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
January 18, 2023
Sometimes, you can’t get away from associating a color with something very specific.
In the present case, the color is green. And while it’s supposed to be a sunny, bright, springy, happy green… I can’t think of it now as anything other than Grinch Green.
January 16, 2023
Anna sits on her side of the frame.
I sit on my side of the frame.
We’re catty-corner to each other, each hugging the edge of the slate frame and trying to manipulate our arms around the trestles as we embroider letters situated near the edge of the ground fabric.
We work pretty much in silence, except for some soft background music.
And slowly and steadily, we make minute progress on the goldwork lettering that we’ve been working on since last spring.
It’s been a while since we’ve been able to sit and concentrate on embroidery, but at long last, we’re finally able to dedicate specific time to stitching.
January 13, 2023
I tend to be somewhat infatuated with the Arts & Crafts Movement. There’s much about it – historically, socially, and artistically – that I admire and that intrigues me.
The Arts & Crafts Movement was an era of development of the decorative arts, spanning about 1875 to about 1920, give or take some years.
As with any era or trend in the decorative arts, it’s hard to establish an exact beginning date and an exact ending date, because no trend in art is isolated from its preceding and subsequent trends. What came before influences the era; what comes after develops from the era or as a reaction to it. But roughly, that’s that time frame – 1875 to 1920, beginning in Britain and spreading throughout Europe and America.
January 11, 2023
It was the perfect end to the holiday season.
Come Monday morning, I knew that the time had come to take down the hastily-prepared and seldom-enjoyed Christmas decorations, but I didn’t want to. This year, the Christmas season didn’t seem very holiday-ish. Everything went by in a blur. So, early that morning, I found myself thinking that I don’t really want to end Christmas just yet. “We need to do something to mark the season here at work,” I said to myself. Something aside from slapping up some last-minute decor and then squishing it all away into a box, forgotten until next year.
I didn’t know what to do, so I put on some light Christmas jazz and started the day, Christmas lights twinkling in the window and the world madly rushing by once more according the expected rhythm of life.
The sun rose and the morning commute traffic slowed down. The Christmas lights turned off. I turned down the music. Anna arrived for work. We turned our attention to making a gazillion twists of thread while planning the next few months.
The clock ticked towards noon.
And then it happened! A First in the history of Needle ‘n Thread! And when I think about it, the perfect end to the holiday season!
What happened, you ask?
Why, the Floss Truck arrived!
January 9, 2023
I’m back in the studio! Happy 2023! It’s lovely to be here!
Golly, life has been crazy for the past 2.5 months. It started with the big Needle ‘n Thread Studio Move, which aligned with the launch of the last Stitch Snippet of 2022. Lesson learned: never upheave when you’re launching a project! (Not that we had a choice, but…)
Just as we began shifting the studio, I found out, on the home front, that I’d have a full house move at the beginning of January. But we settled into work in our new space, and all was well as the holidays approached.
Then we all took turns with sickness of various sorts, and that was fun!
Then we got back to work just in time for Christmas, right after which, I started packing and sorting at home.
And last week, with the help of my trusty sidekick Anna and two nephews who were furloughed from work for a week, we managed a whole house move. We finished by 7:30 pm on Friday. Dad and I are settled for at least the next 2.5 months in the same duplex where I operated Needle ‘n Thread for about four or five years. It’s comfortable and cozy. Change, they say, is as good as a vacation, and there is something very adventurous and relaxing about our new situation. I even actually kicked back and started reading a real printed book this weekend!
But man, oh man! Was it ever GREAT to walk into work this morning! I’m so excited to get this year underway! I feel weirdly buoyant this morning – the Looming Clouds of Massive Jobs to Tackle has dissipated, the sun is shining here in Kansas, I’m finally back in touch with all of you, and Life is Good!
So let’s celebrate! Let’s talk about Thread!
January 2, 2023
Once upon a time, a gazillion years ago, just as the 1980’s breathed their last and I was starting the Great Adventure of Life in my first year of college, I had a memorable conversation with a friend.
We spoke about about books. She was a sci-fi fan. I was not.
One of the reasons I gave her was that my mind simply could not grasp with ease those far-flung futuristic dates like… “2023.” That was the exact example I gave her.
December 21, 2022
Well, well. Wednesday has finally arrived without too much mishap! I hope you’re hanging in there, too!
It’s a little early yet for Christmas wishes, but Anna and I are both going to take some time off until next Wednesday, December 28th so that we can do Family Things.
At first, we were planning to work through Friday afternoon, but we’re expecting a fairly unusual large winter storm and some wickedly cold temperatures starting this evening. I took the executive decision that we’re better off staying at home, where we can get other things done!
