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Mary Corbet

writer and founder

 

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

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Color Matching Different Types of Embroidery Thread

 

Amazon Books

I mentioned last week, when announcing this give-away for Trish Burr’s new book, Miniature Needle Painting Embroidery, that there is a discrepancy between the color numbers for Gütermann’s threads available in the US and those available in other countries.

I don’t know why that is. But alas, it is! And so, armed with a list of DMC thread numbers that correspond with the Gütermann threads Trish uses in her projects, I went on a little hunt to try to match up thread colors and put together a workable list of Gütermann thread numbers for US stitchers working on Trish’s projects.

My search took me not too far afield – I just needed a store that stocked all of Gütermann’s Sew-All polyester threads and the full line of DMC.

Oh, I suppose I could have taken the DMC colors with me, or purchased them elsewhere and then found the Gütermann’s, but I figured it would be easier to have all the threads under one roof. And I found them, at JoAnn Fabrics. Indeed, I am told that they have the full line of Gütermann Sew-All thread colors that are available in the States.

Here are some hints on color matching and the results of my search.

Gütermann and DMC Thread Color Matches
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A Little Touch of Spring on a Vintage Handkerchief

 

Here in the northern hemisphere, it’s definitely time for a little touch of spring!

And this hand embroidered, vintage handkerchief I want to show you today is Just the Thing to inspire spring-like thoughts. It’s a lovely specimen, with its little cluster of sweet violas, meticulously embroidered in an interesting technique that you don’t often see on hankies.

Monograms with satin stitch? Sure. You see them on handkerchiefs all the time. Pretty flowers in long & short stitch? Yep, those show up quite a bit, too.

But this approach? This approach on a very fine linen handkerchief – you don’t see so much.

I think it’s so pretty – and I hope you will, too!

Hand embroidered vintage handkerchief with violas in tent stitch
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Needlework News Snips

 

It’s promising to be a bright, sunny morning here in Kansas – a perfect morning for sipping a cup of tea with the window barely cracked (it’s chilly!), just so I can hear the birds. There are lots of birds out and about this morning!

So, join me with a cup of something, and let’s meander through some needlework and embroidery newsy bits and pieces, shall we?

Needlework & Embroidery News
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Miniature Needle Painting – a Give-Away & Some Thread Talk

 

The other day, I reviewed Trish Burr’s new book Miniature Needle Painting Embroidery, which will be available in the US next month, and today, courtesy of Trish Burr, I’m giving away a copy of it! How exciting!

So, even if the book isn’t available yet, it will be soon – and in the meantime, you might end up with your own advanced copy.

And speaking of which…there’s a thread question that came up regarding the book, so let’s chat about that, too.

Miniature Needle Painting Embroidery by Trish Burr
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Setting up My Embroidery Carrot

 

A couple weeks ago, I introduced you to my embroidery carrot.

You do have embroidery carrots, don’t you? For me, my carrot is always a project I want to work on, but it’s purely for my own pleasure, my own learning experience, just for relaxation and fun. I don’t have to think about the project. Someone else has done all the thinking for me!

For example, this little miniature Cluny tapestry was an embroidery carrot for me. It was just a fun little counted petit point piece, worked on silk gauze. I used it as my “15 Minute” project and as a carrot. When I finished something I had to do, when I got a good day’s work done, or whatever – I’d spend fifteen minutes or more relaxing and stitching on it.

A carrot is a reward. If I was good, I’d reward myself with stitching time on it. And eventually, it was finished!

Well, my carrot this year is Late Harvest, an embroidery kit by Hazel Blomkamp, which I reviewed a couple weeks ago.

Late Harvest is a rather large piece (especially if you compare it to that miniature Cluny tapestry!), and so it requires a good-sized embroidery frame.

My stand-by embroidery frames that I will always love are Evertite stretcher bar frames. You can read all about Evertite stretcher bar frames here – what they are, how they work, and what makes them special.

Evertite Stretcher Bar Frames for large projects
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Have a Heart…Embroidered with Flowers & Goldwork

 

Valentine’s Day is coming up. It’s that time of year when people pay special attention to their True Loves.

Ah, me! *Sigh*

Don’t worry, I’m most certainly not going mushy on you.

But I am going to get a bit gooey over some goldwork.

Goldwork! Now there’s something to sigh over. Doesn’t it just make you weak in the knees?

Ok, seriously, several years ago, I shared this embroidery pattern for a heart filled with flowers, and Barbara McNabb, a reader down in New Zealand, embroidered a lovely version of it. Her guild – a group of about 35 at the time – was doing a display with a theme of hearts, and the pattern was shared in their newsletter for inspiration.

I just love what she did with the embroidery!

Embroidered Heart with Flowers and Goldwork
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Miniature Needle Painting Embroidery – Book Review

 

If you’re a fan of needle painting, you are most likely familiar with Trish Burr’s exquisite embroidery, where she uses needle and thread to “paint” embroidered vignettes – primarily, flowers and birds.

Trish has a substantial list of published books available for the embroiderer, books that are a combination of instruction and projects. If you’ve ever wanted to learn needle painting, her books are a great place to start!

My two favorites, which I’ve reviewed already here on Needle ‘n Thread, are Needle Painting Embroidery: Fresh Ideas for Beginners and Colour Confidence, which is devoted to teaching embroiderers how to use color, especially when needle painting.

Well, this year, Trish is adding yet another book to her published repertoire: Miniature Needle Painting Embroidery. This particular book is devoted to the embroidery of small needle painted projects, including vintage portraits, flowers, and birds.

Miniature Needle Painting Embroidery by Trish Burr
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