October 15, 2013

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.

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October 14, 2013

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.

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October 11, 2013

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.

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October 10, 2013

Repairing & Re-creating Hand Embroidered Vestments

Recently, I began lending a helping hand on an embroidery project – it’s a project of reconstruction, re-creation, and repair. I’m not doing much of the “real” work – mostly just advising on thread selections, color matching, fabric selections, and so forth. Maybe towards the end of the project, if time allows, I may help with the final goldwork.

But I thought I’d show you the piece, and chat a bit about selecting colors and threads, the types of embroidery on it, and what exactly is going to happen to it.

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October 9, 2013

Thread Talk: Cosmo Sparkling Thread!

I must be part crow. I looooove sparklies.

When I see things that sparkle, I go googly-eyed and say things like, Oooooh, a Sparkly!

(In case the reference is lost on you – and you’re interested in visiting a childhood moment of mine – check out this Sparkly scene from Secret of Nimh. The reference is about 28 seconds into the video.)

When it comes to things that sparkle, you can call me Jeremy.

Well, along the lines of sparkly things, Cosmo – the Japanese company that produces this embroidery floss – has introduced a new metallic thread onto the market, and I had the opportunity to play with it a bit last week. Today, I’ll show it to you – in case you’re a fan of Sparklies, too!

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October 8, 2013

Shisha Mirrors – Types & Resources

Last week, when we started playing with shisha stitch as part of the Stitch Fun series, I didn’t really go into detail about shisha mirrors.

But, since many of you expressed an interest in the stitch and doing some “real” shisha embroidery with mirrors, I thought we could chat a bit about types of mirrors and resources.

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October 7, 2013

Needlework Inspiration from a Pile of Scraps

I have a little collection of scraps of silk wrapped purl.

Silk wrapped purl is a unique thread. It is a coiled metal thread wrapped completely with silk. You can read about silk wrapped purl here. And you can see stitched samples involving silk wrapped purl here, in the last two photos.

I’d call it a cool thread – totally unique, versatile, and smacking of possibilities.

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

Tambour Embroidery: Excursion & Discoveries

Help Me, Please!

Stitch Fun: Shisha Stitch Variation

Repairing & Re-creating Hand Embroidered Vestments

Thread Talk: Cosmo Sparkling Thread!

Shisha Mirrors – Types & Resources

Needlework Inspiration from a Pile of Scraps

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos