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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My Stumpwork Snafu – with a Fairish Finish

 

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Happy Friday all around!

Today, I’m going to take you through my latest tiny stitching adventure and tell you my thought processes and how they didn’t work, but then how they did work, and hopefully convince you that it’s ok to plow ahead even when the results of your stitching are looking a bit dim.

My adventure started when I succumbed to the temptation of working the elements of Late Harvest (an embroidery project designed by Hazel Blomkamp and featured in her book Crewel Intentions) completely out of order.

Late Harvest Embroidery Project - stumpwork embroidery elements
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Heart: Branching Out – Free Hand Embroidery Pattern

 

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a free surface embroidery pattern, so this morning, I thought I’d share a little heart I’ve been dabbling with.

There’s something a little Valentine’s Day-ish and a little St. Patrick’s Day-ish combined in this design – sort of hearty, sort of shamrocky, and good for all kinds of craft techniques.

Here ’tis:

Heart: Branching Out embroidery pattern
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Needle Woven Fillings: a Huge Variety of Them!

 

You might remember that, last autumn, I was fiddling around a bit with some fun needle woven fillings that can be used to add color, texture, and pattern to large areas of embroidery.

Needle weaving is pretty much just weaving embroidery thread on the surface of fabric. In concept, it’s not too complicated. But the results that you can achieve by following a variety of patterns and by working with different types of threads, colors, textures, and whatnot are pretty amazing!

If you’ve had a bit of a hankering to try out needle weaving on your embroidery projects, you’re in luck! Hazel Blomkamp has put together a terrific little instructional book called Needle Weaving Techniques for Hand Embroidery, and it’s chockfull of so many patterns that you’ll never tire of the offerings!

I’m excited about this instructional book! Let me show you why…

Needle Weaving Techniques for Hand Embroidery by Hazel Blomkamp
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The Best Mini Hoops for Finishing Embroidery

 

Today’s article is an example of either Really Bad Timing or Really Good Timing, depending on how you look at it.

I want to show you the Most Adorable, downright cute, perfectly constructed, beautifully finished tiny little hoops that you can use for finishing itty-bitty embroidery projects – whether you want to finish those little broder-bits into jewelry, ornaments, keychains, tiny framed things to hang from your ceiling all over your house…

Perhaps I should have mentioned these well before Christmas, so that you could use them to finish little embroidered ornaments or fun and unique jewelry to give as gifts. It’s too late for that now, but look at it this way: January gives you plenty of time to prepare for next Christmas, and for all the holidays, birthdays and other occasions in between!

Better yet, it’s also a great time to make something fun, just for yourself.

Miniature Hoops for Finishing Embroidery - for jewelry, ornaments
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Late Harvest: Long & Short Stitch, Inside Out – It Works!

 

The last time we visited Late Harvest, an embroidery kit that I’m working on that was designed by Hazel Blompkamp and featured in her book, Crewel Intentions, we discussed different approaches to the long & short stitch when filling a leaf.

I’m still struggling with those differences. But I keep trying! You know how they say it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks? Well, the same concept applies for stitchers.

Not that we’re dogs, mind you!

I did make some progress on the project last weekend – not a lot, but if you’ve been reading Needle ‘n Thread for a while, you know one of my recurring themes: some progress is always better than no progress!

Late Harvest Embroidery Project - long & short stitch and beads
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A Merry Christmas to All!

 

Happy Christmas Eve!

My big plans for today – to share with you a whole completed stack of red Christmas napkins embroidered with snowflakes using the patterns I’ve been posting on Needle ‘n Thread lately – have fizzled to naught!

Unless I sprout another eight arms and acquire another eight hours in the day, they won’t, alas, be finished. So I’ve decided to do what any sane person would do, and let it go. There’s always next year!

Merry Christmas!
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