Wow! It didn’t take long for April to fly by, did it?
I’ve gathered up a few embroidery-related links for you to explore this weekend. It’s a short list this weekend – just enough for your morning coffee break! Let’s spend it browsing together, shall we?
Today’s short list of collected links include some inspiration, some instruction, and an embroidery supply resource you won’t want to miss!
Stumpwork Videos
I first came across this stumpwork video on Facebook. It features a project that finishes as a magnificent spray of three-dimensional embroidered roses. The video is in Russian, but there are English subtitles. You can even turn the sound on mute and just watch the video to glean the instructional points easily.
But, better yet, visit the YouTube page of the embroiderer – you’ll find all kinds of stumpwork videos!
Careful – it’s kind of like falling down the rabbit hole.
Inspiration: Embroidery & Quilting
I just have to point out once again Kelly Cline’s long arm quilting over embroidery pieces. Her latest two pieces are stunning! One of these days, I swear I’m going to send her some defunct vintage embroidery to see what kind of magic she can work on them. I think what she does is pretty darned incredible! It’s a great way to re-purpose otherwise un-used vintage embroidery and the like, to make it usable and displayable again.
In any case, check out these two pieces: This Flower Dancer in Brazilian Embroidery and this framed quilted hankie. Gorgeous!
For me, Kelly’s website is definitely a rabbit hole. I love browsing through it! And I don’t even quilt!
Embroidery Thread?
Oh dear. I apologize in advance.
This past week, a reader sent me a link to Threads Be Gone.
Have you heard of it? People! It totally feeds the addiction! Yes, it’s all about embroidery threads! Think: Stash Building! Think: Stash Building at a Discount!
What you have here is a small business based on a big idea. Dale and David Miller have discovered what to do with overabundant stash that people want to get rid of. They organize it, package it, sell it. It’s not used stuff – they’re full skeins. You can find packets of 20 skeins of DMC or Anchor floss for only $4. That works out to 20 cents a skein! (That’s a great price, especially for Anchor.) While you can’t pick and choose individual colors, you can see photos of the color collections you’re purchasing, and pick color groupings that you like.
They have all kinds of other threads, too – perle cottons, some Caron threads, Anchor Marlitt, DMC floss, DMC Medici, Rainbow Gallery threads, Kreinik, Needle Necessities, Treenway silks – the list goes on and on!
For crazy quilters especially, the grab bags would be of interest. There are Watercolor grab bags, Rainbow Gallery grab bags. And they have something on there called Mystery Bags, too, which sound…mysterious.
Speaking of rabbit holes… have fun!
Learn Embroidery on the West Coast
And, finally, for your viewing and planning pleasure, if you don’t know it already, the San Francisco School of Needlework & Design is up and running. This is the endeavor of Lucy Barter, formerly the Royal School of Needlework’s instructor in San Francisco.
Now she has her own full blown school of needlework, working in conjunction with several instructors at all different levels.
I’m so impressed with what Lucy has done and what she continues to do for needlework in the US. I hope the SF School of Needlework & Design really takes off and flies – for a long, long time!
If you plan on visiting San Francisco in the near future, why not plan your trip around a class at the San Francisco School of Needlework & Design?
The End
And that, my friends, is your short little weekend list. Enjoy it – and then go spend some quality time with your needle and thread!
See you next week!
Dear Mary
I’ve just watched the stumpwork video and saved it to my bookmark great video, I really would like to try something like that, lots of ideas are entering my head for these lovely roses. Embroidery Thread is a great idea what a good way to share unwanted thread, I hope something like this will happen in the UK. Thanks for sharing these these snip bits with us and I hope you have a great weekend.
Regards Anita Simmance
Oh, thank you for the link to Malina G M’s videos, Mary! I don’t feel inspired to make stumpwork flowers, but they are cleverly made. The work she does in satin and long and short, using knitting rayon, is marvellous to watch. I found the instructions very clear and understandable, despite not knowing a word of Russian.
Down the rabbit hole, indeed!!! Thank you, Mary!
I hope the SF school will be up and running for some time. I having my hand operated on May 9…and will be out of commission for about 8 weeks or more. I’m having LTSI…I think those are the letters. Due to painful arthritis they are removing the trapezium bone in my left hand, rolling up my excess overstretched tendon in its place, and adding a mersiline sling for pinch strength…. Yikes. But the pain has become far too much to endure.
Oh Mary, you keep leading us into temptation!! The threads website is alluring and the dancing lady and quilting are sublime. Oh, if only…..
Threads Be Gone website…oh my. Delicious.
Mary, thank you for these wonderful links! Wish I could speak Russian!
In her Stumpwork video what kind of fabric is she using in her hoop? She moves so fast and precise, wish I could do that !
Always love finding new places to buy thread!!
Dear Mary,
Thank you, thank you for including the information about Kelly Cline’s “Flower Dancer” and her quilting vintage handkerchiefs. My goodness, they are absolutely beautiful.
The “Flower Dancer” is pure inspiration. The quilted handkerchief idea may save hundreds of beautiful hankies from being tossed because people today frequently don’t really appreciate them and those of us that love hankies don’t know what to do with them if family members won’t want them. I can’t wait to try quilting one of my many hankies…. just can’t get enough of them! : )
Thank you for the lovely compliments, Mary!
I have just hauled myself out of the rabbit holes. Thanks for that Mary, I love rabbit holes.
First I went down the Threadsbegone one and fell right into the hole and then into love. Oh dear …..
then I came out and promptly fell down the next one, on the way learning how to make stumpwork roses in a language I couldn’t understand but which was very familiar to me from the time I spent living in Belgrade (I know that Russian is not Serbian and vice versa, but there are similarities especially in speech). Boy is Malina ever a whirlwind, and none too delicate about how she deals with recalcitrant bits of her roses. After watching a few of her videos, I dragged myself back to daylight. And here I am. On the way, I visited the quilter’s domain and found exquisite work although, like Mary, I am not a quilter.
Thanks Mary, I am glad you stopped at three though!
Rabbit Hole indeed! I’ve just spent time exploring the San Francisco School of Needlework site. (I haven’t moved on yet to the other places you mentioned, but those tabs are ready…) I wanted to encourage readers to read the portion “why needlework” on SF School. Really intriguing.
Thanks Mary (as usual) for sharing the sites lovely perusing for my Sunday afternoon.
Oh, I am so thrilled to hear about Lucy Barter’s new school. I’ve been wondering why the RSN stopped running courses in SF; now I know. I’ve wanted to do the RSN certificate for ages, but I can’t ever do any of the North American courses because I’m a teacher and the courses are in November and May. Now it looks like there may be an alternative. Yay!!!!