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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How to Embroider a Beaded Pumpkin

 

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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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Beads, Embroidery Kits, and Weighing Things

 

“Weighing Things.”

It sounds as if I’m going to write about profound, thoughty subjects.

I’be been weighing things in my mind.

And I have been weighing things.

I’ve been weighing tiny things! Beads, as a matter of fact.

Have you ever thought about the embroidery kits that we use and enjoy, and what it takes to put them together? I think about it every time I encounter a new kit. The packaging, the arrangement of supplies, the amount of thread, the extra touches. The box or bag. The labeling. I notice it all, and I think about it.

Let’s talk about beads in embroidery kits, for example…

Beads in Embroidery Kits - weighing and packaging
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Thread Love: Au Ver a Soie Metallics

 

We’ve chatted about Au Ver a Soie metallic threads before here on Needle ‘n Thread, but I can’t help it! I have to revisit the subject and share them with you again. Why? Because I’ve been working on something sparkly!

When it comes to hand embroidering with metallic threads, it’s true that there’s often a bit of dread involved. That’s usually because we’ve had bad experiences with metallic threads.

Normally, if stitchers across a wide range of disciplines have consistent frustrations with a particular type or brand of thread, I generally figure the problem is not the stitcher – it’s the thread!

Because so many embroiderers have problems with many available metallics on the needlework market today, metallics in general get a bad rap. And that’s unfortunate, because there are metallic threads out there that are better than others, that are easier to stitch with, and that yield lovely results.

Au Ver a Soie’s metallic threads fall into this category. They are by far my favorite metallics to use when I want to add some sparkle to my embroidery projects.

Au Ver a Soie metallic threads for embroidery
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Catching Up! 17th Century Beadwork, Samplers, and Other News

 

Good morning, my friends! If you love historical needlework, today’s news bit is for you!

I’m also going to share a picture of the wedding dress that I mentioned the other day, for those who asked. And there were many of you who asked!

The last many months, things have been a bit discombobulated in my life, but I think (I hope) that life will settle down into a controllable routine for a while now. There’s much to catch up on behind the scenes, and I’m working again on a normal publishing schedule for the blog. As the days unfold, you should notice a little more regularity here, if all goes as planned. Thanks for sticking by me!

Ok, to move forward, this is time sensitive information. October 2nd and 3rd, an auction of a fabulous collection of historical needlework is available online, and I want you to know about it. You might not be able to participate, but you can certainly take a peek at the items being auctioned and perhaps glean a bit of inspiration for your own pursuits.

17th century bead embroidery auction
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Hand Beading a Wedding Gown

 

This time of year, there’s always loads of stuff going on in my studio. Besides autumn embroidery (I can’t resist stitching something in anticipation of autumn each year), I’m already looking ahead to Christmas while trying to tie up loose ends from earlier in the year.

I have a lot of loose ends this year – those projects that I should have written instructions for by now, those kits that I should have ordered supplies for by now, those tutorials I should have videoed by now. This year, I’m a bit more behind than usual.

But that’s ok! Everything happens for the best, and everything that’s supposed to happen, will happen in good time.

To avoid stress in my Needle ‘n Thread world, I try to stick to the principle of not letting what I can’t do keep me from doing what I can. Or, in another sense: I do what I can do, and I don’t worry about what I can’t do.

But there are some “little” projects that come up unexpectedly, that I don’t mind doing – in fact, that I want to do, that I’m excited to do, and that I’ll put aside other things in order to do. And this is one of them!

Hand beading a wedding gown with pearl beads
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Autumn Variety – Ready to Stitch Set Available Now!

 

Here in Kansas, Autumn is spreading over the landscape pretty quickly. The trees are changing color, chilly nights are the norm, and Fallishness is showing up everywhere!

To celebrate my favorite season, I’ve put together another collection of ready-to-stitch autumn towels featuring maple leaves, oak leaves and acorns, and, of course, a pumpkin. The new set, called Autumn Variety, is available now in my shop.

It’s a fun set! The designs are a little less complicated than the Festive Fall design (which is also in stock right now) and they work up pretty quickly. You’ll have them adorning your autumn kitchen before you know it!

These sets are definitely embroidery for relaxation, and now that the darkness falls from the wings of night a little bit earlier each day, it’s a perfect time to cozy up to this type of stitching.

Let’s take a closer look at the set, and I’ll tell you a bit about my color choices and stitches.

Autumn Variety ready to stitch towel set
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A Practical Guide to Needle Lace

 

I have long loved needle lace in most of its forms.

I’ve not explored it in serious depth, but I have dabbled with it, read about it, and in general, I’m always attracted by needle lace, both ancient and modern. There are certain types of needle lace that appeal to me more than others, and there are various practical uses of needle lace techniques in embroidery (or in finishing) that I think are worth knowing for any embroiderer.

Lately, I’ve been considering some further explorations of needle lace, and to that end, I’ve been pulling together my own resources and discovering a few new ones.

Today, I’d like to show you a needle lace book that I came across lately, that I like and that I think has some excellent merits when it comes to instructional content.

A Practical Guide to Needle Lace by Jacqueline Peter
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