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
August 29, 2014
Because it’s Friday…because we’ve all made it to the end of another week…because it’s Raining in Kansas (which is always happy news in August!)…today’s a perfect day for a give-away!
And today, courtesy of Stackpole Books, I’m giving away a copy of Cheryl Fall’s Simply Samplers, which I reviewed earlier this week.
August 28, 2014
What do you get when you cross a hummingbird wing, a frustrated embroiderer, the wrong colors, and a pair of sharp scissors?
Right.
A larger orts pile.
I’m sure there’s a joke in there. If I tried really hard, I could probably string this whole thing out into a series of lousy puns.
But I’m too nice to put you through that!
August 27, 2014
Whenever I come across monograms for an I or the J (or is the J or the I?) in old publications, I mourn the absence of one or the other, or at least of one distinct from the other.
In old monogram alphabets, it is very common to see only the I or the J. The reason? It’s really because they can be substituted for each other, in most of the scripted monogram alphabets. Whether you use the offered letter as an I or as a J is up to you – it can work for either.
August 26, 2014
I mean that literally. I’m winging it on the Secret Garden embroidery project right now – just testing some approaches on the wings, trying this and that, and changing my mind and starting over.
It’s not necessarily the best approach in the world, if you’re trying to be an efficient embroiderer!
August 25, 2014
Simply Samplers by Cheryl Fall is a delightful instructional book for hand embroidery and cross stitch, great for beginners!
The book is suitable for adults who are getting into embroidery for the first time, and I also found it perfect for handing off to youngsters, to give them a good foundation for stitchery with plenty of starter projects to embroider. I handed it off to my 11 year old niece for her to read, explore, and experiment, and she found it easily accessible and understandable.
So here’s my review of Simply Samplers so you can see what it’s all about, in case you are a beginner looking for somewhere to start, or in case you have a beginner in mind that you’d like to help out!
August 22, 2014
The last time we looked at the Secret Garden Embroidery Project (quite a while ago!), we looked at this wee section of the tail of the hummingbird, embroidered with a variety of stitches.
I wasn’t going to publish the list of thread colors for the birds until I had completely finished at least one bird, but here I am, succumbing to persistent requests for the DMC thread color list for the colors used so far on the hummingbirds!
Just keep in mind I haven’t finished the bird yet. These are the colors I’ve selected, though, and I have used most of them so far. There may be one or two that I don’t end up using, and there are a few neutrals not listed here that I’ll play with for the beak and perhaps for some parts of the wing.
So, at this point, I’ll note the colors I have used, the colors I haven’t used yet that I may potentially use, and leave it open for adding a few more neutral colors or “accidental” highlights as the rest of the bird develops.
August 21, 2014
Moving along with the latest monogram alphabet, here’s the G & H for the Daisy & Rings alphabet for hand embroidery.
Some of you asked if I would just go ahead and post the whole alphabet all at once, so that you can choose the letters you need and not have to wait for them. Good question, and the answer is simple!
