I must be on a tool kick lately.

There are tools, and there are Tools, when it comes to the tools I like to use in my needlework pursuits.

The tools – those are the ho-hum, every day tools. They’re there, but I don’t think much about them. They don’t excite me. A roll of scotch tape fits into this category. I use it all the time, but it’s nothing I’d jump over the moon over (though, come to think of it, life without it would be drastically different!)

The Tools-with-a-capital-T – those are the ones that I am over the moon about. The ones that, through some serendipitous chance, we met, and every time I use them, I find myself gazing at them amorously, asking where they have been all my life.

…or rather, Y, of the hand embroidered variety:

There are some needlework & embroidery tools that are A Must. Good scissors, good needles, good hoops and frames fall under this category in my mind.

Then there are those embroidery tools (I sometimes call them “accessories”) that aren’t quite essential, but that are nice to have and useful. A pretty needlebook or needle case, a nice scissor fob that helps you easily locate your scissors, an extra-special, funky or fun pin cushion – these are the types of tools and accessories that fit in this category.

And then there are those needlework tools on the market that baffle me. Why do we need them? What’s the point? And really, why should I spend money on that?

Today, I’m going to show you a tool that fits in this latter category, that had me baffled at first (why would anyone buy this?), but once I started playing with it, I saw that it has its merits and is kind of fun!

The Craft of Embroidery by Alison Liley is not a new book. It’s not a fancy book – in fact, it’s just the opposite. It’s a pretty unassuming book, by today’s standards of needlework and craft books.

First published in Great Britain in 1961 and reprinted into the 1970’s, the book is a practical study of the craft of embroidery, intended particularly for the student pursuing the City & Guilds courses and qualifications for hand embroidery, but it also works well for a more general audience – anyone who wants to learn the craft of embroidery.

Good morning, world! Today’s the day we announce the winner of last week’s give-away for a spot in Tanja Berlin’s online needlepainting class, and the kit and tools that go along with it.

You can read all about the online needlepainting class here, on Tanja’s website. If you didn’t win and you still want to participate in the class – an excellent opportunity for learning the basics of needlepainting with a master embroiderer from the comfort of your own home and according to your own time table – you might check that out. Her enrollment is limited in number and once all the spots are filled, registration will be closed.