March 2, 2020

Shopping for Fabric in NYC

While I was out on my recent travel excursions – I went to visit three of my sisters who live in the Northeast – I was able to pop into New York City for a short bout of fabric shopping.

The Garment District in NYC features some great fabric shops, where, if you have the stamina and the guts, you can spend days exploring fabric inventory.

I didn’t have days, let alone stamina and guts. I had a day, and more specifically, a morning. And while I could have spent that entire morning in one fabric shop, I didn’t want to spend my short time in shops with overwhelming inventories. It’s just too much, and I’m not that kind of shopper.

I was thrilled to receive a very kind recommendation from a reader for a place in NYC to shop for linen, and after giving one of the larger shops on my list a quick glance-over (and determining that it wasn’t for me), I decided to seek out this particular recommendation. I’m so glad I did!

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February 28, 2020

Home with my Hexies & a Quick Tutorial

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig!

My recent little spurt of traveling has ended, and I’ve brought my travel project – this hexie quilt that we last talked about here – home, safe and sound, with a little bit of progress on it.

Of all the articles that I published on the blog while out and about, that one generated a massive amount of emails filled with all kinds of questions about my hexie process. And since time won’t let me answer each email directly, I thought I would write an article on my grab-and-go hexie quilt project, covering my process.

Now, I’m sure you’ve probably noticed that Needle ‘n Thread isn’t exactly a quilting website. I don’t pretend to be a quilter. I can’t guarantee that my process is “right” or “the best way” – this is just how I do it, for those who are curious or who are wanting to take up a similar project.

That said, this isn’t really rocket science. There are many different ways to take on this type of project, and many different approaches to piecing this type of quilt. I don’t think there’s necessarily one right way. Just like embroiderers, quilters have their favorite ways of doing things, and the upshot is this: if it works, and you like doing it that way, then … have at it!

Hexie grab and go quilt project - my process

Hand Embroidery Books

February 26, 2020

Inky Wonderlands & Embroidery Designs

Did you know that creating your own hand embroidery designs really just starts with doodling?

Well, I take that back. I’d say it starts with conscious or mindful doodling.

In case you haven’t seen it yet, Johanna Basford published a new book at the end of last year, focusing on learning to doodle in her particular style, which happens to be as suitable for stitching as it is for coloring. In fact, you can see my embroidered version of one of Johanna’s drawings here, if you want to take a look at it.

How to Draw Inky Wonderlands is a fabulous little resource for stitchers who like the contemporary doodling style and would like to dabble in creating their own designs to stitch in that style.

Let’s take a look at the book and chat about how it can be useful to the hand embroiderer.

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February 24, 2020

Embroidery Project Progress: Sometimes, You Have to Quit

Sometimes, you have to quit. It’s true! Sometimes, in the middle of a needlework project, you have to quit.

There can be myriad reasons why you have to quit a project. And the quitting may not be permanent. But it’s never a bad idea, when you feel inclined to quit, just to step away from it.

And that’s what happened with this whitework-on-natural embroidered monogram project.

Whitework on natural linen embroidered monogram

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February 21, 2020

Have (Embroidered) Casket, Will Travel?

Next month, from March 12 – March 15, Aiguille en Fête, one of the world’s premier needlework conventions, takes place in Paris at the Expo Porte de Versailles.

The convention and market boasts over 1000 hours of needlework workshops in all kinds of disciplines, with nearly 240 exhibitors showing off their wares. It is a “window on art and textile culture,” and it is well attended by people from all over the globe.

This year, Au Ver a Soie will be celebrating their 200th Anniversary, and their booth at the market will be all about celebrating that milestone.

Joining them will be Tricia Nguyen of Thistle Threads and Lamora Haidar of Access Commodities. These two intrepid ladies are the impetus behind bringing a multitude of beautiful new threads to the US market that are built on foundations of Au Ver a Soie silk.

Thistle Threads 17th century casket and Au Ver a Soie silks threads

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February 19, 2020

Color Schemes Galore! Resources for Stitching Color

Making good choices about colors to use in hand embroidery projects can sometimes be a real challenge.

On the one hand, color is a very personal (and subjective) thing.

But on the other hand, it’s also an objective consideration. Colors have to work together to achieve whatever it is the artist or craftsperson is trying to achieve. If they don’t work, it’s obvious, and it can be a real turn off.

This doesn’t mean that color always has to be “pleasing to the eye.” It depends on what you’re trying to do with your embroidery. Maybe you want to use colors that might be considered less than pleasing, to make a point. Maybe you want to create something that is shocking or that grabs the attention in a non-conventional way.

But for the most part, we normally strive to use pleasant color palettes that, objectively, most people will look at and think, “That’s beautiful!” or “That looks good,” or “That works,” even if they don’t personally like the color families. We don’t normally want our color choices to jar the audience or repulse the viewer.

Stitch Palettes website for color and embroidery

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February 17, 2020

Hexies & Traveling Needlework Projects

Traveling and needlework can very easily go hand-in-hand, depending on the type of traveling you’re doing and the type of needlework you’re toting along.

The travel and grab-and-go project that I’m working on this year (and last) is not actually an embroidery project. It’s a hand-pieced quilting project, using 3/4″ hexies. I first mentioned it here (which is where you can find some of the details about supplies and methods and so forth), and then I wrote a follow-up here, when things had moved along a bit.

The only other time I’ve mentioned the project is in this article, where I talked about using pencil and make-up cases and the like for needlework.

I’ve changed a few organizational aspects of the project, and I’ve made some good progress on it.

And since I’m traveling right now as we speak, I thought I’d show you how the quilt is coming along and mention a few organizational approaches I’ve taken with it. You can apply the same principles to embroidery projects as well!

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

Shopping for Fabric in NYC

Home with my Hexies & a Quick Tutorial

Inky Wonderlands & Embroidery Designs

Embroidery Project Progress: Sometimes, You Have to Quit

Have (Embroidered) Casket, Will Travel?

Color Schemes Galore! Resources for Stitching Color

Hexies & Traveling Needlework Projects

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos