I learned to embroider when I was a kid, when everyone was really into cross stitch (remember the '80s?). Eventually, I migrated to surface embroidery, teaching myself with whatever I could get my hands on...read more
Contact Mary
I learned to embroider when I was a kid, when everyone was really into cross stitch (remember the '80s?). Eventually, I migrated to surface embroidery, teaching myself with whatever I could get my hands on...read more
Contact Mary
October 24, 2025
Ooooh! I want to share this upcoming Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA) virtual lecture presentation with you!
The presenter is Katherine Diuguid, and she’ll be taking the participants through her creation of the Burgo de Osma Retable Sampler that she designed and executed for the Art Institute of Chicago.
October 22, 2025
Let’s kick off Wednesday with a little sneak peek!
Every year, I try to release at least one kind of Christmas ornament / decoration project here on Needle ‘n Thread – something accessible for beginners and beyond – that folks can use for their own holiday preparations or for gift-giving.
October 20, 2025
On an embroidery blog, it seems reasonable that my alphabetic recap series entry for the letter “E” could simply have been “Embroidery” – but that’s a pretty hefty umbrella!
Instead, I decided to highlight Egg Embroidery: that is, embroidery on an egg shell.
October 17, 2025
Over the years, I’ve highlighted many, many tapestry projects from around the world. Past or current, these tapestry projects have always fascinated me!
In recent decades, tapestries that use fabric and thread as a storytelling medium have become quite popular.
Although we’ve seen a plethora of them springing up around the world, they’re not really a new thing. The Bayeux Tapestry has been around for how long? Almost 1,000 years!
October 15, 2025
Let’s have a little bit of fun with an embroidery stitch today, shall we?
It’s been a while since I’ve done a Stitch Fun! tutorial here on Needle ‘n Thread, but we’ve got some exciting plans for stitch tutorials for 2026, so I thought I’d start playing with stitches a bit to prepare for that.
For those who don’t know, Stitch Fun! is a series of embroidery stitch tutorials here on Needle ‘n Thread, wherein we explore various approaches to stitches, composite stitches, and stitch combinations, just for the fun of it!
Included in the 2026 plan is the addition of a collection of “Stitch Printables” available for members of the Needle ‘n Thread Community on Patreon. I’ll be sharing the step-by-step tutorials as handy downloadable and printable PDFs for members. If you’re a member, you’ll find an expanded version of today’s tutorial available as a downloadable PDF.
October 10, 2025
D is for Dillmont – as in Therese De Dillmont.
Credited with a prolific amount of authorship of the old DMC publications (among other needlework books), Therese De Dillmont (an Austrian by birth) was a veritable force in the embroidery world in the latter half of the 1800’s.
If you’ve ever scoured about online for old DMC publications, you’ve likely heard of her.
I’ve highlighted her works here on Needle ‘n Thread several times in the past, so I thought we’d revisit those.
We’ll start with a free embroidery pattern that I re-created as a vector line drawing, using one of Dillmont’s public domain works, so that it would be easier for stitchers today to use.
Continue reading “D is for Dillmont – Dive Down this Rabbit Hole!”
October 8, 2025
Back in August, I bought a copy of May Morris Designs: The Essence and Soul of Beautiful Embroidery by Lynn Hulse, published by the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford.
Of course, my intention was to review it for you pretty quickly.
But Did I?!? Nooooo.
Last week, I heard from Lynn, which prompted me to make a concerted effort to finish reading the book, so that I could write a thorough review.
But Have I finished it? Noooo.
And yet here I am, telling you about a book that I haven’t finished reading yet. But look, I’m more than halfway there! I Just don’t like to rush through this kind of book!
If you’re a fan of Morris and the era and you didn’t know this book is available, now you’ll know, and you can add it to your library.
Why would you want to add this particular book about May Morris’s work to your library? Well, numerous reasons – but I’ll quickly highlight the reasons that I think are most compelling.
