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
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
July 31, 2019
Well, if you’ve been awaiting The Leafy Tree embroidery kit, here’s the announcement:
The kit & e-book bundle will be released here on Needle ‘n Thread in my shop tomorrow, Thursday, August 1st, at 8:00 pm Central Time (KS, USA).
Here are all the details you’ll want to know ahead of time. (This guarantees that everyone reads the product description when they’re not in a hurry!)
July 29, 2019
A few weeks ago, when we talked about the whole Christmas in July thing, I asked about seasonal stitching.
Do you stitch seasonal things during that particular season, or do you stitch ahead of a season? I’ve always been lured into seasonal embroidery during any particular season or just shortly ahead of it, when I’m Really Yearning for a change of seasons.
I must be yearning for Autumn! Over the weekend, I put a little time into testing out some embroidery designs that I’ve been doodling around with for a while. They’re simple designs, but pretty, and great for relaxing with some stitching during the chillier evenings of Fall.
July 26, 2019
If you’re spending some time this weekend stitching in your own little world and you are looking for something entertaining and educational to watch, here’s something for you!
A Stitch in Time is a BBC series that aired in 2018. I’ll tell you about it here and give you some sources for viewing it.
July 24, 2019
Happy Wednesday!
Today, we’re going to look at another beautiful book by the queen of Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Di van Niekerk.
I’ve reviewed several of Di’s silk ribbon books here on Needle ‘n Thread. This one concentrates on a set of floral ribbon monograms and projects with embroidered words.
If you love silk ribbon embroidery, if you like dimensional stitching, if you enjoy a kind of multimedia approach to your projects, if you like crazy quilting which often sports ribbon work, if you are a fan of elaborate monograms – then this book will be right up your alley! There are lots of reasons to love it!
July 22, 2019
I’ve lately received not just a few little emails asking about the progress on my hexagon quilt that I first showed you here, which is my “grab and go” stitching project at the moment.
I don’t have as much time to work on it now, and I’m not really making time to work on it now – not like I did when I first got the project going. Now, it truly is a grab-and-go project, something I grab and take with me when I know I’ll be waiting around, biding time, and needing something to do with my hands.
Surprisingly, though, there is progress on the thing, and a lot more than I actually realized!
So, for the curious, here’s my progress, some insights to my current thoughts on it, and a couple notes on how and why I had to expand the organizational aspect of my grab-and-go, hand-pieced hexie quilt project.
July 20, 2019
Happy Saturday, and a Happy Weekend! What are you stitching this weekend?
Here in Kansas, where the temps are topping out in the 100’s and things are pretty sticky, I’m working on last minute touches for the first round of summer kids’ classes this coming week.
We’ve divided the kids into age groups and planned our projects accordingly. This year, there are two projects on the table – a stitch sampler needlebook and another hand embroidered flour sack towel.
July 17, 2019
Christmas in July.
It’s just a bit overdone, isn’t it?
I know it’s a marketing ploy. And it bugs me in a number of ways, on a number of levels. I like my seasons – and the holidays that go with them – just as they are. I like them to show up when they’re supposed to. And I’m not too keen on the marketing trends that play havoc with them.
The only instance that “Christmas in July” makes any sense to me is when it comes to embroidery and other forms of arts and crafts that require time to develop.
Embroidery, after all, is a slow craft. You can’t just snap your fingers, press a button, and voilá! A hand embroidered gift pops out, ready to deliver.
So, while I tend to be a bit of a cynic who looks askance at “Christmas in July” as just another marketing gimmick, I have to admit that, when it comes to embroidery, thinking ahead to Christmas-in-December while sweating away in July does make sense.
And to that end, for those who want to get ahead on Christmas needlework, here are two ways you can do that…
