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
May 23, 2010
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”
May 22, 2010
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.
May 21, 2010
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.
May 20, 2010
Have you tried Valdani threads? I haven’t. But I’m going to. I’ve heard from readers off and on who have inquired about them, but I didn’t know much about them, and since I haven’t tried them, I can’t really give an opinion on them. But, like I said, I’m going to try them!
In the meantime, I’ll tell you a little bit about the threads, and later, I’ll tell you how I like stitching with them. Continue reading “Valdani Needlework Threads – Have You Used Them?”
May 19, 2010
Do you ever reach a point in a hand embroidery project where you stop and say, “Ok, wait. Do I go any farther on this thing, or do I stop now and start all over?” That’s about where I am with the Floral Glove Needlecase. Last time we talked about this particular embroidery project, I had made a decision that, in spite of the faulty transfer of the embroidery design, I was going to plug on ahead. And now I’m debating all over again.
The circled areas in the photo above are the two points that are Really Irritating me. Continue reading “Floral Glove Needlecase: Decisions, Decisions…”
May 18, 2010
Time to announce the winners of the Hedgehog Handworks gift certificates!
May 17, 2010
While Méri (of agulhas da méri) was vacationing in America, she mailed to me a gorgeous book on hand embroidery traditions in Portugal. The book is titled Bordado de Guimarães, and the text is in Portugues with an English translation. I haven’t finished reading the book yet, but I’m enjoying it so much and am completely enchanted with the needlework therein, that I had to show you some bits of the book! If you like reading about and trying regional embroidery techniques, this book may very well be worth trying to track down!
The first thing that struck me about Guimarães Embroidery from Portugal is the dimensional quality of the work.
In much of it, you will see a consistent use of the bullion knot. And many of the bullions are really long! Méri mentioned this in the letter that accompanied her gift, but I didn’t understand how extensively the bullion knot is used until I started reading the book.
Continue reading “Hand Embroidery Traditions from Portugal”