About

Mary Corbet

writer and founder

 

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

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Cotton Floche vs. Coton a Broder – Up Close

 

Amazon Books

Today, let’s delve into the differences between two somewhat similar embroidery threads. In the States, these two threads are called “coton a broder” and “floche.” Elsewhere, they may be called “broder special” and perhaps “floche a broder” or “coton floche a broder.”

In any case, there is confusion between the types of threads, from country to country, because they’re called different things. So I’m going to refer to the threads as I know them and explain their properties here, so that you can tell the difference between them and perhaps find them in your own country. You can at least know what I’m talking about when I use the names of the threads.

The ultimate point I want to make here is that coton a broder and floche are two distinctly different threads. Let’s look at them.

Coton a broder vs. floche
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Secret Garden Embroidery: Can Carelessness Pay Off?

 

Moving along on the Secret Garden embroidery project, today I’ll share a few more musings about transfers.

I should probably mention right now that the transfer work for this project is not what I’d call “easy.” It requires some patience.

And transferring it three times over? Well, I’ll admit by the third time around, I was careless. Fortunately, or serendipitously, my carelessness paid off.

Secret Garden Embroidery Project
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Embroideries from an English Garden – Book Review

 

My poor bookshelves were in the throes of upheaval last month – undergoing one of those bouts of organization and purging that must happen – when I came across this gem and I realized that I had not yet shared it with you.

So today’s your lucky day!

Embroideries from an English Garden: Projects and Techniques in Surface Embroidery by Carol Andrews is an Absolute Must for the embroiderer’s library. I don’t say that lightly, either.

Actually, I wonder if I say that too many times, about too many books?

Well, whatever the case – I Absolutely Mean this book is an Absolute Must!

Embroideries from an English Garden by Carol Andrews
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Tool Time! Lost your Needle?

 

Here’s another indispensable tool in my workroom. I don’t keep it in my “tool box” with my scissors or anything else – no, no, it has a special place right next to where I sit, because I use it daily.

And besides, if it were in my tool box, it would make a mess of everything!

You may very well have one of these already (if you do, I bet you love it, too!), or you may have seen or heard of them and thought you didn’t really have a need for it. I thought the same thing until I bought one. And now – well, it’s True Love. We won’t be parted! We’re drawn to each other, like… like… magnets.

Telescoping Magnet
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