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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On Needle Threaders -and a Cheap One, but Hey…!

 

Amazon Books

I’m always looking for solutions to share with you, to make your embroidery life easier.

So when the conversation about a lighted needle threader popped up over in the Needle ‘n Thread Community on Facebook, I found myself exploring a topic that I think could come in handy for those of us who have rotten eyesight for whatever reason – or for those who struggle to thread needles for whatever reason!

One of the gals in the community (thank you, Pamela) posted a picture of a cheap little plastic needle threader that’s lighted, and asked if anyone had tried one. An engaging conversation pursued about different types of needle threading and threaders.

Being somewhat attracted to gadgets, my only take-away was that silly little threader. I have seen lighted needle threaders here and there – I think Dritz, among other companies, makes one – but the reviews are always pretty average or below average. So I never bothered. But this one, for some reason, was different. I had to try one of those little cheap plastic needle threaders! It became a kind of obsession.

Plastic needle threader with LED light
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Embroidered Botanicals by Yumiko Higuchi – A Book Review

 

Good morning, and happy Monday!

Let’s kick off the week with a quick look at Embroidered Botanicals, the latest embroidery book by Yumiko Higuchi in the “Japanese craft style.”

I’ve followed Yumiko’s work on social media for a while – I really like the cleanness and precision of her style. And while I’ve not been thrilled with every book published under her name, I really like this book, and I’ll show you why.

You should be aware that the name is a bit misleading, though, as the book is not entirely devoted to embroidered botanicals. Part of it is, but there’s lots of other stuff going on in here, too.

Embroidered Botanicals by Yumiko Higuchi
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Needlework News Snips – September, 2019

 

It’s been a long, long time since we’ve taken a little browse together through needlework news and inspirations.

With the days getting shorter and the nights getting longer, I always find autumn to be a perfect season for embroidery. It’s the time of year when I start thinking of inside evenings and I start planning what to do once the weather starts chilling up and the dark settles in much earlier.

We’re not quite there yet here in Kansas (the weather here apparently has no idea that autumn starts Monday), it’s still a good time to start plotting and planning, rubbing your hands with delight as you contemplate new needlework adventures in the season ahead! Perhaps some of the bits below will inspire you or maybe they’ll fill in that one little blank that starts you off on a new project.

So grab a cup of your favorite brew, and let’s have a wander together…

Needlework News Snips for September, 2019
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Starts & Stops: Beginning & Ending Threads on Sheer Fabric

 

On Monday, we looked at some introductory tips and information about stitching on organza.

Today, we’ll talk a little bit about the starts and the stops – that is, starting and ending threads when embroidering on sheer fabrics. I’m also going to share some news with you at the end of today’s article – there are a couple worthwhile things there to take note of!

The tricky thing when you’re working with fabrics as sheer as organza is this: any bit of thread that extends beyond the embroidery on the front is going to show. Whether it’s a little hairy smidgeon of thread from when it was snipped, or whether it’s a slight build up of thread right behind the stitching, if your fabric is transparent, there’s no missing that little extra something peaking out from the back.

Because of this, the starts and stops on your threads are important to consider!

Beginning and ending threads on sheer fabrics in embroidery
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Embroidering on Silk Organza: Tips, Resources, and Inspiration

 

One of the Many Wonders of hand embroidery is that it can be accomplished on practically any ground fabric (and even stuff other than fabric).

Lately, there’s a trend in full swing in the hand embroidery world to embroider on organza, which is a sheer fabric with a bit of body to it.

Embroidery on silk organza is actually nothing too new – it’s gone on in the clothing industry (especially in couture houses) for a long time – but working stand-alone, framable embroidery projects using organza as the ground fabric is pretty trendy right now.

To successfully embroider on something like organza, you have to keep a few things in mind. So I thought we’d chat about the whole concept of stitching on organza and I’d share some tips, resources, and inspiration with you.

Hand Embroidery on Silk Organza - Tips, Inspiration, Resources
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Festive Fall – Ready-to-Stitch Towel Sets are Available!

 

Well, this morning was not the morning I was supposed to be launching these ready-to-stitch autumn towel sets – but everything has piled up in a weird way this September!

So, to try to get ahead of some future events, I wanted to make these available and get them out to you, since I promised I would.

Besides, October will be here before we know it, and as you know, that’s when everyone goes Pumpkin Mad. We might as well have a head start!

Festive Fall ready to stitch towel sets
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Stabbing the Coral Stitch – Solutions for Hooped Embroidery

 

This morning, I’d like to share a little embroidery stitch tip with you.

If you like to embroider with your fabric taut* in a hoop, you may have found that some of the diagrams in stitch dictionaries are hard to imitate.

This is because most diagrams in stitch dictionaries illustrate the stitch in the most space-efficient way by showing it “sewn” rather than “stabbed” – by showing the needle mostly on the surface of the fabric, scooping up bits of the fabric to make the stitch, rather than being taken all the way to the back of the fabric.

If you’re not sure what the differences between stabbing and sewing a stitch are, you might want to read this article on stabbing vs sewing that I wrote a while ago.

“Sewing” embroidery stitches when your fabric is drum-taut* in a hoop or frame can be awkward and difficult. Sometimes, it’s just darned hard to scoop the fabric up!

And often, with some stitches, a sewn stitch looks significantly different from a stabbed stitch, due to the way the different methods cause the stitch to interact with the fabric.

Stabbing the Coral Stitch for embroidery with a hoop
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