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
March 11, 2015
Last week, we looked at goldwork embroidery kits from Benton & Johnson.
I have a little secret to tell you…
I did something really stupid.
When I bought the kits, I figured I was already in the soup for the overseas shipping from the UK, so I added a few extras to the order.
March 10, 2015
A couple weeks ago, we looked at some vintage embroidered handkerchiefs and discussed how to tell the difference between hand embroidery and machine embroidery on vintage pieces.
Today, we’re going to look at another vintage handkerchief, embroidered in a style that can only be hand embroidery.
It’s a monogrammed hanky with (ahem…) an M. Needless to say, I don’t mind the M!
In fact, I’m kind of partial to the M.
March 9, 2015
That’s it. That’s all there is to it. I must – and I mean, I must – finish the Secret Garden hummingbirds.
They’re fluttering around in my head, every time I try to move forward on any other project.
It’s the second hummingbird that’s really crying for attention, because it has so few feathers:
March 7, 2015
Good morning and a happy weekend to you!
It promises to be a glorious, beautiful weekend here in Kansas. The first hint of spring! I’m going to stitch with my windows open today, even if I freeze in the process.
Just a quick note this morning to announce the winner of Salley Mavor’s new book, Felt Wee Folk: New Adventures, which I reviewed earlier this week, and to share some little snips of needlework news.
Ready?
March 6, 2015
How do you use up your leftover fabric “scraps”?
I absolutely never throw away any scrap of linen that’s at least 2″ square, because I know I can use it for something.
Mostly, I use scraps for the background fabrics you see here on Needle ‘n Thread for stitch instructions.
And lately, I’ve been stitching up a lot of instructions and stitch samples. Lots! Yesterday alone, I took 439 photos of about 18 different stitches and stitch combinations in progress and finished.
Before I set out on this particular glut of stitch photography, I was able to come up with a whole pile of scraps perfect for this use.
This is my whole process of setting up a photo session for embroidery stitches.
March 5, 2015
If you’ve been hanging around here on Needle ‘n Thread for a few months, you might remember that, shortly after Christmas, I mentioned that Benton & Johnson in the UK was having a sale on their website, particularly on their goldwork embroidery kits (which are still marked down, by the way).
I purchased a few of them at the time so I could review them for you. Gosh, I just love using you as an excuse to feed my embroidery habit!
Just in case you’re looking for goldwork kits suitable for beginners and beyond, it’s nice to know what you’ll get when you order an embroidery kit. The descriptions on the Benton & Johnson website are not very thorough, so I was curious to see what their kits are like.
So, here it goes – what you can expect in a goldwork kit ordered from Benton & Johnson…
March 4, 2015
Yesterday, I reviewed Salley Mavor’s new book, Felt Wee Folk: New Adventures, and you met my new stitching companion, who still doesn’t have a name.
For those of you who receive the Needle ‘n Thread daily newsletter in your inbox, you might have missed the give-away. I’m also giving away a copy of the book, courtesy of C & T Publishing. If you did miss that, you’ll find the details on yesterday’s book review, and you still have plenty of time to join in!
Sorry about that – I added the give-away later in the morning, after the newsletter had already flown the coop!
Throughout the day yesterday, I received a slew of email about the curls on the doll, many from folks working on stumpwork figures: how did I work them, are there instructions in the book, are they attached to the head first, is there a pattern for that bonnet, and so forth.
So today, before we get too far away from the subject, I’ll explain how I added curls to my doll’s head, so that those of you immersed in creating stumpwork figures can play with the techniques.
