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Mary Corbet

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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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April 5, 2023

Little Blooms Part 2: Stitch the Flowers

 

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Welcome to the second installment of Little Blooms: A Mini Snap Purse, wherein we explore stitching the flowers clustered here and there around the design.

If you are not familiar with the way a stitch-along works, you can find further information on what to expect with this project in the preview of Little Blooms here.

Last week in Part 1, we setup the project. That’s where you’ll find the pattern and the embroidery design, along with information on transferring the design.

Members of the Needle ‘n Thread community on Patreon will find the PDF for this installment already available. If you’re in the Dedicated or Avid Stitcher levels, I’ll be posting a video supplement for you a little later this week.

So that’s the backstory – now let’s jump into the flowers, shall we?

Little Blooms: Stitching the Flowers
Continue reading “Little Blooms Part 2: Stitch the Flowers”

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April 3, 2023

A Fine Tradition 2: Book Review

 

In 2021, Inspirations Studios launched a new book by Margaret Light called A Fine Tradition, and it was very popular for good reason! Packed with lots of very accessible and appealing embroidery projects, the book is suitable for beginners and beyond who want to stitch and finish beautiful embroidered things. You can read my review of A Fine Tradition here.

I’m super excited to say that the second volume by Margaret Light – A Fine Tradition 2 – is now available! So today, we’re going to look at the inside of the book and I’ll tell you what you can expect from this extremely accessible project and instructional book.

Before we go forth to explore the new volume, you should know that I have a limited quantity of both books in stock right now! So if you didn’t have a chance to get the first volume, it’s been reprinted and you can add both to your needlework library. They’re available here in my shop. If these books have been on your radar, now’s a good time to pick them up!

A Fine Tradition 2 by Margaret Light
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March 31, 2023

Little Blooms Part 1: Materials, Design, & Preparation

 

Welcome to the first installment of Little Blooms: a Mini Snap Purse!

I’m going to kick off the stitch-along for this project by sharing the pattern and embroidery design with you, talking a little bit about materials and possible substitutions, and telling you how I set up the project to prepare it for stitching.

For members of the Needle ‘n Thread community over on Patreon, you’ll find Part 1 available as a downloadable PDF over on Patreon already – it was posted yesterday. For members at the $3+ level, I’ll be posting a supplementary video for you this weekend!

Let’s jump right in!

Mini Blooms Stitch-Along on Needle 'n Thread
Continue reading “Little Blooms Part 1: Materials, Design, & Preparation”

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March 29, 2023

It’s a Wrap! On Your Hoop, That Is

 

Embroidery hoops – they’re one of those tools that are pretty essential to the embroiderer. No matter what approach you take to surface embroidery, eventually, you’ll run into the need for a hoop.

So whether you’re a stretcher-bar fiend, a slate frame fanatic, or a Q-snap connoisseur, some day, at least for a project or two, you’ll have to be a hoopist. Or a hoopie. Or a hooper? Yes, a hooper!

And if you’re going to be a hooper, you should also be a wrapper.

I bring this up now – and I’ve brought it up before – because, as we launch into Little Blooms on Friday, many of you will be hooping up the project to get it ready for stitching. I want you to have a really good experience using an embroidery hoop on this project. And at the end, I want you to have an equally good experience with the finish work. Your hoop and how you use it can have a lot to do with that!

Binding embroidery hoop with cotton twill
Continue reading “It’s a Wrap! On Your Hoop, That Is”

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March 24, 2023

Drawing Embroidery Designs in Inkscape & News

 

Happy Friday!

Today, I’ll chat a bit about what I’ve been up to on the computer, sharing some techy info, especially for those who often and frequently ask about software for creating their own embroidery patterns (or line drawings to use for embroidery patterns).

We’ll also touch a bit on Little Blooms – the upcoming stitch-along here on Needle ‘n Thread – and the kits at the end of the article.

designing embroidery patterns in Inkscape
Continue reading “Drawing Embroidery Designs in Inkscape & News”

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March 22, 2023

Chipping Away at Goldwork and a Workstation Rig

 

Time is ticking and there’s no way to stop it.

I always realize this when a deadline looms and it seems like everything is moving in the slowest of motion and there’s no noticeable progress on anything, anywhere.

Time is ticking. There is no way to stop it.

To be comfortably finished with this goldwork altar cover, we’ve got 34 days. Will we make it? I don’t know. But we’re giving it our best!

We can add five days and be finished at the Absolutely Deadline, but I’d rather say we have 34 days and keep that in my head, because I don’t want to be frantically scurrying at the Absolute Deadline. I want to be able to breathe a bit at the very end of the project.

Now, there may be no way to stop time from ticking away, but there are ways to speed up processes, to make more of your time – even if it’s just in the tiniest of ways. It all adds up!

Chip work on goldwork altar cloths
Continue reading “Chipping Away at Goldwork and a Workstation Rig”