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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Save the Spools!

 

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Many brands of sewing threads and several brands of embroidery threads are spooled up these days on plastic snap spools.

On each end of a snap spool, the “head” of the spool lifts up a little bit so that you can anchor your loose thread underneath the lip of that liftable head, and snap the spool closed again – a convenient way to anchor the loose end of the thread.

If you use sewing threads packaged on these kinds of spools – or embroidery threads (certain Au Ver a Soie silks come on them, as well and Londonderry Linen thread, Trebizond, and others) – when you’re finished with the spool, don’t pitch it!

I re-use empty spools often, and here’s one way I recently put one to use.

Snap Spools for Embroidery Threads
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Tambour Embroidery Project Finished – And a Tambour Hoop & Stand

 

There was really no reason not to finish the little tambour embroidery project I started night before last.

All told, there are only a few hours of stitching in the piece. I’m still on the learning curve, but even then, chain stitch can be accomplished much faster with a tambour needle, compared to a regular needle. Certainly, a skilled tambour embroiderer could finish this project in at least half the time – probably a lot less!

Tambour Embroidery Project - Autumn Leaves
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The Tambour Embroidery Project that Wasn’t Meant to Happen

 

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Yesterday afternoon was all mapped out, scheduled, spoken for, even. Yesterday afternoon, I was supposed to be working on the Mission Rose – finishing up a part, photographing it, preparing an update on it.

But there was so much enthusiastic response on yesterday’s article on tambour embroidery. And enthusiasm and interest like that – well, to a blogger, it’s infectious. You get excited – I get excited. You express interest – my interest increases.

The same thing used to happen in the classroom. Students would get excited about a subject – which would further heighten my excitement – which would lead to an extension on the topic so that we could delve more deeply into it. It’s a normal part of human relationships, I suppose. People tend to feed off each other’s enthusiasm – and that can be a very good thing!

But it can also be very distracting!

Tambour Embroidery - Autumn Leaves
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Tambour Embroidery: Excursion & Discoveries

 

Remember last week, when I shared with you some photos of this Big Project – re-creating and repairing some pieces of ecclesiastical embroidery?

Well, when I first got suckered into the adventure (did I just say that?!), one though that resonated quite loudly in my head while discussing threads, techniques, fabrics, and whatnot was the fact that I am woefully inadequate when it comes to using the tambour needle.

And so, with dogged determination, I’ve set about to improve. So this is a little tambour embroidery excursion, and I’ll discuss some discoveries along the way.

Tambour Embroidery
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Help Me, Please!

 

Mary sat nervously at her computer screen, wondering if it was a good idea.

Begging for help? It wasn’t really Her Thing. She didn’t like asking people to go out of their way for something that might mean a lot to her, but didn’t necessarily mean much to anyone else.

“Still,” she mused, “that’s what Community is all about, isn’t it? And Needle ‘n Thread is a community, after all.” And so…

She plunged.

She decided the best approach was a forthright and sincere one, because, after all, she was talking to friends.

I need your help! I have an opportunity to apply for a grant through Mission Main Street, which is an endeavor of Chase bank, partnered with Google and additional supporters, to offer small businesses in the US grants that will help them expand.

Mission Main Street Grant
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Stitch Fun: Shisha Stitch Variation

 

Last week, as part of the Stitch Fun series, we looked at the traditional shisha stitch used in mirror embroidery.

Today, I’d like to show you a fun variation of shisha. It produces a completely different look when attaching mirrors (or anything else you might want to use in place of mirrors) to ground fabric.

This various has a kind of “hairy” look to it, but I like it a lot! It’s fun, it’s a little different, it’s easy once you get the hang of it, and as you start working it, it opens up other possibilities for shisha embroidery.

Shisha Embroidery Stitch Variation
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