I think I’m becoming a light junkie.

I have a number of lights that I work under, depending on stitching circumstances.

I’m firmly convinced that – aside from your needle, thread, and fabric – lighting is the most important consideration when it comes to doing detailed needlework.

What it boils down to is this: you just can’t stitch in the dark!

And the better your lighting, the more accurate and successful your stitching.

So, yep, I’m a light junkie!

I have several lights to stitch by. Some are floor lamps out in my workroom. They hang over my table. Some are little book lights that come in handy in a pinch, especially when stuck in the car, commuting, traveling. I have a couple average task lamps I can use when other people are stitching with me, so that they have task lighting if they need it. I have my magnifier and light combo for extra-fine, tiny stitching. I have one pretty lousy battery operated task lamp that I can take with me if I need to. And I have a sunny front porch that works great this time of year!

But now…. now I have a Stella Two, thanks oodles to the folks at Stella Lighting! They didn’t ask me to, but I’m going to review this particular light for you, because I think it’s worth knowing about if you’re in the market for a task lamp.

Gotta love these last minute, I-put-it-off-too-long embroidery projects! If nothing else, the finish is always a relief!

With an hour to spare on Sunday morning, I put the last stitches in this embroidered prayer book cover for my niece’s First Communion, slid the thing in a plastic bag (who needs gift wrap?) and hustled it off to the happy recipient!

So here’s a recap on the project, materials and techniques, in case you want to duplicate something similar. I suggest perhaps allowing a little more time, so you’re not hustling at the last minute!

Happy Friday!

I thought a give-away would be a great way to end the week and to get you all revved up for the weekend!

Today’s give-away is courtesy of Carole Dyer, and it’s for your own brand-spanking new copy of the new edition of Ruth Chamberlin’s Beginner’s Guide to Goldwork.

Last week, I shared this embroidery design with you, that I’m using to embellish a cover for a First Communion prayer book for my niece.

Her First Communion is on Sunday, as a matter of fact, so this is a bit of a rush job. I’m still not sure if I can have it finished on time. But I’m not ready to give up yet!

Today, I’ll show you the beginnings, talk a bit about choices for stitches and whatnot, discuss a few details you have to pay attention to on this type of project, and tell you about flipping.

Yes.

Flipping.

Last month, we chatted about plain weave and even weave linen for hand embroidery, and that discussion sparked some interesting questions that flowed in via e-mail concerning linen in general.

One reader asked how to tell “good” linen for hand embroidery projects. Another asked about buying linen from online fabric outlets, and there were several questions about garment linen and other types of linen available on the market.

Today, I’d like to chat about these questions in a general way, and further down the road (if there’s interest!), we can discuss the particulars.

Well, I promised you some weekend needlework reading, but alas, I didn’t have a chance to cull out a good list of articles and interesting things from around the web to share with you!

Still, there’s one article from The Guardian that, under the circumstances, I think is definitely worth reading, so I’ll share that with you today, and, for those who want to read it, a short personal update!

Time for a thorough review of an upcoming book – the newest in the Techniques, Projects, and Pure Inspiration series from the Royal School of Needlework and published by Search Press.

Ever since Appliqué: Techniques, Projects & Pure Inspiration – the first book of the series – came out last year, I’ve been looking forward to this one!

So, come along – let’s explore the ins and outs of Raised Embroidery: Techniques, Projects and Pure Inspiration by Kelley Aldridge.