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 24, 2022
Good morning, and welcome to the first installment of the Very Official Stitch Snippets series on Needle ‘n Thread.
Last Friday, I introduced you to our first project, the Bee-Jeweled Pincushion. Today, I’m going to share the design layout for the pincushion with you, along with a few pointers and comments and whatnot.
Let’s get started!
January 21, 2022
Today – woohoo! – I’m introducing the first of the 2022 Stitch Snippets, a series wherein we explore together some embroidery projects from start to finish.
The projects in the Stitch Snippets series will be of varying degrees of smallness. Some will be finished items. Some will be decorative springboards for your own ideas.
To kick the series off with a big ole bang, we’re starting with a project that I’ve named Bee-Jeweled Pincushion – a hexagon shaped embroidered pincushion embellished with beads and a little bee charm.
I’m so excited about this project! It’s a lot of fun to work, without taking too long to get to a very satisfactory and usable finish.
Let’s chat about what you can expect from the series, including when (date & time) the kits for this project will be available and what they entail.
January 19, 2022
When it comes to embroidery stitches, there’s not a whole lot that’s new under the sun. Pretty much all embroidery stitches build off what’s come before. Embroidery has been around for a long, long time, after all, so there’s a lot that has come before.
Still, occasionally, I like to explore ideas for embroidery stitches that don’t necessarily exist in the wide, well-known deposit of embroidery stitch collections.
For example, I was contemplating edging stitches for finished items. It started with this pin cushion, which I edged in one of my favorite stitches – one that I’ve used numerous times to edge finished items.
I got to thinking that maybe I’d play around with some ideas for other methods of edging. And while there are loads of stitches out there that can be used for edging an item, I started putting together in my mind possibilities for variations and approaches that I’ve not tried.
January 17, 2022
When I was working to bring this pincushion project about (which we’re going to launch in about one week!), I started looking for decorative sewing pins.
You see, once in a while, I realize I need to put at least some effort into visual marketing. I don’t do this too often, admittedly. I wish I could. I wish I had The Flair. The Knack. The “perfect touch” sort of gift, to be able to bring about Instagram- and Pinterest-worthy photos that, by virtue of their meticulously styled visual perfection, they can entice people in, hooking them on a website or into … yes… (because for most of them, it’s all about marketing) … a sale.
But I don’t really operate that way. It’s never the foremost thing in my mind. Should it be? I don’t know. Some people say yes. Some people say no. But I really don’t know! These are things I think about.
Still, when this pincushion project began to materialize, I decided to go on a search for decorative pins, because I have long wanted decorative pins for pin-related photos.
January 15, 2022
Oh, my friends. I hang my head in shame. After posting this update on my hexie project earlier this week, I’ve had a lot of questions about last year’s 2021 yearly sampler, which started here.
And so, today, I’ll update you on that. Shamefacedly. (But not really! It is, after all, ever thus!)
It was all a matter of priorities, you see…
January 12, 2022
Last year, when contemplating the Stitch Snippets series for 2022, I wasn’t really sure what direction to go in with the series.
I had a notion of what I wanted to present, but it wasn’t until a little later in the year – around September, as we finished up this dragonfly project – that my ideas began to solidify.
Today, I thought I’d give you a little sneak peek of the first Stitch Snippet for this year, tell you some of its story, and let you know what you can expect with this particular project which will shortly begin to develop here on Needle ‘n Thread.
January 10, 2022
This winter, I decided that my evening needlework project (as well as my grab-and-go, no matter where I go project) Must Be my hexie quilt that I’ve been working on for … oh… almost two years now. Otherwise, the thing will never be finished.
So, in the winter evenings, when it’s dark and cold out and it’s time to hunker down for the day and warm up a bit before heading to bed, I’ve been engrossed with those little tiny hexagons. Even though it’s not embroidery, it is needlework – I’m making a full-size hand-pieced quilt using English paper piecing – so I don’t mind sharing progress occasionally here on Needle ‘n Thread.
For those who are new to Needle ‘n Thread, I’ll share a little bit of the backstory and refer you to previous articles. Today, I’ll show you progress, discuss a few pitfalls, and mention three things that have improved my hand-piecing experience tremendously. I’ll also mention a couple tips on thimbles.
