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 10, 2024
Back in February, I began exploring DMC’s new Eco Vita naturally-dyed wool embroidery threads, working a small and satisfying little project that we first looked at here.
The project developed over time, undergoing a few changes. And then it developed into an embroidery kit – Wildflowers in Wool, which is available now.
May 8, 2024
It’s been about 10.5 years since we’ve explored tambour embroidery here on Needle ‘n Thread. I’ve brought it up now and then, but we haven’t looked at it in-depth in a long, long time.
Shortly, I’m going to bring up the topic again in a little more depth, but for those who are new to Needle ‘n Thread (and I use the term “new” pretty loosely!), I thought I’d touch on tambour embroidery and give you a little background before it comes up again, seemingly out of the blue. That way, you’re not wondering what the heck I’m talking about or scurrying around to find out!
And it will also allow me to be a little less wordy (and I use the term “less” pretty loosely!) when the time comes.
May 6, 2024
Today, let’s take a look at five different wool needlework threads that are available today, and line them up next to each other.
The five brands we’re going to look at are Array (we already covered this one in depth), Bella Lusso, ThreadWorx, Renaissance Dyeing, and Simply Wool.
May 3, 2024
Sometimes, when I start an embroidery project, I know exactly what I want to do, and how it will work out.
I might change my mind about a color or shade; I might decide to use a stitch other than the one I first planned to use.
These are minor corrections, and, on some types of projects, I can generally correct them and move ahead on the original design, with the original plan.
May 1, 2024
May 1st is the perfect day to feature my favorite of all wildflowers: the cornflower.
But before I do that, I need to make a brief announcement! For those who were waiting for the Golden Forge scissors (I wrote about them here) to arrive, they are back in stock now.
Many of you inquired about them, and I didn’t want to leave you waiting longer, so I had to pop that announcement in here.
Or is it the Bachelor Button?
I like to call it the cornflower.
Cornflowers are the absolute bluest of blue flowers. When they start popping up here and there (they grow pretty much like weeds in Kansas), they make me happy! I love it when they show up in the spring!
April 29, 2024
The Royal School of Needlework has really leapt to the forefront in the past five years with improving and expanding their online resources.
To me, one of their most interesting resources is their developing online “collections” where they are cataloging their acquisitions so that anyone, anywhere, can view them up close.
They have their First 100 acquisitions that have been added to their online database available to browse now.
April 26, 2024
Some of the standard products that I’ve offered here on Needle ‘n Thread over the years are ready-to-stitch towel sets that I designed and stitched samples of, and then prepared as pre-printed cotton towels that you can stitch, too.
The idea behind them was to give you a variety of embroidery projects that you can let loose on, choosing your own colors and stitches to create something unique for you – but with the design part already taken care of.
We’ve been working here in the studio on some related projects – for example, we’re preparing a couple all-inclusive kits with some of the designs – so we’ve had bins out that we’ve been foraging through for past examples of these stitched goods. While we’re putting together stitch guides and instructional material, it’s helpful to have a stitched sample front and center.
The weird thing is, I never realized just how many stitched samples I have floating around this place. We opened one bin…
