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
October 12, 2011
Hand embroidery is much easier when you work with the right tools. Today, I’ll illustrate this point by taking you through the rather shoddy set-up of my latest embroidery project.
This is a commissioned piece of church embroidery. I should have started it a month ago, but I offer no excuses beyond the fact that my Subconscious Self had a certain premonition that the set-up would go the way it did.
October 11, 2011
When my niece asked me to draw her a scarecrow, I really wasn’t thinking in terms of hand embroidery (incredibly enough). But this is what we concocted, and I thought I’d pass it on to you, in case you’re looking for something cutesy and fallish to embroider. Maybe if not for you, for the kids – and if nothing else, it can always be a coloring page, right?
October 10, 2011
I’ve been thinking about linen lately.
Ok, what’s new? I think about linen a lot! I thought about linen here (different types of linen for hand embroidery and where to find them), and I thought about it here (5 things you need to know about hand embroidery fabric), and I thought about it some more here (when I was considering embroidering on antique linens).
So this is just another post about linen, right? Because, after all, I think about it a lot.
No, no! Wait! That’s not it! Let me differentiate: Linen as opposed to linens. Linen The Fabric vs. Household Linen. See? There’s a difference! And today, I’m thinking of the latter linens.
My mind has turned towards monogramming lately, and before I ever embark upon a Big Project in any particular technique – especially if I’m planning the project for the website, or for teaching, or for a kit – I like to study up on the various aspects of it: social history, background of techniques, materials involved, and so forth.
Which brings me to this book:
October 7, 2011
Last year, I made the over-hasty announcement that I would be attending Beating Around the Bush, 2012, down in Australia. Alas, for me, it was over-hasty, because I’m not going after all. At the time, I wasn’t aware of the various project deadlines that Country Bumpkin had to meet for marketing the event, and, having three teaching jobs in three different schools, I couldn’t meet the project deadlines by last January. So I had to renege. Life is like that.
Wouldn’t it be great to say, “Let’s meet in Adelaide and have a cuppa?” It would be so fun to meet you face to face and enjoy a real chat! And I think needlework events like Beating Around the Bush are a great way to connect with fellow stitchers and to enjoy that “community spirit” with a bunch of kindred spirits!
October 6, 2011
I have a box. It is a Beautiful Box. It’s wood. Its finish is smooth as glass. It opens on elegant hinges to a finished, cavernous interior.
Its outside is paneled, made to display embroidery. Not just on top, mind you, but All Around the Sides, too.
But my box is without embroidery. It’s still beautiful, but it isn’t complete.
I keep my box on an old sideboard in the entrance of my house. And when people see my box, they say, “What is this?” And I say, “It is a box.” They open it, they look inside, and they say, “Hm. A box.” Though the workmanship is exquisite, though the box itself is attractive, they wonder what it is. Why do they wonder? Because they recognize that it is incomplete.
October 5, 2011
When Jana sent photos of her beautiful Schwalm table runner that she just completed, I knew I had to share them with you! Jana’s masterpiece took her five months to complete – and did she ever complete it. From the intricate Schwalm fillings to the exquisite edging, it’s a gorgeous piece of work. Take a look…
October 4, 2011
This is an elaborate hand embroidery pattern, but I think it’s pretty. It’s meant for ecclesiastical embroidery, but you can always adjust the passion flower (taking out the cross-shaped stamen that’s often seen in church patterns) and use the design for whatever you wish.
This is what I’ve been doing lately: cleaning up Lots and Lots of embroidery patterns. You can consider this a little preview of what’s coming in a church pattern e-book (available by the end of the month!) – though the patterns aren’t all quite this elaborate!
