When you have a hectic work week, how do you fit in your stitching? I often get questions like this one: "How can you work full time, make progress on your needlework projects, and still have time to blog every day? I don't even have time to get any stitching in!"

The truth is, I'm no genius when it comes to time management. I'm not nearly as organized as I'd like to be! But I do keep working on getting there! One thing that helps me make progress on anything - and especially on my needlework projects - is "chunking off" pieces of time. I mentioned before that needlework is my carrot; I use it as a kind of reward. I tell myself that, if I finish this chore or that project, I get 15 minutes (sometimes more!) with my needle and thread. I also make sure that, on most days, I do get at least 15 minutes to embroider. Of course, there are some days when this doesn't happen because life is too hectic! But on most days, if I plan right, I can get in at least 15 minutes of stitching or more, even if it's late at night.

Now, you may (and rightly) think that not a lot can be accomplished in 15 minutes. This is true! But 15 minutes here and 15 minutes there do eventually add up to real progress on a project.

To illustrate the point, here's a piece I worked on this week. It's the miniature embroidery that, early this week, I mentioned I wanted to start. I did start it, in a rather haphazard sort of way - I just plunged on in. (Plunging in has its disadvantages sometimes, but more on that later!)



With today's article in mind ("15 Minutes with Needle and Thread"), one morning before work, when I had everything ready for the day and still had 25 minutes before I had to leave for work, I set the timer for 15 minutes. Once the timer was set, I took out my embroidery basket. I got my camera and took the above photo of the piece. Then, I began stitching. When the timer went off, I stopped and took another photo.



Nope, I didn't get a LOT done, but I got something done. I finished the pink backstitching on the inside diamond and began the green, which I was pretty close to finishing.

Working under the 15-minute time constraint, I had to moderate myself in one regard: when working against the timer, I found I wanted to rush the stitching. But I controlled the urge, and stitched at a normal, comfortable pace, purposely ignoring the fact that the timer was running.

When the timer went off, I was sorely tempted to finish the last green edge on the diamond. Since I had to step out the door in ten minutes, though, to head for work, I put the work down. And this had a funny effect on me. I was super eager to get back to the piece - more eager and more enthusiastic about wanting to embroider than I usually am! This, in turn, had a positive effect throughout the day. I had something to look forward to that kept my interest vitalized in everything I was doing. It forced me to get things I needed to get done, done - and in an efficient way. No dawdling on the computer, no lingering over the mail wasting time at lunch, or anything like that. I wanted to get to my next 15 minutes, so I could finish that green line!

I often hear from other stitchers who say that needlework is a kind of "therapy" for them. I agree that needlework is indeed a balm for troubled spirits in this hectic world. I think that taking 15 minutes a day (or more, if you're blessed to have more time for it!) to climb out of ourselves and focus on being creative is a good practice. No, you won't start and finish a project in 15 minutes, but you will make progress towards the finish, and at the same time, you may find you've landed 15 minutes of relative peace and happiness!

So if you're frustrated by never having time to stitch, try to establish at least a 15-minute rule. Plan ahead and block out 15 minutes to stitch - whether it's in the morning before heading to work or in the evening before calling it a day. Maybe it's in the middle of the day on your lunch break at work, or right after you've put the kids down for a nap. Maybe it's while your dinner's in the oven. Just 15 minutes! I think you'll be surprised how much progress you can make on your stitching with just 15 minutes!

And now that I've been a good girl and written my blog post for the day, guess what? Right! I get 15 minutes with my needle 'n thread! Bye!

Labels: miniature embroidery, miscellaneous embroidery musings, needlework pictures, organization, pictures

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, February 28, 2009
PermaLink  |  7 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

Today, I'd like to show you how to make zig-zag bundles in your drawn thread work. It helps to understand basic hemstitch before moving on to zig-zags, so you might want to check out that tutorial if you're just getting started with drawn thread embroidery.

When you work zig-zags in drawn thread, you're hemstitching the top and bottom of a row of stitches that have had several horizontal (or vertical - depending on the direction you're stitching) removed.



In this little tutorial, I'm working around a box, so I've removed threads horizontally on the top and bottom rows that comprise the outside of the box (indicated by "A" in the photo above), and vertically on the sides of the box (indicated by "B" in the photo above).

I'm using satin stitch bars to secure the edges (see the arrow in the photo above). Note that they are secured around the corner, for both the vertical and horizontal removal of thread.

I'm working in groups of four threads. This technique requires an even amount of threads, so that the bundles can be divided correctly. So, if you're working with four threads, you want to count off a multiple of four for the width and height of your box.



When you work your initial hemstitching on the outside of the box edge, on the first group next to the satin stitch bars, you want to pick up only two vertical threads. Then, for the subsequent groupings, pick up four vertical threads....



... until you come to the end of the row, where you'll only have two threads leftover.



To begin the hemstitching around the inside of the box, use a waste knot to start your thread. Now, you'll be working in groups of four threads, hemstitching around the first bunch of two, and picking up two from the next bunch of four.



For the next bunch, pick up the two left in the bunch, plus the first two of the next bunch.



Work this way all the way to the corner - you can see the zig-zag pattern developing.



When you come to the corner, you'll work the wrapping stitch of the hemstitch around the last four threads (two from the bundle you're in, and the last two bundled threads). When you take your needle down after the wrap, you'll bring it up in the second bundle around the corner, so that you can now wrap the first four threads around the corner.



To complete this corner hemstitch, take your needle down into the corner to form the wrap and bring it up in the fabric to form the wrap and put your needle in position for the next hemstitch.

Work the next inside row over four threads, splitting the bundles as you did in the first row, and then proceed around the rest of the corners of the box in the same manner.



When you come to the end of your last inside row, to anchor the thread, slide it underneath the hemstitching on the inside row. Don't cross over to the outside of the box, or your thread will show behind the drawn thread areas.

And there you have zig-zags in drawn thread, around the outside of a box!

More Drawn Thread and Whitework Embroidery

Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Re-Weaving
Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Satin Stitch
Drawn Thread - Hemstitch Tutorial
Drawn Thread - Chain Loop Bunches
Sampler Update with Schwalm Embroidery
Online Book on Drawn Thread Techniques
Diamond Stitch in Drawn Thread Work
Coral Knot Bunches in Drawn Thread Embroidery

You can find more tips and tricks for hand embroidery - including all the above tutorials - indexed on my Tips and Tricks for Hand Embroidery page.

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, needlework pictures, needlework tutorials, pictures, sampler, Schwalm, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, February 27, 2009
PermaLink  |  0 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

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

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

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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, February 26, 2009
PermaLink  |  5 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Ah, here 'tis, Wednesday morning, and time to announce this month's stash winner...

Someone out there is going to get this very nice collection of 12 different types of embroidery thread...



Did the usual - filtered the names into a numbered list (making sure there were no duplicates and that everyone had followed the directions!), scrambled the list, and drew a random number....

Speaking of the directions, I was struck by the number of repetition in everyone's favorite books. I didn't keep exact numbers, but the Country Bumpkin publications really seemed to have the lead, it seems. I saw a lot of you like Trish Burr, and then there's a lot of mention of Mary Thomas's dictionary, Therese Dillmont's Encyclopedia, and the Reader's Digest Guide to Needlework. There are some books on the list that were new to me, so I'll probably check some of them out! Thanks!!

Ok, the winner is ....

Ruth M., who signed her post "rut" - She has quite a few faves, but often turns to the basics, so she put "The Complete Illustrated Stitch Encyclopedia" (Crafter's Choice Publication) as her favorite.

Congratulations, Ruth! Please send me your mailing address through the contact form, and I'll send the loot out to you as soon as possible!

Thank you all very much for participating. I'm always sorry when it's over, because I enjoy reading everyone's comments, and of course, it would be nice if everyone could win something!

Never fear - there's always a chance next month!

Labels: stash contest

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, February 25, 2009
PermaLink  |  8 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

I love working on the whitework embroidery sampler! Exploring the different drawn thread techniques has been fun, and I'm itching to start on some other techniques, such as satin stitch over trailing. But, as with every long, slow project, a break is a good thing! So I'm going micro...

A while ago I showed you this unbelievable miniature embroidered sampler, remember?



I've really fallen in love with the little thing - the more I see it, the more I like it. I'm planning on having it framed in a regular frame, with a tiny hole in the mat...

So, here I've been, mulling this idea of miniature embroidery over in my head.

I know it isn't anything new - some people apparently do miniature embroidery for the fun of it, with no distinct purpose. They like it, like I like goldwork. Others create little miniature projects for doll houses. Still others like the notion of petit point on silk gauze (which I'm dying to try - on 72 gauge!). There are plenty of miniature embroidery books on Amazon.... though some are apparently just "small" motifs stitched on regular fabrics. So I know I'm not talking novelty here.

But for my 'break' from the whitework sampler, I decided to go micro, and see about this miniature embroidery thing. This has forced me into an area of needlework that is not necessarily my favorite - I don't particularly care for (sorry!) counted cross stitch! Oh, don't get me wrong - there are some counted cross stitch items these days that I find really attractive and that I think would be great fun to work. I like the historical samplers, and the Quaker look, and I really like some of the Long Dog samplers - they're pretty neat. But my stitching preference isn't counted thread techniques. (I suppose you probably already know this if you've been reading my blog for a while!)

Still, I think it's worth venturing in for a try. First, I'll try counted. Then I wonder what it would be like to go micro with regular surface embroidery. Teeny tiny - super-duper-tiny - surface embroidery stitches on a wee sampler might be something worth trying.

But, for now, I'm counting. I selected a design that I have from a Sweetheart Tree kit I bought a few years ago when I was on vacation. Then, I picked out some linen. The choice was between two linens: Legacy's shadow work or Legacy's alabaster angel. Alabaster angel is 48 threads per inch. Shadow work runs around 56 threads per inch (I counted approximately 7 threads per 1/8 inch). I stuck with the alabaster angel for this first project. The shadow work linen doesn't have much "body" in the individual tiny threads - it's a relatively sheer linen with space between the weave. This is nice, but I wanted to make sure the stitches were duly supported. Plus... well, truth is, on the very sheer fabrics, you really have to be concerned with the back as well as the front, and I will admit it - I didn't want to bother so much about the back! (Tsk, tsk! Shameful, I know!)

With this miniature embroidery stuff, especially on fabric that's 48 threads per inch, a full cross stitch is too much when working with one strand of regular cotton floss. So the half cross stitch is what I'm using - tent stitch.

I've run into a couple little problems:

1. My needle is very small. Tiny needles have a tendancy to sink into the side of my thumb and cause the skin to split. *sigh* And it hurts like the dickens. Perhaps I should consider a "thumble" of sorts.

2. Tent stitch normally works pretty well when translating from a cross stitch desigh, but it doesn't always work. Because of the one-way direction of the stitches, certain parts of the pattern become a bit disjointed, when they shouldn't be. In some areas of the design, this is easily resolved with stitching in the opposite direction, though I realize this just "isn't" done in petit point, from what I understand! In fact, the design has quite a few half cross stitches indicated, as well as the direction in which they should be worked. So it does help to change the direction of the stitching to fit more with the design.

3. The design relies heavily on beads for accents. I don't think they make beads small enough! The Mill Hill petite glass beads loom over the stitching like giant doughnuts!

4. I made the funniest (most ridiculous) stitching mistake ever. Well, I think it's funny! Perhaps most people won't notice it, though, so I'm not going to mention it now. I'll wait for the photos. Even then, I might leave you to guess!

The design itself is normally over 5" square, when stitched according to directions on the little kit it came in. With the fabric I'm using, it's just barely 1.5" square.

Now, the nice thing at this point would be a photo.... but not yet! Look for it later this week. I'd like to finish the whole piece first.

Other than this, I'm DEFINITELY setting up a little (little, but not this little) goldwork project this week. Christiana sent me some photos of a beautiful little piece of goldwork (Or Nué) that she's been working on, involving a peacock feather, and I just can't stand it anymore! I must set up a project! And so I shall. I might even do a feather of sorts, too. Maines des Merveilles has a beautiful issue full of feathers, and I've never had a chance to do anything with them. Christiana's is really beautiful, and as soon as she gives me the okeedokee (she made it as a gift...), I'll post the pictures.

All that being said, I'm still enjoying the whitework sampler.

Don't forget to sign up for this month's embroidery stash give-away if you haven't already - 12 different types of embroidery threads to try out! I'll announce the winner tomorrow.

Enjoy the day - hope you have time to get some stitching in!

Labels: counted thread embroidery techniques, Embroidery Projects, miniature embroidery, sampler

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, February 24, 2009
PermaLink  |  13 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Strangely enough, this is not a "my favorite things" post, nor is it a foodie post, nor am I going to show you the big mess I made spilling olive oil all over my needlework. But if I were making a list of favorite things, I'd admit that these three would be on it, in some form or another. And if this were a foodie post, either olive oil or sugar (or both) would probably be in the mix. However, if I had spilled olive oil on my needlework, the title of this post would be unfit to publish! No, no. It's none of the above...

This is a needlework tip!

I'm suffering from "winter hands" right now. No matter what I put on them - I slather them with lotion several times on a daily basis - I can't eliminate some of the chapped areas. Part of the chap comes from working with my hands, whether it's doing dishes, doing other daily chore-ish tasks, writing (with pens), writing on a chalk board (oh, horror! I hate chalk this time of year!), or even developing needlework calluses. But part of it is just simply the time of year. It's winter. The heat in the house dries things out, and the lack of humidity in the air outside, along with the cold and the wind, doesn't help!

And so, now and then, I find myself getting lizardy.

And when it comes to working with threads, lizardness isn't pleasant! I can't stand the snagging. Cotton is bad enough, but try working with flat silk! Aaaack! The frustration is endless.

And that brings me to this tip - an easy way to smooth up your hands using ingredients you probably have in your cupboard: olive oil and sugar.



Pour a tablespoon of olive oil in a dish - a small bowl works best (much better than a little measuring cylinder).



Add about a tablespoon of sugar. The mixture doesn't have to be precise, or anything. You just want to create a wettish pumice, really.



It's amazing how yellow olive oil looks with sugar in it. Mix the oil and sugar together well....



... and glop the stuff into your hands. MMMmmmmm. Doesn't that just look - oh, nasty? This consistency works great for me - most of the mix stays together, but there is enough liquid in it that a little bit oozes its way through the fingers.

Now, scrub your hands. You can do both sides, and while you're out it, concentrate on the finger tips, giving them extra attention.

Once you've worked the mix around on your hands for a while, use soap and warm water to wash your hands thoroughly, then pat them dry on a towel. They're feel great!

It doesn't necessarily eliminate every bit of roughness on the hands, but it certainly minimizes the snagging. A daily treatment while the hands are really rough will make a difference, too.

Any tips for hand treatments when dealing with winter skin? Do share!

Labels: embroidery tips and tricks

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, February 23, 2009
PermaLink  |  21 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Bunching threads together in different ways and embroidering over the threads using knots and so forth is what makes drawn thread embroidery pretty. It's the bunching of the threads that gives it a lacy look. One of the most common (and I think most attractive) ways to achieve a nice bunch of threads in drawn thread work is by using the coral knot. So here's a little photo tutorial to show you how that's done.

The coral knot in drawn thread embroidery is not that different from the coral stitch used in regular surface embroidery. Essentially, the movements of the stitch are the same. The difference is, of course, that you don't have a regular ground fabric in drawn thread work, so the line created by your working thread doesn't come out looking "couched." Instead, it looks like a thread with knots in it that hold together bunches of vertical fabric threads.

To begin, I've already finished my edges using satin stitch and withdrawn the vertical threads. I've also hemstitched the bottom of the drawn thread area over two threads. At the top of this piece, I've worked Diamond Stitch, grouping together every other four threads.



Anchoring my thread in the satin stitch bars on the side, I brought it up on the right side of the drawn thread area right where I wanted the line of coral knots to run. With the needle and thread at the front of the fabric right next to the satin stitch bars, I brought the needle down behind four vertical fabric threads (that's two groups of two hemstitched threads) and back up again, underneath my working thread and inside the loop formed by it. (The working thread is looped over, then under, the needle.)



Pull the needle and working thread through the loop, pulling the loop firmly so that the fabric threads bunch together. I find that it helps to pull the working thread forward and upward rather than simply forward on top of your fabric, in order to get the knot to situate itself in the middle of the bunch.



Moving on to the next coral knot, take the needle to the back of the next group of four threads and to the front again (in one motion - "sewing" rather than taking your hand to the back of your work!). Come up underneath the working thread again, and inside the loop.

The stitch requires you to come up from the back, then wrap your working thread up over the top of your needle, then down underneath your needle, to form this loop. It's easier, though, if you simply leave your working thread looped forward on your fabric and you pass underneath the working thread then up into the loop.

Again, pull the stitch tight by pulling forward and upwards on your working thread.



To keep the line of knots straight, you can use your needle and nudge the knots up or down on the vertical threads, so that you situate them right where you want them.



Work all the way across to the other edge of your drawn thread area, then take your thread to the back and anchor it under the satin stitch bars.



On this piece, I worked a line of coral knots at the top and bottom of the drawn thread area. As tempting as it would be to slide your working thread up under the satin stitch bars to begin the coral knots going from left to right (on the return journey at the top), don't. The knots in the lower row are moving in the same direction - if you switch the direction of your stitch (and you're still working with your right hand), the knots will look different.

For left-handers, the stitch is worked from left to right, and the looping of the working thread is the same.

That's the coral knot! Have fun with it!

More Drawn Thread and Whitework Embroidery

Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Re-Weaving
Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Satin Stitch
Drawn Thread - Hemstitch Tutorial
Drawn Thread - Chain Loop Bunches
Sampler Update with Schwalm Embroidery
Online Book on Drawn Thread Techniques
Diamond Stitch in Drawn Thread Work

You can find more tips and tricks for hand embroidery - including all the above tutorials - indexed on my Tips and Tricks for Hand Embroidery page.

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, needlework pictures, needlework tutorials, pictures, sampler, Schwalm, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, February 22, 2009
PermaLink  |  6 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

This month's stash give-away is really perfect for building your embroidery stash - and the perfect opportunity to try a variety of needlework fibers! I'm giving away a dozen embroidery threads, each a different type.

All twelve threads are full skeins, never used before. They're new! And they're fun!



Here's the whole give-away....



Half the give-away is comprised of silk. There's Gloriana, Dinky-Dyes, Silk 'n Colors from Thread Gatherer, Needlepoint Inc Silk, Empress Silk, and a whole spool of Japanese Silk from the Japanese Embroidery Center.



The other half of the give-away is made up of synthetics, cotton, wool, and soy.

There's Needle Necessities Cotton, Overdyed Rachel, Charleston (the sparkly stuff), and wool, plus a skein of Soy Luster, and a skein of Caron Watercolors.



The hues in this half of the stash are pretty much purples and pinks.

So, if you're a fiber fanatic or a thread junkie, you might enjoy picking up 12 new skeins of a variety of threads, to dabble with! If you're new to the whole needlework field, this is the perfect opportunity to give some different threads a try, for the fun of it. If you're a crazy quilter - well! What couldn't you do with these threads? And maybe there's just one thread in there you're dying to try - if that's the case, go for it! You can always pass the rest on to someone else to play with! And, if nothing else, this would make a nice little package for you to share with another needlework friend - you can always make a little gift out of parts of it (or all of it!).

Now, the fine print - the contest rules:

1. Leave a comment on this post. To do so, you must be reading this post on the website. If you're reading the e-mail newsletter, just click the title in the newsletter to go to the website. Scroll down to the end of the text here (on the website) and find the line that begins "Posted by." Right underneath the date, you'll see a link that reads "Click to Comment." Click that link and leave a comment. You can comment without signing in by clicking "anonymous."

2. Answer the following question:

What's your all-time favorite embroidery book? (If you don't have one, tell us what embroidery book you'd like to have... If you don't know what's out there, you can browse books under my needlework book reviews or in my bookstore...)

3. Make sure you sign your name to the comment!

4. Check back on Wednesday, February 25th, when I post the winner, which is drawn by random number. If it's you, you'll need to contact me with your address.

The contest ends Wendesday, Feb. 25th, at 5:00 am CST. International readers are welcome to comment, too. I'll ship the package via the least expensive air-mail option, should an international reader win it.

Feel free to let your stitching friends know about the give-away, too!

Good luck!

Labels: stash contest

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, February 21, 2009
PermaLink  |  183 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, February 20, 2009
PermaLink  |  4 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Here's a little hand embroidery pattern that's quite simple. It can be used for a number of items - whatever use your imagination can concoct, really - but it has one specific purpose to which it is quite well suited.

This little design is typical of the "frames" that encase a hand embroidered monogram. You can put anything in the middle, really, but, back in the day, it was often common for little embroidered monograms to be surrounded by a frame such as this one.

I think this will print around 4" square. You can save the design straight to your computer (in gif format), or you can use the PDF of the design below. To enlarge it or shrink it, you can play with it in a photocopy machine or on your computer, or you can simply reset the PDF settings for a different print size.



Medallion Frame for Hand Embroidery (PDF)

The piece could always be worked in satin stitch, but I think it would look better with the lines stitched in Palestrina stitch (or something similar), and then either the square frame or the shaped frame to be filled with seed stitches, to enhance the distinction and the intertwining.

I think the design would be very pretty, worked small, in the corner of a fine handkerchief - white on white, with delicate threads (perhaps white YLI silk?) - with a tiny initial in the middle. Perfect for a bride, or for mom for Mother's Day...

Those are just ideas, of course! I'm sure you can come up with plenty of stitching ideas for the design!

For more hand embroidery patterns, please visit my Index of Hand Embroidery Patterns here on Needle 'n Thread. If you're looking for stitch suggestions or directions, try the Video Library of Hand Embroidery Stitches. And if you need a monogram for the middle of the medallion frame, try the Monograms Index!

Check back this weekend for my stash giveaway for February! I've got all kinds of weird ideas milling around in my head for this one, thanks to a cleaning bout in the studio. I'm organizing threads with a new thread rack - and it's about time, let me tell ya!

Enjoy the weekend!

Labels: free embroidery patterns, monograms

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, February 20, 2009
PermaLink  |  0 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

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

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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, February 19, 2009
PermaLink  |  16 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Still continuing with the whitework techniques sampler, I'm messing around a little more with drawn thread embroidery. It's kind of fun to experiment with the different stitches, and although I'm not 100% pleased with the location of this next little bit of drawn thread work, I still think it's coming out ok. Today, I want to show you how to do the diamond stitch, which can be used in pulled thread work or drawn thread work.

When used in drawn thread work, the diamond stitch serves to bunch together some of the vertical threads. This is how I'm using it in the motif I'm working on now, anyway. In pulled thread work, you would simply pull the threads together to leave little holes in the fabric. It's the same concept, but you aren't working without horizontal threads. Hmmm..... that would be better explained in photos, methinks!

But here, I'm working with drawn threads, so please allow me to demonstrate the diamond stitch with drawn thread.



First, here's the area I'm working on. It's a three-tiered section of drawn threads, and in between each section of drawn threads, I've left four horizontal threads intact. I'm still working in multiples of four here. I'm working the diamond stitch at the top of the lower section, over the area where I left four horizontal threads.



The working thread is anchored on the back, by running it under the satin stitches that secure the edge of the drawn thread area. After you've anchored your thread, you want to position your emerging point two threads up in the four thread area, and count in four vertical threads. Basically, you're stitching over four vertical threads on the half-way line in the four-thread area.



Next, take your needle down four threads to the right, along the same line, and back up through the first hole from which you emerged. Basically, you're wrapping the working thread around four vertical fabric threads along the same line. Pull the working thread through and pull firmly to tighten the stitch.



Now, take your needle down, directly under the point you just emerged, in the drawn thread area, and up again four threads later.



Then, take your needle back around the group of four threads, and emerge again to the left of the fourth thread. Here again, you're basically just wrapping your working thread around that group of four threads.



Moving straight up from the point you just emerged, following the vertical threads (so you're just above them again, in the four-thread area), take your needle down along the same line as the first stitch in the four thread area, and bring it up again four threads later. Now, you're just going to repeat the stitches.



Pull your working thread through, wrap it back around the four threads, and pull the stitch tight.



Continue working down the line in this manner, until you have completed the bottom of the diamond design.



Now, it's just a matter of reversing the direction of the stitch and returning along the line, to form the top of the diamonds. Instead of going down into the drawn thread area, you're just going up into it. The stitches in the four-thread area are all in the same holes (so that there are two stitches over the same four threads on the return journey). Pull tight whenever you're working the middle stitches, so that you get a nice little pulled effect with little holes in the middle of that four-thread area. This will increase the lacy look of the finished area.

So that's the diamond stitch. Notice that it bunches together every other group of four threads, and leaves the groups in between straight. That's ok! For the next step of this section, I'll work coral knots over the bunches and then through the middle to make a diamond pattern using the drawn threads....

I'll show you how to do that next time I visit the sampler.

Up later this week - a GIVE-AWAY! Don't miss the February give-away. I'll be including some patterns and fibers for you and little fun embellishments. I really need to go through my cabinets and straighten things out again. Whenever I organize, I come up with some pretty good stuff that makes for good stash-building. So stay tuned for that!

Also, I've got some reader's embroidery to show you, a few tutorials, a pattern, and a couple other interesting tidbits from the craft blog-o-sphere. I'm perusing a few books right now, too, so I'd like to review those for you.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions or input on this technique! Thanks!

More Drawn Thread and Whitework Embroidery

Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Re-Weaving
Drawn Thread - Securing Edges with Satin Stitch
Drawn Thread - Hemstitch Tutorial
Drawn Thread - Chain Loop Bunches
Sampler Update with Schwalm Embroidery
Online Book on Drawn Thread Techniques

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, needlework pictures, needlework tutorials, pictures, Schwalm, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, February 18, 2009
PermaLink  |  8 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

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

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

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



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



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



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

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

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

Part II - Drawn Thread Embroidery by Therese Dillmont

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

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

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, February 16, 2009
PermaLink  |  3 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Ok, here 'tis. This is the only needlework project I've really had going lately. It's not a high-pressure-type project, which is nice. Basically, it's just an exploratory, experimental kind of project. I'm playing with whitework techniques, and this is what I've done so far.

The techniques I plan to dabble in on this sampler include drawn thread, Schwalm, Hardanger, Ukrainian drawn thread embroidery, surface techniques (such as trailing and satin stitch and so forth), pulled thread, and whatever else happens to come to mind.

So far, it's been a fun experiment, and I've learned a lot of things along the way. Today, I'll just give you a couple shots of what I've done so far. Later on, I want to go into various motifs and show you mistakes (yes, I make mistakes!) and corrections, and other points of learning.

Here's the sampler so far:



This is the lower left-hand corner of the fabric. The area is quite dominated by an incomplete Schwalm chicken. I wasn't going to do this guy at first, but on a whim, I stuck him on there. For a chicken, compared to everything else on the sampler, he's somewhat large - but, gosh, I love this guy! He's the same motif I used on my Christmas Chicken embroidered card.



And this is the lower right-hand corner of the fabric so far. You can tell that I jump around between motifs a bit. The Schwalm work pomegranate here isn't finished - I still have to work the pinecone on the right and the little spray below it. The chicken above isn't finished, either, and in the middle of the fabric, you can see a larger blank rectangle that's marked out - and it's not finished, either!



Here's the chicken close-up. Check out those chicken legs. There are some flaws on this fellow, and some troubleshooting I had to go through when choosing threads, but we'll come back to that down the road.



And here's the crown of the pomegranate. This is perhaps my favorite thing I've worked so far on this! It was a bit challenging here and there, which was nice. Yeah, the eyelets aren't so great, and - yes! - they are on crooked. The right side is higher than the left side!

We'll go back to that later, too.



I like this little section of drawn thread, which utilizes the coral knot to bunch things together. The other day I showed you how to do what I call a chain loop to bunch threads, but the method I prefer is this coral knot.



And, here's the whole panel in perspective. See what I mean about the dominating chicken??!!

That's my progress so far - it's really one of the more relaxing projects I've ever worked on, I suppose because it isn't for anyone else, it's purely exploratory, and I can do whatever I want! Kinda fun!

Anyone else out there working on anything fun or interesting? Feel free to leave a comment below with a link to your current project! Or, if you've finished something recently and want to share it with us, you can contact me, and I'll send you my e-mail address so you can send photos!

Have a great Monday!

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, needlework pictures, pictures, sampler, Schwalm, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, February 16, 2009
PermaLink  |  10 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

I mentioned the other day when discussing needlework thread organization that a trip to the office supply store inspired an idea for organizing threads. Here's the story.

It all started with shoppig that had nothing to do with needlework or embroidery of any kind! I went to Office Depot a while back to pick up one thing (transparencies for my classroom), and walked out with a selection of completely unrelated items. (Can you relate?!) While I was meandering down the paperclip aisle, my attention was arrested by a package of colored key chain tabs. I had some of these at work. It struck me funny that they were available at an office supply store. I always thought they came from hardware stores.

While this thought was flitting through my mind, I noticed two convenient things about the tabs that I had never noticed before. The first was that they have a relatively large hole on the end opposite the ring. The second was that they have a clear plastic cover over the small rectangular name plate thing.

Thoughts of embroidery, needlework, fabric, thread - anything and everything related to this addiction of mine - are never far from my mind. Holding the package of little key chain tabs (8 for $2), I found my mind constructing them into thread organizers, not key chains. And so I added it to my cart...



This may not at all be even remotely original. I would imagine that, out there somewhere, other people have used these types of things for thread organizers.



What I like particularly about using them is that you can slide the label off the thread, cut it in half so that you have the size indication there (or color indication, depending on the thread), place the clear plastic cover over the label, and slip both into the keychain, where they remain, undamagable for the most part, until you are finished with the thread.

On the plaited-around-the-label threads that I showed you the other day, over time it is not unusual for the label to tear a bit, especially if the threads are pulling on it as you pull them out. With this whole keychain doohickey, the label is forever intact.



The hole on the end opposite the key ring is a perfect place to loop your threads. If you want to braid them, you can. Or, you can simply fold the length of thread in half, feed it through the hole at the fold until you have a few inches through the hole, then stick your finger into the loop and grab the rest of the thread hanging out of the other side of the hole, pull it through the loop, and tighten it a bit to secure it. Now, when you want a thread, you just take one individual thread and pull it off. Braiding will keep the whole skein in a little better order, but it also takes more time. On the bright side, with that key ring on the other end, it's easy as pie to braid, because you can secure that ring over something and braid very quickly.



Now, the metal key ring comes in handy on two accounts. If you like to keep your threads on a larger ring, you can easily thread all those rings onto a larger ring and slip the whole lot of them into a larger bag for transport.

As for me... well, I'm a magnet freak. Not a decorative magnet freak. A utilitarian magnet freak. I like magnets - they come in handy for needlework, and I have a superfluous amount of the stronger ceramic types (not craft magnets, but rather the kind you buy at electronic stores, etc.) dotting the pole on my light. The key rings stick right to the magnets, making it very convenient to line up a few types of thread within easy reach on my light pole.

What I'd really like to do, though, is make a little dowel rack of some sort - one that could sit on a table or clamp to a stand or frame, or stick on a light pole (with strong magnets). The dowels, according to the plan in my head, would be thin enough to accommodate the center holes in the Access Commodities threads, and they would serve as a perfect place to slide a bunch of key chain rings, too. Well, if that ever materializes, I will surely let you know!

So that's my latest way of keeping my whitework threads at my fingertips while I'm stitching. At the end of a session, I simply gather them up and slip them into my basket, so that they aren't collecting dust while hanging on the lamp post.

If you were going to go with the key tabs for organizing a large number of threads, I think I'd look for a place where they could be purchased in bulk for a lot less. The 8 / $2 thing was a special - I think they run normally about $3 for a package of 8, which is kind of ridiculous if you're planning on organizing a lot of thread. But for a project with a limited range of threads, it's a neat way to keep them all marked and together.

So here endeth the lesson... and I'm off to spend some quality time with my needle 'n thread! Updates on the whitework sampler, coming up...

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, February 15, 2009
PermaLink  |  11 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

One of the most interesting aspects of drawn thread embroidery is the way the remaining threads are grouped together for decorative effects. There are heaps of ways to group together threads! And I'm not even sure all books agree on the names of the techniques. On one drawn thread area on my whitework techniques sampler, I worked a line of what I call chain loops. They're a kind of half chain stitch that holds the bunches together. This isn't to be confused with the coral knot used in drawn thread work, which is sometimes just called "knotting."

This is a simple way to bunch together groups of threads in drawn thread embroidery - and the result is a very basic "decoration."



Notice that there's no knot in the thread that's running through the bunches. Rather, there's just a kind of "hook" that looks a bit like a chain stitch.

This method is an ok way to bunch threads together on an item that is not utilitarian. If you're practicing bunching threads for a sampler or something that will be framed, then this is fine. If you're making a pillow or some other utilitarian item that will eventually need to be laundered, I wouldn't use this method of thread bunching, personally. Without an actual knot in the thread, I don't know that the loops will hold up and keep their proper tension.

For bunches to look good in drawn thread work, they need to be even. In the row pictured above, I began by hemstitching the top and bottom of the row, grouping together two vertical threads. Since I'm bunching up groups of 4 (each group made up of 2 vertical threads), before I started, I made sure I had enough vertical threads. I withdrew horizontal threads over a number divisible by 8. If I only wanted to work three bunches of two together, the number of vertical threads left would be divisible by 6.

I really don't like the whole counting aspect of drawn thread work, and it's true that you can hedge a bit on some of it, depending on your project, but when you're working a sampler where the stitches and bunches and so forth are all very visible, it's a good idea to count accurately.



Once the hemstitching is complete, you'll start with a new thread. Anchor the thread on the right side of your strip, so that it emerges at the half-way point on the right side. Then, take the needle under the bunch of threads you want to pull together, and take it over the working thread, just as you would do with a chain stitch in regular surface embroidery.



Pull the needle forward through the loop along with all of the working thread, pulling tightly enough to bunch together the vertical thread groups in the fabric.



Continue down the row in the same manner, until you finish the last chain loop over the last bunch. Take your thread to the back at the half-way point of the edge, and weave it under your edging to secure it.



And that's pretty much it. It's not the most decorative way of bunching threads together, but it works ok for a simple effect. I prefer (personally) using a coral knot, but for getting started, this is an easy way to get an idea of bunching threads. Don't worry - I'll show you the coral knot (or "knotting") in an upcoming article.

In the meantime, I'm still just messing around with the whitework techniques on this sampler. I've played a bit with Schwalm - just enough to make a few mistakes and learn a few useful things. I'll be sure to show you what I mean this coming week!

And phew! I'm glad it's Saturday! I'm playing catch-up this weekend, which is not always fun after a rat-race-week. I hope you're able to get some stitching in and that you enjoy the weekend!

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, embroidery tips and tricks, needlework pictures, needlework tutorials, pictures, Schwalm, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, February 14, 2009
PermaLink  |  1 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

A few months ago, Pamela Alley e-mailed me a kind of photo tutorial on how she organizes her cotton floss, and in Inspirations #61, there's a little blurb on how to set up a skein of coton a broder for use. Pamela's method (which is for stranded cotton) and the method in Inspirations #61 are similar, despite the difference in thread types, and they are both the way I've normally organized my coton a broder (but not my floss), so I thought I'd show you here...

Coton a broder is a specialty DMC thread, used for whitework, cutwork, etc. It's perfect for use in monogramming. It makes beautiful satin stitches. Coton a broder isn't widely available. Even most specialty needlework shops don't carry it, or if they do, it's in the larger sizes (#12 or #16) only. You can purchase coton a broder in size 12 (largest) through size 40 (smallest), in strange increments that make little sense to me. They go 12, 16, 20, then by 5's. #16 coton a broder is about the same size as floche, but they have a different number of plies that make up the thread - coton a broder is a 4-ply thread, floche is a 5-ply thread. I order my coton a broder from Lacis. Sold as "cutwork thread" or coton a broder (you'll find it called both on the Lacis website), it comes in white and ecru in most sizes, and in size 25, it comes in a variety of other colors, too. I just buy white. If I want this type of thread in color, I go with floche, as it has a wider range of colors and shades.

Ok, so that's the thread.

The thread comes in a skein, but it isn't a pull skein, like the kind regular stranded floss comes in. It's a loop that is looped again back on itself.



The higher count threads make up shorter, fatter skeins, while the lower count (larger threads) make up longer, skinnier skeins.



On the label, you'll see the size of the thread marked, as well as the length of thread in the skein.



To prepare the skein for working with, slide both labels off (there's a small "DMC" label on there, which I don't find necessary to keep). Save the label with the thread number on it, because you'll use that for identification of the thread.



When the labels are off, look for the little tied-up area, where part of the bundle is tied perpendicular to the rest of the skein.



Hold the skein at the little tied area (just holding the bunch that is tied), and give the skein a gentle shake. It will fall out into a long loop.



Cut the skein where it is tied, and remove the little tying thread. I also cut the skein a second time, just opposite of the first cut, so that I have perfect lengths of threads for working with. Now, you don't have to do this - some people like working with longer lengths of thread. I personally can never stand working with a thread more than 16" - 18" long, and 20" is pushing it for me! Why? Well, for one thing, I can stitch faster with shorter lengths of thread. For another, after a while of stitching, threads start to fuzz up. Using shorter lengths ensures that I don't get fuzzy threads. I'd rather go through the rigmarole of starting and stopping a thread than put up with fuzzy threads!



There's the nice clean cut. Use sharp scissors, by the way! Using dull ones to cut this bunch of threads will make it harder for you to thread your needle later on - or at least, will require you to trim up before you do.



Now you have the long label with the thread size on it, and your skein, cut to working-sized threads.



Thread the skein back into the label.



Then separate three sections of thread and work a soft braid with the three sections, so that the label is at the top.



Selecting a thread from the top near the label, pull one side out of the braid, then pull the other side out, and you're ready to stitch.

This is a nice way to organize threads, especially threads that come on looped skeins, like coton a broder and perle cotton.

Incidentally, I have another way I'm organizing my whitework threads right now, too - it is a combination of this method and another, and was the result of stopping in at an office supply store the other day. I'll have to show you my weird set-up one of these days!

Do you have any thread organization tips? Feel free to let the rest of us know how you prepare your thread and organize it for a project!

Labels: embroidery tips and tricks, needlework tutorials, organization, pictures, threads

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, February 13, 2009
PermaLink  |  10 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

There are several different ways to go about transferring your hand embroidery design to your fabric so that you can stitch it up accurately. I've written about some of them already, which you can find indexed under Tips and Tricks for Hand Embroidery (under Editor's Floss, always at the top of the right column on each page of Needle 'n Thread!). I've never actually written about this particular method of design transfer because I don't use it often. That may change - thought it takes slightly more time than tracing, it's accurate, lasting, and easily visible.

I think most embroiderers have their favorite way of transferring designs, which they probably stick to pretty regularly. Of course, the manner of transferring a pattern is going to change with choices of fabric and thread.

If you're stitching, for example, on dark fabric, it isn't likely that a regular pencil is going to help much for tracing the design onto the fabric. Neither would a water-soluble fabric marker, really. If you're stitching on white fabric with white threads, you can run the risk of discoloring your threads if you use too soft a pencil and too heavy a hand when tracing your design! Prick and pounce takes a long time - and it's a multi-step process: first you have to prick the design carefully, then you have to pounce the powder on (and sometimes that includes making a felt roll to do so - or even making your own pounce!), and finally, you have to use a tiny paintbrush and paint in all your lines. Oh, then there's the dressmaker's carbon method - which works ok, but what if you end up with a super messy line that you can't cover with your stitches, and you hadn't intended to wash the piece? Or you can't wash the piece easily because you're using non-color-fast overdyed specialty floss? Oh, the options go on and on... and there are many of them.... but they don't all work in all circumstances (except for maybe prick and pounce, but golly - it can be a tedious job to pounce a whole pattern!).

Transferring your embroidery design using tissue paper actually does work in most circumstances. I can't think of any circumstance in which it wouldn't work, really. This is how you go about doing it.

First, you need some supplies: tissue paper, a fine tipped pen, thread, a sharp needle (crewel needles or sharps are fine), and some other miscellaneous things that are nice to have on hand but not necessarily essential.

When deciding what thread to use, I suggest a regular sewing thread that's the same color as the embroidery floss you're using, more or less.



The first thing I did was trace the design I'm using onto the tissue paper. Now, this paper is a bit weird, and I don't exactly know what it is. It was lying around the office - a big roll of it - forever, and my boss finally told me I could take it home if I wanted it. It's a very lightweight yellowish-brown paper, a bit like pattern paper but slightly crisper and very sheer. It's used in our school maintenance and building department to do overlays on building projects, apparently. I use it for everything that requires pattern tracing - mainly because it was really cheap (as in, free)... You can use regular wrapping paper tissue for this part - one thin sheet.

Using my magnetic needleminder and a few refrigerator magnets, I positioned the tissue paper on my embroidery frame.

Now, keep in mind I made a pretty big mistake in this whole process, but it doesn't really change the process - hopefully, it will just serve as a deterrent to you, so you don't make the same mistake!



As you can see, I'm using a green thread to transfer the design. This is the mistake I made! I could have very easily used white thread, and it would not have been as noticeable in this piece (which will be stitched in white). Using green thread requires me to do some very serious (and tedious) thread picking as I go. If I had used the same color that I would be stitching in, then any residue would not be noticeable - but green has an uncanny way of making itself visible on white! That was one of those forehead slapping moments. I used the green because I thought it would look better in photos! I didn't even think about the ease of stitching! Rats!

Using small regular running stitches, stitch over the entire design. The stitches can be fairly widely spaced on open, longer lines, but as you work into detailed and curvy areas, keep your stitches a little smaller and close, to make sure the details can be seen when the tissue paper is removed.

Don't use knots in your sewing thread! Just anchor it as you would if you were basting. You want to be able to pick the design threads out easily.



Make sure that you cover every line in the design, unless there are parts that you know you can "eye-ball" as you stitch. Those little hairy dashes in between the elements of the design are where I anchored my basting thread, by just taking two or three small straight stitches into the paper and the fabric.



Once you've finished stitching, it's time to remove the tissue paper. Gently, pull the paper up and back, away from the stitching. Don't pull it too high in the "up" direction - I find it better just to kind of pull it back low on itself. This keeps the stitches from pulling up out of the fabric.

You'll notice that some bits of tissue still stick in the fabric - that's ok, you can deal with them after you've gotten the majority of the paper off.



The tissue paper will be easier to remove in the larger, open spaces of the design. Still, don't just tear and yank off! Take it easy as you remove the paper.



Once the paper's more or less gone, take your tweezers from your tool box and pick out any remaining little shreds. Once you're finished, you'll have a good representation of your design on your fabric, and it won't smudge, it won't rub off, it won't disappear - you can work with confidence at any pace you wish, without worrying about your embroidery design!



I can't help reiterating a word of warning here, now that the green is so visible! You can imagine how easy it would be, if this were stitched in a fine white sewing thread, to stitch right over that sewing thread with my white embroidery cotton (coton a broder), covering it up for the most part, but not worrying if I don't quite get it. I would, of course, still remove as much as the white sewing thread as possible as I stitched - but if I didn't get it all, I wouldn't have much to worry about as far as visibility is concerned.

I used one strand of green floss. This is a huge mistake! Not only can I not leave a shred of it - it would be too obvious - but because it's floss and not sewing thread, it fuzzes more when being picked out.

So - don't make my mistake! It served well for the pictures - the white sewing thread would not have shown up as well - but it won't be as easy to stitch as it would have been if I had used the white sewing thread!

Give tissue transferring a try, if you're inclined! It's perfect for transfering a pattern especially to dark fabric. There are plenty of ways - tracing being the easiest - to transfer a design to light fabric, but with dark fabric, we often get stuck. This method works great for dark fabrics!

What method do you use to transfer your embroidery designs? Do you see any pros and cons of trying tissue paper? Would you personally bother with this method of transfer, or not? Beginners would especially benefit from input from other embroiderers, so if you have time, drop a comment about the way you transfer your designs! Thanks!

Labels: beginner embroidery, embroidery design, embroidery tips and tricks, pictures

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, February 12, 2009
PermaLink  |  14 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

The hand embroidery design I'm posting below is psuedo-original - weirdly not quite original, though I thought it was at first, and was disappointed to find out that I was hardly the first on the block to do this...

It all started around Christmas, when I was playing with my monogram alphabets, wanting to put them together into "tiles" that made up words. For example, I was kind of excited about messing around with N-O-E-L... but then I realized that had been done before (in cross stitch, myriad times), and wasn't really that original, and the monograms weren't that Christmassy, and so I dropped it.

I went back to it the other day, playing with L-O-V-E. I'm not sure what inspired it - perhaps it was the over-abundance of Valentine stuff floating around on the internet, or perhaps it was the idea of my folks' 52nd wedding anniversary in a few months, perhaps it was the idea that I needed to post a free pattern for "something" soon and I wanted something larger than usual, or perhaps it was just that urge to do SOMETHING with those blasted monograms that I cleaned up but have never bothered using.

Whatever the case was, I decided to go back to the word-tile concept with a nice four letter word (! no - really - a nice one !), L-O-V-E.

I played and fiddled and had fun with it - making it more complex, then less complex. I had vines running hither and thither, filling stitches between the tiles, and so forth... but it was too much. Finally, I simplified, and is the result of all the tinkering:



If you click on the image above, you'll get a very-much-larger (in the realm of huge) image, which you can scale to a smaller size, or slice up to make a large pattern.

You can also have the PDF of the pattern:

Free Hand Embroidery Design: Love

I liked the design when I was first playing with it, but then my sister looked at it. And do you know, she told me it looked like a counted cross stitch pillow. Then she told me she has seen it as a counted cross stitch pillow. L-O-V-E, in four tiles like this.

"Oh, surely," said I, "you cannot have seen this design in counted cross stitch."

"Well, maybe not that design, but it's the same idea."

She just wasn't impressed. Sheesh. Some people...

So, out there somewhere, in counted cross stitch land, there is a design with the same idea behind it. But this, my friends, is surface embroidery. And it can be made into a pillow - or something for the wall - or the center square of a quilt - or what-so-ever you wish to make out of it. It can be traced for paper crafts, painted on wood, made into a wall mural, or etched onto your front door. You can do whatever you want with it!

I'd like to work it in white, on a colored linen - not necessarily red! - to give as a gift.

It would make a great anniversary gift, wedding gift, Valentine, Mother's Day gift, birthday present, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

But not for my sister...

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy it!

Labels: free embroidery patterns

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, February 11, 2009
PermaLink  |  11 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Here's another sample of a reader's ventures in hand embroidery. Margaret Cobleigh is a regular whiz when it comes to improving embroidery kits! And this one is really breathtaking....

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

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

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

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

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

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

This is the finished cloth:



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

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

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

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

Thanks, Margaret, for sending along the information!

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

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

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, February 10, 2009
PermaLink  |  13 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

The hemstitch is commonly used in drawn thread work. While adding a decorative edge to a drawn thread area, it bunches together the remaining threads. These bunches of threads can then be further embellished or arranged.

Now, hemstitch is a strange name for the stitch, you might think, but before drawn thread work was done for mere decoration, the hemstitch served a very practical purpose. It... hemmed. By withdrawing one thread from a piece of linen near the edge of the fabric, the sewer could turn up the remaining bit of linen and catch it in the hemstitching, which was pulled slightly to create a small decorative edge above the hem, thus accomplishing the utilitarian aspect of hemming and the decorative aspect of pulled thread. Sometimes, no thread would be withdrawn from the fabric - the hemstitcher would rely on the pull of the hemstitching to create a small pulled thread line just above the hem.

Hemstitch is an easy stitch! Before delving into it with drawn thread work, you need to secure your edges of the drawn thread area, either by re-weaving them or by using satin stitching, and you need to withdraw the horizontal threads from the band. Then, you're ready to hemstitch.

In the following photos, I'm using #25 coton a broder on 36 count linen, with a size 24 tapestry needle.



Begin by bringing your needle up in the fabric two threads down below the last empty line next to your satin stitch band or your re-woven edge. You're one space over from the edge and two threads down.



If you're grouping two threads together, you'll take your needle behind the two threads and out again to the front.



Pull the thread through...



Then take your needle back behind the same two threads (so that your working thread wraps around the two threads), angle the needle down, and bring it up into the fabric two threads down from the edge, positioning the needle for the next stitch.



Pull the needle through, and tighten the stitch around the bunch of fabric threads. You can see here that I switched to a photo of four threads being bunched together, to give you a better idea of bunching. If you do not pull the thread firmly, you won't get nice bunches, which is what you want.

Now, continue working the hemstitch towards the end of the band, then run your needle and thread under the satin stitching at the end of the band to secure it.

Ta dum! You did it. Simple, isn't it?

If you are hemstitching around a square, as I was in the last piece where I'm bunching four threads together, when you get to the end of the band, don't end your thread. Instead, do this:



Turn your work over... (the photo above is the back of the work). Take your needle under the satin stitch band that runs horizontal, like the line of hemstitch you just finished...



... then up through the next satin stitch edge, which positions you to continue hemstitching along the next side of your square.

And that is the hemstitch. It's a very simple stitch, don't you think? There are other variations of hemstitch, actually, but this is the basic hemstitch, most commonly used in this type of embroidery.

I hope you try it, and I hope you like it!

Enjoy!

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, embroidery tips and tricks, needlework pictures, needlework tutorials, pictures, sampler, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, February 09, 2009
PermaLink  |  8 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

I suppose there are a few things I should clarify about the whitework technique embroidery sampler that I've been messing around with! First, though - thanks very much for your responses to my question about fabric.

Many of you could see the decision coming, methinks: I did change the fabric to the darker linen. The deciding factor was the question of photography. I get better pictures on darker fabric, especially when the stitches need to be seen.



You can see that the contrast makes the stitches a lot clearer. In choosing between the two fabrics, I was choosing between this fabric (the darker shade) and a shade lighter than this, but not white. The original fabric I started working on was almost a golden color, but, in close ups and with any kind flash or bright lighting, the fabric tended to wash out, so the stitches were not as noticeable.

I also decreased the size of the whole piece. I think it's 16" x 18" now, which is much easier to work on.

Now, to explain the whole sampler. I'm afraid the term "whitework" only refers to technique. I realize it is not properly "whitework," since it is not done on a white ground fabric (which is usually the case with real "whitework"). The point of the samper for me is to explore different types of whitework techniques, demonstrating "how to" and troubleshooting and whatnot as I go. In the process, I'll work up a few photo tutorials of different techniques for you, like the one on re-weaving the edges in drawn thread work and the one on finishing the edges with satin stitch.

The finished piece isn't meant to "be" anything, other than a sampler. I'm not trying to create a gorgeous work of art or anything, although I do hope it comes out fairly nice! I have no idea what it will look like yet, when finished, but I have blocked out a drawn thread section and a small Ukranian sample, and I've transferred a Schwalm design on the fabric, using Christine Bishop's book, Schwalm Whitework Embroidery (the link will take you to my review of the book).

Besides this sampler, which isn't meant to be my sole occupation for the next however long it takes, I've got plans for other embroidery, too - so don't worry, I won't bore you to death with whitework (I hope!).

In the embroidery arena, I've got some interesting things coming up! I'm eagerly waiting some sample projects that I'll be working on, from some well-known designers. I don't want to whisper anything too loudly right now, but just so you know, in the near future, there are some exciting projects coming out for embroiderers, with the possibility of some new kits becoming available ... and, well. Just a hint: think long and short stitch shading and flowers, and you may just guess who I'm talking about!

And, with my present creepy, crawly, cruddy cold dissipating, my voice is getting somewhat back to normal, so there's a good chance I'll be able to add sound to some videos this week. (Keep your fingers crossed for me!) I just can't do the frog voice on something that is more or less public and permanent!

Coming up, I've got a little photo tutorial on transferring a design using tissue paper (very easy, though somewhat time-consuming). Along with that, look for a photo tutorial on simple hemstitch and a beautiful piece of embroidery from a reader. Also, some thread tips, thanks to Pam and Inspirations, are in this week's line up.

A busy week ahead, but I hope you all enjoyed the weekend, got some stitching done (I managed a wee bit!) and are looking forward to a good week!

Labels: fabric for embroidery, linen, pictures, sampler, Schwalm, website news, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, February 08, 2009
PermaLink  |  1 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

Squizzing around the craft, embroidery, and art blogs - not to mention a few favorite cooking websites - I counted no less than 41 Valentine-related projects, ideas, patterns, or recipes. Wow. People really get into Valentine's Day.

Just so I wouldn't seem too entirely cold-hearted, I decided to get into the spirit and make up a tiny little simple heart pattern for hand embroidery that I could set up for my eight-year-old niece, who is needling me to embroider with her. So, here's the little design we're going to use (she's going to use!), and I thought I'd pass it on to you, if you want it.



And here it is in a PDF: Little Heart Design for Hand Embroidery

It's not super-complicated. For an eight year old, it will be well worked in back stitch, French knots, and daisy stitches. You could dress it up a bit - making the scallops half buttonhole wheels so they show up better, or what-have-you. Emma's going to work hers on a red cloth napkin, in white. I'll show it to you if she ever actually finishes! And, who knows, maybe I'll stitch one along with her, to keep her going.

If you do decide to go with a red towel or cloth napkin or something of that sort, make sure you pre-wash the fabric first! (Several times, even, if necessary!) I like to rinse darker colored fabrics (like the red cloth napkins we'll be using) with either vinegar, or with salt if I don't have vinegar on hand. This is something my sister does when she buys fabric to make children's clothes. She says it fixes the color, and I believe her. I've never actually tested the theory by doing any comparisons, but maybe some day I will...

I wrote a Valentine's poem, once upon a time and as a bit of a jest, for a fellow I worked with a while ago - and all this heartsy stuff just makes me feel like sharing it with you. (It actually surprises me that I do things like this, and still come back to face you the next day!)

Will You Be Mine?
(by me)

I thought I'd ask
If you'd be mine,
Could you be
My Valentine?

There's no one else,
This much is true...
So I'll have to settle,
And just take you.

I want no hearts,
I don't eat candy,
But flowers are nice,
And jewelry's dandy.

You have no money?
You can't buy flowers?
No jewelry either?
My heart sours.

On second thought,
If you don't mind,
To be your sweety,
I'm disinclined.

Yes, it's true. I'm sorry. I tend to be a bit of a cynic sometimes.

Well, I hope the pattern comes in handy, anyway!

Enjoy your weekend!

Labels: embroidery tips and tricks, free embroidery patterns, miscellaneous embroidery musings

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Saturday, February 07, 2009
PermaLink  |  4 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

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

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Friday, February 06, 2009
PermaLink  |  3 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

I think I may have made a mistake. (Shock! Horror!) This is a fabric mistake, and actually, it's not very surprising. I tend to make mistakes, and I tend to especially make mistakes when I settle for one thing, knowing deep down I should just waaaaaiiiiiit. This is the problem: I received an order of fabric today!

Receiving a fabric order isn't the worst problem in the world. In fact, I was happy to see the package arrive! But it had this fabric in it - this 36 count natural Edinburgh linen, which is exackitackily the color I wanted to work my whitework sampler on.

Now do you see the problem?

Let me show you the difference...



The linen I'm presently using is a 32 count Belfast linen in flax (that's the color). The new linen I recently ordered is 36 count Edinburgh linen in natural. It's the top linen in the photo above.

The natural Edinburgh linen is definitely darker than the flax Belfast linen, and it's the color I had in mind when I set about contemplating the whitework sampler. But, see, I had the Belfast linen. And I didn't know what the difference would be in the two colors - I actually thought the natural would be lighter. But in my head, the color I wanted was the color that arrived this morning!



Now, you may be tempted to ask what the heck? What's the big difference? And, to a degree, you're right. But there are some pros and cons to switching fabrics...

The advantages of switching to the darker fabric:

1. Better photos - it'll be much easier to see the white threads and the patterns they form, etc., on the darker fabric.
2. Higher count and smoother hand - the Edinburgh linen seems to have a smoother hand, and it definitely has a higher count thread, which is good for non-counted, non-drawn-thread whitework techniques, such as regular surface embroidery. The higher the count, the easier (I think) it is to work trailing designs, satin stitching, and so forth.

The disadvantages of switching:

1. OHHHH - it's SWITCHING!!! I probably don't need to explain this one!! I've already made some progress, I'd have to rinse and iron and re-frame the fabric... you know the drill. Argh! We could almost include wasting the other fabric in here, but I don't really consider it a waste, and it isn't that much fabric. UGH! The set-up of a project is not my favorite part, needless to say!

2. The higher thread count also poses a con, when working drawn thread techniques. It's just downright easier to do drawn thread work on a lower count fabric. Also, in the Ukranian drawn thread stuff, I wonder if 36 count might be a wee bit too high? I'll have to contact Yvette on that one....

So ---- HELP!!!

Whadyareckon? What are your thoughts? What should I do?

To switch, or not to switch - that is the question!
Whether 'tis nobler to suffer with discontent of color,
Or to take scissors against this framed-up pale stuff,
And by cutting and unframing, end it?

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, fabric for embroidery, linen, miscellaneous embroidery musings, pictures, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Thursday, February 05, 2009
PermaLink  |  13 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Wednesday, February 04, 2009
PermaLink  |  6 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

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

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

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

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

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



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



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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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

If you have a feedreader, you can sign up for my RSS feed if you prefer. You'll get the latest news from Needle 'n Thread on the day that it's posted!

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

Labels: embroidery resources, goldwork, pictures, threads

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Tuesday, February 03, 2009
PermaLink  |  2 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

The weekend has come and gone! I made little progress (almost none) on any embroidery this weekend, though I did manage to do two embroidery-related things. I'll tell you about those and show you some photos of a little bit of drawn thread embroidery that I worked last week.

First, the embroidery-related things I managed to accomplish:

1. I played quite a bit with the plaited braid stitch. This does not by any stretch of the imagination mean I created anything beautiful with it. In fact, what I have to show for any efforts along these lines is just a mess. I simply worked with it. I'll tell you about that when I can take better photos.

2. I managed to film ONE video for my video library of hand embroidery stitches, and actually put it together, though it's not edited completely and there's no sound on it yet. I've got some delightful bronchial sore throat thing going on, so I sound like a frog.... and yes, Marian - it's for Turkey Work. (I think it was Marian??!)

I don't know about you all, but does it seem as if the weekends go faster the more you look forward to them? I've determined to stop looking forward to weekends, in the hopes that they will last longer if I don't anticipate them! Sheesh. I accomplished no "real" stitching this weekend.

But here are a few photos of some drawn thread stuff I managed playing around with last week.



Actually, all I really got done was the inside of that top piece. The rest was finished weekend before last!



I kind of like the inside of this - it was spontaneous, and it just happened to work out evenly spaced. I counted off threads in the fabric as I went, and decided to add one more little eyelet here or there to make it even. I'm using #20 coton a broder, and the fabric is 32 count linen.



Besides the inside square eyelets up there (it's actually Algerian Eye stitch, pulled tight to open the middle hole), I stitched one edge on what will be a Ukranian drawn thread motif.

I'm working this little bit straight from Yvette Stanton's Ukranian Drawn Thread embroidery book. Wow. Talk about a good book! If you're at all interested in Drawn Thread embroidery, you should look this one up! Her instructions are so precise - I don't think I've seen their equal in any other needlework book. She takes you step-by-step (with photos and diagrams) through each practice motif. So I'm going to work one of her little practice motifs here.

And that, my friends, is all I have to show for this past weekend! Maybe the week will go better? Let's hope so!

Don't forget to sign up for my January stash give-away, if you haven't done so already. Read the original post carefully, follow the directions in answering the question, and leave a comment on the original post!

Have a great Monday!!

Labels: drawn thread embroidery, needlework pictures, pictures, whitework

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Monday, February 02, 2009
PermaLink  |  5 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this

 

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

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

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

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

Anyway, to get to the link!

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



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

What?

What does it look like to you?

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

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

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



They were helicopters!

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

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

Have a great Sunday!

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

Click here to read the whole post & comments.

Posted By: Mary Corbet on Sunday, February 01, 2009
PermaLink  |  7 comments  | Click to Comment

Share this