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Hand Embroidery Books

July 19, 2010

A-Z of Embroidery Stitches 2: Book Review

 

Amazon Books

Embroidery Stitch Dictionaries are handy books to have on your shelf, if you’re a die-hard embroidery fanatic.

Even if you only dabble in hand embroidery as an occasional hobby, you’ll never be sorry you have a stitch dictionary or two at hand – they are wonderful reference tools to have on hand, especially when you want to expand your stitching horizons a bit.

One of my favorite series of how-to books for embroidery is the A-Z series, which used to be published by Country Bumpkin, but is now (as of 2014) published by Search Press.

Today, I want to show you one of their stitch dictionaries – A-Z of Embroidery Stitches 2. It’s a terrific stitch dictionary for stitchers wishing to increase their stitching repertoire.

A-Z of Embroidery Stitches 2 published by Search Press
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July 16, 2010

Victorian Perforated Paper Embroidery

 

While enjoying life in the Canadian Maritimes on my recent break, I ran into a few needlework-related items. The first one was a piece of Victorian perforated paper embroidery, hung on the wall of the “rectory” in the idyllic (and fictitious) town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island. Since I took a few photos of the piece, I thought I’d share them with you and tell you a bit about this embroidery fad that lasted from the 1820’s through 1910, reaching its zenith of popularity in the 1880’s and 90’s.

(You can click on the image below for a larger version.)

Victorian Perforated Paper Embroidery in Avonlea on Prince Edward Island
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July 15, 2010

Getting Back to Needlework

 

After returning from vacation, it’s awfully hard to get back into the swing of things, and my needlework has been suffering because of my relative lethargy when it comes to picking up handwork! Admittedly, I’m in a bit of a slump!

So, how does one crawl out of a needlework slump? I’ll tell you what I do, and then you can give me your advice on how you get out of similar slumpy situations!

There are two things I do to work myself out of a needlework slump: First, I evaluate. Then, I anticipate.

To evaluate, I take a good look at my current situation. There are really only two projects that I was concentrating on with any intensity before vacation – the Floral Glove Project from Thistle Threads and the Blackwork Fish.

Floral Glove Needle Case Project
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July 13, 2010

Miniature Embroidery: How Small Can You Go?

 

Even though I’m officially back from vacation, I still have two more guest posts on needlework that I want to share with you. Both are really good – and they touch on needlework topics that I don’t often visit. This first one is by Patricia Richards, who operates Patricia Richards Miniatures, a website devoted to hand made dollhouse miniatures, as well as kits for miniature pillows. Patricia stitches incredibly tiny miniature items in unbelievable detail! She enticed me with the topic of her miniature embroidery projects by sending me a picture of her reproduction 17th century embroidered casket, which you can see in the article below. The casket is beautiful – full-size, it would be amazing in itself. When I realized the piece was about an inch wide, it took me a while to pick up my jaw! I hope you enjoy the article and are just as amazed as I am at the micro-stitched art!

Miniature 17th Century Embroidered Casket by Patricia Richards
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July 12, 2010

Garniture: Trim Out Your Needlework

 

What’s in my Stash? Here’s another look at a something in my needlework stash. The purpose of these “stash” posts is to show you some things I have in my supply closet that you might find interesting. It’s not to “sell” you on anything, but just to let you know that this stuff is out there, in case it’s something that you would find fun or useful for your stitching needs.

Today, I’ll show you some Garniture! Garniture, by definition, is something that decorates or embellishes. And there’s a whole line of Garniture on the market that is perfect for finishing needlework items. Have you ever made a pin cushion, an ornament, a needlebook, or some other item, and been stumped about how to finish the edge? Garniture helps solve that problem!

Garniture: Trim for Needlework
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July 11, 2010

I’m Back!

 

I’m happy to be back in the blog-o-sphere again, and am so thankful that Needle ‘n Thread wasn’t “empty” for the last couple weeks! Thanks to all the generous guest writers who shared a glimpse of their needlework worlds!

Here’s a little glimpse of my vacation:

Dreamweaver's Cottages on Prince Edward IslandView of North Rustico Harbor, Prince Edward Island
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