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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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Whitework & Needle Lace at the DMV

 

Amazon Books

What’s the DMV? you might understandably ask.

This could be one of those blog posts where the writer (yours truly), traveling to exotic and interesting places, visits an elaborately named museum affectionately known by its initials, where she discovers some worthwhile textile and embroidery-related acquisitions to share with you.

It could be…

But it’s not.

The DMV really is the Department of Motor Vehicles. That’s the place we Americans go to register our cars, pay our car taxes, and get our licenses, tags and stuff like that.

Rather unjustly immortalized in Disney’s Zootopia, the DMV might not be the Most Thrilling Place in the world to go – and you certainly wouldn’t choose it as a vacation destination – but it’s one of those Necessary Places. In fact, I never mind going.

In my rural county in Kansas, our DMV is located in the very rural county seat, which is one of those geographical oddities (being 40 minutes from everywhere), and known primarily these days for two things: the DMV and the county courthouse and jail.

While there is an Oregon Trail crossing close by, I have to say, there’s not much else to recommend the place. But it’s a pleasant drive – hilly (yes, even in Kansas), green, with beautiful vistas. Once arrived, the lines are never long (if there are any), and the folks who work there are friendly and efficient. I’m always in and out in minutes.

And on my way in and on my way out, I always pause to look at this:

Whitework Wedding Dress
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Pink Dots & a Blue Tongue – This Monogram’s Done!

 

The embroidered E monogram that I showed you on Tuesday is finished, so today, I’ll show you the final details and discuss some of the stitching and some ideas for future modifications.

This is one of my favorite monograms so far in this recent splurge of monogramming.

Well… I should say it’s been one of my favorite “classic style” monograms to stitch. The voided floral monogram was actually the Most Fun Thing Ever to embroider, but this one – I like the results over all and I like the stitches involved in it.

There were some sticky spots, though, and there are some areas on the E that I’d like to do differently, in another version of the letter.

So let’s take a look!

How to Embroider a Monogram: E
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E is for…Embroidery!

 

Lately, I’ve been sharing with you all kinds of ways you can embroider monograms, using techniques that are accessible for beginners and beyond, and highlighting different lettering styles from my recently released e-book, Favorite Monograms.

The purpose of these sample monograms is to show you that you can embroider beautiful monograms in a variety of stitches – that monogramming isn’t limited to any one kind of stitching technique.

So far, we’ve looked at several styles of voided monograms: this voided confetti monogram, this simpler voided monogram in just three colors, and this rather elaborate floral voided monogram featuring lots of color and texture.

Just last week, we looked at this monogram, embroidered with a few simple stitches in a few colors.

Today, I want to show you the beginnings of a filled monogram that’s easy to stitch and that incorporates a little bit of shading. The results: a classy, pretty monogram that’s a little more intricate than last week’s simple monogram, but that’s still super accessible.

E Monogram embroidered in shaded stem stitch filling
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Embroidering a Pretty Monogram with Simple Stitches

 

Today, I want to show you a really simple approach to embroidering a pretty, classic monogram. Nothing overly fancy, and nothing difficult to stitch!

I’m going to share with you exactly what I did on this monogram, including everything I did wrong and the solutions.

This way, you can learn from my mistakes. The overall concept here is very simple and it makes for a nice, neat monogram that anyone – including beginners – can stitch up in just a matter of hours.

A Pretty Monogram with Simple Stitches
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Talliaferro Crewel Kit Winner and an Update!

 

Happy Monday!

Here in the States, it’s Labor Day, which means many folks are enjoying a three-day weekend. If you’re one of them, I hope you have a chance to kick back and relax – and maybe spend some quality time with your needle and thread!

A three-day weekend is always a perfect excuse to get some stitching in, don’t you think?

Today, as promised, I’m announcing the winner of the Kashan crewel embroidery kit by Talliaferro Classic Needleart, sold exclusively through Wooly Thread.

At the end of the article, you’ll find some updates – a short personal one for those who are interested, and some upcoming stuff on Needle ‘n Thread.

If you’d like to read about the Kashan crewel kit, you can find more information about it in the original give-away article here.

Kashan Crewel Embroidery Kit
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A Tale of Two Books…err, Three Books. No, One Book.

 

I love stitch dictionaries, don’t you?

I think everyone should have at least two on their reference shelf. Why at least two? Because when you have two stitch dictionaries, you can learn one very important lesson…and I’ll tell you what that lesson is at the end.

What I really want to talk to you about today is a book. It is one book. But it’s causing some confusion!

I’ve had some requests to review a “new” book that’s out, called Embroidery: A Step-by-Step Guide to More Than 200 Stitches.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? And really, there’s nothing better than a good step-by-step stitch dictionary that will help you learn a boatload of stitches!

But there’s a funny thing about this book…

Embroidery: Step-by-Step Guide to More Than 200 Stitches
Continue reading “A Tale of Two Books…err, Three Books. No, One Book.”