About

Mary Corbet

writer and founder

 

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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Two Embroidery Finishes & a Key

 

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Just to prove that something really does get accomplished occasionally in my embroidery world, here are two finishes since the beginning of the week.

I’ve actually finished so many tasks since Monday morning, that I feel a little justified in taking at least part of today off. I think I’ll go out to lunch, go see a movie, do a little shopping… oh wait.

Nyah. I’ll just stay here and work. Why not?!

Ok, let’s browse through these finishes. I’ll add some commentary about what you’re seeing, but I’ll try to keep it pretty short!

Hand embroidered floral heart with key
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Finishing, Foibles, & the Proverbial Light

 

What a weekend! You’d think that, with the whole isolation thing going on, it would be really easy to focus and achieve Great Things when it comes to needlework projects.

For me, I’m more like the dogs distracted by the squirrels in Up. “Squirrel!”

Or the goldfish swimming around the bowl with its every-three-second discovery: “Oh, look! A castle!”

It was so easy to completely forget what I was supposed to be doing and to be instantly distracted by something else.

This is not a good thing, as I’ve established a number of deadlines for myself.

But deadlines are never as attractive as The Next Thing. That Big Idea. The Experiment I Should Try Right Now. Those Videos I’ve Been Meaning to Watch. (Squirrel!) Those Hexies and That Audiobook. That Little Bin I Found to Organize those Things. What Bin? (Hey Look! A Castle!)

That’s how my weekend went. I was the Queen of Procrasti-distraction. Maybe it’s not the worst personality foible, but it doesn’t get one very far. I was a little dismayed that Monday came without much to show for the weekend.

But at least Monday came! And it’s a good day to begin again!

So let’s talk about a needlework finish that’s not finished.

Floral Heart embroidered sachet - finishing
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Pick What You Like – Color Choices for Embroidery

 

I’ve had a lot of questions lately about color choices for hand embroidery, specifically when it comes to working designs like the Spring Variety designs in the ready-to-stitch towel set we looked at a couple weeks ago. (Incidentally, those and several other design sets on the ready-to-stitch towels are back in stock right now, if you’ve been waiting.)

Basically, the questions all boil down to this notion: how do I know what color to stitch where on an embroidery design?

This can apply to any embroidery design – we all face that color-making decision every time we stitch, if we’re not following someone else’s pre-determined color scheme.

And while this may seem like a very basic question, it’s a very good question. But it’s difficult to answer because there’s no set formula, despite theories of color, color wheels, design advice, and so forth.

Let’s chat about it a bit…

Pick What You Like: Color Choices for Embroidery
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Little Tulips for Spring: Free Hand Embroidery Design

 

Since it’s April 1st…

…and since it’s Wednesday (which doesn’t have that much to do with anything)…

…and since many of us are enjoying our forced hiatus by indulging in extra time to embroider…

…it seems to me like a great day to share a wee, simple, and free hand embroidery design that’s perfect for Spring!

Now, this particular design, which consists of the same little tulip repeated across a horizontal line and a vertical line, can be broken down and rearranged however you want! I’ll share some stitching ideas below.

Little Tulips for Spring hand embroidery design
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Haute Couture Rose, Collaboration, Supplies, and Winners!

 

Why, hello and a happy Monday to you! I hope you survived the weekend and got a heap of stitching done!

I managed a little bit of stitching and a lotta-bit of planning this past weekend. Things like measuring. Preparing to shift furniture. Getting ready to install shelving. It was all just way too exciting for words.

Today, I’ve got a few goodies for you. Ready?

Needle in a Haystack and Needle 'n Thread Accessories
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Cut First, then Measure? Whoops!

 

Remember my floral heart project that goes with the voided monogram set I’ve been working on? It’s that colorful, cheerful, fun thing I wrote about a couple weeks ago?

Well, the finish work on that provides a pretty good teaching moment – a good lesson for all of us. The lesson centers around an adage that you may have heard if you sew a lot, but it applies to embroiderers as well:

Measure twice (for me it should be “measure twice x 10”); cut once.

Floral Heart Embroidery - finishing
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My Little Pin Keep – and Keeping Things Going

 

For many embroiderers, needleworkers, crafters, and hobbyists of all ilk, tools and accessories are a part of our lives. The right tools and accessories not only make it easier, more efficient, or simply more pleasant to master a skill, but if they go beyond functional to attractive, they also add a real aesthetic pleasure to our leisure time.

Recently, I received a really pretty (and functional) little pin keep, and I want to show that to you today, tell you what a pin keep is and how it can be serviceable, and then talk a bit about the needlework industry and share some ideas as things get a bit sticky in our current situation.

Pin keep from Needle in a Haystack
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