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
February 9, 2012
If you haven’t visited the website of the Royal School of Needlework lately, you should! The RSN is located in London, at Hampton Court. The institution has an interesting and unique history (book review coming up on the subject…), and has been a huge source of influence on the development and continuation of the needle arts in the past hundred years.
February 8, 2012
Welp, I managed to make a smidgeon of progress on the Medallion Project – and when I say smidgeon, I mean smidgeon!
One fleur de lis on the side of the monogram in the Medallion Project is finished. The fleurs de lis are embroidered in all four shades of blue that I’m using on this project. Unlike the rest of the monogram, they aren’t padded with felt, but they are worked in long and short stitch.
February 7, 2012
This morning, I thought it would be nice to slow down a bit and just look at some beautiful pieces of embroidery. To that end, I’m going to share with you some needle painting embroidery projects worked by Margaret Cobleigh.
Margaret’s the gal who will be teaching needle painting class here on Needle ‘n Thread in March. She’s one of those stitchers who has perfected her needle painting skills by adopting and adapting the techniques of good teachers, and then agglomerating them all into her own style, in her own projects.
These are some of the projects Margaret has stitched over the years. You’ll recognize a good many of them, as many are (or have been) available in kit form from teachers such as Trish Burr and Tanja Berlin.
February 6, 2012
Last time we looked at the Medallion project, I was venturing into the monogram area, working long & short stitch filling over felt. At the time, I saw long & short stitch as a good answer to the whole “filling the monogram” question – it provides a solid fill relatively quickly and it’s a fairly forgiving stitch.
I don’t regret the decision to go with long & short stitch at all. But one thing I didn’t bargain for was the fact that stitching that many stitches through felt and linen and backing fabric can be pretty painful – and I’ve got the holes in my thumb and finger to prove it!
So far, I’m pretty happy with the outcome and eager to get the central monogram in the design finished.
February 4, 2012
Pattern darning is a needlework technique that employs running stitch to create a pattern on the surface of the fabric or canvas – it’s basically just working lines of running stitches in such a way that a pattern develops according to the placement of those running stitches.
Because it’s running stitch we’re talking about here, pattern darning is pretty simple in concept. The only difficult part of pattern darning is making sure you don’t misplace a stitch, because that can throw your pattern all out of whack. Working on the silk gauze, I had better luck getting my stitches in the right spot when I was using my magnifying lamp. When I didn’t use it, I was more likely to misplace a stitch here and there.
And though it might sound boring to work lines and lines of running stitch, it really is a satisfying technique – it’s super fun to watch the pattern develop and grow.
February 3, 2012
Last year here on Needle ‘n Thread, I started a sharing with you a series of Hungarian embroidery designs that have been shared with me – if you would like to read the back story on these patterns, you can find it under Hungarian Embroidery Designs: Lilly’s Legacy. There, you’ll find the story of the artist who drew these embroidery patterns in the first half to the mid-1900’s and of how they were preserved.
There are eleven Hungarian embroidery patterns here on Needle ‘n Thread now, and they’re all available for your personal use on the Patterns page.
Today’s design comes from a small panel of three small, colorful designs painted by Lilly in 1956.
February 2, 2012
Cheating at hand embroidery – how to give the impression of hand embroidery, without really hand embroidering, and yet still call it hand embroidery. In a sense, this is what the once-popular “coronation cord” does.
There are certain types of stitchery that could be considered, in a way, “cheater” embroidery. Today, I’m going to show you one of them, by looking closely at an antique tablecloth. Then we’ll chat a bit about the technique and its history and uses, and then I’ll give you some resources.
By the way, by calling it “cheater” embroidery, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. The effects of coronation cord can be lovely!
