I’m a huge fan of whitework embroidery of all types. And although I don’t do a lot of whitework compared to other forms of embroidery, I do dabble in whitework now and then.

One of my favorite types of whitework embroidery is Schwalm whitework.

I love Schwalm whitework for a few reasons: 1. It offers a never-ending plethora of variation, especially when it comes to fillings; 2. It involves relatively simple stitches, which makes it easy to get into; and 3. With its crisp white finish, airy openwork areas, and simple folky design elements, it’s really beautiful and, at the same time, it’s accessible. It doesn’t overwhelm.

Since it’s Saturday morning, how about we have a nice cup of coffee together while we browse through a wonderful Schwalm embroidery resource?

I have The Worst Time Ever trying to name hand embroidery designs.

It’s a great source of wonderment to me, how designers can repeatedly come up with apt, catchy, or elegant names for embroidery projects, kits, and designs! Or how thread manufacturers can come up with diverse color names that work!

When I try to come up with clever and appropriate names for designs or projects, words like thingy, stuff, and whatchamacallit come to mind.

Once upon a time, I thought about resorting to a numbering system. Project 1. Project 2. Project 214a. But that would be even worse, wouldn’t it?

So I really put my thinking cap on for this design, and I named it Rococo Bud.

It’s not necessarily a clever name. But it beats Acanthus-ish Thingamabob.

And if you say it ten times fast, it ends up twisting into nonsense words, like ropocobut, which makes it doubly entertaining.

Last time we looked at the Hungarian Redwork Runner project that I started some serious eons ago, the second end section of the runner was underway.

Here’s a brief little update on the slow progress of this project, just to prove that it isn’t forgotten and hasn’t been shelved!

Arts & Crafts. Libraries.

I love arts & crafts. I value the things made by artists and craftsmen. And I value the gift of being able to make things.

I love libraries. And I love the riches within libraries. Books are as much a part of my life as embroidery is. If people only knew the Treasure that is The Library! Whole worlds of wonder reside in the library system. It’s just a matter of knowing how to tap The Library as an inexhaustible source of inspiration for artisans and crafters.

So… when rare books librarian and knitter-stitcher-bibliophile Jessica Pigza asked me to participate in a book she was writing that combines the Library with Arts & Crafts, how could I say no?

The result of that happy combination: BiblioCraft, by Jessica Pigza. It’s a completely different twist on arts & crafts and inspiration.