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May 27, 2010

The Dark Side of Embroidery: The BACK!

 

Amazon Books

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!”

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May 26, 2010

The Blackwork Fish: Stalled, but Not Sunk

 

It’s been a while since I picked up the Blackwork Fish project, so he’s in a bit of a stall. But I do intend to finish him! (I keep saying that!) Actually, I’m dying to finish him! But I’ve only been able to snatch a few minutes here and there to stitch, and he isn’t the project I have out right now. On the bright side, since the last time I showed him to you, I made a little progress before he got shelved.

Blackwork Fish Embroidery Project

The tail and fins are all getting the same treatment: they’re worked in lines of backstitch, with one of the lighter weights of black silk. Continue reading “The Blackwork Fish: Stalled, but Not Sunk”

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May 25, 2010

Elizabethan Twist: Rooling and Spigging

 

I’ve been working with the Elizabethan twist on the Floral Glove project. Elizabethan twist is a very fine goldwork thread – it’s actually two very fine goldwork threads, twisted lightly together. It’s lightweight and tiny stuff, and, couched along the outside of the a little embroidered element, it makes a nice outline.

Elizabethan Twist Goldwork Thread

The kit came with several yards of Elizabethan twist. When working with this thread on small elements, it’s best not to cut it, but to work from the full length. When working with the full length of any fine goldwork thread that is being couched to the surface of the fabric, I like the thread to be on something, not just loosely wound up. The obvious reason is that a loosely wound goldwork thread that is not wound onto something can become a pain in the neck to keep in order. Continue reading “Elizabethan Twist: Rooling and Spigging”

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May 24, 2010

A Beautiful Embroidery Treat!

 

Here’s a real treat! Margaret Cobleigh, who has become a really good online embroidery friend, is an excellent stitcher. She strives for perfection in all her embroidery, and everything she touches with her needle and thread turns out beautiful! Her approach is a lot like mine – she troubleshoots her way through her projects, making adjustments and corrections as she goes, and the results are outstanding. I count myself lucky to be privy to her progress notes on the various things she stitches. She was happy to let me show off the following finish, and since it is, after all, Spring, it’s mighty appropriate!

Reader's Embroidery: Spring

The piece that Margaret recently finished is titled “Spring,” designed by Helen Stevens. Continue reading “A Beautiful Embroidery Treat!”

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May 23, 2010

Apologies and a Clarification

 

Those of you who read my website regularly know me fairly well – you know that I try to be honest in my approach to my work and in everything I write about on Needle ‘n Thread. Sometimes, I am too frank, and sometimes, I obviously write without thinking things through completely. And this gets me and other people in trouble. I’d like to clarify a situation and offer an apology. Continue reading “Apologies and a Clarification”

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May 22, 2010

Hand Embroidery Tip: Care of Hands

 

In reading through the catalog Embroidery Lessons with Color Studies (the Brainerd & Armstrong booklet on silk embroidery published in 1899, that I wrote about last week), I came across a little paragraph thate emphasizes the care of the embroiderer’s hands.

Given the increasing popularity of silk thread for hand embroidery, and understanding that sometimes embroiderers are put off by silk threads because some of them can be extra-snaggy and cantankerous, I thought I’d share the little blurb in this old book – a little blurb that reads somewhat antiquated, but that’s still relevant today. I’ll also point you in the direction of my recipe for smooth hands for stitching with silk.

Hand Care for the Embroiderer
Continue reading “Hand Embroidery Tip: Care of Hands”

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May 21, 2010

Floral Glove Needlecase: The Fix – Sort of…

 

Thanks heaps for all your response my Floral Glove dilemma the other day! It’s funny how stitchers more or less think alike – I went through just about every thought process presented in the comments, and I finally settled for Option #3, fixing what I could and then making alterations on the rest as I go.

Here’s the fix. It isn’t perfect, but it’s better than it was.

Floral Glove Needlecase Embroidery Project
Continue reading “Floral Glove Needlecase: The Fix – Sort of…”