Eterna. Notice there's barely a hint of a twist.



This is the "body" of the Soie Ovale. It's very smooth.



And this is the "body" of the Eterna. Note the twist - the strands twist together, but when they are separated, they are not individually as twisted.



Soie Ovale comes on a spool, with 15 meters per spool. There are 59 colors made, but I've only ever seen 54 available (some by special order) in American shops.



Eterna comes in a hank (not a pull skein - you have to take the sleeve off and snip off the knot and unwind the length you desire from the hank). There are 5 meters per hank, and it comes in 545 shades.

Basically, you get 3 times as much thread on the Au Ver a Soie spool, but I've found that 4 or 5 strands of Eterna, when worked with a laying tool, cover about the same space as one strand of Soie Ovale, so I think that the amount of coverage for the hank and the spool is pretty close to the same.

The price difference is kind of interesting: $2.50 - $3.35 for the Soie Ovale, depending on where you're ordering it, while the Eterna runs $0.95 per little hank.

Which thread do I like better? The Soie Ovale is lovely - it's so nice to work with and is such a rich, smooth silk. I like it best. BUT - for the price and for the color range, you can't really beat the Eterna. I'm not an expert in silk and its qualities as a fiber, so I don't know which one is "scientifically" better! If anyone knows, I'd love to hear about it.

You can find the best ready selection of Soie Ovale online at Needle in a Haystack, where it's $3.35 / spool. You can find the Eterna at Yodamo, Inc., where you will want to look under "stranded silk."

Hope that's helpful! I'd love to hear from others who have had experience with flat silks or who know of another brand available. I'm always game to try anything!

Labels: embroidery resources, pictures, silk, supplies

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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, February 11, 2007
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, February 05, 2007
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Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, June 16, 2006
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