About

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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Embroidered Table Linens – and an Artichoke

 

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Yes, it’s true. I have another stitching project. I can’t help it. It’s Spring, after all. And I’m sure that has something to do with it!

If you’re looking to brighten up your table setting with a little embroidery, but, like me, you aren’t up to tackling a full table cloth or runner (I’m completely un-up to tackling any new large project right now!), you might like these new linen placemat kits available through The French Needle. They feature vegetables – and we all know veggies are good for us, so why not embroider some?

I particularly love the artichoke in this set of linens, so it’s another (simple) project on my plate for this Spring, hopefully to be finished by Easter.

Embroidered Artichoke Table Linen
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Spooled Threads & How I Hold ‘Em

 

While attempting to straighten up my workspace the other day – sorting through embroidery thread, organizing too many needles, trying to find space for fabric, and in general wishing I were just a wee bit more organized (know the feeling?)! – I found myself holding this little piece of Needlework Furniture, and thought, “Why, I haven’t shown them my spool holder.”

So today, I’m showing you my spool holder!

Spooled Thread Holder
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Hungarian Embroidery Designs: Lilly’s Legacy

 

Today, I’m very excited to start a little series here on Needle ‘n Thread that features some Hungarian designs suitable for embroidery and other artistic pursuits. There’s a little background story here about the artist’s legacy, so I’d like to share that with you, along with a pattern that has lots of possibilities for stitching.

Hungarian Embroidery Design: Free Pattern for Hand Embroidery
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Satin Stitch Padding – Follow Up Tip!

 

Yesterday, we looked at how to embroider a satin stitched dot, which is not as easy a task as it sounds, but once the general layout of the stitches in the top layer of satin stitch is understood, it sure makes it a lot easier to achieve a nice looking satin stitched dot.

One thing I failed to mention in that tutorial – being too caught up in the finished satin stitched top, rather than what was going on underneath – is that the padding of the dot is not actually “satin stitched.” Thanks to Carol-Anne of Threads Across the Web, who followed up the original post with a very informative comment about padding in Japanese embroidery, I decided I better complete the dot tutorial by clarifying the method of padding the dot.

And so, today, in a somewhat reversed order, I’ll show you how I do the padding for a satin stitch dot, and really for any area of satin stitch where I don’t want a layer of padding as thick as the padding on the front of the work, on the back of the work. Make sense? Let me show you!

Padding a Satin Stitched Dot
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