April 1, 2019

In a Wheatfield – An Exquisite Alphabet (& More!) to Stitch

If you say “embroidered monogram” to me, my mind will immediately answer with “Elisabetta Sforza.”

Elisabetta is an Italian embroiderer who is truly a master of hand embroidered monograms in both traditional and innovative styles. She wrote this book, featuring a glorious floral alphabet, that I reviewed a while ago. And she has recently published another alphabet that has captivated my monogram-and-flowers-and-other-beautiful-embroidery-loving heart.

Her new booklet, which I recently received from Elisabetta via the folks at Needle in a Haystack when their shipment of the books arrived, is called In a Wheat Field. The alphabet and decorative accents within it feature wheat, wildflowers, and poppies. The designs, the embroidery, the colors, the stitches – they’re all stunningly beautiful!

In a Wheat Field embroidered alphabet by Elisabetta Sforza

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March 29, 2019

Embroidery Ground Fabric Matters

Some people say you can embroider on anything.

And I agree, to an extent.

But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pay pretty close attention to the ground fabric you select for your embroidery projects. The ground fabric (the fabric you are stitching on, that the embroidery is embellishing) has to work with the type of embroidery you’re doing, or there’s no sense in using it.

I’ll give you one small example of a selection I made for a ground fabric that I thought about using, but changed my mind. And I’ll show you why I changed my mind. And hopefully, the conclusion we can draw is that you have to consider what you’re stitching and what techniques you’re using when you select fabric, so that the fabric you select will work for you.

Ground fabric for hand embroidery: making good choices

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March 27, 2019

Tool Talk: Thread Keeps & How to Make Your Own

How about a little Tool Talk?

Accessorizing is a fun part of many arts & crafts. Sure, you can accomplish your needlework with the very basics. You want to hand embroider? All you really need is a needle, some thread, something to embroider on (usually fabric), and a way to cut your threads. You don’t need anything else.

But there are tools that make our needlework easier. There are tools that improve the outcome of our needlework. And there are tools that make our needlework more fun. So we accessorize! And that’s all part of the enjoyment of embroidery.

When I was cleaning up a mess of threads the other day – yes, I have thread messes! – I came across some thread keeps that I bought a while ago but hadn’t used yet for a number of reasons. And that led me to making my own set of thread keeps. And that led me to thinking I should share them with you. And that led me to this article! So here we are!

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March 25, 2019

Weekend Stitching: Thinking through Whitework and Not Getting Far

I didn’t get much stitching done this weekend.

I take that back. I got a lot of stitching done this weekend, but I got even more unstitching done. It was one of those this-is-going-nowhere sorts of weekends, as far as stitching goes.

I’ll tell you about it, share some of the reasons why things went amuck, and talk about some ideas and resources on this Jacobean whitework-on-blue project that I’m working on right now (and that I introduced to you here).

Jacobean whitework embroidery project - little progress

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March 22, 2019

Floral Corners: Three Hand Embroidery Projects for Beginners & Beyond!

Happy Friday!! It’s time to celebrate!!

At long last, and just in time for spring & summer stitching, here’s the instructional guide for Floral Corners, three floral projects that I used for local hand embroidery classes for youth last summer.

This e-book is a little different. It’s more about giving options when interpreting a design into hand embroidery stitches. There’s a lot of freedom of choice in the projects, but plenty of guidance, too.

I’ve also put together a limited number of flour sack towel sets with the designs transferred on them for those who don’t want to bother with the design transfer process. You’ll find information on those at the end of this article.

Here’s a little overview of what you can expect from the e-book…

Floral Corners hand embroidery projects for beginners and beyond

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March 20, 2019

Old Online Embroidery & Designs worth Perusing

Happy Wednesday, everyone! We’re well past the halfway point in March, and I think it’s time for a little excursion. Think of it as a field trip!

Today, I’m going to share with you a few embroidery-related documents I’ve come across recently online. They’re free resources of works in the public domain for the most part. I was actually exploring the concept of “design” when most of these came up, so you’ll find a few that will fit more in the designing category than the actual stitching category, but they can all be related somehow to needlework or needlework designing.

I hope you enjoy perusing them – and maybe one of them will speak to you and lead you on to creating something great with your needle and thread!

Hand Embroidery Tutorials

March 18, 2019

A New Embroidery Project & the Start-Up Thrills

It’s time to add a new embroidery project into the mix! Yay! I’m excited about it! I have a vision in my head for it, and I can’t wait to work it out with needle and thread.

In fact, I’m suffering from the Start Up Thrills.

The problem with the Start Up Thrills – which is the official name of this malady – is that this new project is all I can think about at the moment. When I’m drifting off to sleep at night, it’s on my mind: what treatment for that leaf, should I add this thread, is there an alternative for that part of the design…

And when I wake up in the morning, my one concern is how quickly I can accomplish the Needful Daily Things in order to get back to the project.

You’ve suffered from the same malady before, haven’t you? I knew you would understand!

Connect with Mary

How-To
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Embroidery Tips & Techniques

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In a Wheatfield – An Exquisite Alphabet (& More!) to Stitch

Embroidery Ground Fabric Matters

Tool Talk: Thread Keeps & How to Make Your Own

Weekend Stitching: Thinking through Whitework and Not Getting Far

Floral Corners: Three Hand Embroidery Projects for Beginners & Beyond!

Old Online Embroidery & Designs worth Perusing

A New Embroidery Project & the Start-Up Thrills

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos