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 14, 2014
I have a Thing for hand embroidered wedding gowns from days of old – like this gorgeous wedding dress from 1914, that I wrote about a few years ago.
The other day, I spent a delightful bit of time reading up on Elizabeth Bull’s wedding dress – a Colonial era hand-embroidered wedding dress held by the Bostonian Society.
August 13, 2014
I’ve been writing a little bit lately about (and working in the background a lot lately) on monograms for hand embroidery.
The funny thing about monograms – and maybe it isn’t funny at all – is that the monograms that we think of as monograms these days aren’t necessarily monograms at all. And perhaps I’m perpetuating the problem, by calling the letters that I share here on the website, “monograms.”
Today, people often refer to decorative initials as monograms. They aren’t. To clarify, here’s a little primer on technical terms for decorative lettering used in embroidery.
August 12, 2014
Lately, I’ve come across some little snips of needlework news that I think are worth sharing with you – just bits here and there that I thought I’d pass on.
You might find a little gem of information here that you didn’t know about – upcoming classes, a sale, supply news, another interesting video.
August 11, 2014
Last week, I added the Daisy & Rings monogram alphabet to the patterns page here on Needle ‘n Thread, and introduced the alphabet with the A and B.
Today, I’m adding C and D to the list for you!
I really love this alphabet – but the reason I’m sharing it now has more to do with the fact that, in the “near-ish” future, we’ll be looking at monogramming a little closer, and in case you decide you like monogramming, too, I want you to have access to some easily printable monogram patterns.
Near-ish is such a relative term. Right now, with the Secret Garden still progressing, I don’t want to move off on a monogramming tangent.
But just so you know, it’s a-comin’…
August 8, 2014
Good news for those wishing to learn the ins and outs of shaded blackwork!
Tanja Berlin is running an online embroidery class for her Blackwork Love Birds. Registration is open now and ends on September 2. The class runs September 12 – November 21st.
August 7, 2014
Ahhhh – It’s Thursday! The perfect day to introduce to you a new collection of free monograms for hand embroidery!
This is one of my favorite old alphabets – it’s so pretty, and I have a thing for daisy-looking flowers.
And there’s a lot to this alphabet, design-wise, which opens up all kinds of embroidery possibilities, from simple to complex.
August 6, 2014
Just in case you really think I’m some kind of maven of organization, some kind of neat-nik needleworker, it’s time to burst your bubble!
There are days when everything – and I mean everything – in my work space gets away from me.
When I walked away from my worktable the other day, I snapped this photo:
