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
July 18, 2022
OH my word.
It’s a funny thing about goldwork: You feel like you’re really making headway, that you’re flying along, that things are going so much faster than you anticipated – in short, you’re feelin’ pretty darned good about all that endless couching…
…and then suddenly you remember:
You have to plunge!
July 15, 2022
My friends, it is time to finish Cotton Quartet! Yay!!
It was a long project, but a fun one! I’m not sure it quite fits the notion of a “Snippet,” but I hope you enjoyed it and learned a lot while you worked through it.
If you’re just joining in on this project, you’ll find a project index here that will take you step-by-step through creating Cotton Quartet. Each article contains tips & techniques for completing the project and links to other helpful tutorials.
Members of the Needle ‘n Thread community on Patreon already have all the instructions in four downloadable PDFs. You’ll find all the download posts listed under the tag Cotton Quartet, if you’re logged in as a member.
Installment #10 is pretty brief. We’re going to add the decorative beaded edge around the outside of the finished needlework tool wallet.
July 13, 2022
A project that we’ve been working on for a while here in the studio is putting together some glorious thread packs of cotton floche.
Cotton floche is one of my favorite hand embroidery threads, and I want to do my bit to give people the opportunity to stitch with it. To that end, we’ve gathered together a collection of what I call Garden-Bright Colors into a new offering available now in my shop.
If you have always wanted to try floche, or if you are already a tried-and-true lover of floche thread but hesitant to invest in full hanks, these floche packs are a great way to start a collection of the thread for use in multiple projects.
July 11, 2022
A few weeks ago, while visiting friends in Kansas City, I had the opportunity to spend some time at the National Museum of Toys and Miniatures.
Did you know that there’s a national museum of toys and miniatures? And did you know it’s in Kansas City? Even though many people consider Kansas a fly-over state, I just want you to know that we have some Real Happenin’ Things out here!
This museum is one of them. It’s a gem. I could spend hours and hours on the first floor, which houses the Most Spectacular collection of miniatures. These tiny little works of art are enchanting and mesmerizing.
Needlework figures into these miniature worlds in numerous ways, so I thought I’d share some quick snaps with you, to whet your appetite for more and encourage you to visit the museum if you’re ever out this way.
July 8, 2022
Today, we get one step closer to the end of Cotton Quartet, a stitch-along project here on Needle ‘n Thread that we’ve been working on for a while.
After this installment, we only have one more step to go, and you’ll have a beautiful tool wallet for your favorite scissors and needles!
Before we launch into today’s lesson, a little tip: read through the whole article before you begin this part of the project. This is a long article today, with a lot of photos.
For members on Patreon, you already have this lesson (and all the lessons to finish Cotton Quartet) – they are part of the 4th PDF posted a week ago.
July 6, 2022
Good morning, and welcome back! I hope you had a lovely weekend. We had a grand ole time out here in Kansas with the family. The weekend extended a little longer than originally planned, but all for a good cause! Nothing like a little family togetherness to highlight the summer!
But it’s good to get back into the swing of things here at the studio, where Anna and I are moving forward in small steps on the large goldwork project that we talked about a couple weeks ago.
July 1, 2022
Today, we’re going to tackle the most challenging part of finishing Cotton Quartet: we’re going to measure, cut, trim, and prepare the two parts of the project (the outside sampler cover and the inside gingham lining) for assembly.
Whenever you’re doing finish work on something you’ve put hours and hours of embroidery into, it’s a good idea to operate with this old adage in mind: measure twice, cut once.
My version goes more like measure ten times, cut once. Better to overdo it on the measuring than to make a mistake that you can’t undo.
The other tip to keep in mind: you can always trim more off, but you can’t add more on. So when you cut, it’s ok to give yourself excess fabric. It’s not ok to short yourself.
Final tips before we launch in: read through all the instructions before you start this part, gather all the supplies you will need before you start, and give yourself a good bit of quiet, uninterrupted time to work in.
