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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Hand-Stitched Crazy Patchwork – Book Review

 

Amazon Books

Happy Friday!

It’s been mighty quiet here on Needle ‘n Thread for the past week – I hope you didn’t miss me too much! I missed you, though, and I’m really happy to be back today! For those who have asked, yes, I’ve been a bit ill this week, but I’m crawling out of it now, and things are getting back to normal. Thanks for all the encouragement!

To help celebrate this resurgence of energy, today I want to review a Very Energetic book for you. It’s Hazel Blomkamp’s newest book, called Hand-Stitched Crazy Patchwork, and let me tell you right off the bat – it’s different.

It’s not your typical needlework book. It’s a bit crazy, just like the name implies…but in a good, good way!

Hand Stitched Crazy Patchwork - Hazel Blomkamp
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Reader’s Embroidery: New Ideas for a Lavender Needlebook

 

Today, I want to share with you an ingenious piece of embroidery by Robin, who live in “The Land of Enchantment” (that would be New Mexico!).

Using my Lavender Honey needle book design (found in my Lavender Honey and Other Little Things e-book), Robin added a few tweaks of her own, to make the needlebook uniquely hers and more functional for her.

I love the way it came out! Just wait til you see the back!

Here are some step-by-steps on how Robin improved the needlebook to suit her needs. Hopefully, it will inspire you to do the same – to mix things up a bit and make little adjustments to make your own needlebooks from Lavender Honey (or any project, really) unique to you.

Lavender Honey Needlebook by Robin
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Bead Embroidery Funky Mushroom and a Deadline

 

No one has ever claimed that hand embroidery is a wicked-fast enterprise. When you do something by hand, it just takes time.

But golly, sometimes, progress is much slower than we think it should be. Sometimes, it’s hard to get back into the groove of a project, and this can slow us down.

Last week, that’s how I felt about Late Harvest. I should be farther along than I am. But I couldn’t seem to make myself sit still and stitch. And it seemed like a chore to pick it up and get going again. And so I purposely avoided it. I worked on other things and took a Late Harvest hiatus.

After a little break from the project, picking it up again was easier. And by selecting one element to stitch and focusing just on it, my excitement was rejuvenated. Sometimes, a break is a good thing!

Over the weekend, I tackled this one small element – which I call The Funky Mushroom.

Mushroom embroidered with beads and floss
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Weekend Stitching: A Wee Tiny Bird in Bead Embroidery

 

I have not been a very good girl! This past weekend, I fell behind on my List of a Great Many Things to Do.

Falling behind – it can be such a Frustrating Thing.

But in this case, you know what? I had a lot of fun falling behind! You see, I had a distraction…

Last week, I received in the mail a very kind anonymous gift from a very kind reader. Inside the box were two charming kits from Ann’s Orchard, the website of Emma Pavier, who designs very delicate, pretty, fun bead embroidery kits. One of those kits, I’ll review in depth later, once I get started on it.

The other, this little Blue Tit mini bead kit, I’ll show you now, in the interest of justifying why I fell behind this weekend. I think you’ll understand!

Blue Tit Bird Mini Bead Embroidery Kit
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Online Embroidery Class Sale – Get ’em While You Can!

 

This morning, just a quick little shout out about some Really Good online hand embroidery classes that are on sale on Craftsy right now, and in fact, the sale ends at midnight tonight.

Whoops. I should have told you sooner – I apologize! But if you have been hankering to further your embroidery skills, this is a great (and super affordable) way to do that!

Below, I’ve included a list of the hand embroidery classes on sale today and also some general notes about Craftsy classes, with links to some of the class reviews I’ve written, in case you’re curious. Yes, I do enroll in Craftsy classes, and I’ve learned some really good things from them!

Craftsy April Online Embroidery Class Sale
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Frostings Club Specialty Embroidery Threads – Unboxed!

 

Today, I’m going to ramble on about embroidery thread. Once in a while, I just have to. It’s like releasing a pressure valve. I have to talk about thread, because I love thread.

Those of you interested in 17th century embroidery, in embroidered caskets, and similar exquisite items in the needlework field are probably not new to Thistle Threads.

If you’ve scoured the internet for information about 17th century embroidery or making your own embroidered casket (i.e. decorative, intricate cabinet with drawers and little compartments), then you’ve probably run across Thistle Threads – or maybe you’ve even enrolled in their casket class.

The casket class – called the Cabinet of Curiosities – is a two-part course, a fascinating multi-year journey towards creating your own embroidered table-top cabinet that tells whatever story you want it to tell. It includes the history of the embroidered casket, techniques, materials, side journeys for small treasures for inside the cabinet, and all the information you need to be well-informed while you create your magnum opus – your own embroidery heirloom that should last centuries.

Thistle Threads Online University
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