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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A Sea to Stitch – and It’s Gorgeous!

 

Amazon Books

My heart is full of delight when I look at this book. It speaks to me on So Many Levels!

A Sea to Stitch (or Ricamare il Mare in Italian) by Elisabetta Sforza is her newest publication highlighting a beautiful sea-themed alphabet and decorative elements to embroider. The designs are exquisitely imagined and stitched!

If you have any penchant for the sea, if it calls to you as it has for so many people through the ages, then you will find something very enticing about this collection! For me, the designs in the book elicit a kind of tranquil wonder – that awestruck feeling that sweeps over a person when beholding the sea after long separation, or when looking upon something new and beautiful for the first time.

Today, I’ll show you the book in-depth, so that you know what you can expect inside its pages. I’ll also share some photos of some finishing ideas from Elisabetta’s collection. Finally, if the book is up your alley as much as it is up mine, you’ll find it available to purchase in my shop.

A Sea to Stitch by Elisabetta Sforza
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Get it Straight! Cutting Linen Along the Thread

 

Just a quick note before launching into today’s topic: I’ve restocked the Autumn Variety, Festive Fall, and Holly & Evergreen ready-to-stitch towel sets. You can find them all available here right now!

Earlier in the annuls of Needle ‘n Thread somewhere (here, to be exact), we had a chat about cutting fabric along the grain, and what that means.

Today, I’m going to very quickly show you why it’s important to cut embroidery fabric (in this case, linen) along the thread of the fabric, which is precisely along the “grain” – not just sort of guessing in the general direction of the grain.

I’ve been preparing some kits lately – that’s what was going on when we discussed weighing beads in this article.

Well, if you thought weighing beads seems tedious, precisely cutting precisely measured linen is even more so. When I prepare embroidery kits, I always cut the linen along the thread of the fabric, so that I know that you are getting the full amount of fabric, that it is square on the grain, and that there’s no senseless waste.

Let’s look at why it’s important to cut linen along the thread of the fabric.

Cutting Embroidery Linen along the Thread
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“Iron” is a Four-Letter Word

 

In my world, the verb iron is a four-letter word.

You know what type of four-letter word I’m talking about – like darn or drat. Or even crud.

That type of four-letter word.

I’m not a huge fan of ironing.

However, embroidered household linens usually need to be ironed if you really want them to look nice.

And while I only iron my clothes when I absolutely must, I iron embroidered household linens – such as table cloths & runners, hand towels, flour sack towels, pillow cases, and so forth – whenever they need it. The satisfaction of seeing the pieces beautifully ironed outweighs my disinclination for ironing in general.

I also iron fabric for sewing or for finish work whenever I need to, and that kind of ironing is satisfying, too.

Since the question about ironing embroidered flour sack towels has come up a few times, I thought I’d show you my ironing set-up and tell you how I iron such things.

Ironing Hand Embroidered household linens, felt mat
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Stocking Embroidery Books: a Beautiful One Coming Soon!

 

When I first stocked Alison Cole’s Goldwork Masterclass (which you can read about here – and which is in stock again here), I received a few inquiries about why I would stock other people’s embroidery books on Needle ‘n Thread.

Since bringing in Alison’s books, I’ve also had inquiries about other books becoming available on Needle ‘n Thread.

And so, today, I thought I would address the rather sticky question of stocking embroidery books. It’s sticky for a number of reasons.

And yes, I have another beautiful book coming from abroad! So I’ll tell you just a wee bit about it, before I officially show it to you in all its detailed glory once it’s in stock.

A Sea to Stitch by Elisabetta Sforza
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Whitening Yellowed Linens: An Adventure of Sorts

 

It may seem like a mundane and not-so-exciting project, but I’ve been tackling the problem of whitening a piece of yellowed embroidered linen these days. In addition to whitening the linen, I need to replace the lace and do some minor repair work.

But first things first: the linen is Sooo Very Yellow with (not very old) age and use, and there is a significant stain on it.

The piece I’m working with is an embroidered linen pall that I made years ago, which I wrote about here and here. It is, in fact, only 11 years.

Whitening yellowed embroidered linen and removing stain
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Hexies in the Almost-Ozarks

 

Last week, my sister and I took my dad down to Warsaw, Missouri, where my dad’s sister lives and where his parents (our grandparents) used to live after my grandfather retired from working in Kansas City. I was suppose to write to you from there on Friday with this article, but alas, the WiFi was too sluggish.

I took my hexies with me, of course! I knew they’d enjoy a little rest, relaxation, and attention, too, after all. I also knew about a quilt shop there that carries the fabric line I’m using. And, well… you know how it is…

Hexies on the Road in the Ozarks
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How to Embroider a Beaded Pumpkin

 

I love little embroidery tutorials. And I love autumn. And I love pumpkins.

But if you’ve been following along on Needle ‘n Thread for a while, you probably already know all this. There are quite a few fall-themed embroidery tutorials, patterns, and projects floating around here!

The other day when I was sorting beads, I decided to play with some orange beads. The next thing I knew, I was working up this little pumpkin. So I’m sharing it with you, so that you can stitch it, too.

Maybe you’re a crazy quilter and you’d like to add a touch of fall to a square? Maybe you’d like to make up a little autumn card and add a bit of embroidery to it? Or maybe you just want to embroider a little beaded pumpkin, just for the fun of it!

Whatever the case, if you’re a pumpkin enthusiast, if you like embroidery, if a little beaded bling is up your alley – I’m sure you’ll find a use for it!

How to Embroider a Beaded Pumpkin
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