I’m determined that this monogram from A Sea to Stitch by Elisabetta Sforza (you can read my review of that project book here) will be finished before January comes to an end! (Update, May 2021: yes, well, that didn’t happen!)

But then again, there are two more projects underway that I keep saying the same thing about. Oh dear.

Here’s a project update. I’ll tell you a few things I’m doing differently and share some whys and wherefores. Come, let’s take a look…

Good morning and happy Monday!

Normally, I gather up a more extensive list of needlework resources when I share news snips, but these four artistic, inspirational, useful, or informative topics are worth taking a little time over. I wanted to share them with you on a Monday morning to give you the opportunity to enjoy them during the week as you have time.

Sometimes, for me, Monday morning is my quietest time. It’s when I do my weekly planning, but it’s also about the only time during the week that I spend time reviewing online needlework finds. Maybe you’re in the same boat.

Go grab a cup of something warm and cozy, and let’s have a little browse together!

Golly! If a week’s worth of stitching on this yearly sampler idea that we talked about here is any indication of how my year is going to go, mildly chaotic would be a good prediction!

I need to pull in the reins.

Or not!

This week, my listening time was a little longer than it will be in future weeks of 2021, because I’m finishing up a series of lectures that I promised I would not fall behind on… that I fell behind on. So I’ve added those to my listening regime at lunch time, so I’m getting in a few more stitches on this project than originally planned.

Today, I thought we could talk briefly about random embroidery, just how random is random, whether or not random works for me (and how to know if it works for you), and I’ll try to mention a few helpful bits of information, too, for those interested in stitching this type of project.

Good morning, and welcome to the first embroidery book review of 2021!

I have an ever-growing stack of needlework books on my book table at the moment – some fabulous bookish treasures have appeared in the past year! – but I really wanted to highlight Sharon Boggon’s Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery right away for several reasons, not least of which is that Sharon’s was the first embroidery website that I ever found and followed (way back when it was called “In a Minute Ago”), before craft blogging was big. She’s been online for a long time, and of all the contemporary embroiderers out there, she is one of the most thorough and creative when it comes to manipulating the stitch.

Sharon heads an initiative every year called TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday) in which she presents a stitch every Tuesday, highlighting variations, and encourages the participants to explore the stitch thoroughly, experimenting with combinations, variations, threads, colors, embellishments – all the aspects that can bring a different look and life to the stitch.

Predominantly, Sharon is a crazy quilter. But her embroidery goes beyond crazy quilting. She creates fascinating embroidered works of texture, color, and combinations, all hinging on getting the most out of each type of stitch she uses.

Creative Stitches in a Contemporary Embroidery is the natural outcome of Sharon’s explorations in stitch. It’s a book for embroiderers who love embroidery stitches of all kinds, from simple to elaborate, and who find fascination in the creative ways they can be employed.

Happy New Year to each and every one of you! I hope that the recent holidays brought you an opportunity to rest, relax, regroup, regenerate, and perhaps stitch a bit!

And I hope that 2021 proves to be an exceptionally stellar year for everyone. As with any year, on a personal level, it will be what we make of it, I suppose. Don’t let what you can’t do keep you from doing what you can! Here on Needle ‘n Thread, I hope to make 2021 a Great year!

I have Plans, you see… so let’s start out by chatting about a couple projects and unfolding some January Plans!

C’mon! Let’s go!

Happy Monday! And welcome to the Last Installment of this year’s Stitcher’s Christmas series!

It’s been a fun series of give-aways this year, with some wonderful prizes, and I hope that you’ve enjoyed it – and that you will keep the businesses who contributed to the series in mind when you are looking for needlework goodies!

Today’s final installment features three grand collections of needlework books, courtesy of Search Press North America! This means that three of you will receive one of the collections, based on the order in which names are randomly drawn. Each collection includes a themed group of books to add to your needlework library.

At the end of today’s give-away, I’ll announce the winner of Friday’s episode and share any pertinent news, so … read on!