How To
Tips & Techniques
Patterns
Members Books
Shop Patreon Search
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

Contact Mary

Connect with Mary

     
Types of Hand Embroidery  
Pictures of Hand Embroidery  

Archives

2025 (86) 2024 (135) 2023 (125) 2022 (136) 2021 (130) 2020 (132) 2019 (147) 2018 (146) 2017 (169) 2016 (147) 2015 (246) 2014 (294) 2013 (294) 2012 (305) 2011 (306) 2010 (316) 2009 (367) 2008 (352) 2007 (225) 2006 (139)

Tags

See All Tags

  • How-To
    Videos

    Over 75 Embroidery Stitch Videos to Help You Learn

  • Embroidery Tips & Techniques

    A Collection of Instructional Articles

 
Uncategorized

January 9, 2020

And We’re Off! First Embroidery Projects of 2020

 

Amazon Books

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of getting started!

You know when you have a task looming in front of you, and you’re just not sure where to start – or how to start, or the best way to start?

Sometimes, the key is just starting! And with that in mind, here’s my start on my first embroidery projects that will materialize into Something of Some Sort in 2020.

The way I go about projects and the way you might go about projects is probably slightly different, just because I use the projects I do as demos here on the website, or as possible kit or e-book content, or as a springboard for tutorials and so forth.

But in some respects, our approach would be the same. So here’s my start! And maybe it will give you some ideas on how to start your own potential project, too.

First embroidery projects of 2020
Continue reading “And We’re Off! First Embroidery Projects of 2020”

Uncategorized

January 7, 2020

It All Starts with Thread

 

I’m a little late to the New Year’s party, but now it’s time to kick off 2020 here on Needle ‘n Thread.

Happy 2020, my friends! I hope it is a fruitful year for all of us in every regard!

Over my short holiday (holidays always seem short to me… I wonder why?), I started lining up projects for the new year and assessing my carry-over projects from previous years (of which there are several).

While I was milling about, mulling over this project and that, I kept coming back to thread. It seems that every idea that’s brewing for Needle ‘n Thread at the moment comes down to thread. I have designs. I have fabric. I need to make thread choices.

Overdyed floche hand embroidery thread
Continue reading “It All Starts with Thread”

Uncategorized

December 27, 2019

A Stitcher’s Christmas, 2019 – Tied Up!

 

Good morning, my friends, and welcome to the very Last installment of A Stitcher’s Christmas, 2019, where I’ll let you know the winners for the last two gifts.

Before going any further, I want to send out a Huge Thank You to all the small businesses who joined in this year’s series. If you are looking for needlework supplies or goods that come from reputable small businesses with excellent customer service, please frequent them!

In fact, if you’re ever looking for a specific resource, you can drop me a line and if I know who might have it, or can point you in a direction, I’m happy to do that. It’s so important to support small needlework businesses if we want to keep the industry thriving!

Besides announcing the winners of today’s give-away, I’ll give you some numbers for those of you who diligently counted items in my Christmas card photo that I posted on Wednesday. And then a little Public Service Announcement…

Tying up a Stitcher's Christmas, 2019
Continue reading “A Stitcher’s Christmas, 2019 – Tied Up!”

Uncategorized

December 23, 2019

Stitcher’s Christmas #10: Floche – the Whole Set!

 

Good morning! Happy Eve of Christmas Eve – and welcome to the last installment of this year’s Stitcher’s Christmas series on Needle ‘n Thread!

Today’s give-away is a little bit different. It came to me out of the blue, from Phyllis Brown in North Carolina, who wrote to offer a whole set of cotton floche for this year’s series! Needless to say, for your sakes, I couldn’t resist! I’m really excited to offer it to you, because I love floche.

The give-away is for a whole set of 1/3-hank twists of floche (around 56 yards per twist, with one of every 90+ colors), to one super duper lucky winner! I’ll tell you more about it below.

I’ll also announce the winner of last Wednesday’s give-away for Jenny Adin-Christie’s beautiful needlework tools.

Stitcher's Christmas: Set of Floche embroidery thread
Continue reading “Stitcher’s Christmas #10: Floche – the Whole Set!”

Uncategorized

December 20, 2019

Stitcher’s Christmas #9: Get Your Red & Green On!

 

Haaaaappy Friday!

As we get closer and closer to Christmas, we’re running out of Stitcher’s Christmas installments. I’ll be sad when this yearly pre-Christmas party is over – I love reading the comments!

For today’s gifts – there are two of them – we’re going to go to those traditional Christmas colors of red and green. That’s right! Lisa at The French Needle has put together two sumptuous packages of embroidery supplies, one red and one green. These are perfect for stash enhancing for any embroiderer who likes to mix things up with fibers, fabrics, and threads – and if you happen to be a crazy quilter, I think you’d be seventh heaven with the selections!

I’ll also announce the winners of Monday’s crewel wool collections from Renaissance Dyeing at the end of today’s article, so read on!

Red & Green embroidery supplies from French Needle
Continue reading “Stitcher’s Christmas #9: Get Your Red & Green On!”

Uncategorized

December 18, 2019

Stitcher’s Christmas #8: Jenny’s Stitching Tools

 

Welcome to Installment #8 of A Stitcher’s Christmas for 2019!

I’ve noticed over the years of writing here on Needle ‘n Thread that there are two things that stitchers especially love: good thread and good tools!

This year’s Stitcher’s Christmas has featured a good selection of threads (and more to come), and we’ve had one installment featuring tools. As we come towards the end of the series, I’m very happy to present you with some more beautiful tools for hand embroidery.

After Jenny Adin-Christie launched her new website earlier this year, I reviewed this snazzy little laying tool of hers. It’s one of my favorite stitching tools!

I jumped on her newly-launched site and indulged in a few of her other bits and bobs, too – like her bead / goldwork trays, a ceramic waxer, and a delicate, hand-painted needle minder. There’s nothing on her site that isn’t lovely and isn’t, I’m sure, very well made.

So I reached out to Jenny to ask if she wanted to join in on this year’s Stitcher’s Christmas, and she gave a very enthusiastic yes, offering a nice selection of four beautiful tools for one of you.

I’ll tell you all about them and then announce the winners of last week’s book give-away. So read on…

Jenny Adin-Christie needlework tools for a Stitcher's Christmas
Continue reading “Stitcher’s Christmas #8: Jenny’s Stitching Tools”