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
September 16, 2022
Goodness gracious me oh my. What a week! Thank you all for your very enthusiastic interest in the new goods in the shop that I mentioned on Tuesday, and for your enthusiasm over Autumn Fire, our next Stitch Snippets stitch along that starts next week!
Let’s tie up some loose ends from this week’s launch first, and then we’ll talk about fabric and cutting up goldwork samples and such.
September 13, 2022
Good morning! It’s an exciting launch day here at Needle ‘n Thread! I love it when we can finally release a kit!
Autumn Fire is the third Stitch Snippet project for this year, and it is truly more snippet-ish than the Bee-Jeweled Pincushion and Cotton Quartet.
Autumn Fire is a small project. The embroidered autumn tree is just over two inches tall, and it fits in a custom-cut arched mat (supplied with the kit) for a 4″ square frame.
Here’s a little more information about the project and the materials kit, which you will find available here.
September 9, 2022
Today, let’s chat about embroidery tools!
You’ve probably noticed that I’ve been building a small curated collection of retail goods in my online shop. When I add something to this collection, it’s always something I already have that I like for some good reason or another. And I try to offer goods that I believe solve a problem or serve to help embroiderers in some way.
Next week, when I add Autumn Fire to my shop (around 10:00 am central time next Tuesday, September 13), I’m also adding a few extra retail items that I plan to offer regularly. I’m posting it all at once instead of stringing out new additions, so that you have the opportunity to save a little bit on shipping if you want multiple items.
Among these new retail items that I find useful are the tools we’re going to talk about today: some sweet, functional, beautiful little needle threaders (oh, how I have learned to love the needle threader!) and some absolutely swell scissors that I’ve been using for several years now.
September 7, 2022
The title might not be perfectly accurate.
But when you’re doing goldwork – endlessly couching double strands of passing thread – couching, couching, couching – it sure begins to feel like R is the biggest letter in the world.
Last weekend was a holiday weekend here in the States, and I used a portion of all three days to get the rest of the smooth passing thread couched down on this R. In the three days, I put in about 15 hours on the R, which was already well under way.
I can’t figure out why it took so much time! I think I was in Molasses Mode.
September 2, 2022
Something Jacobean-ish must’ve been rumbling about in the embroidery world in the last month or so.
I always surmise there’s a workshop or a new kit out or a new article or tutorial out there on a specific subject, when I suddenly get an influx of multiple requests for more information (or tips, or tutorials, or instructions) on that particular technique or topic.
I’ve had a number of emails lately requesting tutorials for Jacobean embroidery. Here’s one question (used with the author’s permission):
I’m doing Jacobean embroidery and I’m struggling with the instructions. Can you do some tutorials on Jacobean embroidery, or do you know of a book with illustrations or diagrams?
The reason this is a difficult question is that “Jacobean embroidery” is not a technique. We’ve talked about this before on Needle ‘n Thread, but the topic is buried a bit. So I thought I’d dig it up here.
August 31, 2022
Flabbergasted. Truly flabbergasted! How can it be the last day of August already?
Am I the only who feels this way?
Here in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the time of year when summer subsides, school resumes, and the impending Autumn triggers the close of the year, seasonally and calendorically. (I made that last word up myself.)
It’s also the time of year when I look around and realize I’m not where I planned to be.
August 29, 2022
Earlier this summer, I began sharing with you a Very Large goldwork project that we’re working on here in the studio. You can read the backstory of this piece by following the links at the end of this article.
Today, I’ll show you where we are, we’ll talk about how the mind can play mean tricks on you, and I’ll share a rigged tool solution.
