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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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    Over 75 Embroidery Stitch Videos to Help You Learn

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Hand Embroidery Tutorials

November 22, 2021

The Final Dragonfly: Simple Background, New Colors

 

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It’s hard to believe it is the week of Thanksgiving here in the States! It always ends up being a hectic week on the family front and here in the Studio for some strange reason. The only way the whole lively pre-holiday vibe could increase at this point would be if we got snow. Wouldn’t that be something?

But we’re going to put snow and holiday thoughts aside a little longer, and finish up the second dragonfly that we started last week. This is the final tutorial in the How to Embroider (Blank) series for 2021. But never fear! There’s more coming! Next year, we’ll have a similar series, with a better name and some really fun projects.

Let’s dive into the final dragonfly episode, shall we?

Embroidered Dragonflies: Stitching Tips
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November 19, 2021

Embroidered Dragonfly #2: Design & Materials

 

Good morning and Happy Friday! Yay! It’s the workend!

I have lots of dabbling to finish up this weekend so that we can explore some other stitching ideas in the near future. So I’m not thinking in terms of weekend these days. Fortunately, I love my work!

But in the meantime, I thought it might be a good idea to continue with the final part of our Embroidered Dragonflies series, by presenting the design and materials list for the second dragonfly.

Embroidered Dragonfly #2 - the dragonfly in a setting
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November 17, 2021

The Organization of Stuff: Thread, Beads, Needles, & Tools

 

It’s been a while since we’ve talked about organization of specific needlework-related stuff, and recently, I’ve had lots of questions come in about the topic.

There’s always the thread question: How do you store your threads?

And recently, with the article this past Monday, lots of inquiries on the bead storage containers in the photos.

But I’ve also had a couple questions about storing needles and about scissor storage and organization.

As it happens, I’ve written about all these subjects before. But for those who are new to Needle ‘n Thread, or those who’ve been around for a while and would like a reminder, I thought today I’d answer some of these questions on The Organization of Stuff.

Needlework Organization: Boxes & Tins
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November 15, 2021

The Weekend Dabble: Experimenting with Threads, Beads, Fabric

 

Say you have a project in your head, and you know exactly what you want it to look like, and you know exactly what kind of threads and embellishments you want to incorporate on it, but you’re not exactly sure if it will all work the way you want it to.

Thread weight, bead size, embellishment size, stitch choice, colors, densities – all these things have to be taken into account when you’re planning a project, especially if you’re planning it to fit within certain parameters.

Exploring thread weights and bead sizes for a small project
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Hand Embroidery Tutorials

November 10, 2021

Embroidering Dragonflies pt 4: Tail & Eyes

 

Good morning and welcome to the last installment of Dragonfly #1 in this series of tutorials on how to embroider a dragonfly!

If you’re just joining us, you will find all the articles relating to this tutorial – plus several other tutorials, including how to embroider wheat, strawberries, daisies, and grapes – in this project index. Lots and tips and techniques in there, so why not have a browse?

We’ve already embroidered the thorax and the wings on our dragonfly. Today, we’re going to embroider everything else: tail, eyes, and little bits to enliven the bug.

As usual, Needle ‘n Thread members on Patreon will receive the latest tutorials of the series in a handy-dandy PDF format for easy printing. I’m rolling the last tutorials into one download, and it will be available soon.

Embroidered dragonfly - tail, eyes, and bits
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Hand Embroidery Patterns

November 8, 2021

Maple Leaf – Free Hand Embroidery Design

 

Sometimes, you need to embroider just a touch of the season. Instead of a full-fledged, all-out, massive seasonal embroidery project, a simple nod to the season may do.

And what better nod to fall than the maple leaf? It’s the quintessential emblem of autumn color.

Granted, it’s not the only fall foliage that enflames the landscape (I’m rather partial to the sumac that lines the backroads of Kansas like a blazing fire this time of year), but the maple leaf is certainly the grand contender when it comes to flashy autumn color changes.

So, for your stitching pleasure, here’s a single maple leaf design for hand embroidery – simple, quick, and seasonal.

Maple leaf embroidery design
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