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

Contact Mary

Connect with Mary

     

Archives

2026 (64) 2025 (126) 2024 (135) 2023 (125) 2022 (136) 2021 (130) 2020 (132) 2019 (147) 2018 (146) 2017 (169) 2016 (147) 2015 (246) 2014 (294) 2013 (294) 2012 (305) 2011 (306) 2010 (316) 2009 (367) 2008 (352) 2007 (225) 2006 (139)
 

News Snips: Textiles, Costumes, Needlework Travel & Winners!

 

Amazon Books

Happy First Saturday of June! Hard to believe it’s June, isn’t it?

This month marks the 11th anniversary of Needle ‘n Thread! I think I’ll have to do something special for you, come mid-month. Any suggestions?

I’ve had some fun gathering together some needlework news snips for your weekend perusal, and yes, the winners of last week’s silk thread give-away!

This week, it’s a bit o’ this and a bit o’ that. Travel seems to be on my mind lately, so there’s quite a bit on textile or needlework related travel.

Grab a cup of your favorite liquid indulgence – for me, it’s a creamy cup of beaten coffee this morning – and let’s go for a wander!

Needlework News Snips, June 2017
Continue reading “News Snips: Textiles, Costumes, Needlework Travel & Winners!”

Confessions of a Disorganized Stitcher

 

I am not a Stitching Saint. Not by a long shot!

I try to be organized. I try to abide by all the good habits that, deep down in my Heart of Hearts, I know would make me a more efficient, and perhaps a better, stitcher.

But, sometimes (ok, let’s be brutally honest here – more often than not!), I fail.

Case in point: thread organization while test stitching on this project.

Confessions of a Disorganized Stitcher - Embroidery Thread Organization Tips
Continue reading “Confessions of a Disorganized Stitcher”

Silk Embroidery Threads – a Delectable Give-Away!

 

As May draws to a close, and with the three-day holiday weekend ahead (in the States, anyway), methinks it’s a great time for a give-away!

And not just any give-away, mind you! No, no! It has to be great! And what could be better than one that feeds the Inner Thread Junkie in all of us?

Today, courtesy of Needle in a Haystack, three of you will have the opportunity to acquire six brand new spools of gorgeous silk embroidery thread in your choice of colors. It’s a terrific way to add to your thread stash, or, for newbies to silk, to start it!

If you’d like to join in, read on, my friend…

Sajou Fil au Chinois silk perle #30
Continue reading “Silk Embroidery Threads – a Delectable Give-Away!”

Tying Up Loose Ends – A Tale of an Alphabet

 

Once upon a time, long, long ago in a land called Kansas (in fact, last year), a young girl (or old lady – or at least middle aged…ok, 40’s…) who writes an embroidery blog began the epic journey of sharing with her friends some monogram designs from a particular alphabet.

And then she somehow forgot to finish the alphabet.

And apparently, no one could live happily ever after, because none of the loose ends in the fairy tale were tied up.

When I mentioned on Monday that I had a free pattern to share with you this week, I got a couple emails kindly reminding me of the unfinished alphabet.

It’s always nice to end a story neatly, so today, I’m sharing with you the letters U through Z of the Floral Script Alphabet. You can see the style of the alphabet in the photo of the E below.

You’ll find the rest of this monogram alphabet (along with several others) available on my Monogram Patterns index, here.

You can also find the entire alphabet, collected in one spot, along with 15 other complete monogram alphabets, available here in my pattern e-book, Favorite Monograms, which I’m discounting through this weekend to celebrate the end of this particular story!

Floral Script Alphabet Letters U-Z
Continue reading “Tying Up Loose Ends – A Tale of an Alphabet”

Weekend Embroidery: A Touch of Bead

 

Good morning and a Happy Monday all around!

Just a wee update this morning to discuss some weekend stitching. Initially, I called this an experiment, but it worked, so I’m keeping it.

When it comes to surface embroidery, beads are not usually part of my planning process. I like beads. But they’re rarely an integral part of my design process. If they happen, they tend to happen as an afterthought.

But my vision for the design I’m working on right now included a little bit of sparkle and dimension that beads can add to a piece. So I ventured into testing different beads this past weekend.

Beads on an Embroidered Kaleidoscope
Continue reading “Weekend Embroidery: A Touch of Bead”