The start of a new year often involves resolutions to learn something new, or to do something different during the course of the new year. Here are four needlework possibilities that you might want to explore, if you’re itching for some new direction in needlework for the upcoming year.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

For 2013, I wish each and every one of my readers a year of blessings, joy, happiness, peace, success in all your good endeavors, and good health!

It’s the last day of the year! And to celebrate the end of 2012, let’s find out who won the Coton a Broder thread set from my give-away last week!

If you love embroidery and needlework books as much as I do, you’ll understand why I have to share this book find with you! This isn’t a Needlework Book Review Proper, because… well, there’s not a lot to actually review in this case (it’s mostly patterns), and because it’s not a book you’ll be able to find readily.

If you do find a copy of it, though, and if you’re keen on folk embroidery, you might grab it while you can! I have had this on my “search” list for a while, and a couple months ago, I finally found a copy.

It’s so much fun to see what’s going on in the embroidery lives of readers here on Needle ‘n Thread!

Today, let’s look at an example of a reader’s embroidery, one that I think is a really fun idea that opens up all kinds of possibilities for household decor!

In the days leading up to Christmas, I didn’t have a chance to make much progress on any needlework! To those of you who gave hand embroidered gifts for Christmas and finished them all up on time, you have my enduring admiration. As for me, I’m afraid I was a bit of a slug in that regard.

Still, I did manage a wee bit o’ stitching on the Hungarian Redwork Runner. Not a whole lot, but at least some.

I’ll share a secret with you. I love embroidery thread.

You already knew that, didn’t you?

But there’s embroidery thread, and there’s Embroidery Thread. When it comes to cotton Embroidery Thread, I have two Favorites: floche and coton a broder.

Coton a broder is often called “cutwork thread,” and in white, it comes in various sizes suitable for different types of whitework and cutwork.

But if you want many colors of coton a broder, size 25 is the size to look for. Coton a broder size 25 is a marvelous thread for monogramming. And it works beautifully in heirloom sewing applications (like smocking). It’s a nice thread for all kinds of surface embroidery applications. It comes in a total of 182 colors.