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
August 20, 2012
There are some types of embroidery that I’m just drawn to, like the proverbial moth-to-flame scenario. This particular piece of 19th century ecclesiastical embroidery is one of those pieces that twitterpates me.
August 18, 2012
Who won the RSN Essential Stitch Guide for Whitework?! Well, well, well… that’s what we’re here to find out!
August 17, 2012
I’ve slipped another Stitch Printable into my practically-empty little shop here on Needle ‘n Thread, in case you’re looking for a couple new stitches to learn and something fun to create over the weekend!
Stitch Printables: Cast-On Stitch and Double Cast-On Stitch covers how to make the cast-on and double cast-on stitches and four flowers using them. The cast-on and the double cast-on stitch are both dimensional embroidery stitches, used often in Brazilian embroidery and in stumpwork.
I thought I’d show you what’s in the Printable, to try to entice you. Heh heh.
August 16, 2012
Today, I’d like to share with you some photos of a beautiful little piece of goldwork and silk embroidery, and perhaps meander through some musings about its background and make some comparisons with another piece of embroidery.
This is a piece of embroidery – one of four – that was sent to me by Larissa (thank you, Larissa!), a friend in Russia. If you’ve been reading Needle ‘n Thread for a while, you might remember Larissa. She’s the embroiderer behind this gorgeous goldwork and pearl embroidered frame and this bead and goldwork frame. Both pieces within both featured frames, by the way, are also embroidered – worked in tiny tent stitch!
August 15, 2012
Happy Wednesday, Everyone! It’s a glorious day here in Kansas – birds singing, sun shining, a light breeze blowing.
It makes me want to write about something sunshiny. And so, I’ll write about my sheep.
August 14, 2012
It’s been a while since I’ve taken you along on a Project Journey, hasn’t it? Well, since the Medallion, anyway!
I’m setting off now on two stitching journeys simultaneously, each one vastly different from the other. One project, you see, is being prepared as a possible teaching project. This means it can’t be published in full. The other is for collaboration on a book. And this means it can’t be published in full. And now you are privy to my sad blogging dilemma! But we’ll work through the dilemma, and hopefully we’ll find an acceptable middle way. Throughout both journeys, I’ll be sneaking you updates and even little embroidery tips that stem from the projects.
The first thing I did after working out the two designs was work up a color palette and think about threads.
August 13, 2012
Today, because it’s Monday and it’s always good to start the week on an Up Note, I’m going to give away an embroidery book!
Initially, I was going to give away two embroidery books today. But I have all kinds of Monday Morning Excuses why I changed my mind. The dominating reason, though, is that the books are completely unrelated (except in their use of needle and thread), and it occurred to me that, while you might really want one of them, you might not want the other. And what if you won the one you didn’t want??! Oh gosh! That would be the pits!!!
So I decided to do them separately. Today’s give-away: