May 25, 2026

Maniturgium Update

Happy Monday, and finally, a project update! I’m writing this on Monday, May 18th, and if all goes as planned, when you read it on Monday, May 25th, I will be mostly recovered from last week’s tendon-release surgery on my right thumb and stitching again. That’s my hope while I’m writing this.

I leave tomorrow (May 19th) for the procedure down in Oklahoma City, and I am determined to queue up enough blog posts to get me through ten days of recovery without having to type for extended periods of time.

In the spirit of the best laid schemes of mice and men, I have not finished this maniturgium project as of Monday, May 18th at 9:00 AM. I sorely wanted to, but “sorely” is the operative word. I’ve been working on it in every spare moment at home, but my hand just can’t keep up the pace.

I’ll show you how far I got on the project before surgery, and I’ll show you my stitching set-up at home. It’s worked pretty well so far. At the end of this article, there’s a chronological list of all the previous articles on this project, too, in case you want to learn more about it.

Hand Embroidery Books

May 22, 2026

Richly Stitched Landscape Embroidery: Review + Give-away!

My friends, I think I have my Embroidery Book of 2026!

Yes, there are several embroidery books coming out in 2026 that I think are worth noting and highly desirable. I’ve already got a few on the calendar for review.

But this book – THIS book! – ticks all my little-embroidery-lovin’-heart’s boxes, on several levels. There is so much about it that is instructive – also on several levels – and so much about it that’s just downright charming.

Couple these points with the fact that it presents an approach to embroidery that can be highly customized into deeply personal and unique embroidery works, and I think you’ll understand why, even this early in the year, I think it is most likely my Embroidery Book of 2026 – and perhaps even beyond 2026. I suspect I will use it as a reference, project, practice, and inspirational book well beyond this year.

Please allow me to show you, up close, Cassandra Dias’s Richly Stitched Landscape Embroidery, published by C&T Publishing, and available worldwide now. Are you familiar with Cassandra’s work? If not, pop by her Instagram channel! You will be mesmerized by her landscapes.

Stick with me through the review, and at the end, you’ll have the opportunity to win your very own digital copy of the book, courtesy of C&T Publishing.

Richly Stitched Landscape Embroidery by Cassandra Dias

Uncategorized

May 20, 2026

W is for Wool!

Today, let’s explore the archives here on the Needle ‘n Thread and focus on W, for wool.

Oh my Word. Wow! Wool can be a Whopping & Weighty subject here, because it’s come up a lot over the past 20 years!

To keep things a little simpler, I’m just going to highlight key wooly articles – some that have to do with stitching with wool threads, some that have to do with embroidered wool (you’ll see what I mean), and some that have to do with other (kind of like the miscellaneous junk drawer in my kitchen).

So, come, come! Let’s talk about wool! As Alfred Doolittle would say, I’m Willing to tell you! I’m Wanting to tell you! I’m Waiting to tell you! … all about wool.

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May 18, 2026

Embroidery Design Transfer: Let’s Talk about Carbon Transfers

After 20 years of blogging, I always think I’ve answered just about every question about design transfer, but then someone surprises me and says, “I’ve searched all over your site for an answer to this, and I can’t find it!”

And then I search all over my site looking for an answer, too, because I can’t remember whether I’ve written about it or not.

Such was the case with the topic of transferring embroidery designs with carbon paper (or similar products).

I have touched on this topic before here and there (specifically, a million years ago, I used this method to transfer the design on this project), but I’ve not jumped head-first into it because I don’t often use carbon methods and materials for transferring designs.

Still, I have the tools and materials for this approach for the occasional times I do use it, so let’s talk about the process, the pros and cons, how it’s done, types of transfer mediums out there for this approach, and so forth.

I’m pretty sure this will comprise two (or more) blog posts to cover the topic thoroughly. But at least by then I’ll be able to say, “Oh yes. I’ve written about that, and you can find it here!”

Uncategorized

May 15, 2026

Weekend Diversion: Museum Embroidery & Another Dress

Welcome to the Weekend, and another delightful diversion for needlework enthusiasts!

If you want to dive down a rabbit hole or two this weekend and explore some interesting bits of embroidery from the past, I’ve got two terrific resources for you.

But be warned!

Rabbit holes are notoriously captivating. And once you’re in… you’re in!

Let’s start with a very famous museum with very notable textile holdings – specifically, the V&A in London (the Victoria & Albert Museum).

Uncategorized

May 13, 2026

V is for Velvet Stitch & Victorian Tufting – Two More Fluffy Stitches

Week before last, in our exploration of the archives here on Needle ‘n Thread, we took a look at Turkey Work, which is a fluffy, dimensional embroidery stitch.

I would say that, among the fluffy, dimensional embroidery stitches out there, Turkey Work (also called “Ghiordes knot stitch”) is probably the most well-known.

But there are other ways to create a fluffy surface on your embroidery projects! Today, as we continue the ABC Archive Series, I’m highlighting two more stitches that can achieve very similar results to Turkey Work: Velvet Stitch and Victorian Tufting.

V is for Velvet Stitch and Victorian Tufting

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May 11, 2026

Sneak Peek: Our Next Stitch-Along

We have a summer stitch-along coming up here on Needle ‘n Thread, and today, I’ll sneak peek the project we’re preparing for you.

If you’re not familiar with our stitch-alongs on Needle ‘n Thread, I’ll also share some details about them below, so you can know what to expect.

When we first started doing these stitch-alongs – which I called Stitch Snippets – we were trying to fit in four a year. That become unmanageable. Now, we do two a year, one of which is usually a Christmas ornament. The other comes out somewhere in late spring or early summer. This year, it will be High Summer before we get started, I’m afraid.

But that’s appropriate because….

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

Maniturgium Update

Richly Stitched Landscape Embroidery: Review + Give-away!

W is for Wool!

Embroidery Design Transfer: Let’s Talk about Carbon Transfers

Weekend Diversion: Museum Embroidery & Another Dress

V is for Velvet Stitch & Victorian Tufting – Two More Fluffy Stitches

Sneak Peek: Our Next Stitch-Along

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos