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

Contact Mary

Connect with Mary

     

Archives

2025 (101) 2024 (135) 2023 (125) 2022 (136) 2021 (130) 2020 (132) 2019 (147) 2018 (146) 2017 (169) 2016 (147) 2015 (246) 2014 (294) 2013 (294) 2012 (305) 2011 (306) 2010 (316) 2009 (367) 2008 (352) 2007 (225) 2006 (139)
 

Stitch Beautifully – a Give-Away – and a Winner

 

Amazon Books

Stitch Beautifully. I think this is a great motto for embroiderers – something that we all try to aspire to in our own way.

Admittedly, I don’t always succeed! There are days when I make a perfect mess with my stitching, and I have to rip it out and start again. But that doesn’t keep me from aspiring to stitch beautifully. Pretty much, all my efforts are aimed towards that simply put phrase.

And today’s give-away is aimed at keeping us all inspired to Stitch Beautifully!

Stitch Beautifully
Continue reading “Stitch Beautifully – a Give-Away – and a Winner”

Seeing Red – Project Update!

 

“Seeing red” is an idiom in English that means “annoyed” or “irritated” or even downright angry.

Hand embroidery rarely makes me see red. I always figure there’s no point in getting angry when embroidering, even if I make a major mistake – after all, what’s to be angry about? It’s just embroidery. And mistakes in embroidery can always be solved in one way or another. A few snips with the scissors in a good case scenario – chucking it in the bin, in a bad case scenario. But nothing worth getting angry about.

On the other hand, Slightly Irritated is another question. I can be slightly irritated with my embroidery, especially if I think it should be moving along faster than it is, in the amount of time I’ve been working on it. I mean, really! What nerve! You’d think an embroidery project would speed itself up now and then.

Hungarian Redwork Embroidered Table Runner
Continue reading “Seeing Red – Project Update!”

Beginner’s Embroidery Tip: Neatening the Edge

 

This is as Absolute Beginner’s Tip – it’s something most embroiderers learn relatively early in the stitching game. But if no one has told you to do this and why you should, it’s good to know!

Neatening the edge of your fabric before you transfer your embroidery design is a step you will never regret. Forgetting to do it, though, can lead to lots of little irritations. And that’s the reason I’m bringing the point up today. Who needs little irritations while embroidering? None of us!

Neatening the Fabric Edge on Embroidery Projects
Continue reading “Beginner’s Embroidery Tip: Neatening the Edge”

Embroidered Scarf – Old & Beautiful, in Silk & Metal Threads

 

Last week, I received a beautiful gift in the mail. And inside it was a note from the sender, explaining the enclosed scarf. She was passing it on to me, because it was buried in a drawer and she was afraid it would eventually be sent to a thrift store. She thought I might appreciate it – and she was So Right!

I love this scarf! I love it for lots of reasons – and I can’t wait to show it to you!

Embroidered Scarf in Silk & Metal Threads
Continue reading “Embroidered Scarf – Old & Beautiful, in Silk & Metal Threads”

Stitch Fun! Lattice Filling – Griffin Stitch

 

Time to play with a stitch and have a bit of Stitch Fun!

This stitch is particularly fun, because it’s colorful, it’s a little complex, but it still works up fairly quickly.

Griffin Stitch is a lattice filling used in hand embroidery, counted work, and canvas work. As with most lattice fillings, it’s easiest worked on an even-weave fabric, but it can also be worked on a plain weave fabric, and I’ll talk about that as we go through this tutorial.

Let’s make the stitch. Ready?

Griffin Stitch Lattice Filling
Continue reading “Stitch Fun! Lattice Filling – Griffin Stitch”