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
December 30, 2010
With 2010 slipping away in a couple days, I thought it a good time to have one final give-away for the year – and to liven it up a bit, I’ve added a few little dandy things. Of course, there’s an embroidery kit (I promised I’d give away another Trish Burr kit last time I gave one away!), and to top it off, I’ve added a few little needlework accessories to the package:
December 29, 2010
“Thread Log” is a strange name. But that’s what I call it. And it seems to work.
Whenever I receive an order of embroidery threads for specific large embroidery projects, I log them in a project notebook. In fact, I log everything I can about the project in the notebook. I started doing this when I was working on this church embroidery project, and I found it’s a very useful when I want to remember specifics about a particular embroidery project.
Most of all, the notebook ends up being a Thread Log, because that’s the majority of information that I note – the thread and how and where I used it, or the thread, and how I didn’t use it. I also include information on time involved and on quantities.
December 28, 2010
Today I wanted to show you in up-close, personal detail, the new palette of threads for my next embroidery project, which I am itching to start stitching on! Unfortunately, right in the midst of their photo session, a little emergency creeped up, preventing me from getting a good range of quality shots. For now, I’ll just give you the overview and tell you where I’m headed. We’ll look a bit closer later!
December 27, 2010
Thank you all so much for your Christmas wishes, for the greeting cards, the comments on my Merry Christmas post, and the influx of so much very nice e-mail, which I’m trying to answer! You certainly made my Christmas even cheerier! I hope yours was merry and bright!
After the brief holiday hiatus, it’s time for me to move forward on several embroidery-related endeavors that I hope you’ll enjoy! This week, for me, will be dedicated pretty much to needlework and blog work. What could be better? I’m so excited!
First, though, let’s finish up that Transfer-Eze experiment!
Last week, I showed you the beginning of a little embroidery project, using Transfer-Eze, an adhesive water-soluble, printable stabilizer sold for hand embroidery. This is the finish of that project, with the clean-up and some reflections on using Transfer-Eze.
December 24, 2010
Dear Friends,
I wish you and yours a peaceful Christmas, full of joy and many blessings!
December 23, 2010
The question of transferring hand embroidery designs to fabric is a mighty one. I’ve discussed it quite a bit here on Needle ‘n Thread, because it is the Most Frequently Asked Embroidery Question from beginners.
And gosh, let’s face it. We’re all looking for the dream method of design transfer – that perfect way to get the design precisely and as painlessly as possible onto the fabric, in such a way that it is invisible on the finished product, but easy to see – in all its detail – while the project is being stitched. This dream method, by the way, doesn’t exist absolutely – there are a variety of methods for transferring patterns, and which one you choose often depends upon the type of embroidery project you’re working.
That being said, my curiosity was piqued by this stuff called Transfer-eze. Lately, there’s been some buzz about this new product, which is supposed to make all the anguish over transferring designs to fabric magically disappear. It is, in effect, an adhesive water-soluble, printable stabilizer. I thought it essential to procure some of the stuff with the eventual intention of trying it out, so when Wooly Thread announced that they carry it, I bought some so that I could try it out and tell you about it.
December 22, 2010
Deck the halls – and anything else that you want to embroider – with these boughs of holly. This time of year, I always try to embroider at least one Little Something that’s Christmassy. If nothing else, a new bread cloth for the Christmas table is always welcome. But this year, I’ve been a bum, and I haven’t managed it.
This is the holly corner I wanted to stitch up. And there’s still a little nagging voice in my head saying that I could do it in time for Christmas – if I started right now. A few evenings of stitching is all it would take, after all. C’mon, Mary, what’s the big deal? You can do it!
Silly voice. I have a feeling it’s going to win.
