December 25, 2011
A Happy Christmas to All!
To all my Needle ‘n Thread Friends, I wish you and yours a Christmas full of joy and many blessings!
December 24, 2011
Packages – Wrapped up in String
Brown paper packages wrapped up in string, These are a few of my Favorite Things…
Do you ever wonder why that song – My Favorite Things (of Sound of Music fame) – makes it into the Christmas music line-up every year? It wafts through the air in shops and on radio stations, nestled cozily between Jingle Bells and Sleigh Ride. Is it just the mention of brown paper packages wrapped up in string? Surely it’s not the dog biting or the bee stinging that gives it rank among Christmas favorites. Perhaps it’s those snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes? Or the silver-white winters that melt into springs? If they’re melting into spring, why isn’t it an Easter song? After all, there’s that mention of girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, which sounds much more like a spring wardrobe than a winter one!
This is something that baffles me.
December 22, 2011
Other Thimble Explorations!
With Christmas hastily approaching, it seems almost mundane to go back to the whole subject of thimbles, doesn’t it?
But you see how it is! And if you don’t, I suppose I shall have to tell you…
December 20, 2011
Sajou Embroidery Album – Beautiful Monograms!
A kind reader sent me a quick e-mail yesterday, with a link to a new addition to Antique Pattern Library – Sajou Album No. 612 – which is a gorgeous collection of monograms for hand embroidery. The monograms are presented in three sizes, and along with them are several very pretty border designs.
December 19, 2011
Erica Wilson
When Erica Wilson died last week at the age of 83, I thought about writing a tribute to her. She was, after all, the most influential lady in the needlework industry in the last half century here in America.
But I was a little daunted at the prospect of writing about her. I cannot say that I ever met her, because I never did. I cannot say that I ever spoke with her, because I never did. I cannot say that I ever attended class with her, because I never did. What do I know about Erica Wilson, and who am I to write anything about her? How could I pay even a remote tribute to her and to her impact on the needle arts?
December 18, 2011
Free Hand Embroidery Pattern: Snowflake!
As promised, here’s the snowflake pattern I’m using for the silver, silk, & suede hand embroidered snowflake! I hope you find some use for it!
December 17, 2011
Silver Thread, Silver Thread…
This is a little update on the Silver, Silk, and Suede Embroidered Snowflake project.
There’s a little bit of silver on the snowflake, finally! With out-of-town company and Christmas preparations, I haven’t had a chance to do much stitching this week, but I did want to at least try the silver threads on this pseudo-suede fabric stuff. As it turns out, this is a tough kind of fabric for sinking real metal threads into, so I had a bit of a time with it! The outcome isn’t too reprehensible, but I’ll do things a bit differently in the next section and hopefully smooth out some of the rough spots.
