February 23, 2026

L is for Lattice Fillings!

Towards the end of lat year, I started a series of articles working through an A-B-C progression of the archives here on Needle ‘n Thread. The last letter we looked at was K, for Kaleidoscopes.

And that brings us to L – for Lattice Fillings!

Some folks refer to lattice fillings or lattice work or lattice stitches as “trellis fillings.” I am careful not to call them “trellis” stitches, because there is a stitch called trellis stitch (you can find a tutorial for it here) that is not at all similar to lattice fillings.

Lattice fillings are essentially laid work – where long threads are laid in some sort of grid-type pattern, and the intersections are couched (sometimes decoratively, sometimes not). You can achieve all kinds variations with lattice work in embroidery by varying the type, color, order, angle, and whatnot of your laid threads, as well as varying the method of couching your intersections, as well as adding any extra decoration you stitching inside the resulting lattice.

Lattice fillings are a ripe ground for fun experimentation!

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February 20, 2026

Weekend Wandering: in Which we Went to Europe

Many of you know, from all the hullabaloo before Christmas, that Anna (who is my niece and my sidekick here at Needle ‘n Thread) and I sneaked off to Europe at the beginning of this past December. I’ve had a lot of requests for photos and details of our adventures. While I won’t go into a lot of detail, I’ll give you some highlights.

As far as the background goes, suffice it to say, this was something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, and I’ve been saving for it since about 2012. Life constantly intervened. Aside from a short jaunt to Canada one summer, I haven’t traveled out of the country since 2002.

The Travel Bug bit badly last year. In September, I said, “I go.”

Anna said, “I go with you.”

And so we went.

Instead of giving you a play-by-play of the trip, I’m going to share a smattering of inspirational things that we saw and experienced. Were we seeking out embroidery everywhere we went? No, not at all. But inspiration, yes – because travel begets inspiration.

If you’re curious, come along for a little meander through Prague, Bavaria (southeastern Germany), and a little bit of Austria and France. (And all in no particular order.)

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February 18, 2026

Studio Work: It’s a Good Sign!

Yesterday, during the afternoon work session at the studio, I did something that I consider a pretty good sign. When I show it to you below, I’ll completely understand if you aren’t too impressed.

But it is significant, and I’ll tell you why.

It means I’m getting very close to finishing something!

And what is that something?

Plique-a-Jour - an Art Nouveau embroidery project

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February 16, 2026

Home Stitching on the Weekend & a Kit

I had planned on an early article for you this morning, but Monday decided to act up a bit, as Monday is wont to do.

So welcome to Late Monday at Needle ‘n Thread!

Last week, I mentioned this counted piece that I’ve been doing at home and promised to share some more of it, when it actually started to look like itself. So here’s an update following the wet weekend, and also a link to the same kits (I have a few in stock, just to test interest), in case you want to stitch this project, too.

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February 13, 2026

The Green Leaf Stitch Dilemma – and Some Solutions

A couple weeks back, I showed you these green leaves and asked you what stitch was used on them.

From the front, they look like the same stitch, but the back tells a different story.

Then, earlier this week, I shared this tutorial with you for “faux” fly stitch, which is how one of the leaves was filled. The other is filled with regular fly stitch.

And while it’s a perfectly legit way to work a filling, there is a small problem with these leaves in particular, no matter which of the two stitches you use. I suggested that there was a problem and promised to talk about it and provide solutions.

But I know I’m going to be getting into some Sticky Territory here! It’s sticky, because the internet is overrun with projects, tutorials, and the like that actually promote the problem.

I think it’s a problem worth addressing, especially for those who plan to stick with embroidery for a while as a hobby, and who want to improve the long-term results of their stitching.

Large Leaves worked in Fly Stitch - Troubleshooting & Solutions

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February 11, 2026

Not Too Often!

Here at Needle ‘n Thread, I concentrate on surface embroidery more than anything else. Just about any kind of surface embroidery does the trick – I love them all, and I pretty much work all the typical techniques at some point or another.

Occasionally, but not very often, I’ll play around with counted work. But it’s not My Thing. I have nothing against it. But it’s kind of like … I don’t know. Pasta? Noodles? I have nothing against pasta or noodles in general. I just never cook with them and rarely eat them. It doesn’t mean I don’t like them. There’s nothing quite as homey as chicken noodle soup, or a good spaghetti or alfredo dinner. It’s comfort food. But it’s never on my menu, and it doesn’t really pop up on my meal-planning radar.

Counted work is comfortable, too. But it doesn’t pop up on my radar, either, because I have so many other things to do, stitching wise, that are more My Thing. Rarely do I have a chance to stitch someone else’s Thing anymore.

Hand Embroidery Tutorials

February 9, 2026

Faux Fly Stitch: A Tutorial

I don’t normally like to use the word faux. It sounds so pretentious for something that just means fake.

But I guess faux (the way many people use it today) carries a nuance that the fakeness in question is not only ok, but even perhaps desirable.

And that’s the case with what we’re getting ready to talk about. Sometimes, faux works!

Remember these two green leaves that we looked at last week?

If you guessed that they are fly stitch leaves, you’d be correct – from the front.

But one of them is actually a fake. And I’m going to show you how it’s done.

If you have trouble with vertical fly stitch for filling a shape, you might like this solution, because it works. And it looks pretty good. And it normally comes out even and tidy.

So why not?

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L is for Lattice Fillings!

Weekend Wandering: in Which we Went to Europe

Studio Work: It’s a Good Sign!

Home Stitching on the Weekend & a Kit

The Green Leaf Stitch Dilemma – and Some Solutions

Not Too Often!

Faux Fly Stitch: A Tutorial

Connect with Mary

How-To Videos

Embroidery Tips & Techniques

Connect with Mary

How-To
Videos