February 6, 2017

Colorful Threads, Spring Inspiration

Monday.

It’s a word that strikes dismay in many people’s hearts.

If you’re languishing with the winter blues, or just disappointed it’s Monday, this should cheer you up!

This is a group of embroidery threads that I plan to incorporate in a spring-ish design that I’ve been fiddling with for years and have never gotten around to stitching. And by years, I can tell you exactly when I first doodled the first drawing – it was March 23, 2013. That was almost four years ago!

Finally, I’m going to stitch it. And these are some of the bright and springy colors I’ll be using…just to whet your appetite, you know!

Overdyed Embroidery Floss, Spring Colors

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February 3, 2017

56 Count: Stumbling through Some Strategies for Stitching

Happy Friday, friends! Today it’s all about stitching progress and a few discoveries along the way.

Earlier in January, we looked a stitching project that’s in my project rotation for 2017. It’s this miniature Tree of Life tapestry kit designed by Natalia Frank.

The piece is worked on 56 count silk gauze, using silk threads – some 89 glorious colors of silk!

I showed you how I set the project up here, and today, I’ll show you progress on it and chat about getting my “stitching legs” on this one. I think it took me a lot longer than it takes most people to get their sea legs!

As I started the piece, cheerfully making mistakes along the way, I slowly mapped out a sensible strategy for stitching it that would reduce the chance of my making future similar mistakes. I also decided to take a different approach with thread organization. And I applied some of the typical stitching strategies that I use, no matter what project I’m working on.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

Miniature Tree of Life - Progress & Tips

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February 1, 2017

Keeping it Simple: On Hand Embroidery Needles

I’ve written a lot about hand embroidery needles here on Needle ‘n Thread. After all, when it comes to embroidery, the needle plays a fairly prominent roll in the art. Without a needle, where would we be?

In past articles on the subject, I’ve covered lots of ground about all different types of needles. For those who want to know more about embroidery needles, you’ll find a nice list for further reading at the end of this article.

You’ll also find a link to a PDF you can download onto your computer for future reference on needles in general, thanks to the John James needle company.

But today’s article is all about simplicity. I get a lot of inquiries about what needles (type and size) to use for standard surface embroidery. For the sake of newbies and experienced embroiderers alike, I’m going to give a fairly simple answer to this question.

Think of this as a starting point (no pun intended…) or even an ending point.

I’ll explain…

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January 30, 2017

Modern Crewel: Pomegranate, Stems & Leaves

Good morning, and a Happy Monday all around!

This morning, just a quick update on Modern Crewel – I want to show you a few things and discuss mistakes and their corrections, or non-corrections – and talk a bit about padding again with this particular kit.

While this weekend was meant for catching up on stitching on this (I wanted to have all the leaves finished and the little bloom on the right), in fact, I spent the whole weekend nursing a toothache that struck with raging sincerity on Friday night. (Murphy’s Law: toothaches rage on weekends, when a dentist can’t be had for love nor money). I already had an appointment set for tomorrow, but I’m hoping against hope they’ll take me in today. Otherwise, I may have to resort to an ice skate. (Movie reference: Castaway!)

All that just to say, if today’s article sounds a bit weird or wonky, blame it on the tooth!

Embroidered Pomegranate - Modern Crewel - Progress Report

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January 27, 2017

Rough Hands & Fine Threads? Some Tips!

It’s winter here in Kansas.

It’s biting cold out, the heat is on, the air is dry. I don’t have a maid and I haven’t invented a magic sink, so the dishes still need washing every day! My hands just want to be rough and scratchy this time of year.

Rough and scratchy hands are a frustrating inconvenience when you’re working with fine embroidery threads – any time of year!

You know how it is: you’re stitching along pretty happily with a brand new thread, when disaster strikes! Your thread snags on, of all things, your thumb! That curséd dry scratchy patch on the side of your thumb! Grrrrr! The plies of the thread bunch up, the fibers get hairy, you have to trim the thread and start anew.

I know I’m not the only one with this problem, because inevitably, in the winter, I get a lot of inquiries about how to work with fine embroidery threads when your hands are rough.

Over the years, I’ve tried myriad solutions for this problem. Today, I’ll chat about what works for me, and then ask you to share your solutions, too. If we put our heads together, we can most likely save many people from the frustration of stitching with rough hands. After all, 30,000 heads are better than one.

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January 25, 2017

Embroidery Studio Organization: Clear the Table!

A miracle happened last week.

I actually ended the day with a completely empty work table in my embroidery studio.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the surface of that table completely clear. And seeing it – and enjoying the benefits of it – have made a world of difference in all kinds of things this past week.

For several months, I’ve been telling you about the grievous need to re-organize my workroom. I’ve been chipping away at it slowly, making small improvements here and there that make a huge difference in efficiency, time management, and productivity.

True, I haven’t quite achieved Organizational Nirvana! But I’ve found a few solutions that have helped me manage my workspace better.

I’d like to share an organizational tip with you and show you two Very Useful Additions to the studio. They’re not fancy or anything. But they’re well loved and they’ll definitely be well used!

Embroidery Studio Organization - The Table

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January 23, 2017

Goldwork Initials & a Simple Letter Combination

Many moons ago, after compiling and publishing my e-book Favorite Monograms – a collection of 16 monogram alphabets for embroidery – a reader wrote in with a specific embroidery project in mind, using initials from the book.

She wanted to combine two initials into one monogram and work the initials in real gold threads, and she needed some suggestions on how to go about the whole thing.

Today, I want to share with you the results of our correspondence, the methods behind the project, and some thoughts about the whole thing, since I think Debra’s adventure demonstrates a really good lesson on simplicity and success in embroidery.

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

Colorful Threads, Spring Inspiration

56 Count: Stumbling through Some Strategies for Stitching

Keeping it Simple: On Hand Embroidery Needles

Modern Crewel: Pomegranate, Stems & Leaves

Rough Hands & Fine Threads? Some Tips!

Embroidery Studio Organization: Clear the Table!

Goldwork Initials & a Simple Letter Combination

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos