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
May 23, 2014
The Secret Garden Hummingbirds – my current follow-along embroidery project on Needle ‘n Thread – reached a milestone the other day. A halfway point of sorts!
I love Halfway Points of Sorts. Though not officially The Halfway Point (as there are no embroidered birds in the picture yet), half the flowers are finished.
It’s always nice to step through a mini goal and start moving towards the next one, isn’t it?
May 22, 2014
Believe it or not, the Hungarian Redwork Runner that I started eons ago hasn’t been neglected entirely, despite the comings and goings of many other embroidery projects on the work table.
And while the progress on this particular project may seem particularly slow, I have good news to report: the chain stitch part of it is more or less completely finished. There are just a few tiny chain stitch bars remaining, that await their intersecting lines of Hungarian braided chain stitch.
May 21, 2014
As promised last week, when I reviewed Susan O’Connor’s book, Monograms: The Art of Embroidered Letters, today, I’m giving away a copy!
If you’d like to add your very own copy of this wonderful, lovely, instructive, exquisite book to your needlework library, read on, my friend…
May 20, 2014
You know how it is about embroidery supplies: we all have our favorites…and it’s pretty rare to see fine embroidery goods go on sale.
Because of that, I like to announce it when they do. In this case, I know many of you have been waiting for the annual 15%-off everything sale at Hedgehog Handworks. Guess what?
It starts today! And it’s running for 15 days, through June 3rd. What will you find there that might be of interest? (I probably don’t need to ask that question!) Well, I’ll tell you some of my Favorite Things – embroidery supplies that are hardly ever on sale any other time!
May 19, 2014
Oh dear. Did I just title my blog post with an ’80’s allusion?
I just dated myself – and if you get it, you were probably in high school then, too.
In any case, I am awash in beetle wings these days. And you might think that’s a little gross, until you delve into the history of beetle wings used in embroidery and textile adornment.
May 17, 2014
Sounds like the beginning of a corny embroiderer’s joke, doesn’t it?
It never fails – if I write about any kind of whitework on Needle ‘n Thread, I always get questions about whether or not it can be done with colored threads.
And that’s what happened yesterday, when I wrote about cutwork.
May 16, 2014
Remember a few weeks ago, when we chatted about Haft Richelieu, a magazine from Poland devoted to all kinds of cutwork embroidery designs?
Well, to emphasize the point that these are smaller, manageable cutwork embroidery projects, I’d like to share some photos of some beautiful Richelieu projects with you. Joanna Jakuszewska, who designs most of the projects in the Haft publications, sent me two beautiful pieces of her cutwork, along with several issues of the magazine. (Thank you, Joanna!)
