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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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    Over 75 Embroidery Stitch Videos to Help You Learn

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November 20, 2024

Open House, Windows and a Door – Plus More!

 

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I mentioned a couple weeks back that we’re having our first-ever, in-person Christmas Open House at Needle ‘n Thread this year. We’re pretty excited about it! Anna and I have been working and planning for this for many weeks!

The Open House will take place over two weekends: Friday and Saturday, November 29 & 30, and Friday and Saturday, December 6 & 7. All four days, we’ll be open for visitors from 1:00 – 6:00 PM.

We’re located in a small town in Northeast Kansas – St. Marys – about halfway between Topeka and Manhattan, KS, along state highway 24. In fact, we’re located right on Highway 24 at 501 Bertrand Ave. If you can make it through either weekend, we’d love to meet you!

Open House at Needle 'n Thread - Banner
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November 18, 2024

The Christmas Mitten 1: Materials, Patterns, Set-Up

 

Welcome to the first installment of The Christmas Mitten stitch-along!

Today, we’ll cover the materials I used in this project, I’ll supply you with a printable pattern sheet, and we’ll talk about the set-up of the project.

If you have not yet purchased a kit for The Christmas Mitten, you’ll find a full materials kit for this project available here. The advantage of the kit is that you’ll have everything to create the ornament, without having to hunt down supplies from multiple sources.

If you’re a member of the Needle ‘n Thread Community Patreon, this first installment will be rolled into a PDF that will include the information below, plus all the stitching of the design.

I’ll post that PDF before the second installment is posted here on the website (so, before Friday of this week). It covers everything except the finishing of the project. In the meantime, the information below will get you started.

The Christmas Mitten embroidery stitch-along on Needle 'n Thread
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November 15, 2024

Needle Talk: What’s Essential?

 

It’s been a long time since I’ve polled the audience on a topic like tools!

Over the years, I’ve written a ton about needles here on Needle ‘n Thread – because, in general, they’re pretty essential to the kind of needlework we do. It would be difficult – just slightly difficult – to embroider without a needle.

I include needles, then, at the top of the Essential Tool List for all embroiderers.

Embroidery Needles: What's Essential?
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November 13, 2024

Beeswax, Needlework, & the Hidden Pleasures of Evening Work

 

Night time, this time of year, is dark.

And while there are many, many people in the world who don’t like the switch back to Standard Time, I must secretly admit that I’m not one of them.

I actually like it – once I adjust!

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like the time switch in general. But I see it this way: it’s not Standard Time’s fault. It’s the switch to Daylight Savings Time in the spring that’s the problem. If we just stuck with Standard Time, the gradual lengthening and shortening of days would follow the regular rhythm of life and the seasons. And it wouldn’t be a jolt every time there’s that dagblasted hour switch.

But I digress…

Recently, I’ve been re-discovering the hidden pleasure of evening work.

Beeswax petites for needlework
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November 11, 2024

The Christmas Mitten: Embroidery Kits Available Now!

 

Good morning, and Happy Monday!

We’ll jump right into the exciting news – the embroidery kits for The Christmas Mitten stitch-along are available now!

This final stitch-along for 2024 features a sparkly, festive mitten ornament. You can tuck gift cards, a note, small candy canes, or other small trinkets and gifts in it.

The mitten will make a beautiful addition to your own Christmas decorations or a perfect way to wish your favorite people a Happy Christmas!

Read on to learn a little more about the kit and the upcoming stitch-along…

The Christmas Mitten embroidery Kit
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November 6, 2024

Harvest Hues 4b: Final Steps in Finishing

 

Yesterday, we began the finishing process on Harvest Hues, and today, we are going to tie up the project!

In this final lesson, we’ll be adding the stiff floral wire to the back of the leaf to create a hanger and a “spine” that is bendable, so that you can style your leaves by bending them, if you wish.

Finally, we will sew the embroidered leaf to the felt backing.

If you are just joining in on this project – or if you’re just catching up – you can find all the installments of this stitch-along listed here in the Harvest Hues Project Index.

If you’re a member of the Patreon Community on Needle ‘n Thread, you will find the downloadable and printable PDF with all the finishing instructions already posted.

Let’s finish the leaf, shall we?

Harvest Hues autumn embroidered leaf stitch-along
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