April 1, 2018
Happy Easter!
A Happy Easter to you and yours!
I hope wherever you are, the sun is smiling on you, whether spring or autumn! In the northern hemisphere, we think it’s spring right now, but in fact, it feels more like Christmas…
March 30, 2018
Comparing Figures in Ecclesiastical Embroidery
If you’re relatively new to Needle ‘n Thread, you might not know that my first forays into advanced embroidery techniques came about due to an interest in historical ecclesiastical embroidery. I was taking a history of art class in my early days in college, and one of the works of art I chose to research was a piece of ecclesiastical embroidery. I chose it not so much because it was embroidery – rather, I chose it because it was beautiful and because it was different from the more common artistic mediums my classmates were focusing on.
Over time, with a bit of study, a lot of experimentation, and making contacts in all kinds of interesting corners of the globe, I amassed an interesting collection of pieces, books, pattern portfolios and the like, along with many tidbits of information on the hows, whats, and whys of ecclesiastical embroidery.
From all that sprang a love and appreciation for hand embroidery, which I had dabbled in as a kid and through college, but never really saw as art until captivated by that first research project.
In ecclesiastical needlework, all the elements of the art of embroidery – and any art, really – come together. Purpose, technique, materials, thought, skill, symbolism, color, balance, beauty, proportion, order – you can find all these things in ecclesiastical needlework, whether you’re religiously minded or not. It is a fascinating medium to study, especially when it comes to the development and dissemination of historical needlework techniques.
Since it’s Good Friday, let’s take a close look at some pieces of Ecclesiastical (religious) figure embroidery that have crossed my path lately. The figures are somewhat similar in some ways, but vastly different in others. We’ll look at the differences and draw some conclusions.
March 28, 2018
My Thimble Substitute – It Works!
Over the years, I’ve discovered that most folks who use a regular thimble when they embroider were raised on a thimble. All their hand-embroidering lives, they’ve used thimbles, so that using one is second nature to them.
Tried-and-true thimble users wouldn’t even think of stitching without a thimble, it’s just that natural for them to use one.
But if you’ve never used a thimble while embroidering – or if, the few times you’ve tried to use one, the result has been awkward and uncomfortable – there’s a good chance you’ve ditched the idea of ever getting accustomed to one.
Over the years, through numerous bouts of stitching, you’ve learned to put up with the discomforts that can develop in your fingers – you know, that microscopic hole in your finger that the eye of the needle always finds and slips into? That callous that won’t go away? That tiny area that splits, stinging and burning, because of the constant pressure of the needle?
Maybe you’ve adopted some of the thimble substitutes that have shown up on the market over the years and tried to make do with them. Or perhaps you’ve resorted to coating the skin with super glue or something similar. In some way or another, you’ve probably sought out temporary solutions to get you through the painful part of embroidering without a thimble.
March 26, 2018
Embroidery Projects & that In-Between Stage
Happy Monday! (It does come around quickly, doesn’t it?!)
I finished embroidering this leafy tree sampler project that I was working on.
I’ll be sharing the whole project with you down the road. I have a few tweaks to make on it and I want to stitch it one more time, with a different approach.
Normally, it’s a good thing when a project is finished, right? But when I finished this one, I found myself at that in-between stage – in a state of suspension.
I’ll tell you about that and what I did to get out of it. And I’ll share some portions of that leafy tree sampler and explain the steps I take after finishing a project like this.
March 23, 2018
Spring into Stitching – A Wee Weekend Sale
For those of you looking for some perfect little embroidery projects to help you spring into stitching, I’m running a short weekend sale on my instructional, project, and pattern downloads this weekend.
A couple things prompted me to run a sale on e-books this weekend – not the least of which is the current recurring question of needle organization…
March 21, 2018
Have You Tried Tulip Needles for Embroidery?
I succumbed to the temptation to try Tulip needles many months ago, despite what my Prudent Self told me.
And my first experience? It was the greatest, even before I took my first stitch. I’ll tell you about it!
But first, I’ll explain why I never planned to try them. Then I’ll explain why I did try them, what went wrong, why I gave them a second chance, and finally, a more balanced perspective about them after using them for many, many hours of stitching.
I’ll also explain a big problem that they solved for me. If you have the same problem, they might go a long way towards solving it for you, too!
March 19, 2018
Weekend Stitching: My Leafy Tree Sampler of Sorts
Good morning, and a happy Monday all around! I hope you had a wonderful weekend and were able to spend some quality time with your needle and thread!
I got in quite a few hours of stitching this weekend, as I made haste to finish my Leafy Tree, which is a sampler of sorts, though not in the traditional sense. It involves many different stitches that I’m using to fill in a lot of leaves, using a lot of greens and yellow-greens.
It’s fun!
When I talked about this project a couple weeks ago, I was getting ready to re-start it. The first attempt was on an oatmeal / natural linen, and I regretted that initial choice. I switched to a white background for a couple reasons. I think it was a good decision, under the circumstances.
So far, there are a couple things that surprise me about this project, and a couple things that still need tweaking before I can make it ready for others to stitch, too!
