February 18, 2014

Tool Time! Noodles ‘n Thread – and Repurposing

Remember last week when we looked at an unconventional use for the telescopic magnet – using it, extended, as a thread rack?

I mentioned that I wanted to come up with a dowel system to use as a kind of thread rack while working.

Many readers suggested swinging towel bars, which would probably work great if you wanted to permanently mount them somewhere or onto some kind of rig that would be semi-portable or moveable. It’s certainly a possibility. I could see replacing the mounting system with a very strong magnet, for example, and putting a set of swinging towel bars on the side of my thread storage cabinets that support my work table.

A couple readers picked up exactly what I had in mind, though, and made the suggestion in their comments for what I was using.

And it is this:

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February 17, 2014

Secret Garden: More Vines & Stitching Tips

The other day, I filled you in on how I’m working the vines on the Secret Garden project, using stem stitch as a filling and shading it gradually by working with two shades of green in the needle at a time.

Today, I’ll show you some more vines and share some stitching tips that will help you with stem stitch filling.

Secret Garden Embroidery Project - Stem Stitch Tips

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February 15, 2014

Embroidery Thread Give-Away – Luscious, Fun Colors!

If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while on Needle ‘n Thread, you might recall that last August, I ran a give-away for some really fun over-dyed embroidery threads from LES Designs.

Recently, Lorraine overhauled her embroidery thread business, renamed it to Colour Complements, and established a bright and beautiful new website, which has a blog attached, where you can keep up with her thready news.

Colour Complements - Hand Dyed Embroidery Threads

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February 14, 2014

Secret Garden: Working out the Vines

After selecting colors and threads to get started with, I was super eager to get into stitching on the Secret Garden project.

You might think that I’d start with the hummingbirds, since they’re in the middle of the project, and they’re the focus of the project. After all, a jeweler starts with the stone before creating the setting, right?

Well, call it backwards, but I’m starting with the setting, and specifically with the vines, because they are the continuous force in the design. They go everywhere. They hold it all together.

Besides, I’m still ruminating on those hummingbirds. I haven’t conquered them yet in my mind, and working on the rest of the project will give them time to work themselves out in my head.

Hand Embroidery Books

February 13, 2014

Stumpwork Butterflies & Moths by Jane Nicholas – a Book Review

Last week, I reviewed a beautiful and instructive little book on stumpwork embroidery, called Stumpwork Flowers.

This week, continuing with stumpwork books, I want to show you Jane Nicholas’s latest book, called Stumpwork Butterflies & Moths. It’s just out, and, if you love stumpwork, butterflies, insects in general – well, it’s a corker!

Stumpwork Butterflies & Moths by Jane Nicholas

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February 12, 2014

Secret Garden Embroidery Project: My Thread Choice & Why

After comparing several different types of cotton embroidery threads to use in the Secret Garden Hummingbirds embroidery project, I finally came to a painful conclusion.