September 8, 2025

“Duc” is Done & Deep – Some Embroidery Progress

When time allows, I’ve been working on this embroidered maniturgium project, which involves embroidered lettering.

My plan, goal, hope, intention was to embroider the letters so that they impart the notion of deepening water, and I think it’s working out!

Little secret: I can’t look at this project right now without developing a Gene Chandler ear worm for Duke of Earl. This is problematic, especially for Anna, as there’s simply no escape when we’re both working in the studio. I tend to spontaneously burst into song – and any song that’s in my head pops out unannounced. I haven’t been able to get Duke of Earl out of my head for weeks.

Duc in Altum - Embroidered Maniturgium progress

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September 5, 2025

A Perfect Fit: M on a Box!

I love it when a plan comes together.

But even better than that, I love it when something that wasn’t planned comes together.

For example, when I first started fiddling about with voided monograms ten years ago, did I know that these round floral voided monograms would fit so perfectly into the lids of these decorative boxes that I brought in for Garden Swirl?

No. I didn’t.

But they do! And I’m so glad, because I have several samples of these monograms floating around here. They had no place to land before now.

Now, they will have homes.

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September 3, 2025

Garden Swirl Stitch-Along 6: The Finish!

Welcome to the last installment of Garden Swirl, wherein we mount the finished embroidery project in the lid of the decorative box. Woohoo!

For those who are just coming upon this stitch-along, you can find all the previous installments of Garden Swirl available here in the Garden Swirl Project Index.

You can also find a materials kit (with everything you need to stitch the project – including the design pre-transferred for you on fine linen twill) – and the decorative box to mount the project in – available here in the shop. Get the kits before they’re gone, as they won’t be back in stock in this format again.

If you are a member of the Needle ‘n Thread community on Patreon, you already have this information in the handy-dandy downloadable and printable PDF that was posted for you yesterday.

Let us commence with the final steps…

Garden Swirl - finishing and mounting in box lid

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August 28, 2025

Line Stitches to Use for Filling

If you’ve ever browsed through a stitch dictionary, you’ve probably noticed that embroidery stitches are often arranged according to the job they do.

Line stitches, for example, are stitches that work up in lines – and this is where you’ll find stitches like backstitch, stem stitch, split stitch, and chain stitch.

Filling stitches fill up spaces. Here’s where you’ll find satin stitch and long & short stitch, lattice fillings and the like.

But there’s no hard and fast rule that says line stitches can’t be used as filling stitches – and sometimes, a line stitch is really the best option for filling up a design area.

Today, let’s look at a few examples of how line stitches can be used to fill spaces on an embroidery project.

Hand Embroidery Tutorials

August 26, 2025

Garden Swirl 5: Finishing the Embroidery

It seems as if Tuesday is becoming my new Monday, thanks to what I like to call The Upheavals of Life. Hopefully, there will be some Downheavals soon. Thanks for your patience!

Last week, we finished up the major flowers and centers on Garden Swirl, the current stitch-along here on Needle ‘n Thread. Today, we’re going to finish up all the embroidery and prepare the embroidery for the finish work of mounting the embroidery in the box lid.

If you are new to the Garden Swirl stitch-along, you’ll find all the previous installments of this project – including design, materials list, and instructional content – listed here in the Garden Swirl Project Index.

Garden Swirl 5: Finishing the Embroidery

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August 21, 2025

Blues: Experimenting and Shading on Embroidered Lettering

Lately, I’ve been sharing progress and thought processes, designing process, and so forth on this embroidered maniturgium that I wrote about here.

I’ve made a little progress, and I’m into the stitching now. There are always adjustments to make, and there’s always the battle against persnicketiness, but at some point, on projects like this, you just have to take the leap, make a decision, and start, trusting that, overall, the idea will work out.

So I started.

Hand Embroidery Tutorials

August 19, 2025

Garden Swirl Stitch-Along 4: Flowers & Centers

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday in Kansas – a little later start to the week than intended, but here we are.

Today, we’re going to move forward on Garden Swirl, our current stitch-along on Needle ‘n Thread. We’re almost finished with the embroidery. It’s a little project and it goes pretty quickly, but the nice thing about a stitch-along is that you can work it at your own pace.

If you’re not quite caught up, that’s ok! You’ll find all the lessons for this project listed here in the Garden Swirl Project Index, so that you can catch up at your leisure.

If you are a member of the Needle ‘n Thread community on Patreon, you have already received these instructions in PDF format, for easy download and printing. You have everything you need right now to finish the embroidery on the project.

If you would like a materials kit for Garden Swirl – with the design pre-transferred for you on beautiful, fine white linen twill – you can find those kits available here.

If you would like a decorative box for mounting Garden Swirl (along with the finishing supplies for mounting in the box lid), you’ll find those available here.

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

“Duc” is Done & Deep – Some Embroidery Progress

A Perfect Fit: M on a Box!

Garden Swirl Stitch-Along 6: The Finish!

Line Stitches to Use for Filling

Garden Swirl 5: Finishing the Embroidery

Blues: Experimenting and Shading on Embroidered Lettering

Garden Swirl Stitch-Along 4: Flowers & Centers

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos