Remember last week when we talked about printing embroidery designs on fabric, using a home printer?

Well, I continued with some experimentation, and I’ve chatted with some other stitchers about the subject since then and done a little more research and whatnot.

If you jumped on the home-printing idea for embroidery patterns transfers, there are a few things you might want to know before you plunge headfirst into using your home printer for printing all your embroidery designs straight onto your fabric.

I know, I know! We’re always seeking the perfect (and easy and most painless) solution for design transfer – but there are several things to consider before settling on the inkjet printer as the ideal solution.

First, further experiments:

Now that you’ve had your fill of chocolate and Easter treats – now that you’re jelly-beaned out – it’s time for some embroidery treats!

I promise you, these embroidery goodies from around the web beat chocolate and jelly beans hands-down, any day of the week and ten times on Tuesdays!

Ready?

Good morning, and a happy Monday all around!

This morning, just a quick announcement of the winner of the Hand & Lock embroidery class, from the generous class give-away offered by Hand & Lock here on Needle ‘n Thread, with a little more information about the classes available and the venue in Williamsburg.

Figure embroidery is a topic that absolutely captivates me.

I started my whole adult Embroidery Journey (that is, pursuing embroidery with Lusty Gusto, avidly collecting, reading, examining, attempting) while studying the history of art in college.

Ever since then, I’ve built my own collection of embroidered pieces and photographed others – especially on church vestments and vesture – in order to study them closely.

Now, if you’re not really into ecclesiastical figure embroidery, that’s ok – the techniques can translate well into any figure embroidery, whether church-related or not.

And true, there are other ways of embroidering faces and figures, besides the somewhat formal styles presented in church embroidery. For example, there are contemporary interpretations in embroidered portraits, like those by fiber artist Cayce Zavaglia.

I think one thing that really mesmerizes me about this subject is that the assortment of extant examples of such embroidery from various ages teaches us so much about the whole development of embroidery styles, techniques, and even materials – the development, in short, of the art of embroidery through the ages.

An important point to consider about figure embroidery is how it is meant to be viewed. The embroiderer will most certainly embroider differently, depending on the way the embroidery is supposed to be seen.

To illustrate this point, let’s take a look at some figure embroidery.

Several weeks ago, we started exploring embroidered stories – tapestry projects that, in some way, tell stories that are significant in some way. Most of these tapestry projects are community efforts, embroidered by volunteers.

First, we saw the Prestonpans Tapestry, and then we looked at tapestries, embroideries, and textile art relating to World Wars I & II.

For your perusal and further exploration, here’s a group of tapestry projects that I call “heritage tapestries.” For the most part, they have to do with the settlement and development of communities, or the cultural, artistic, religious, or historical heritage of the communities or individuals involved in making them.

Some of the tapestry projects may be familiar to you; hopefully, you’ll find some new gems among them to explore further on your own! And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find out that there’s a tapestry near you – or in the vicinity of some future travels – that you can see in person!