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Mary Corbet

writer and founder

 

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

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  • How-To
    Videos

    Over 75 Embroidery Stitch Videos to Help You Learn

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    A Collection of Instructional Articles

 
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February 27, 2012

Stitch Play: Whipping Two Rows of Chain Stitch

 

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Whipping two adjacent rows of chain stitch produces a wide line with a rope-like center. This is a fun technique for creating a textured line, and it only takes a little imagination to see how you can incorporate this into your surface embroidery.

I can see it worked up into a caterpillar! I think it would also make an interesting and elegant off-white / white combination for textured whitework embroidery. I’m sure you can come up with many more possibilities!

Whipping Two Rows of Chain Stitch
Continue reading “Stitch Play: Whipping Two Rows of Chain Stitch”

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February 23, 2012

Stitch Glitch: Whipped Chain Stitch Tips

 

Have you ever noticed that there seems to be an infinite variety of surface embroidery stitches that you can play with? Ok, infinite might be an exaggeration, but there sure are lots of them! And playing around with all those stitches can provide all manner of fun for those of us who are stitching-prone… or stitching-obsessed, however you want to look at it!

But even with the simple stitches, you can run into little glitches that slow you down, right?

Today, we’re going to look at a stitch glitch. Here’s the glitch: You’re whipping a line of stitches (say, chain stitch or backstitch or running stitch). So, what do you do when you run out of thread right in the middle of the line?

Let’s look at it.

Whipped Chain Stitch
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February 22, 2012

Outlining with Gold & Silk

 

It didn’t take long to leap into the outlining of the monogram on the Medallion Project! I showed you the finished monogram yesterday – yes, it was wonderful to get the lettering all filled up with the long & short stitch! But all the while, I was dying to get to this part, eager to see if my plan would work, if the threads I chose were correct, if the monogram would look “finished” with the outline in place. I’m pretty pleased with the results and can’t wait to charge ahead to finish up the outlining.

Today, I’ll show you what I’m doing to outline the monogram, and down the road a bit, I’ll give you some tips that help make the process a bit easier.

Goldwork & Silk Hand Embroidery
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February 21, 2012

Long & Short Stitch Filling: All Filled Up!

 

Finally, finally! I reached a goal!

What happens to you when you approach a goal in an embroidery project? Not necessarily The Finish of the project, mind you, but one of your intermediate goals?

This is what happens to me:

As I near the goal, I find myself slowing down, almost to the point of sluggery. I’m pretty sure I should be speeding towards the goal line, but instead, I start to sputter. And though I’m antsy to reach the goal, I can’t … seem … to … get … there. It’s like running in slow motion in a bad dream! But during that time, my mind is already moving ahead to the next step, setting the next goal. And this works to my advantage, because while I may be sputtering about as I reach an end point, mentally, I’m already lining myself up to charge out of that start gate again.

So, this is the intermediate goal I reached this past weekend:

Silk and Goldwork Church Embroidery Project
Continue reading “Long & Short Stitch Filling: All Filled Up!”