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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Perfect French Knots, Perfect Bullions

 

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If you want to make perfect French knots and perfect bullion knots, the only thing for it is to invest in the right needles. There aren’t too many embroidery stitches out there that require a specific needle and, in truth, you can get away with making French knots with regular embroidery needles, and you can get away with making bullion knots with other needles, too. But if you shy away from French knots and you bolt at the thought of bullions, then maybe, just maybe, a different needle will help you overcome your fears.

Bullion Knot in Hand Embroidery
Continue reading “Perfect French Knots, Perfect Bullions”

Lefkara Lace Up Close

 

Over the past few days, I’ve been sharing with you some photos from a reader who enjoyed some time in Cyprus learning about Lefkaritika, or Lefkara Lace, a traditional form of embroidery from the island. Today, I’m continuing the topic, showing you some close up photos of some of the different motifs used in Lefkara lace.

Lefkara Lace from Cyprus

To start, though, let’s look how the Cypriots traditionally work on their lace. They use pillows. This is not to be confused with a bobbin lace pillow, though – but it serves some of the same purposes. Continue reading “Lefkara Lace Up Close”

More Lefkara Lace (and Resources)

 

Lefkara lace, from Cyprus, has become a fascinating subject of study for me the last couple weeks, ever since Elissa sent me photos from her Cyprus adventures. The other day, I showed you a few brief bits of Lefkara lace, hoping to whet your appetite for the subject, too. I think what fascinates me most about the technique is that it strikes me, too, as a combination of Italian needle lace and Hardanger, with a little Schwalm thrown in along the edges. The Venetian influence on Lefkara lace is easy enough to understand, as Venice had administrative control of Cyprus some 500-ish years ago. Sources seem to be in conflict over whether Venice brought the lace technique to Cyprus, or Cyprus sent it back to Venice. I’ll have to do a little more research on that one!

Lefkara Lace from Cyprus
Continue reading “More Lefkara Lace (and Resources)”

Embroidered Rose Before and After

 

Still plugging along here on the Floral Glove project, I’ve managed to finish the silk embroidery on the central floral element on the needlecase. The other day, I showed you how I adjusted the shape of the flower. I received a few e-mails and comments requesting a before and after shot, since some readers weren’t sure which shape they liked best. So, here they are:

Embroidered Rose: Before and After

This is the before shot – the flower prior to picking it out and changing the shape a little bit. Continue reading “Embroidered Rose Before and After”

Lefkara Lace from Cyprus

 

Tucked in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey, is the island of Cyprus, and in Cyprus is a town called Lefkara, which gives its name to a regional “lace” called Lefkara Lace. Lefkara Lace is a combination of drawn thread, whitework, and needlelace techniques. I was fortunate to receive some beautiful pictures of Lefkara lace from a reader in Lebanon who hopped over to Cyprus for a short while, so I thought I’d share some of the photos with you!

Lefkara Lace
Continue reading “Lefkara Lace from Cyprus”

Picking Out My Stitching is Good

 

Most embroiderers will agree that when we’re not satisfied with our stitching, we’re prone to react certain ways towards our projects. Me? I go two ways, depending on my frame of mind: 1. If I’m feeling determined and curious about the project, I’ll correct the problem right away, no matter how much time or trouble is involved; or 2. If I’m not wholly “into” the project and I’m already looking ahead to the greener pastures of another project, I’ll usually turf it, or at least relegate the project to a shelf – maybe to resurrect later, maybe not.

Picking Out my Stitching

The Floral Glove project is one that I’m rather ferociously determined about, so the idea of doing a little picking didn’t bother me at all. In fact, in such circumstances, picking out stitches is always a good thing!

Although the project is not meant to be symmetrical, I could not find happiness in the look of this flower, which, as you can see, is somewhat sloppily stitched. You can see little bits of white between the layers, for example. I knew there would be some gold in there, but still – I just wasn’t satisfied with the look of it! At the same time, as I approached adding the gold Elizabethan twist around each layer of the flower, my mind boggled at how I would add the gold around the outside layer without plunging on both sides of every outside petal. I really didn’t want to do that.

The only thing for it, then, was to pick out the flower and start over with it. Continue reading “Picking Out My Stitching is Good”

The Dark Side of Embroidery: The BACK!

 

It’s not unusual to be asked to see the back of an embroidery project. I do believe that on just about every project I’ve done here on Needle ‘n Thread, someone has asked at least once to see the back. Working with the Blackwork Fish project, the question of the back of the needlework seems a bit more pertinent, because I’m working with black thread on white fabric. Carrying threads any distance on the back of the fabric would seem a horrific idea, because surely the black thread would show through the front!

That sounds right, but in reality, there are a couple things going on here that prevent the threads showing through the front of the fabric.

Blackwork Embroidery: The Backside of the Fish

So this is the back of the fish. (Note that he’s swimming in the other direction!) Continue reading “The Dark Side of Embroidery: The BACK!”