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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Adding a Touch of Silver

 

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At first I was… and then I wasn’t… and then I was… and then I wasn’t going to add a touch of silver to the outlines of the letters on this embroidery project.

For those just joining in, I’m embroidering some text on a strip of linen called a “maniturgium,” which I explain in this article.

When we last looked at the project, I was testing out a different affect on the lettering, and I think that worked out ok. I’m going to keep that approach.

From the beginning, I have toyed with the idea of adding a touch of silver around the lettering, just as a tiny (tiny-tiny) outline. Just a hint, you know! But again, I was plagued with indecision. Should I? Shouldn’t I? The only way to know for sure was to try it out!

Adding silver around embroidered lettering
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B is for Birds!

 

Continuing with my A-B-C Revitalization Series here on Needle ‘n Thread, today, we’re on the letter B.

In this case, B is for Birds!

It wasn’t until I started exploring b-words that I realized just how many birds I’ve featured in embroidery over the years.

Let’s take a look…

Jacobean Bird embroidery project
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We Do Shakespeare, plus Elizabethan Embroidery Explorations

 

Today, I’m going totally off topic and giving you a glimpse into a different part of “Studio Life” (the flexible part) that isn’t really studio at all. At the end of the article, you’ll find some Elizabethan needlework resources for your weekend browsing.

There are two weeks every autumn that sees us out of the studio for three (and sometimes four) day weekends.

During the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October, you see, we do Shakespeare. And when we do Shakespeare, there’s just no time for needle or thread.

I’ll tell you about it!

The Flint Hills Shakespeare Festival
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Stumpwork Embroidery & Thread Painting – Book Review

 

Good morning and welcome to a Jolly Wednesday! It’s a little rainy, a little gloomy, but the perfect studio weather. I plan to get a lot of stitching done today.

But before hunkering down to that, I want to share with you a serendipitous find – a new-to-me book published back in January of 2024, called Stumpwork Embroidery and Thread Painting by Megan Zaniewski.

From instructions to projects, this book is a keeper! I’ll tell you how I discovered it (as late to the party as I am) and show you what it’s all about.

Stumpwork Embroidery and Thread Painting by Megan Zaniewski
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A is for Ampersand

 

Recently, I was working up a list of social media posts for my Needle ‘n Thread Facebook page.

I was putting together a “revitalization” series on Facebook for older content, when it struck me that it might be a good idea to do that here on the website, too. There are about 20 years of content here, and I figure newcomers and old friends alike might appreciate a reminder about some of the tutorials, tools, designs, projects and more that they kind find tucked away in the archives.

Every series needs a theme. I decided my revitalization theme would be the alphabet, in the old “A is for Apple” format. With each letter of the alphabet, I’ll find some corresponding tidbit of content to revitalize for you. I won’t do one every day. This will just be a running series that I’ll include here and there.

And while I’m doing something similar on Facebook, the content here will be slightly different and explored a little more deeply.

Ready?

Let’s kick off the series with A is for… Ampersand! Here are a couple examples of embroidered ampersands that are accompanied by tutorials that you might find helpful in your stitching and creative journey.

A is for Ampersand Embroidery
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Treasure Hunting, Silk, Embroidery, and The Back Burner

 

I’m afraid the title of this article might be promising you too much.

This is really just an article about a piece of fabric, a book, and an idea – and not necessarily in that order.

It’s an idea that’s percolated on The Back Burner for a long time. I’ve never done anything with it, though I have collected little bits and bobs related to it – a piece of fabric, some fonts and glyphs, some ideas here and there, hither and yon.

I must say hither and yon, because aye, matey, I’m talking about a map.

I’ll warn you in advance that this might take you down a Rabbit Hole if you’re an explorer.

Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island - and Embroidered Maps
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