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
June 5, 2012
In April of 2011, CBS ran a little blurb on the Royal School of Needlework, gearing up for the royal wedding that took place the same month. This past weekend, CBS re-ran the video on the Royal School of Needlework, with some interesting additions.
June 4, 2012
The Dot Dilemma – that harrowing situation of stitchery, when a thread carried between French knots is visible from the front of the work. How do you solve the problem of carried threads between isolated French knots?
Today we’ll look at one way to start and end isolated French knots. I call this the “Tied Off” method. Continue reading “Isolated French Knots, Part 1”
June 2, 2012
For all of you who joined in for this week’s book give-away of the Beginner’s Guide to Goldwork by Ruth Chamberline, we have a winner!
June 1, 2012
How do you solve the Dot Dilemma?
Not sure what the Dot Dilemma is? Well, then! Please allow me to show you:
May 31, 2012
One of the greatest aspects of hand embroidery is the unbelievable variety and sheer quantity of hand embroidery stitches and techniques out there.
Think about it: could you ever really get bored with hand embroidery? There’s just too much variety and too many possibilities to get bored with it, don’t you think? (Or is that just me? Ok. I admit to a slight obsession with this whole needle & thread thing…)
Lately, I’ve been having fun playing around with some of the stitches and techniques that are a bit off the Familiarly Trodden Embroidery Path. Feel free to jump on board and play around with these stitches, too. They’re really fun!
Following up on Casalguidi stitch and the raised stem stitch band, for today’s Stitch Play, I’m going to show you how to create a raised band that’s diagonally striped. It looks like this, give or take the little hairy tendrils on the right:
May 30, 2012
Wherever you do your needlework – whether you have a workroom where all your embroidery projects develop, or you embroider in the perfect corner of your living room – unless you are a Super Organized Person, occasionally, you have to go through that stage that I call “Digging Out” before you can dig in to your next Great Needlework Undertaking.
Yesterday was a Digging Out day for me. I didn’t really mean it to be, but that’s just how things developed.
May 29, 2012
Ruth Chamberline’s Beginner’s Guide to Goldwork (which I reviewed about five years ago) is an excellent instructional book in silk and goldwork embroidery. Meandering through my bookshelf the other day, I took the book out and started browsing through it. Next thing I knew, I was reading it again, cover to cover. It’s a terrific instructional book!
