About

Mary Corbet

writer and founder

 

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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Art Needlework: A Complete Manual of Embroidery in Silks & Crewels

 

Amazon Books

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Things are starting to level off here, and next week, I should be back to the normal Mon-Wed-Fri publishing schedule, if all goes as planned. Yay! More on that below…

Today, I wanted to share an online treasure with you, thanks to a friend who sent the link. There are So Many old needlework books online, that it’s hard to recall which ones you’ve encountered. I try to keep a list of favorites, and I always download them as PDFs, if there’s an option. There is an option on this one, so do download the PDF if you can. Then you can browse through the book at your leisure.

Art Needlework: A Complete Manual of Embroidery in Silks & Crewels
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Hoop Tips: Get the Most out of your Embroidery Hoop!

 

Tool #1 in embroidery, in my mind, is the needle. Without a needle, embroidery would be rather difficult, wouldn’t it?

Next up, Tool #2, is a good hoop or frame.

I know, I know! Scissor lovers out there might argue with me! A nice sharp pair of scissors is certainly necessary, but we can actually get away with a pair of kids’ scissors or household craft scissors if we had to.

But a good hoop or a good frame, used correctly, can make a huge difference in the finished results of a project.

Today, I’d like to pay tribute the The Embroidery Hoop by recapping some previous helpful articles on the subject, with tips so that you can make the most of your embroidery hoop.

If you’re knew to Needle ‘n Thread, you may not have seen these articles from the archives; if you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, a good refresher is always helpful!

Embroidery Hoop Tips
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Whoops! Time Correction & Expanded Enrollment for Tomorrow

 

Gosh, twice in one day! This happens when I make Big Mistakes.

So sorry to post again today and interrupt your inbox, but it came to my attention very quickly this morning that I messed up the time zones in my earlier announcement about tomorrow’s chat with the folks at SFSNAD.

Also, the spots filled very quickly and many of you were not able to register. So I reached out to see what we could do about that. Here are the details!

Time Zone clarification for chat with SFSNAD
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The Finished Grapes

 

Today, I thought we could take a very general look at the finished bunch of grapes from the “How to Embroider Grapes” series that was moving along just swimmingly until cataract surgery and recovery upset the schedule.

Fortunately, the grapes were finished before the surgeries took place. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to edit all the photos. Grrrr. Hindsight is 20/20, they say – I should have taken the time to do a lot more preparation than I did. So sorry!

But, for those following the grapes and working on your own version, today’s article will show you how we finished the project, if you want to work your way through to the end. I don’t think too much details is required for the finish, as it is pretty simple!

How to Embroider Grapes - the Bunch
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A New Appreciation & an Old Motto

 

Hello, my friends, hello! It has been almost a week and a half since we’ve had a visit. It has been Way Too Long – I have missed you!

Today, I’m really just checking in with you, to let you know I’m still functioning. I’ll share a little something that I’ve been sort of working on. And for those who are interested, I’ll fill you in on the details about how things are going with the Eyes. I’ve had many requests for more details, coming especially from those of you who are facing the option of cataract surgery. So I’ll touch on my experiences so far.

I’ve been debating about going into detail, as it’s not really On Topic – except for the fact that, without eyes, not too many of us would be enjoying handwork, would we? Talk about essential tools!

Glad Tidings Angel embroidery
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Linen Samples, Beads, Thread Tags, & Steam

 

Well, well, well! Happy Friday!

I was going to share a book review with you today, but I decided it would be hardly fair to the author, since photo editing isn’t happening at the moment.

Only five more days until Eye #2! Eye #1 is doing great – I can’t even imagine how wonderful it will be with both eyes equalized.

Even though detail work is put aside for the moment, other things are getting done…

Linen Fabric Samples
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