For your weekend reading pleasure, here’s a little round-up of needlework-related links that I’ve come across lately that I thought were inspirational, interesting, or just fun!
So, grab a cup of something satisfying, and come browse with me!
Need a Simple Autumn Embroidery Project?
If you’re looking for an autumn-related embroidery pattern, I like this free PDF of swirling leaves from the DMC blog.
I like to use patterns like this on the 30×30″ deluxe flour sack towels from American Chair Store. They’re the best flour sack towels around, and the 30×30″ size makes great little tea cloths or bread basket liners.
Grab some floss in fall colors, trace the designs onto the corners of the towel, and you’ve got something fun to stitch that’s easily transportable!
Gold Threads in Vienna
Jessica Grimm offers up a fun article on discovering a gold thread manufacturer in Vienna, Austria. Fascinating stuff!
A couple years ago, I wrote a series of articles on deconstructing a goldwork piece, and we examined these gold domes that are used for grapes and wheat in goldwork. You can read the article on the grapes here. Guess what? Jessica’s goldwork source in Vienna makes them, and she’s now carrying them in her shop. Check them out!
Color, color, color!
If you’re a thread junkie, you probably don’t want to hear this. But I’ll tell you, anyway! Colour Complements has some new hand-dyed thread colors out…and they’re really pretty!
Bee Hives and a Vintage Scene
Because I like beehives (my Lavender Honey e-book grew from my love of beehives), I thought I’d share a link to this antique beehive image from Graphics Fairy. If you’re into embroidering scenes like this, this particular one offers lots of scope for texture! I like it!
Australian Historic Prints
On BibliOdyssey, you might find these antique prints in honor of Lord Carrington interesting. They’re beautifully done and they sport some fantastic design details that would translate really well into embroidery!
Trim it!
This is a fun article on the making of 18 century trims by hand, from Two Nerdy History Girls. There are even links to videos at the end of the article, so you can see how it was done. Wow! It’s a lot of work!
I’m Twitterpated…by a Hedgehog!
It’s machine embroidery, just so you know – not that I have anything against machine embroidery, mind you. And this machine embroidered hedgehog is fantastic! I’m in love with it! While you’re visitant Lisa Topin’s blog, Agnes & Cora, check out her embroidered moths, too. Lots of inspiration there for all kinds of creative endeavors with needle and thread.
Weekend Plans
This is where I tell you about all the things I’m probably not really going to accomplish this weekend. But I always like to start the weekend optimistically! So here are my two project goals:
I’m in the process of setting up a mega-huge petit point project that my nieces and I will be working on together (hopefully). The fabric set up has been occupying my evenings lately, and I hope to finish the set-up process this weekend, so that stitching can begin. I’ll share it with you when I have anything exciting to show you.
I’ve set up this goldwork and silk project that I’ll be working through step-by-step here on Needle ‘n Thread in the months ahead. This weekend, I want to add the felt padding, so that I can show you the initial set up and we can get going on it.
In fact, if you’re interested in goldwork and you didn’t catch my article yesterday, you might take a look at it. It announces a new video-based class on essential goldwork techniques, many of which will be part of this upcoming project. The class, taught by Lucy Barter, is affordable (it’s less than $30 right now, at 25% off if you go through the link on yesterday’s article), and it’s a really good deal!
May your weekend be relaxing, productive, and everything else you want it to be!
See you Monday!
Watch out everyone! Francesca’s blog photos have malware on them when you try to click the photo to see it larger.
Ctrl-Alt-Del on my pc solved the problem, but don’t ask me what to do on a Mac.
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, Monica! This happens on a lot of European blogs, I notice. If you click the picture, you often get some kind of pop up that won’t go away, no matter how many times you try to hit cancel (that’s the way it happens on a Mac). So then you have to Force Quit everything. It’s a pain! I usually read Francesca’s blog in my Feedly feed (RSS feedreader), so I didn’t see that, or I would have mentioned it, or just not linked to it. Rrrrgh.
Hi Mary,
Thank you for mentioning my website again! I’m off to Appenzell for a few days to learn their famous whitework with Verena Schiegg. So ecxited!
Have a lovely weekend, Jessica
Hi Mary, Just want to say thank you for a wonderful website. I started learning embroidery in the late spring and I basically learned it all through your site! Your videos are easy to follow. I find it difficult to work a stitch through reading or following a diagram so your videos took all the frustration of learning away. I’ve finished many projects to date and I’ve enrolled in the Thistle Threads Cabinet of Curiosities course based on your recommendation. I also signed up for the Craftsy Goldwork class as soon as it was announced. I’m glad you recommended that one too.
I have a quick question. I’m working on a series of embroidery on flour sack towels and hooping them for display on my kitchen walls. I’m not sure how to finish the backs. Would you have any tips?
Anyway, thank you again! I know how much work a blog is and I appreciate all your efforts. PS I’ve purchases several of your downloads. Really good!
Sharon
Thanks, Sharon! Mostly, kitchen towels aren’t finished on the back, so I’m not sure how to advise you on that. Perhaps someone else in the audience has some ideas?
Hi Mary,
Sorry! I should have been more specific. I’m going to display the embroidered piece in a wooden hoop. I don’t know how I should cut down or stitch down the material in the back of the hoop. Does that make sense? Sharon : )
Hi Mary
Absolutely loved this round up post ~ spent ages checking everything out. I don’ recollect it being a regular feature but would stoked be if it became a monthly feature of your interesting snippets…Rae
Mary – thx for the link to the cotton towels from ACS – I was wondering if you wash and iron before you begin to work them ?? I think I would like to buy some of these to try. Also have you or others on the board purchased the deluxe pillow cases to embroider ? was wondering about the quality of the pillowcase fabric…..
Hi, Chris – I’ve not tried the pillow cases, myself. I do wash and iron the towels that I’m going to embroider, to get any shrink put of them (there isn’t a lot – I think these are pre-washed) and any sizing or anything. And then the ironing is necessary before doing your transfer, no matter what way you decide to transfer it. Hope that helps!
Dear mary, first of all, maaaaany thanks for doing and being who you are. The first thing i do when i get up in the morning, before my cup of coffee…., is look at your blog to make my day a good one.
I just returned from an intensive session in advanced goldwork at the royal school of needlework in london. Nothing can describe what it was. As i am already teaching goldwork in belgium, and all i know, i learned it by myself, nobody being able to teach it in belgium, i wanted to be challenged and ….i was. In fact, they never had someone in an advanced stage in their intensive sessions and they managed to integrate me in an initiation group. It was great because i learned a lot even on basic level like prick and pounce, the way they frame up on a slate frame, the way they finalise the work on carton board without using glue or anything else than stitches… And this beside all what i learned on advanced level and last but not least, designing my project from scratch or from an existing design, what will be very useful for my own students starting now with their second year and having the choice of their own project.
The teachers… Two for a group of eleven, were fantastic, kate cross and becky hogg, the one being the technician and the other the artist did not know what to do to please us. It was wonderful and really its price worth. Imagine eleven pupils, eleven nationalities with some having problems with english, eleven ladies aged from 23 to in the sixties…you need alot of skills to manage this and they had it….
Have a wonderful day