May 3, 2019

How to Make a Quick Pin Cushion for your Needlework Tool Box

When a something in my needlework tool box starts to annoy me, I remove it. If it’s a tool that provides a service I need, I think of improvements to it, so that it doesn’t annoy me.

For example, I have a little pin cushion that works great for me outside my sewing box. But inside my sewing box, it Drives Me Nuts because it has a magnet on it, and the magnet catches on my scissors, my clips, or anything else it can suck into its Area of Attraction.

When my little magnetic pin cushion is stuck on my light pole by my stitching spot, it’s great. When it’s in my tool box creating havoc, it’s not. So I decided to pitch it in favor of something better.

And that something better was a quick little pincushion I whipped up in about 15 minutes. And you can do the same thing for your tool box or stitching area, too! I’ll show you how I did it…

How to Make a Quick Pin Cushion for your Needlework Tool Box or Stitching Area

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May 1, 2019

Non-Embroidery Related, but Needle and Thread Related, Project

When your hobby also happens to be your livelihood – which is the case for embroidery and me – it’s sometimes necessary to pursue a different hobby now and then!

I have a couple hobbies that are not needle-and-thread-related pursuits, but I don’t often indulge in them anymore simply because there’s not a lot of time outside Needle ‘n Thread for other creative activities.

But over the recent Easter break, I took some time to focus on setting up a non-embroidery related project (who knows – since it involves cloth, it may morph into an embroidery-related project!) that is still needle-and-thread related, and since some of you wrote in and asked about it, I thought I’d show it to you.

There are a couple tools and accessories involved that you might like, too, so I’ll share those with you as well.

Hexagon Quilt - English Paper Piecing - Mary Corbet

Hand Embroidery Books

April 29, 2019

The Seasons in Silk Ribbon Embroidery – New Edition

Needlework authors and publishers have been busy in the past year or so, producing some really helpful and beautiful embroidery books. I have a whole stack of needlework books that I want to share with you, so that you can make informed decisions on which books to add to your needlework library.

I figure I better start chipping away at the pile; otherwise, they’ll be out of print before we know it!

For the silk ribbon embroidery enthusiasts, this is a book you don’t want to miss! Whether you use silk ribbon embroidery as a stand-alone art form, or for embellishing crazy quilts, or as part of other embroidery or mixed-media works, you will appreciate the instructional content and glorious projects in this book.

So, off the top of my stack is the reformatting and reprinting of this book, The Seasons in Ribbon Embroidery by Tatiana Popova, which I reviewed quite a while ago when Tatiana published it herself in both Russian and English.

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April 26, 2019

Embroidery Design Transfer Experiment with Laundry Bluing

Good morning, and Happy Friday! I had a nice little break this past week, during which I was able to catch up on a few things, experiment with some stitching ideas, start a non-embroidery-related project, and get some of my other ducks in a row. I hope you enjoyed the break, too!

As usual, I didn’t get as much as I thought I could get done, done. Isn’t that always the way of it?

Today, I’m going to show you an experiment with embroidery design transfer and laundry bluing. It involves the prick and pounce method of transfer that I demonstrate a while ago here, so if you’re not familiar with the basic techniques, you’re welcome to read that earlier article.

Prick and pounce – though a time consuming method of transfer – is a tried-and-true method. It results in an accurate transfer of your design, and it can be used on both light and dark fabrics. It is an especially useful method of transfer for large projects.

But let’s get on with the experiment!

Embroidery Design Transfer with Laundry Bluing

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April 19, 2019

Ecclesiastical Figure Embroidery

Figures have played a dominant role in ecclesiastical embroidery since the Middle Ages.

During the era of Opus Anglicanum embroidery (1100’s through the end of the 1300’s), figures were the focal element of the style. The embroidering of saints and biblical figures to adorn vestments continued to develop after the Middle Ages. During the Renaissance, beautiful figure embroidery mixed with exquisite goldwork developed in Belgium, especially, and also in Spain, Italy, and other parts of Europe.

Into and through the 1700’s, floral elements became more common on vestments and vesture. And by the Industrial Revolution of the mid-1800’s, figures – while still figuring in ecclesiastical embroidery – began to deteriorate, in some regards, as far as quality is concerned. The fully embroidered figure began to recede from the more common ecclesiastical use, and figures that were a combination of paint and embroidery began to emerge, in keeping with the trends and desires for quicker turnout in textile-related production.

Still, figure embroidery even today is part of ecclesiastical embroidery.

Here are a few images of figure embroidery that are relevant for today. If you haven’t ever seen pieces like these up close, hopefully you’ll find them as fascinating as I do!

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April 17, 2019

Jacobean Whitework: Rethinking & a New Start

I loved the blue linen that I used when I first set up this Jacobean “whitework” embroidery project.

But since it is a discontinued fabric, and since I had some design tweaking I wanted to do, I decided to start over.

I couldn’t find a blue linen I liked well enough that is suitable for surface embroidery like this, so I’ve opted for a natural colored linen. I still intend to incorporate some blue – but we will see how that plan pans out a little further down the road!

Now, it’s not unusual that I start a project and then re-think it pretty soon after the start. I prefer it when this doesn’t happen, but sometimes, it just does. And while starting over may seem like a waste of time and resources, I always learn something useful in that process. Plus, the materials from the first attempt come in handy for testing theories for the next attempt.

Combine those positive benefits with the fact that I don’t like to put a lot of time into something that I already know is dissatisfactory, and those provide me with my excuses (they’re good enough!) to start over.

Jacobean whitework embroidery on blue linen

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April 15, 2019

Weekend Stitching: Making Adjustments on Flowers

Happy Monday! Did you enjoy much time with your needle and thread this weekend?

As it turns out, I didn’t. I managed to squeeze in a little bit of stitching time late Sunday afternoon – and it didn’t last very long!

But I almost finished the five motifs that are featured in Elizabetta’s booklet In a Wheat Field that I reviewed a couple weeks ago.

I made some changes as I went along. I’ll show you and explain my reasoning…

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How to Make a Quick Pin Cushion for your Needlework Tool Box

Non-Embroidery Related, but Needle and Thread Related, Project

The Seasons in Silk Ribbon Embroidery – New Edition

Embroidery Design Transfer Experiment with Laundry Bluing

Ecclesiastical Figure Embroidery

Jacobean Whitework: Rethinking & a New Start

Weekend Stitching: Making Adjustments on Flowers

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos