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
Contact Mary
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
Contact Mary
December 25, 2019
I hope this note finds you enjoying a happy, joyful, and peaceful Christmas!
This year, I thought I would do something a little different, and share a little Puzzling Christmas cheer with you.
December 23, 2019
Good morning! Happy Eve of Christmas Eve – and welcome to the last installment of this year’s Stitcher’s Christmas series on Needle ‘n Thread!
Today’s give-away is a little bit different. It came to me out of the blue, from Phyllis Brown in North Carolina, who wrote to offer a whole set of cotton floche for this year’s series! Needless to say, for your sakes, I couldn’t resist! I’m really excited to offer it to you, because I love floche.
The give-away is for a whole set of 1/3-hank twists of floche (around 56 yards per twist, with one of every 90+ colors), to one super duper lucky winner! I’ll tell you more about it below.
I’ll also announce the winner of last Wednesday’s give-away for Jenny Adin-Christie’s beautiful needlework tools.
December 20, 2019
Haaaaappy Friday!
As we get closer and closer to Christmas, we’re running out of Stitcher’s Christmas installments. I’ll be sad when this yearly pre-Christmas party is over – I love reading the comments!
For today’s gifts – there are two of them – we’re going to go to those traditional Christmas colors of red and green. That’s right! Lisa at The French Needle has put together two sumptuous packages of embroidery supplies, one red and one green. These are perfect for stash enhancing for any embroiderer who likes to mix things up with fibers, fabrics, and threads – and if you happen to be a crazy quilter, I think you’d be seventh heaven with the selections!
I’ll also announce the winners of Monday’s crewel wool collections from Renaissance Dyeing at the end of today’s article, so read on!
December 18, 2019
Welcome to Installment #8 of A Stitcher’s Christmas for 2019!
I’ve noticed over the years of writing here on Needle ‘n Thread that there are two things that stitchers especially love: good thread and good tools!
This year’s Stitcher’s Christmas has featured a good selection of threads (and more to come), and we’ve had one installment featuring tools. As we come towards the end of the series, I’m very happy to present you with some more beautiful tools for hand embroidery.
After Jenny Adin-Christie launched her new website earlier this year, I reviewed this snazzy little laying tool of hers. It’s one of my favorite stitching tools!
I jumped on her newly-launched site and indulged in a few of her other bits and bobs, too – like her bead / goldwork trays, a ceramic waxer, and a delicate, hand-painted needle minder. There’s nothing on her site that isn’t lovely and isn’t, I’m sure, very well made.
So I reached out to Jenny to ask if she wanted to join in on this year’s Stitcher’s Christmas, and she gave a very enthusiastic yes, offering a nice selection of four beautiful tools for one of you.
I’ll tell you all about them and then announce the winners of last week’s book give-away. So read on…
December 16, 2019
Happy Monday, from a snow-covered Kansas!
Today’s give-away for A Stitcher’s Christmas #7 is very timely! Just when the weather is perfect for pulling out my wool mittens (these felted wool mittens that I embroidered and showed you here), we get to chat all about gorgeous hand-dyed wool threads from Renaissance Dyeing.
And I’ll announce the three recipients of last Wednesday’s gifts – the yearly subscriptions to Inspirations Magazine.
Ready?
December 13, 2019
I’m a book fanatic, if you didn’t know. I like books – all kinds of books!
But I’m extremely fond of really good needlework books. I especially like the kind that combine the right balance of inspiration, instruction, and work all in a beautiful, well-presented package.
So you can imagine how happy it makes me to present today’s installment of A Stitcher’s Christmas, courtesy of Search Press, which features four themed book collections of past and future books, for your present! That’s right – there are four winners for today’s give-away, and each winner will receive one themed collection of four exquisite needlework books.
Some of the books are not even in the public eye yet! So read on, and I’ll tell you a little about Search Press and a little about the books for today’s give-away. Then I’ll announce the winner of Monday’s give-away featuring needlework goodies galore from Needle in a Haystack.
December 11, 2019
Good morning, and welcome to A Stitcher’s Christmas, 2019, installment 5 – which means we are half-way through this year’s series of needlework gift drawings!
This morning, I’ll announce the winner of last Friday’s installment – Pink Delight, a ribbon embroidery kit by Di van Niekerk – at the end of this article.
But first, we’ll take a good look at today’s gift, which is for three of you!
Courtesy of Inspirations Studios, each winner will receive one year’s subscription to Inspirations Magazine, the world’s most beautiful embroidery magazine. If you already have a subscription, the gift subscription will be added to your current subscription.
Let me tell you all about Inspirations!
