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
October 30, 2014
The end of October is upon us. You know what that means, don’t you?
It means that the end of 2014 is looming! Time’s fun when you’re having flies…
I was going to put today’s Big Question off until the end of November, but that doesn’t give me a lot of time to start planning for next year.
During these last two months of the year, I’ll be working on future plans for Needle ‘n Thread. To do that and do it well, I need your help!
October 29, 2014
Today, I’m going to go out on a limb and offer a list of the 10 hand embroidery stitches that I think every beginner (and beyond) should learn.
I get the question often: I’m just getting into hand embroidery. What stitches should I learn first?
There are hundreds and hundreds of embroidery stitches out there, so answering that question can be somewhat difficult.
After giving it some thought, I’ve narrowed my recommendations down to 10 stitches that every embroiderer should know and that the beginner can aim to learn, that will provide the stitcher with a good foundation for future growth and plenty of entertainment and versatility.
October 28, 2014
Yes, yes, yes, ladies & gents, we have a winner for last week’s give-away, which features the book Monograms: The Art of Embroidered Letters, a hard-to-find (in English, anyway), out-of-print instructional book on monogramming, by Susan O’Connor.
While we wait and hope for the book to be reprinted, I’ve been giving away some spare copies off and on. Hopefully, the book will be reprinted soon – if I hear it’s coming, I’ll definitely let you know.
October 27, 2014
We’re nearing the end of the Daisy & Rings monogram alphabet here, which is always exciting! You can collect the free PDF printables for these monograms on the Monograms index, if you’d like.
Monograms, by the way, are not only terrific for hand embroidery, but they come in handy for many other craft applications as well. Card making and other paper crafts seem to be popular choices, for example.
One reader wrote to say that she used this alphabet to make a set of note cards, combining watercolors and ribbon embroidery. She printed the letter on note cards, used watercolors to paint them, and then touched up the flowers with little bits of ribbon embroidery. On the inside of the card, she pasted heavier color-coordinated cardstock to cover the back of the embroidery. I haven’t seen photos, but I thought it was a great idea!
October 24, 2014
I’m an absolute sucker for vintage embroidered linens, especially linens embellished with whitework embroidery.
I don’t collect a lot of them, but what I do have, gets used. A lot.
I figure if you collect something just for the sake of having it, but not for the sake of using and enjoying it, what good is that?
After all, those gorgeous vintage linens that were meticulously hand embroidered by someone, somewhere, at some point in time – well, they were made to be used! They weren’t made to be stored in a drawer or a box forever, to eventually make their way into an attic or… woe is me… a garage sale or a thrift store.
But they often go that route, don’t they?
I think if they were used more – instead of stored away for safe keeping – they would be better appreciated by all who saw them, and they would be treasured by family and friends. They wouldn’t end up cast away at a thrift store.
But I also think many people don’t use vintage pieces and end up getting rid of them simply because they don’t know how to use them and how to take care of them.
October 23, 2014
Earlier in the year, I reviewed Susan O’Connor’s delectable book on hand embroidering monograms.
It’s called Monograms: The Art of Embroidered Letters (that’s a link to the review, if you want to see the details), and it’s a must-have if you love hand embroidered monograms.
But there’s this problem, you see…
October 22, 2014
Well, I tried several different approaches and several different stitches on the tail feathers for the Secret Garden Hummingbirds, each resulting in a little more un-stitching.
Finally, I succumbed to the fishbone stitch, which is the same stitch I used to embroider the hummingbird’s wings.
So, today, a little update on the Secret Garden Hummingbird Project, just so you know I haven’t abandoned it!
I’ll also share some tips on how to gradually change shades with the fishbone stitch.
