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
October 6, 2012
Here in Kansas, the leaves are changing, the air is chilly, the landscape is blazing autumn under a deep blue sky. It’s finally fall, my favorite season.
Most people probably think that Kansas is one unending expanse of flat crop land, that we all live in Auntie Em’s farm house, and our next door neighbors are either munchkins or green-faced witches.
October 5, 2012
Thread Addiction. I suffer from it. Do you?
The main target of my addiction is silk, with a hefty helping of gold thrown in for kicks. I can’t help it! Threads – especially silk and gold – are my One Weakness. (Please don’t bring up linen right now, ok?)
I’ve tried to overcome the problem, but I’ve discovered that it’s much more fun to talk to my support group (um, yes… that would be you) about threads than it is to try to kid myself out of my love for them.
Well, you know what They say: All good things in moderation! Right? So let’s have a nice little moderate chat about a “new” (old!) thread on the market called Silk Gimp.
October 4, 2012
The Royal School of Needlework has been producing their Essential Stitch Guide series in conjunction with Search Press for a couple years now. I’ve reviewed all the books in the series so far (Blackwork, Crewelwork, Silk Shading, Stumpwork, and Whitework).
The most recent addition to the series is the Goldwork stitch guide, by Helen McCook. Here’s a glimpse of it and my impressions.
October 3, 2012
One area of embroidery that interests me intensely is ecclesiastical embroidery. For those of you who have been hanging around with me at Needle ‘n Thread for a while, you probably already know that! I got into ecclesiastical embroidery when I was studying for my BA some 20-odd years ago. During a history of art course, I got hooked on the subject, thanks to a book by Pugin that my professor loaned to me.
That book sparked a notorious habit for seeking out examples of ecclesiastical embroidery, visiting museums and sacristies of old churches and secluded convents and taking lots of photos, buying old pieces and studying them, foraging in every corner of the globe (thanks to the internet) for old books on the subject, and pretty much hunting down anything I could get my hands and eyes on that has to do with ecclesiastical embroidery.
It’s been almost a 25 year love affair now with the topic, and I don’t see the infatuation ending any time soon. I am forever learning something new on the subject!
October 2, 2012
After showing you yesterday’s interlaced chain stitch, I thought I’d follow up with another composite embroidery stitch that involves lacing – Guilloche Stitch.
October 1, 2012
Composite stitches are hand embroidery stitches made up of two or more stitches that work together to create another stitch. It seems sort of odd to call a composite stitch a “stitch,” in the singular sense, because you actually have to work at least two stitches (and in the case of today’s example, three stitches) in order for the whole new stitch to come off.
Composite stitches are heaps of fun to play with! They’re usually very intricate looking, without being difficult to do. Most elements of a composite stitch, taken alone, are simple, basic stitches. With today’s interlaced chain stitch, I’ll show you what I mean!
September 29, 2012
You already know I’m an old needlework book junkie, don’t you? Old books can be expensive – but, with a bit of luck, you can stumble upon them for practically nothing at used book shops (takes some digging, I’ll admit), library book sales, online sources, and even garage sales.
I’ll never forget the happy day I found one lonely copy of Lucy Mackrille’s Church Embroidery and Church Vestments through a used book seller. I had been searching for a copy of it for years. At the time, there was one source selling photocopies of it, but it was very hard to find an original volume. This was before “virtual” libraries and collections became popular online, too. Well, I finally landed a copy – at $110 – and I bought it! I grimaced at the price but it’s an investment I’ve never regretted.
One part of that story – the ironic part – is this: within a year of buying the book, I found another copy of it in pristine condition (some of the pages hadn’t even been cut!), at a library book sale.
For 50¢.
So, see – it’s always worth looking, digging, burrowing, foraging about for old books, because you never know what treasures you’ll find – and if you find them at a bargain price, it’s like your birthday and Christmas all rolled into one!
Today, I’d like to share a pattern with you from a book in my collection. It’s a stylized rose, somewhat Morris-esque in design, and drawn from an altar frontal that is discussed in detail in the book.
