July 30, 2015

Changing the Size of French Knots

My little secret pleasure this week has been working on this embroidered tree. When I’m supposed to be doing Other Things, I find myself picking this up and putting in just a few (or so) little stitches.

I overcome the guilt by telling myself that at least I’m accomplishing Something.

Besides, it’s fun to watch it bloom!

Because I’m using a non-divisible thread on this wee tree (specifically, coton a broder #25), I’ve been playing around with different ways to change the size of the French knot blossoms.

I thought I’d share some tips with you on how to successfully vary the size of French knots when you’re working with one thread.

Hand Embroidered Blooming Tree with French Knot blossoms

Uncategorized

July 29, 2015

Daisy Stitch Petals with Beads – Working Around the Chain Stitch Problem

It seems quite a few of us have taken to adding beads to our embroidery lately, incorporating some of the recent Stitch Fun! tutorials here and there in current projects.

I know this is the case – and that I’m not the only fiddling with beads now – because I’m receiving lots of emails with questions about adding beads to this stitch or that stitch, or about how to get this stitch to work right with beads, or about what size bead to use with that thread for this stitch, and other similar bead-related questions. I love these kinds of questions, and thanks for sending them in!

But I can rarely answer them all via email, in detail, so I’ve been keeping a list. If I can work out a tutorial that will answer your question and make it available for everyone here on the website, I will.

One particular question that’s come into the inbox repeatedly is how to make a daisy-stitch-like loop that looks like normal petals or leaves when working it with beads. Since the stitch is a pretty popular one in general, I thought I’d answer that question right here.

There are a couple ways that you can work chain stitch and detached chain stitch with beads and get a decent result. Today, I’m going to show you the simplest approach to making a daisy stitch loops with beads.

flat chain stitch line worked with beads

Uncategorized

July 28, 2015

Branching Out with Split Stitch

Split stitch gets a bad rap.

It’s a great little stitch – one of the basic hand embroidery stitches – but every time I bring it up on Needle ‘n Thread, I get an influx of anti-split-stitch commentary.

Some people just don’t like the poor little split stitch!

When I wrote about this monogram worked in split stitch with floche, at least a dozen people commented or wrote in about their dislike of the stitch in general.

So today, I thought I’d write in defense of split stitch, using a small sample project I’m working on to illustrate. I’ll share with you some tips that might make you like split stitch better, and that might encourage you to give this versatile, easy stitch a second chance!

Embroidered tree worked with split stitch

Hand Embroidery Patterns

July 27, 2015

Embroidery Design Transitions from Old to New

I’m so glad so many of you enjoyed the resources from Antique Pattern Library that I posted last Friday!

Antique Pattern Library is really a gem of a resource, worth bookmarking and checking often for updates. Because they’re entirely a non-profit work, it’s also worth supporting them if you’re able. And they make it very easy to donate through Paypal – it takes about a whole two seconds. If you make use of APL, do consider a donation. No matter the amount, anything helps to keep the endeavor afloat.

Here’s a question that came into my inbox over the weekend:

Mary, you mention using these old embroidery books for inspiration. There are some embroideries in them that I think would make good patterns that I’d like to use, but how do you make them into a design if they don’t have a design in the book? How do you make the designs that you have on your website?

I thought I’d address these two different questions here, in case others are wondering the same thing!

Hand Embroidery Books

July 24, 2015

Favorite Old Embroidery Books – Free for Downloading

If you have a chance this weekend, you’ll definitely want to take some time to browse through Antique Pattern Library.

If you’re not familiar with Antique Pattern Library, it’s a real bonanza when it comes to needlework books in the public domain.

The folks behind Antique Pattern Library do a fantastic job scanning and cataloging a whole variety of needlework books, and many of them are excellent old embroidery books.

Today, I’ll sum up a list of recent delectable finds and old favorites that are worth downloading. I’ll also share my “shortcuts” for browsing Antique Pattern Library. In case I didn’t mention it, there are a lot of books there. Browsing can be a bit like falling into the Black Hole of Oblivion, only to emerge to a day half-gone.

All the books are free for downloading, although you can support APL by donating, if you wish – there are buttons on the site.

Free Online Embroidery Books Worth Downloading

Hand Embroidery Tutorials

July 23, 2015

Stitch Fun! Fully Beaded Drizzle Stitch

Here’s a little follow-up on last week’s Stitch Fun! tutorial, where we learned how to bead the cast-on stitch.

We’re going to apply the same principles in that tutorial to the drizzle stitch, which is a fun dimensional stitch that sits up right off the fabric.

I’ve already shown you one way to bead the drizzle stitch, which involves placing a decorative bead just at the end of the stitch. What I like about that method is that the stitch really retains its curliness and the added bead on the end contributes a certain amount of weight to the stitch that makes it sort of floppy. I like that! It’s fun!

In this particular tutorial, with the stitch fully beaded up its whole length, you’ll see that the stitch, as I’ve worked it here, results in a rather stiff column of beads standing right up off the fabric.

Don’t be put off! You can make adjustments to this, which I’ll discuss below, to incorporate the twist that makes drizzle stitch so fun, and you can also add variety to the stitch by mixing things up a bit. I’ll talk about that at the end of the tutorial.

For now, here’s a quick little tutorial for a fully beaded drizzle stitch!

How to stitch a fully beaded drizzle stitch in hand embroidery

Uncategorized

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

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

Changing the Size of French Knots

Daisy Stitch Petals with Beads – Working Around the Chain Stitch Problem

Branching Out with Split Stitch

Embroidery Design Transitions from Old to New

Favorite Old Embroidery Books – Free for Downloading

Stitch Fun! Fully Beaded Drizzle Stitch

Sheesh – Some Shocking Shisha

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos