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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5 Tips for Successful French Knots – Every Time!

 

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It’s time to overcome, once and for all, the Fear of French Knots – to achieve mastery over this tiny bump of an embroidery stitch, to claim it as your own, so that each French knot you make for the rest of your life is a successful French knot.

French knots are one of the most frequently used embroidery stitches. I rank it right up there among my Top Ten embroidery stitches you should know. Nothing adds a dot or a bump – or creates a whole carpet of textured filling – quite like a French knot does.

So it’s definitely worthwhile to take the time to master the little booger!

If you aren’t perfectly satisfied with your own French knots, here’s a lrefresher course so that you can create perfect French knots with ease.

How to Make French Knots in Embroidery - 5 Tips
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Let’s Get this Party Started!

 

To kick off the New Year with a rather grand – and fun! – embroidery project, let’s travel step-by-step together through Party in Provence, a colorful embroidered kaleidoscope project reminiscent of the sunny region of Provence, and perfect for kicking the Winter Blues!

Today, I’m just going to introduce you to the project in a little more detail, tell you what you can expect from it, and for those who want to stitch along, I’ll list the supplies I used so that you can line them up if you want to use the same colors, threads, materials, stitches and whatnot.

If you’re not planning on stitching Party in Provence yourself, don’t worry! We’ll be covering plenty of embroidery tips and techniques that you can apply to your own needlework projects. So you won’t get bored (I hope!), and you might pick up some handy bits for your own stitching endeavors.

I also encourage you to tell a friend about the project! Maybe you can drum up some buddies who want to stitch Party in Provence, too! It’s always fun to work through projects together!

Party in Provence Embroidered Kaleidoscope Instructions: Introduction & Materials
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It’s 2018 – Happy New Year!

 

When I was floundering through high school at the end of the 1980’s, I remember reading some news article (in a real printed thing, as we didn’t have online news) that projected Something-or-Other happening by 2018.

I remember thinking – with the scoffing scornfulness of the know-it-all teen-ager – This is science fiction. I mean, really! Two thousand eighteen? Twenty-eighteen? What a silly-sounding date.

And yet, here we are!

I hope 2018 is a splendid year for you, replete with peace, happiness, good health, many blessings – and, of course, lots of wonderful stitching!

2017 in Retrospect
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A Stitcher’s Christmas Winners & a Reader’s Finish!

 

Oooooh, a jolly good morning to you, from a frigid (and somewhat snowy) Kansas!

It’s time to finalize A Stitcher’s Christmas, 2017! Shortly, I’ll announce the winners of the last two drawings – the stitching supplies from Needle in a Haystack and the exquisite embroidery scissors from The French Needle.

To spread some more Christmas cheer, I’m also going to show you a magnificent Christmas finish from Bob, who stitched up my Twelve Trees for Christmas in record time, and even finished them into a Christmas wallhanging! What a guy! He was finished well before the Christmas bells were ringing!

Reader's Embroidery: 12 Trees for Christmas wallhanging
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A Stitcher’s Christmas #9: Exquisite Embroidery Scissors!

 

Good morning, my friends, and Happy Friday before Christmas! Are you ready for the final installment of A Stitcher’s Christmas, 2017? I hope so, because it’s a doozy!

A huge, huge thanks to all the needlework businesses who joined me this year in putting together A Stitcher’s Christmas! They really went above and beyond in putting together terrific prizes to help give back to the needlework community with some really special gifts! When you’re looking for embroidery supplies, kits, tools, books and the like, please keep them in mind and support these small businesses.

Today, then, is the final installment of this year’s series. The prize? Delicate hand-crafted, heirloom quality scissors in their own wooden case, created by Jean Marie Roulot in Nogent, France, and offered to one happy winner by The French Needle. They are certainly the scissor enthusiast’s dream!

We’ll also discover the winners of A Stitcher’s Christmas #7 from Monday – a lovely collection of embroidery books from Search Press North America.

Ready?

A Stitcher's Christmas 2017: Exquisite Embroidery Scissors
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A Stitcher’s Christmas #8: Stitching Supplies!

 

Good morning, my friends! I hope your week is trucking along splendidly!

Here in Kansas, the kids are out of school for the Christmas holiday now, and while preparing for Christmas, they’re secretly itching for some snow. I’m itching right along with them. If you have any you can spare, send it our way! I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…

But on to other Things! Today, five stitchers out there are going to find out that they won the collection from Inspirations Studios in A Stitcher’s Christmas #6 from last week!

And then I’ll give you all the details for today’s episode of A Stitcher’s Christmas, which comes courtesy of Needle in a Haystack, and it involves many of the things you asked for when I inquired about what you’d like to see in a give-away – from fabric to tools to thread. Great stuff for getting started or for stash building!

Stitching Supplies for Beginners or Stash
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