About

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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Thread Talk! Silk Chenille Embroidery Thread, Part 1

 

Amazon Books

Ahhhh, silk! It’s such a luxurious fiber, and so perfect for hand embroidery that it’s been used for centuries and centuries to embellish fabric, and ever considered the Queen of Embroidery Threads.

There are many different types of silk threads used in hand embroidery and other needlework. After all, silk embroidery threads differ in construction, in weight, in twists, even in types of fibers in their make-up.

Today, I want to chat with you about a silk thread that is a little mysterious and obscure (it’s certainly not the most commonly used silk thread in the world, that’s for sure!).

It’s also somewhat…well… odd.

The thread is silk chenille. Let’s look at it.

Silk Chenille Hand Embroidery Thread
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Redwork Embroidery & a Monogrammed Lid

 

If you’ve perused the hand embroidery projects here on Needle ‘n Thread, or even noticed the design and color scheme of the website, you might have noticed that I have a thing for the color red.

So it’s no wonder that, when Lacy Suzette sent me these photos of her recent, gorgeous embroidery project, I was over the moon with excitement. It’s adorable! It’s charming. It’s amazing!

And it’s red!

Redwork Embroidery & Monogrammed Lid on a Beautiful Box
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A Hoop on a Stick – Hand Embroidery Tool Review

 

It’s sometimes called a Fanny Frame. Sometimes, a Hoop Stand. Sometimes, a Sit-on Hoop.

But I like to call it a Hoop on a Stick. Kind of takes me back to those blissful childhood days… Apple on a Stick, makes me sick…

But this hoop on a stick doesn’t make me sick – I love this contraption!

Whatever you call it, the concept is this: an embroidery hoop held by a stick which is attached to a flat paddle that you sit on.

The point: so you can embroider pretty much anywhere you can seat yourself, with your work in a hoop while having both hands free.

Embroidery Hoop Stand - Fanny Frame
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Embroidering Tail Feathers: Colors & Considerations

 

The last time we visited my current hand embroidery project, the Secret Garden Hummingbirds, we talked about the subtle and positive difference a few well placed embroidery stitches can make on a project.

At that point, I was working on the wings, and I was sorely looking forward to moving onto the tail feathers of the hummingbird.

Today, I’m going to share with you what not to do when embroidering the tail feathers on these hummingbirds.

To put it frankly, this isn’t a pretty tale.

Hand Embroidery Project: Hummingbirds
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10 Terrific Old Needlework Books to Add to Your Embroidery Library

 

Old hand embroidery and needlework books mesmerize me.

Vintage embroidery books appeal to me more than new embroidery books do. I love reading old needlework books – sometimes, because they crack me up, and sometimes, because they make me think.

There is such a pleasure in thumbing through old books on hand embroidery – from all the sensual appeal of the book (the feel, the smell, the tentative, brittle movement of the pages) – that can’t be had from perusing a digital copy of the same book.

10 Old Needlework Books, free online
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Stitch Fun! Simple Steps to a Complex Embroidery Stitch

 

Do you ever yearn to hand embroider some of those really complicated, rich, braid-like bands, but just find the stitch sequence too complicated to master quickly?

Sometimes, complicated looking embroidery stitches are not as complex as they really seem!

Today’s Stitch Fun tutorial is a good example of that.

That’s not to say this stitch isn’t slightly complicated, but once you understand the sequence, everything else about this embroidery stitch is super simple!

And the result? A nice, heavy, braided band stitch, great for outlines, heavy stems, or anywhere you want a strip of texture and dimension on your embroidery surface. It works up great as straight lines and as slightly curved lines.

I’ve included lots of photos to make the stitch tutorial as clear as possible.

Double Knotted Herringbone Band
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