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
June 15, 2026
Today, we arrive at Z!
And with Z comes the official end to the ABC Archives series here on Needle ‘n Thread!
Pulling Z way out of the deep archives, we’re going to talk about Z-Twisted threads.
This can be a rather confusing topic, and it might not matter a lot to you. But it can make a difference to your stitches under certain circumstances.
June 12, 2026
It’s summertime, and the bugs are out.
The most insistent summer bug in my life is the travel bug, and I get bit by it every year. I don’t have a lot of opportunities to travel, but I do like traveling. And heck, if I can’t go in person, I don’t mind armchair traveling!
Last winter, you might remember, Anna and I went to Prague. We didn’t get much farther afield in Czechia because of time limits. It was a good “taster” visit, as it was the first time either of us had been there.
Of course I want to go back! But next time, I want to go to Vamberk.
Why do I want to go to Vamberk?
Let’s explore the reason together, shall we? And then I have some website & studio news for you…
June 10, 2026
I’ll tell you why!
There aren’t a whole lot of Y options that I’ve covered in the deep recesses of Needle ‘n Thread, I’ve discovered. Short of the color yellow, I’ve had a hard time finding anything particularly Y-ish, aside from this Y.
So, continuing with our ABC Archive series here on Needle ‘n Thread, today, we shall look at the letter Y. Literally.
June 8, 2026
Here’s a little Monday update on embroidery work!
The maniturgium is almost finished. It’ll be sewn into a tube today, pressed a final time, wrapped in tissue paper and packaged nicely in a box, and on Wednesday, it’ll be FedExed to the client.
Amen.
Let’s take a look at the finished embroidery.
June 5, 2026
Hello, my friends, and welcome to The Weekend!
Today, we’re going to delve into a confusing topic for your weekend reading. I’m going to direct you to a couple publications that I think are Very Interesting and that – I think! – will help allay some of the confusion around thread weight.
Thread weight. What does that mean? Yes, it has to do with weight, in a sense, but in practical, physical, visible terms, it really means thread thickness. That is, what we see of and about the thread when using the thread. It involves the thread make-up – strands, plies, twists, and all the engineering bits that go into make a particular thread what it is, so that it can perform as that thread is meant to perform.
It can be a really confusing topic. And I should clarify before you jump into it that most of what you’ll read in the publications below are related to regular sewing threads and machine threads more than hand embroidery threads (though sometimes, the principles are applicable, despite the category).
I’ll also share some extensive updates from the Studio End of Needle ‘n Thread! So… read on!
June 3, 2026
Oh, I’m soooo happy that Elisabetta Sforza has published a new (and very beautiful) floral alphabet project book! Her newest is called Bouquet Letters, and it’s exquisite. It is lush, serene, and lovely!
And yes, the books have arrived and are stocked, so if you have Bouquet Letters – or any of Elisabetta’s books – on your wish list, we’ve got ’em! You’ll find them in the shop now.
Let’s take a look at Bouquet Letters up close…
June 1, 2026
Continuing the ABC Archive series here on Needle ‘n Thread just got really hard.
It’s not easy to come up with an X as an embroidery topic, that’s for sure!
I could have done x-stitch (abbreviating cross-stitch), but I kind of felt like that was cheating. So you know what I did?
I went to the search page here on Needle ‘n Thread, and I typed in the letter X to see what the search engine would spit out. And it spit out a lot of X’s!
