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
May 8, 2015
Remember that to-do list of embroidery projects we chatted about the other day? Well, I’ve crossed one off – it’s this embroidered quote project for an upcoming article on Craftsy.
Here’s the finished quote and some reflections on it. I’ll tell you right off the bat that it’s not my Favorite Project that I’ve ever worked. I’ll tell you why!
May 7, 2015
Earlier this year, we explored various embroidered tapestries from all over the world, focusing on how embroidery is used to tell stories.
We began by looking at the Prestonpans Tapestry in Scotland, and from there we explored tapestries of the World Wars and Heritage Tapestries.
Just as narrative poetry can relate the great epics of mythology and history, narrative embroidery can relate visually – in vivid, captivating detail – similar epics.
If you’ve ever contemplating starting a narrative tapestry, whether on a small scale (relating, for example, the story of your own family), or on a larger scale, perhaps relating the history of your city or town or region, then you definitely will be interested in The Art of Narrative Embroidery by Rosemary Farmer and Maggie Ferguson.
And heck, even if you never dream of creating a narrative piece of embroidery, if you love embroidery, history, bustling activity, people, places, animals, ships, incredible vistas – all worked with needle and thread – you’ll love this book!
May 6, 2015
I’ve got embroidery projects coming out of my ears. Does this ever happen to you?
Right now, I feel a bit like Mr. Toad. I go careening down one path, soon to be distracted by yet another project, so I go careening off in that direction, until I’m all tied up with a million little things that I need to finish, and the result: confusion and mayhem!
For me, the best way to get through a situation like this is to sort out what needs to be done and put the Needful Things in order, according to when they need to be done. Those things that don’t have a specific deadline can be sorted in other categories.
Obviously, everyone’s situation is different. This is my current situation, and I’ll show you how I’m getting through it.
May 5, 2015
Yesterday, I shared the embroidery process for this embroidered book cover with you, and today, I’ll show you the really (and I mean really) simple way I put it together.
There are certainly more complicated ways to go about making an embroidered book cover, but this way is fast and very easy. It isn’t perhaps the most “finished” of finished book covers, but it is finished enough to serve for a long time.
Here’s how I did it!
May 4, 2015
When we parted on Friday, I was getting ready to launch into a “quick” embroidery project with a deadline – this embroidered book cover for a prayer book for Adele’s First Communion, which happened to be yesterday.
As usual, I underestimated the time necessary to finish the embroidery and the book cover. I don’t know why I always underestimate the time it will take to do these things, but alas, I’m a Super Underestimator, when it comes to time and stitching!
Today, I’ll take you through the embroidery for the book cover, show you the mistakes and foibles that I certainly didn’t correct, and discuss some changes that could easily be made to simplify the design. And tomorrow, I’ll show you how I finished the book cover.
May 1, 2015
Here’s my latest adventure with the embroidered book cover that I really should have finished a while ago.
Yep. The event is day after tomorrow – a point I realized yesterday. (Being the attentive aunt that I am, I obviously pay close attention to these things!)
So, yesterday, I spent a little bit of time getting the set-up work done for the embroidered prayerbook cover and selecting colors. Today, I’ll stitch it.
Here’s the set-up process in a nutshell, along with information on the fabric I’m using (and why), the threads, and a few tips that will make the finishing process much quicker.
April 30, 2015
Even after triple and quadruple double-checking, some color numbers slipped past me on a few letters in Stitch Sampler Alphabet, and I wanted to get the news out to those of you who have purchased the e-book as soon as possible. And the blog being the best place to do that, here we are, interrupting our normal schedule to bring you…
…the Dreaded Errata Notice!
In other words, to say with a bit of a blush, I made a couple mistakes.
If you plan to use the color schemes and the same threads listed in the e-book, specifically for letters S, F, and D, you’ll want to make note of these three errors in the book.
Thanks to Vaune Pierce at vaune.com for the discoveries – she sure knows her floche and coton a broder!
