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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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  • How-To
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    Over 75 Embroidery Stitch Videos to Help You Learn

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    A Collection of Instructional Articles

 
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November 6, 2014

A Bird in the Hand…

 

Amazon Books

You know the saying, A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? It means that what we already have is more valuable than what we hope to get some day.

I’m thinking we could apply this to the Secret Garden Hummingbirds, now that one of them is completely finished. I learned a lot when embroidering the first bird – and I suspect the future hope of having the second bird eventually finished will not be quite as interesting a journey.

But … it will certainly be a faster journey!

So, I finished all the embroidery on the first hummingbird, including the bird’s beak, which I’m still debating about. Perhaps you can help me?

Hand Embroidered Hummingbird
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Hand Embroidery Patterns

November 5, 2014

The End

 

If you’ve been collecting the letters for the Daisy & Rings monogram alphabet, you’ll be happy to know that today, we’ve reached The End.

Sometimes, The End is a great place to be!

For those of you just joining in here at Needle ‘n Thread, you’ll find this complete alphabet of monogram letters available here.

Each letter has a free PDF printable with three sizes of letters on it. And many of the articles that accompany the letters offer stitching tips and ideas, links to monogram resources, and so forth.

Without further ado, here’s The End of the Alphabet – letters Y and Z.

Monogram for Hand Embroidery: Y
Continue reading “The End”

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November 4, 2014

I Believe in UFOs!

 

No, really. I do.

If you’re new to the embroidery / quilting / needlecrafting world, you might think I’m a little off my nut here. But if you’ve been in the game for a while and you’ve had contact with other people in the hand crafting and needle arts world, then you’re probably familiar with the term UFO, and you know what I mean by it.

A UFO – strangely enough – is an UnFinished Object.

This particular moniker has always irritated me a little bit. Why do we call it a UFO?

Firstly, unfinished is one word. So, if anything, it should be a UO. But I realize that sounds equally silly.

Secondly, who calls their embroidery work an object, anyway? I generally call it an embroidery project. If I don’t finish it, it’s an Unfinished Project.

An UP.

Hand Embroidery UFO's & Why We Have Them
Continue reading “I Believe in UFOs!”

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November 3, 2014

Redwork Embroidery – Stalled, but Not Forgotten

 

Remember this redwork runner? Oh yes, it’s been a long time since I mentioned this particular embroidery project!

This past May, it reached the point where all the chain stitch on the runner was complete – the Hungarian braided chain stitch is all that’s left to do on the unfinished portion of the runner.

The project’s been nagging me lately, in a quiet way.

Hungarian Redwork Embroidery Table Runner
Continue reading “Redwork Embroidery – Stalled, but Not Forgotten”

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October 30, 2014

Help Me, Help You!

 

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!

Needle 'n Thread Questions
Continue reading “Help Me, Help You!”

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October 29, 2014

10 Hand Embroidery Stitches You Should Know

 

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.

10 Hand Embroidery Stitches to Know
Continue reading “10 Hand Embroidery Stitches You Should Know”