Gertrude is Back, Better than Ever!

 

Amazon Books

Many moons ago, while I was beefing up my tambour embroidery skills, I stitched this bird as a practice piece with the tambour hook.

You can find the bird design here.

I officially called the bird Little Bird of Paradise – but in my head, she has always reminded me of Gertrude McFuzz – the silly, vain bird concocted by Dr. Seuss – so that’s what I affectionately call her.

In Anna’s version of the Jacobean design that we are stitching congruently, Gertrude is the star of the show, replacing the main element on my version. So, perched on top of the typical Jacobean nonsensical and stylized tree, you will find the Little Bird of Paradise mentioned above.

I don’t know exactly why Anna’s embroidery is progressing so much faster than mine. Either she’s spending more time at it (somewhat likely?) or I’m just a slow stitcher (likelier!). She has a certain stick-to-itiveness for any given task, whereas I’m more of a Distraction Magnet. Give me any opportunity to be distracted, and I’m off!

Both of us have had our frustrating moments, picking out parts and re-stitching them.

Jacobean Design with Bird for Hand Embroidery
Continue reading “Gertrude is Back, Better than Ever!”

Rippit, Rippit… I’m Back from a Hopping Weekend!

 

Well, howdy there!

I took a long weekend off from writing so that I could accomplish a few goals in the studio, have a little R & R break before the summer push, and get in some organizing on my publishing calendar. I needed to do some Thinking Work.

Did I accomplish everything I planned to accomplish? … uh. No. But I made some headway. I think the Rest & Relaxation got in the way. And that made it a great weekend!

I hope you had a great weekend, too!

I managed a bit of progress on my Jacobean design. See:

Jacobean silk embroidery design
Continue reading “Rippit, Rippit… I’m Back from a Hopping Weekend!”

Jacobean Thing 1 and Thing 2: Stitching Progress

 

It’s time for a little embroidery project progress report!

Usually, on Friday afternoons and Tuesday mornings, Anna and I get a chance to work on our Jacobean-ish embroidery projects. By the time Wednesday rolls around, we finally have something to share. You’d think that we’d make faster progress, but lately, we’ve both been taking out as many stitches as we put in!

Right now, for lack of anything better, we’ve turned Dr. Seuss-ish, and we are calling the projects Thing 1 and Thing 2.

If you’re just joining in on our coverage, you can read more of the back story in the progress report from last week, which you’ll find here.

Today, I’ll show you progress on both Jacobean projects, and I’ll share some insights, thoughts, foibles, and whatnot that we’ve had along the way.

Jacobean embroidery design - project progress
Continue reading “Jacobean Thing 1 and Thing 2: Stitching Progress”

Nurge Floor Stand for Embroidery Hoops: A Review

 

It’s been a while since I’ve done any kind of in-depth needlework product review. This particular tool has been on my radar for a while.

When a friend inquired about it recently, wondering if I had tried it and what I thought, I figured I’d take the plunge and purchase it. That way, you can know if it’s something you’re interested, and you can be aware of pros and cons before you purchase it.

The tool in question is the hoop floor stand by Nurge, a company that I think is located in Turkey, that’s recently made some inroads in the wider needlework market, especially in Australia and a little bit in the UK. Nurge products aren’t widely available in the US, but they are showing up here and there, now and then.

I’ve tried their hoops – I bought a set of them many months ago and I’m not quite sold on them compared to those I already use – but today, we’re going to take a look at their floor stand, which can hold most types of embroidery hoops.

The review goes into great detail, so if you have questions, read through the review thoroughly first and then feel free to ask anything you want to know in the comment section.

Nurge floor stand for embroidery hoops - review
Continue reading “Nurge Floor Stand for Embroidery Hoops: A Review”

Tulips & Tweets – Embroidered Folk Designs

 

Earlier this week, I shared a few projects that occupied my embroidery hoop over recent weekends, especially a cheery variety of folk-inspired designs that I had prepared for some (now-cancelled) local classes this summer.

I begged you for input on names, and golly! Did you all come through! So Many Good Name Choices! Thank you!

Debbie offered “Tulips and Tweets” – and I have to admit, the name immediately twitterpated me because it is light, crisp, short, sweet, and fun, all rolled into one easy to remember, and easy to say, title. I like it. Thanks, Debbie! And everyone, for all your good suggestions!

Tulips & Tweets Folk-Inspired Embroidery Designs
Continue reading “Tulips & Tweets – Embroidered Folk Designs”

Jacobean Progress: Embroidery, Beads, and Mistakes

 

Gosh, I have rotten eyesight. Often, when I’m embroidering, I don’t see a mistake right away. Often, I don’t see it until I start editing photos.

Even when I use my CraftOptics – which come in very handy if you’re eyes are not so great and you really want to see detail – I don’t catch certain mistakes. I think working with Soie Perlee is especially difficult for me, when I’m filling with it. The way the light plays on the silk makes it difficult to distinguish the stitches.

Still, what a thread to work with! I love it! (You can see how Soie Perlee lines up to other silk threads in this article, if you’re curious about the thread.)

I’ve made the tiniest bit of progress on my Jacobean design and Anna has made some progress on her version, too. If you’re just now joining me on this project, you can find the previous article on my progress here, and the backstory on Anna’s version here. Anna is my niece who works with me right now. She’s 26, and while she’s had a bit of experience in general embroidery, she’s never done this type of project. It is making her bead-obsessed.

Today, I’ll show you where we are, talk about what stitches we’ve used and why, point out my mistake and muse about how I’m going to fix it.

Jacobean Embroidery Project Progress and a Mistake
Continue reading “Jacobean Progress: Embroidery, Beads, and Mistakes”

In the Embroidery Hoop this Weekend

 

Happy Monday!

There were several things in my embroidery hoops this weekend. It was a fairly productive stitching weekend!

Every summer, I prepare a couple three week embroidery workshops for youth that start at the end of July and go well into August. This year, being a perpetual optimist, I plowed through preparations for this year’s sessions, thinking that things might change enough to reasonably plan for the classes. We take about 6 children or youth per 2 hour session, with two sessions a day, with the age groups meeting on a rotating schedule for a period of three weeks at a time.

They’re fun classes. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to give kids a skill that they can further develop, that will give them a hobby and creative outlet to turn to, and that, hopefully, will last them a life time.

Obviously, this year’s workshops aren’t going to happen. Even if Kansas is open enough to allow it by then, I don’t have space for social distancing – which would be the most unnatural thing in any craft workshop situation with young kids, anyway.

Weekend embroidery: Folk designs and linen tea cloth
Continue reading “In the Embroidery Hoop this Weekend”