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
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
July 9, 2015
After yesterday’s True Confessions about the small monogram sample that went from an hour-long project to an almost-five-hour-long project – and all the doubts and discoveries along the way – I thought I’d share the finished monogram with you.
Upon finishing the embroidery on the little R and blocking it, I drew some more conclusions about it.
One may surprise you!
July 8, 2015
It started out as a quick sample meant to show off an embroidery thread.
One of those “this will only take an hour (or so)” sort of embroidered samples.
You know the kind: You want to test something new: an embroidery thread, a type of fabric, maybe a technique. Or you want to demonstrate a point: this thread works well in this scenario, or this fabric is perfect for that type of project.
And you think it’ll only take an hour or so to whip up your sample and establish your conclusions.
I’ll tell you something, between you and me: any time you think it will “only” take an hour or so to stitch up a sample, go ahead and second guess yourself.
Why? Because invariably, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be wrong. It’ll take significantly longer than you ever intended, you’ll wander down one diverging path after another until your hour turns into a day, and your day turns into two, and you’ll reach every other conclusion but the one you set out to establish.
Case in point: this monogram.
July 7, 2015
How do you embroider? Do you sew your stitches, or do you stab your stitches?
Today, I want to chat a bit about these two methods of embroidering a stitch. Chances are, you habitually gravitate towards one method or the other when you stitch.
Both methods have their merits! Let’s look at the differences between these two methods of stitching, and then I’ll tell you which one I habitually use and why. I hope you’ll chime in with your preferences!
July 6, 2015
For stitchers who are interested in adding sparkle to their embroidery using beads, you’ll quickly find that some kind of bead tray is a good thing to have on hand.
A bead tray is pretty much just what it sounds like: a tray (or something similar) where you put your beads while you’re working with them.
It keeps your working beads confined, so that they don’t roll about on the table, but it also allows you to easily access them with your needle.
I imagine bead embroiderers who have been at the whole Bead Thing for a long time have definite preferences for a work tray. I’m not super particular about mine – at first, I simply used the lid of a small gift card tin. If I ended a work session, but I wasn’t finished with the beads in the lid, I’d just put the base of the tin upside down into the lid and my beads would be covered and contained until the next session.
But I noticed that, when I was working with just the tin lid, the beads had a tendency to be very active. They’d scoot and slide, pop away from the needle, and sometimes, with a shiver or a shake, they’d dance a jolly jig. Give the lid a bump, and they’d fly. Ornery, I tell you!
At first, I was going to line the inside of the tin with some velveteen, in the same style as this goldwork tray that I use for cutting and containing real metal embroidery threads. Any fabric with a nap (like velvet or velveteen) – or even just a rough surface (like felt) – will go a long way to keeping beads calm and easier to manage.
But then, instead, I decided to get tacky.
July 4, 2015
Last night, as we sat outside at my sister’s house, gnawing watermelon and waiting for a neighbor’s fireworks display to commence, my five-year-old niece asked me, “Do they have the Fourth of July in other countries?”
Ummmm… I just love trick questions from five-year-olds. I knew from the outset the conversation would end badly.
Yes, they do, I explained. July 4th is tomorrow’s date.
In America, I explained further, Independence Day is on July 4th, and it’s our national holiday, which is why we celebrate with fireworks, picnics, and parties.
Other countries have national holidays, too, I went on pedantically, but they aren’t necessarily on July 4th. But they still have the fourth of July, because it’s the date – just like today is July 3rd, tomorrow is July 4th. It’s just not necessarily a day they have fireworks and picnics.
So…… she said, swatting a mosquito and totally missing the point of my lesson, they don’t have the Fourth of July?
I grabbed a sparkler, lit it, handed it to her, and sent her off to frolic.
Wherever you are, happy fourth of July! If you happen to be an American, Happy Independence Day!
If you’re sweltering in the summer heat this weekend (or shivering with the cold, depending on your locale), take some time to enjoy this month’s needlework news snips!
July 3, 2015
Today, I want to share with you an exquisite piece of whitework embroidery which, at first glance, could be mistaken for a pristinely preserved antique.
But it’s not! No, indeed, this is a brand new piece of embroidery, worked by Jacqueline Barcelo, a Needle ‘n Thread reader, as a gift for her daughter.
July 2, 2015
It was one of those days. You know the kind – when nothing goes quite right, when the whole day slips by and it seems like nothing significant was accomplished?
We all have days like that now and then!
I try to redeem days Those Days in one of two ways: either by learning something from the day’s events (or non-events) and why they transpired the way they did so I can handle them better in the future, or, if that’s even a lost cause, by putting myself to one small but significant task, to set me up for a better day the next day.
On this particular day, I took the second route. I undertook the tiniest of tasks.
I’ve had a stitch sample hanging over my head for a couple weeks, but I didn’t know how I was going to approach it. I needed to force myself just to start.
Starting is often half the battle, isn’t it?
The sample in question will be embroidered on dark fabric. It will involve a few different, uncomplicated stitches. And it will be embroidered with a limited palette of…yes…metallic threads.
Two hurdles loomed in my mind: dark fabric and metallic threads.
