June 14, 2014

Hand Embroidered Monogram: Delicate Spray A-C

It’s time to add a new monogram alphabet for hand embroidery to the embroidery patterns page!

I love this particular alphabet! It’s from the late 1800’s – early 1900’s (it came out in two different editions of a French publication). I’ve cleaned it up and added the missing letters from the alphabet (I and W… or was it J and W?).

Often, in old publications that offered alphabets for hand embroidery, certain letters were left out.

Sometimes, it was the I or J, because they can be interchanged for each other. Sometimes, the W was left out, because the M could be flipped. Sometimes, the alphabets are missing X’s or Z’s – maybe because there aren’t as many people out there whose names begin with X and Z? Or perhaps because, in the particular language in which the embroidery pamphlet was printed, the letter didn’t figure as a common letter for the beginning of names?

Whatever the case, eventually, the complete alphabet will be available here on Needle ‘n Thread. We’ll start with A, B, and C.

Monogram for Hand Embroidery - A - Floral

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June 13, 2014

Fishy Embroidery

Today, I’m sharing with you some fishy embroidery from Needle ‘n Thread readers.

Now, just so you know, fishy is not meant in any dubious way! I literally mean fishy, as in fish-related embroidery.

Since it’s summer here in the States and a perfect time to think of beaches, rivers, lakes, water, and sunshine, I thought I’d group these three contributions together in a fish-related theme.

Cool Waters Embroidery Project by Catherine Jordan

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June 12, 2014

Crewel Intentions – Book Review

Hazel Blomkamp has done it again! If you fell in love with Crewel Twists, Hazel’s first book published in 2012, you’re going to love her new book, Crewel Intentions, too!

In Crewel Twists, Hazel introduced us to her unique and colorful approach to surface embroidery. Incorporating beads, a huge variety of stitches and filling techniques and various types of threads, her embroidery designs are Jacobean flavored with a decidedly signature look to them.

She carries this forward in Crewel Intentions by combining the same approaches found in Crewel Twists, with a few new twists!

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June 11, 2014

Beginner Embroidery? Well, Yes and No…!

Speaking of tea and embroidery and continuing with embroidery by others influenced by Needle ‘n Thread (SUI – Stitching Under the Influence?), today we’re going to look at an embroidered tea cozy.

For those who don’t know what a tea cozy is (it’s true – tea cozies are not so common in the US, more pity to us), it’s a cover for a tea pot that helps keep the tea pot warm.

Asia wanted to make a tea cozy and she wanted to make it super special, so she decided to embroider it.

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June 10, 2014

On Needles, Floss, and Hoops for Embroidery

Hello, Stitching World!

Today, let’s chat about beginner embroidery supplies.

I answer questions about beginner embroidery supplies very frequently. I thought this might be a way to compile some simple answers in one place and to open the topic up to other stitchers who can contribute some good advice.

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June 9, 2014

From Hand Embroidery Stitches to Small Businesses

Today begins a series of articles here on Needle ‘n Thread about your embroidery.

Last week, I asked for photo contributions from the Needle ‘n Thread community, highlighting your own embroidery projects that were influenced in some way by the content provided on Needle ‘n Thread.

Well, I received a glorious influx of email – much too much to include in one article – with fabulous photos of all kinds of embroidery projects.

Oh, happy day! I knew I could count on you!

Since I’m taking some time off to do a little necessary traveling (as in, unavoidable), it’s a perfect time to share some embroidery from other people with you. Over the next couple weeks, intertwined with regular articles, we’ll be looking at embroidery projects from all over the world, which I hope will further inspire you in your own needlework pursuits.

To start, I want to share embroidery from two gals who, learning various stitches through tutorials here on Needle ‘n Thread, have been able to start or advance their own small businesses with embroidery-related offerings.