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Mary Corbet

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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

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Stitch Snippet Sneak Peek

 

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Last year, when contemplating the Stitch Snippets series for 2022, I wasn’t really sure what direction to go in with the series.

I had a notion of what I wanted to present, but it wasn’t until a little later in the year – around September, as we finished up this dragonfly project – that my ideas began to solidify.

Today, I thought I’d give you a little sneak peek of the first Stitch Snippet for this year, tell you some of its story, and let you know what you can expect with this particular project which will shortly begin to develop here on Needle ‘n Thread.

Stitch Snippet: Pincushion Sneak Peek

Originally, the Snippets were not going to be full-fledged, finished projects. Originally, I thought they would be just small snippets of embroidery that you could take and develop into your own particular project with your own particular vision.

But as we drew to the conclusion of last year’s How to Embroider (Blank) series, it became a little more evident to me that small projects from start to finish are often more instructive than isolated, out-of-context needlework.

It became clear, through communication with folks in the wider Needle ‘n Thread community – and especially those following the How to Embroidery (Blank) series – that a completed project goes a long way in building confidence with the needle.

So the first project I decided to present in the series was a pincushion. I’ve been playing with this particular pincushion vision for a while – ever since I started my hexie quilt – and I knew that its small structure would make for a good Snippet.

As a Snippet, it will result in something small. (A pincushion is small, right?)

It will give the stitcher the opportunity to dabble with some varied supplies, including some lovely sparkly beads (I blinged it well up!), if you want to.

It will instruct on various techniques – not just embroidery, but finishing techniques, too.

And the pincushion will work up into a nice, useful, pretty little package in its finished construction.

For those who want to work with the same supplies I used, I will have a limited number of Snippet kits available. I’ve gone to great lengths to keep these kits small and affordable, while supplying all the materials you need to complete the project, except the filling for your pincushion and some sewing thread. Linen, floss, beads, Fireline, charms, interfacing, mat board, needles – it’s all there for you in the kit, packaged simply to keep costs down.

I’m really excited about this project! I hope that you will enjoy following along, whether you decide to stitch the pincushion or not. I’ll be sharing tips & techniques along the way that you can apply to your own projects, as well as troubleshooting pitfalls, suggesting alternative ideas, and so forth.

It’ll be a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to sharing the journey with you!

As soon as the kits are ready, I’ll have them available in my shop, and I’ll announce them on the website at that time. With the first launch of these kits, I won’t be creating an advanced notice list. This will give me a better idea of how to gauge quantities for launching these kits. Thanks for understanding!

 
 

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(30) Comments

  1. That is such a great idea! For us beginners having a finished project is so much easier than trying to figure out what to do with it.

    1
    1. Hi, Marie – I don’t have an advanced notice for the pincushion kit. Whenever I launch something new like this, I announce the launch date and time ahead of time, and only if it sells out do I start an advanced notice list. So that’s the plan on this one! I’ll let everyone know the date and time that the kit will be posted for sale.

  2. This is so exciting! A failed felting experiment has been my pin cushion for years. On another note, my huge cache of beads from bead stitching can be repurposed for this project. That’s an additional bonus!

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  3. I love this snippet! The pin cushion project sounds wonderful. Will you announce your kits for it to us on Patreon? Thank you for all your planning and the time you put in to make these available to us.
    Have a wonderful day!

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  4. What a charming little pincushion! I’ll be eagerly awaiting its debut on your site. You are absolutely correct in your guess that a finished project piques more interest than a stand-alone piece of embroidery with no end use in sight, at least for me.

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  5. Oh my! You’ve done it again. Love embroidery. Love beads. LOVE pincushions. Already pushed aside the many projects I was going to do next, this goes to the top of the list.

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  6. I have fallen into the “rabbit hole” with this first Snippet project! I can’t stop looking at it!
    What I am wondering about is the name of the stitch that you used to finish the top and bottom edging. I
    certainly need to do a lot of practicing before I get the kit!
    This pin cushion really has inspired me with your impressive talent, Mary… Thank you so much!
    Roberta

    12
  7. Oh my goodness. This is just the kind of small that I have been gathering across different types of stitching. You hit the bullseye here! Yay!

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  8. I love the idea of making a pin cushion. This is a very cute one. Please give us more details as you can.

    Happy New Year
    Kathy

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  9. You said, “But as we drew to the conclusion of last year’s How to Embroider (Blank) series, it became a little more evident to me that small projects from start to finish are often more instructive than isolated, out-of-context needlework.”

    Oh, yes!! Like you, I collect Stitch Bibles. Generally, you saw a line of stitch, or maybe a square block, but not terribly informative. (Probably one of the reasons I started the collection … searching for ones that would tell me The Really Important Stuff ™ — what can you actually *DO* with this stitch? But (and as the politics on FB got so bad), I started haunting Reddit, and then Instagram. Between your blog, and Insta all that has changed. Seeing stitches used in a Finished Piece has been a game changer for me, personally. Take cast-on stitch. It makes an interesting line, but …. roses? Daffodils? Oh, my yes!!

    Mind you, I don’t mind isolated motifs, but show me what I can do with said stitch and/or technique!

    As soon as my RA settles down, and I recover from the after-effects of the booster, there **WLL** be stitching!!

    16
  10. Hi Mary, this is great. Looking forward to the small projects this year. Thank you, wonderful posts. Sandi

    18
  11. This is so pretty! One of the prettiest pin cushions I have seen in awhile! This will definitely be one of my crafting purchases for this year!

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  12. Thats a very pretty pincushion. And it avoids one thing that so many embroidered cushions have – so much embroidery on top that I’d be afraid someone would acutaly use it.

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  13. Count me in! I am going to get myself back to stitching after I move by the end of January. That means, no more excuses. I have to start stitching again. I have been on a four year mental hiatus, and I am SO over it.

    This looks like just the type of project I am capable of working and completing! So if you are keeping a list, Mary, please know I enthusiastically look forward to these being available. I still owe myself the Leafy Tree kit that I have not worked, and I am hoping this leads me to be inspired to go forth and needle once again.

    Thanks.

    22
  14. This is great. I can’t wait to get started. Good timing too. I was just looking for pin cushion plans because I need one on my machine and on my cutting table.

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  15. I had an appointment and couldn’t get online in time to order a kit. =-( Will all instructions and materials be on you website?

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    1. Yep! It’s a stitch-along on the website. So everything will show up here as it unfolds, just like all the other step-by-step tutorials that I’ve blogged about. I will have more kits available as soon as possible, so if you want advanced notice for when they come in, just drop me a line!

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