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 13, 2014
Last week, we chatted a bit about silk chenille hand embroidery embroidery thread, looking at it up close, discussing what it is, and how it’s been used in embroidery for centuries.
Welcome to part 2 of a 3-part series on silk chenille, where today, we’ll look at two basic approaches to embroidery with silk chenille.
October 11, 2014
Happy Saturday! And here’s to a glorious weekend!
Now, settle yourself in with a nice cup of coffee, and let’s explore some needlework snips together! Some good reading, some inspiration, some stitching ideas…
October 10, 2014
Do you keep a doodle cloth?
In hand embroidery, a doodle cloth is usually an extra piece of fabric that you keep on hand, to practice embroidery stitches on before you apply those stitches to an embroidery project.
If you embroider, and especially if you’re a beginner (but even the experts do it!), a doodle cloth is a good idea!
Let’s look at five reasons you should use and keep a doodle cloth with your embroidery projects.
October 9, 2014
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.
October 8, 2014
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!
October 7, 2014
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.
October 6, 2014
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.
