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
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
November 20, 2012
Moving right along on the Hungarian Redwork Runner project, this is the final step before stitching begins!
After preparing the linen and basting in layout guides, I was finally ready to transfer the pattern – an ordeal that ended up being much easier than I first envisioned.
This is how I did it:
November 19, 2012
Four years ago, I hand embroidered all my Christmas cards. Embroidery on paper is a great way to make cards that are unique, fun, and more like a gift than a card.
November 17, 2012
Did you know that the most beautiful embroidery magazine in the world – Inspirations Magazine – is now available in electronic format?
This means the magazine can be read on a computer, laptop, mobile device (iPad, iPod, iPhone, Android), or electronic reader (kindle, nook, etc.). It also means that, if you found the print price of the magazine out of your budget range, you can now get the electronic version for less than half price for the year. For less than $40 per year (four issues), you can enjoy Inspirations Magazine in electronic format.
It also means that you don’t actually have to wait for your subscription to arrive in the mail. But… but…. well. More on that point, later.
At first, I was a little skeptical, I admit. I’m not exactly an “e-reader,” myself. I admit that I’ve never read a book on my iPad! I like books that you open with your hands, so you can feeeeeeeel the paper, books that you can smell (yes, books have a smell!). And I like audiobooks, because they see me through many a long embroidery project. But I haven’t yet gotten into electronic books.
But I do use my iPad a lot when traveling, and I do a lot of blog-related stuff on it. So I was eager to see just how Inspirations would translate, electronically. To that end, I bought a copy of the first electronic issue, and here’s how the purchase went, and my impressions of the new electronic version of Inspirations Magazine.
November 16, 2012
In hand embroidery, when you’re embroidering “off the grid,” it’s sometimes difficult to stitch a geometric shape like a star, without a wonky finish.
Today, as part of the Stitch Play series, I’ll show you how to use this “star stitch” to make some perfect little stars and snowflakes – just in time for winter and Christmas stitching.
November 15, 2012
It’s the perfect time of year for cozy embroidery projects, and nothing in the world is quite as cozy as a beautiful, soft blanket! And if there’s a baby or a toddler wrapped up in it, that’s even better!
If you want to embroider some gorgeous blankets, you’ll find Blissful Beginnings a real treasure. It’s a compilation of gorgeous embroidered blankets that have come out over the years in different Inspirations publications.
Whether the book is used to make the blankets as designed, or whether you devise some other use for the embroidery designs within, or whether you want instructions on constructing blankets that you personalize with your own embroidery designs, you’ll find this delightful blanket book a handy reference for your needlework library.
Here’s my review of Blissful Beginnings!
November 14, 2012
Yesterday, we looked at how to prepare linen for a hand embroidery project. Now that the linen is nice and smooth and ready to work with, I’ll show you how to ensure an accurate layout for your embroidery project.
Keep in mind that I’m working through all the steps for the Hungarian Redwork Runner project. But even if you’re never in your life planning to work this project, these steps hold true for any type of similar project. So you can apply these concepts to just about any embroidery project that demands an accurate layout and placement of the design.
Are you with me, then? Ok, let’s do it! You’re going to need a sewing needle of some sort (I used a #9 crewel needle), a contrasting color of regular sewing thread, a ruler, and maybe (depending on your eyesight) magnification.
November 13, 2012
After testing the embroidery threads for the Hungarian Redwork Runner project and making up my mind about the ground fabric, the next step was to cut the linen and prepare it for embroidery.
I have my own little ritual for preparing linen for hand embroidery. Most stitchers have their own way of working through these preliminary steps in preparing their fabric, but for those of you who haven’t figured it out yet or like to see what other people do, we can go through the grunt work together here!
