February 26, 2013

Stitch Fun: Battlement Couching!

Battlement couching is used in hand embroidery as a colorful filling stitch.

Continuing with different lattice stitches in the Stitch Fun series, today we’re going to look at battlement couching and see just how easy it is to do!

I think this is my Favorite laid thread / lattice technique – I love the way it looks when it’s worked with several colors! When it’s just worked with one color, it’s kind of ho-hum, but when you start adding a gradient of color, it’s much more exciting!

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February 25, 2013

Embroidery on Eggs: Embroidery Supplies

Last week, we ventured into the subject of hand embroidering eggs by talking about the preliminary supplies you’ll need to undertake this zany operation.

If you’re keen to put your needle and thread through whole, empty egg shells to create rather unique little Easter ornaments (or ornaments for any time of the year), then you’ll also need a few embroidery supplies, one of which I find essential.

So let’s look at the supplies you’ll want to have on hand to embroidery your eggs. Most of these, you’ll probably have in your stash – in fact, embroidering eggs can be a great stash-busting project! Bits of ribbon and specialty thread that might not otherwise get used can be put to good use embellishing eggs.

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February 23, 2013

Stitch Glitch: Hungarian Braided Chain Starts & Stops

“Stitch Glitch” is a little series of articles here on Needle ‘n Thread, where we look closely at certain aspects of particular embroidery stitches that are sometimes difficult to figure out. For example, in past Stitch Glitch articles, we’ve explored how to work isolated French knots (method 1 and method 2), how to invisibly join chain stitch circles, how to take sharp corners or make scallops with stem stitch, how to restart new threads in the middle of a line of Spanish knotted feather stitch, and a few other similar topics.

Most of the topics in Stitch Glitch are reader-generated. Normally, these articles come about because a reader wants to know “How do I…?” and a photo tutorial is generally the most helpful way to answer.

Today’s question was posed over on the Ask & Share forum here on Needle ‘n Thread, and it has to do with Hungarian Braided Chain Stitch.

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February 22, 2013

Embroidery Basics – Book Review

Perhaps the most frequently asked question that arrives in my inbox is a variation of this:

I’m new to embroidery and don’t know where to start. Can you recommend a book or a project for a beginner?

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February 21, 2013

Vintage Silk Embroidery Thread, Tags, & Tips

What happens when you combine an afternoon of cleaning and organizing your workspace with a desire to play with silk?

You end up playing with silk, of course!

Yesterday, I set about cleaning and organizing my workroom, with the aid of my Minion. My workroom is a garage-gone-studio + general-household-storage space. If you’re curious to see it, you can find pictures of moving in and organizing here, pictures at the end of a typical day in the workroom here, and pictures of my workroom when set up for a class here.

So, yep. That was the plan. Clean up. Straighten up. Organize. The Mid-Week Re-Group & Re-Charge. The Wednesday Afternoon Ritual.

Only I had this box of vintage silks that needed my attention. Or… er…. that caught my attention.

And my attention was happy to oblige!

You are my justification for the distraction. After all, it’s vintage silk. It’s fun to look at. The tags make great reading. And we can even glean some good tips from them!

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February 20, 2013

Embroidery on Eggs: Preliminary Supplies

Remember last week when I mentioned that I’d taken up embroidering on eggs? Well, it’s a mammoth subject to write about!

To make it more manageable, I’m going to divide the instructions over several articles that will appear intermittently over the next few weeks. The articles will be filed away into a series under “Tips and Techniques” here on Needle ‘n Thread, so that they are easily accessible for you.

Today, let’s talk about preliminary supplies.

Now, keep in mind, this is my approach, developed from piddling around with the concept for the past year. It’s just the way I do it – and there are always other ways to do things. So if you find a better way, don’t hesitate to use it!

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February 19, 2013

Vintage Linen: Circular Crochet Edging – a Free Pattern!

My One Weakness (among all my other One Weaknesses – there are many!) is vintage linens embroidered with whitework. I have a hard time resisting beautiful vintage linens, and I’ve collected quite a few over the years. When I can’t get my paws on “new” additions to the collection because the budget just won’t allow – and because, really, where could I possibly put another one? – I have a worrying habit of crawling the internet for photos of luscious old linens embellished with whitework.

It’s a curse. Or a blessing. It all depends on how you look at it! I find heaps of inspiration in old embroidered linens. They are a great springboard for design ideas, and a wonderful source for the study of embroidery techniques.

Several years ago (back in 2008!), I wrote a short article about a vintage embroidered linen with a pretty crocheted edge. The whitework embroidery on the linen is very pretty, but the real eye-catcher on the whole piece is the edging.

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

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Stitch Fun: Battlement Couching!

Embroidery on Eggs: Embroidery Supplies

Stitch Glitch: Hungarian Braided Chain Starts & Stops

Embroidery Basics – Book Review

Vintage Silk Embroidery Thread, Tags, & Tips

Embroidery on Eggs: Preliminary Supplies

Vintage Linen: Circular Crochet Edging – a Free Pattern!

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos