July 22, 2015

Sheesh – Some Shocking Shisha

A few weeks ago, I showed you the beginnings of this little embroidery sample worked on dark fabric.

Have you ever had one of Those Projects that you knew, from the beginning, that the results probably wouldn’t be All That Great? That was this project.

Now, don’t get me wrong! I think shisha embroidery is a lot of fun. I like the combination of beads and shisha and metallic threads.

(These all appeal to my secret attraction to Things Sparkly. Shhh. Don’t tell my family. They’d never believe it.)

But good golly, Miss Molly! Try combining shisha, beads (iridescent ones, to boot), metallic threads and dark fabric in the same project, and then try to photograph it decently, and you’re just begging for lunacy.

shisha embroidery with metallic threads on dark fabric

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July 21, 2015

On Embroidery Kits & Following Instructions

“Do as I say, not as I do.”

When I was a professional teacher, I held this maxim to be one of the Worst Possible Ways to instruct anyone, especially children.

Children especially learn from example; they absorb what they see other people do (especially people they look up to), and they learn by what we do more than by what we say.

So I’ve always held “do as I say, not as I do” as a pretty shoddy way to instruct.

However…

(Don’t you just love “buts”?)

We’re all adults here, right? (Except for maybe Sarah, but I’m sure she’ll understand!)

When working with an embroidery kit designed by someone else, do as I say:

Read through the instructions carefully first. And I really do mean read through All The Instructions carefully first. If you want to make changes to the instructions or the design or the layout or the colors or the method, go for it! But read what the designer originally intended, first. Then make your decisions.

Don’t do as I did. To illustrate:

Late Harvest Embroidery Project - long and short stitch with beads

Hand Embroidery Tutorials

July 20, 2015

Embroidery with Beads – Index

Lately, we’ve been fiddling about with adding beads to embroidery stitches as part of the Stitch Fun! series.

Since it’s Monday morning – and Monday’s are as good a time as any to think about organization – I thought I’d do a little house cleaning on the website and create an index for all the tutorials and articles relating to embroidery with beads here on Needle ‘n Thread.

That way, if you have a favorite tutorial you’re looking for, you can find it on this list. You can also bookmark the list so you can access it easily whenever you want. I’ll updated it whenever we add a new tutorial or article of interest.

You’ll find the list nestled under Stitch Fun!, which can be found under Tips & Techniques in the main menu across the top of the website.

Incidentally, you’ll be happy to know (maybe?) that there’s a new website overhaul going on right in the background, and the new site will feature visual indexes. I’m very excited about that!

Embroidery with Beads - Index of Tutorials

Hand Embroidery Books

July 17, 2015

Stumpwork Embroidery: Here’s Flowers for You!

If you love stumpwork embroidery, if you love flowers, and if you have a bit of a penchant for historical embroidery, literature, poetry… then you’ll definitely want to know about Jane Nicholas’s new stumpwork book, Shakespeare’s Flowers in Stumpwork, which is due out soon, soon, soon!

I’m so excited about this book! And on so many levels.

Stumpwork. Flowers. History. Literature. Poetry. Shakespeare. I’m a sucker for all of the above.

But really, it’s Jane’s exquisite artistry with the needle that seals them all up into such an appealing package.

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July 16, 2015

Two Hearts in Silk & Gold Embroidery – A Quick Teaching Project

A couple weeks ago, my niece hit me up for some stitching help. She wanted to embroider something for a gift for a friend’s wedding.

I thought “monogram” or “wedding sampler.” She thought “symbol.”

I was pretty pleased with the outcome of this little project, especially since it was the first time Anna had ever tried long & short stitch, shading, and working with silk and gold threads.

Today, I thought I’d share the finished embroidery project and the details on how it was worked.

Two Hearts Embroidery Project in Silk and Gold

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July 15, 2015

Choosing the Right Fabric for Hand Embroidery

A frequently asked question here on Needle ‘n Thread is what fabric to choose for hand embroidery projects.

We’ve talked about testing specific ground fabrics for hand embroidery before (here and here, for example), we’ve discussed linen for embroidery numerous times (here and here are two articles with a lot of information in them), and we’ve discussed building a swatch collection of fabrics that are suitable for embroidery, but in all the years we’ve been chatting about embroidery together, I’ve never itemized what I look for in a ground fabric specifically for hand embroidery.

I thought I’d do that today and open up the topic for discussion. Most embroiderers have their favorite fabrics that they gravitate towards, so I’d love to hear about the fabrics you like to use for surface embroidery, the fabrics you avoid for surface embroidery projects, and the whys and wherefores behind your thoughts.

Here are my thoughts on the subject – I hope you join in with yours!

Choosing the right fabric for hand embroidery projects

Hand Embroidery Tutorials

July 14, 2015

Stitch Fun! Beaded Cast-On Stitch

Lately, we’ve looked at quite a few simple ways to add beads to embroidery stitches as part of the Stitch Fun! series here on Needle ‘n Thread.

In this exploration of embroidery with beads, if you could take away just one lesson from the various tutorials, I’d want it to be this:

It’s easy to add beads to practically any embroidery stitch.

Sometimes, we think embroidery is Much More Complicated than it really is. And adding another element to it – like beads – can seem daunting. But the key is to try – play with your stitches and see what you can come up with! Really, there’s not a lot to it, when it comes to adding beads to any embroidery stitch.

Case in point: adding beads to cast-on stitch. I’ll show you how simple it is!

Beaded Cast-On Stitch Tutorial for Embroidery

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

Sheesh – Some Shocking Shisha

On Embroidery Kits & Following Instructions

Embroidery with Beads – Index

Stumpwork Embroidery: Here’s Flowers for You!

Two Hearts in Silk & Gold Embroidery – A Quick Teaching Project

Choosing the Right Fabric for Hand Embroidery

Stitch Fun! Beaded Cast-On Stitch

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos