Back in 2024, Inspirations Studios in Australia began publishing a series of embroidery project books called The Handpicked Collection. Each book features a variety of lovely embroidery projects in a wide variety of techniques, for all levels of stitchers from beginners to experienced.

They began with volumes 1 through 3, which I reviewed here.

Volume 4 (reviewed here) came out in March of 2025; Volume 5 (reviewed here) came out in September, 2025; Volume 6 (reviewed here) came out this past spring; and now here we are, at Volume 7!

Each volume is a treasure of techniques and projects, and Volume 7 is no exception. Let’s take a look at the book itself and its instructional assets, and then I’ll highlight some of the projects. That way, you’ll know what to expect from this latest volume.

I had to chuckle when I received my copy of Volume 7. The cover art features a lovely blackberry project by Jane Nicholas, which was originally printed in Jane’s book Stumpwork Butterflies and Moths, published back in 2014.

Blackberries are popular this summer! And it’s no wonder – they’re so pretty! Anna and I have been working on stitching a blackberry design as well (involving beads).

And I’ve also been eating a lot of blackberries lately, too. They are my favorite fruit… but I suppose that’s beside the point!

An Overview: The Assets for Every Project

Every volume of The Handpicked Collection series is arranged in the same logical way, according to the projects.

Each project is presented in its entirety – the materials lists, the techniques covered, the process of work, and all the step-by-step instructions to recreate the project. The designs and patterns are found in the back of the volume, as a pull-out section of full-sized designs – very convenient!

Readers will appreciate the clear photo instructions for all the techniques required for each project.

Inspirations Studios does such a fabulous job with step-by-step photo instructions in their publications. The way the instructions are presented makes unfamiliar techniques – easy or complex – accessible to beginners and beyond.

Throughout every volume, another indispensable asset is the photography.

Besides the beautifully staged photos that present each project, you’ll find many clear, detailed close-ups of embroidery and stitching that help the learner know what to aim for.

Personally, I love to see close-ups of stitchery! It’s not just fascinating – it’s actually helpful.

And a final asset: all the finishing!

If the project is intended to be something finished, you will find all the instructions to make the thing. And those instructions are just as clear and thorough as the stitching instructions.

The project above is a tiny, multi-functional tool pouch. Designed by Jackie du Plessis (“Jackie Iff” of “It’s Fine-ally Finished), it’s so perfectly clever! And yes, all the instructions for finishing are included in the instructions in Volume 7.

Project Highlights

So those are the “assets” of all the projects. You get the materials lists, the project overview and sequence of work, all the step-by-step instructions of any techniques involved, the pull-out full-size patterns, and all finishing instructions. In short, you get everything you need to know to successfully work each project.

There are eight embroidery projects in Volume 7, and each one is lovely in its own way. I’ll highlight a few of them below.

The projects are varied in techniques and in skill level, so there’s something – actually, many things! – for everyone.

The cover art of the book comes from Jane Nicholas’s Bramble Garland & Emerald Moth stumpwork piece.

Featuring a garland of succulent blackberries visited by an emerald moth, this project encompasses several stumpwork techniques, plus needle painting.

It’s such a pretty presentation! I especially like the fact that this project is small enough to be manageable, especially for stitchers who are just making their way into the realm of stumpwork.

The contrast in this whitework, stumpwork, and bead embroidery piece by Hannah Mansfield is so striking!

Wouldn’t that be lovely as a wedding gift?

Di Kirchner’s “Daffodil” needlelace corner is a brilliant way to explore needle lace on a smaller scale, but with an impressive scope and finish!

I have to admit, the project has caused me a little consternation.

Until I opened this book and saw this project, my life was going along fine and I was happy.

You see, although I am a dedicated tea drinker, I don’t have a teapot. (I know! Shock Horror!)

And until now, the thought of any teapot as part of my life – let alone a yellow teapot! – never occurred to me.

But now! Now I’m suffering from “Yellow Teapot Noise” in my head.

(*Sigh* The Things I suffer for Embroidery!)

“A Pocketful of Flowers” by Noriko Livingston of Japan is unique, charming, and useful! This external “pocket” – a drawstring pouch you can loop onto a belt or sash at your waist – has a little historical vibe to it, harkening back to the 17th century pockets of old.

The beaded fringe also adds another “vintage” vibe: it is a bit ’70’s, without being ’70’s!

Of course, it doesn’t have to be worn as a pocket, but isn’t it cute as one? I love it!

And So Much More!

Besides these quick highlights, you’ll find a lovely soft shading piece by Trish Burr featuring a bee set among stylized flowers, a silk needle painting project from Helen Stevens featuring a squirrel gathering nuts, a lovely stumpwork hellebore by Anna Scott, and the little tool kit in counted work by Jackie du Plessis.

Where to Find It

You can find The Hand Picked Collection Volume 7 available right here in my shop, ready to ship!

The book ships to the US and Canada in a sturdy, protective bookfold, via Ground Advantage or Priority, depending on your location. If you happen to order multiple items from the shop, we will combine everything, find the best shipping option for your location, and refund any notable excess in costs at the time of shipping.

Quick Reminder: Due to home-front constraints, I’m not able to work at the studio this week, and Anna is out of town. Shipping will resume next Thursday, June 25th. But don’t worry! The shop is open, and we will process all orders placed between now and June 24th next Thursday. Thanks for understanding!

Alas, I was expecting our full shipment of The Hand Picked Collection Volume 7 to arrive between Monday and yesterday, and today, I was going to show it to you up close and personal.

But only one box arrived – late yesterday afternoon, as if by a Postal Afterthought. No worries – the rest will apparently be here today. And on Friday, we’ll explore the new volume together. Yay!

In the meantime, here’s a little pre-weekend diversion. You can save it for the weekend if you want! I came across this volume on Internet Archives and I wanted to share it with you because it has so much in it that’s good, plus it’s got some great illustrations that could translate into embroidery.

The book is called Guide to the Art of Illuminating & Missal Painting, by W & G Audsley.

The book is in the public domain, so if you follow that link, it’ll take you to the Internet Archives full (flippable) preview of the scanned book. Below the preview, you’ll see many options for downloading the digital file (including PDF), so that you can save it on your computer.

Although the book is about illumination – the art of decorating pages of hand-lettered or machine-lettered text with ink, paint, and gold leaf – there is much in it that speaks to me as an embroiderer, too.

There are some lovely color plates with design elements that can be adapted for needlework, for example.

I often find it difficult to look at illuminated art without thinking of its interpretation into embroidery.

The individual elements in the image above could play across any sampler, for example, or translate into varied embroidery techniques: silk and goldwork, petit point slips, crewel, Assisi work…

I often chuckle at old texts. They tend to be very direct, and this bit is no exception. Take this little excerpt:

“One who posses knowledge without taste, or taste without knowledge, rarely arrives at any eminence as a colourist. The acquiring of knowledge to the possessor of natural taste, is nothing more than the cultivating of that gift.”

If you take that bit to its conclusion, you could almost say that no amount of knowledge makes up for bad taste. (!!!!)

There are some nice plates with intricate line drawings.

Have I ever told you of my pet “dream project” that I’ve never realized? It involves embroidering an “illuminated” – or at least illustrated – poem that I love. Not sampler style, but illumination-style, with lettering that fits more in the realm of calligraphy than embroidery.

Will I ever do it? At the rate things are going in my life these days, probably not! But I do often toy with the idea, as I turn the lines of the poem over in my head in reflective moments.

And that’s one reason why I tend to ferret out these old volumes, either digitally or in print, on illumination.

Oh, and did you want to embroider a dragon? Here’s one for you.

So that’s your little diversion for today, or for this weekend! I think this is an interesting book, and I especially enjoy the illustrations in it, but I also appreciate many points in the text. I hope you have a chance to peruse it!

Reminder!

The Needle ‘n Thread online shop is open and you are most welcome to place orders. But, due to some constraints on the home front, we have to take a shipping break until next Thursday, June 25th. Anything ordered between now and June 24th will ship on June 25th. Thanks for understanding!

(Speaking of home-front constraints, I’m plugging away on a project at home, and I’ll share some sneak peeks with you next week!)

Have a wonderful Wednesday, and I’ll see you Friday with Volume 7 of The Hand Picked Collection.

And with Z comes the official end to the ABC Archives series here on Needle ‘n Thread!

Pulling Z way out of the deep archives, we’re going to talk about Z-Twisted threads.

This can be a rather confusing topic, and it might not matter a lot to you. But it can make a difference to your stitches under certain circumstances.

Depending on the type of thread, the twist of the thread can be one of two types of twist: s-twisted or z-twisted.

What does this mean?

Well, the twist on a z-twisted thread looks like this:

Rayon threads, synthetics, filament silks, and pretty much any thread that can be used in a machine are z-twisted threads.

The twist on an s-twisted thread looks like this:

Cotton hand embroidery threads and wool hand embroidery threads are generally s-twisted threads, as are most stranded silks made with spun silk (as opposed to filament silk).

The twist of the thread can affect the way embroidery stitches turn out.

Now, if you only ever stitch with cotton, wool, and spun (stranded) silk, this is not something you have to worry about. The majority of stitch instructions out there are written for s-twisted threads.

But if you stitch with rayons (for example, for Brazilian embroidery) or with filament silks, or even with machine threads for tiny details, then the twist of the thread matters on certain stitches.

Any stitch that involves a sort of twisted “interlocking” between one stitch and the next – for example, stem stitch (the stitches twist together for a twisted together rope-like look) or buttonhole stitch (the edge of the buttonhole stitches results in the same type of twisted-together rope-like look) – changes with a z-twist thread.

I know! I know! This all sounds very complicated!

Does it even matter?! you might be tempted to ask.

It might not. Again, if you only ever stitch with cotton, wool, stranded spun silk – this probably will never matter to you!

In Detail!

If you’d like to learn more about z-twisted threads vs s-twisted threads, how to tell them apart, and how to handle them for certain stitches, check out these articles from the archives:

This article will introduce you to the terms s-twisted and z-twisted, and explain what they mean.

This article will demonstrate the difference between the s-twisted and z-twisted threads when they are stitched in certain ways.

I’m just enough of a thread and stitch nerd to find this type of information interesting, and I hope it is helpful for folks who are exploring a wide variety of thread types while stitching.

But I don’t want it to become a stumbling block for new stitchers! If you are working with cotton, don’t get hung up on these technicalities, because it won’t affect you, and it shouldn’t worry or trouble you!

Looking for More?

You can explore more of the ABC Archive series from Needle ‘n Thread here, at the ABC Archives Index.

More embroidery chatter coming up later this week!

Website News!

From Wednesday, June 17 – Wed June 24, we will not be shipping from the shop on Needle ‘n Thread. The shop will be open so that you can make purchases online, and any purchases made during that time will ship on Thursday, June 25th.

The most insistent summer bug in my life is the travel bug, and I get bit by it every year. I don’t have a lot of opportunities to travel, but I do like traveling. And heck, if I can’t go in person, I don’t mind armchair traveling!

Last winter, you might remember, Anna and I went to Prague. We didn’t get much farther afield in Czechia because of time limits. It was a good “taster” visit, as it was the first time either of us had been there.

Of course I want to go back! But next time, I want to go to Vamberk.

Why do I want to go to Vamberk?

Let’s explore the reason together, shall we? And then I have some website & studio news for you…

Vamberk is a city located about 95 miles east of Prague, in the Czech Republic.

It is a city renowned for bobbin lace, an industry that began in the region back in the 18th century, brought there by Magdalena Grambová, a Belgian noblewoman.

By the 19th century, bobbin lacemaking was a thriving cottage industry in the region, and it remained so into the 20th century.

A lace school was established in Vamberk in 1889, and it still operates today!

Vamberk lace is beautiful! And I would have loved to visit Vamberk while I was in Czechia before Christmas last year, to see it in person. If you’re interested in lace and visiting the lace museum, though, summer is a better time to go. The museum is open June through September.

In fact, on June 26 & 27 this year, Vamberk hosts the International Lace Festival. If you happen to be traveling to Czechia this summer, maybe you can check it out!

You can learn more about the history of lace making in Vamberk here, at the Vamberk Lace Museum website. Hint: the easiest way to translate a foreign-language website is by using Google Chrome, and clicking the small G/A symbol on the right side of the website address bar.

You can read more about Vamberk lace – and it’s recently-achieved European protected geographical indication designation (the first Czech craft to receive the designation) – in this article from Prague Radio International.

There’s some general information about the lace museum here, on Visit Czechia, which offers all kinds of interesting travel ideas for the region.

And of course, if you drop “Vamberk Bobbin Lace” into Google images, you can find some beautiful examples of the lace from this region.

Exploring this type of lace, its techniques, history, and connections with other countries of Europe, is like falling into an ethereal rabbit hole! I hope you enjoy it!

Volume 7!!

And now, news…

To start off, we have the new Handpicked Collection Volume 7 arriving next week! Yay!

I know many of you have been looking forward to this book, and with good reason! We’ll take a close look at it together once it’s in stock, so keep an eye out for that!

Once it arrives, you’ll be able to find it here under Embroidery Books in the shop.

All the Floche

Finally, finally, we have all of our floche collections restocked and ready to ship!

Our floche collections are curated color groups with floche that’s conveniently packed in 1/3rd-hank twists, so that it is more affordable. Besides smaller color groupings (perfect for a “taster” selection), we also set the complete set of floche.

If you’ve been waiting on floche, you’ll find it here!

If you want to learn more about floche, check out this article.

Shipping Break

From next Wednesday, June 17th, through Wednesday June 24th, we’ll be pausing shipping from the shop. Anna will be out of town with her family, and I won’t have anyone to help out with Dad at home, where I’ll be keeping up with everything else Needle ‘n Thread – except shipping. The shop will still be open, and everything purchased during that time period will ship on June 25th.

If you’re in a hurry for anything in particular in the shop, please purchase before noon on Tuesday, June 23rd if you want it to go out before this break.

Thanks for understanding, and I’m very sorry about the inconvenience!

Thank you!

Lots of folks have written in lately, expressing concern about the recent storms passing frequently through our area of Kansas this spring.

Yes, we’re still above water here and we haven’t been blown away. We’re just soggy. But all is well. Thank you for asking!

Fingers crossed, we’ll have a semi-dry weekend, and I hope you have a terrific one!

There aren’t a whole lot of Y options that I’ve covered in the deep recesses of Needle ‘n Thread, I’ve discovered. Short of the color yellow, I’ve had a hard time finding anything particularly Y-ish, aside from this Y.

So, continuing with our ABC Archive series here on Needle ‘n Thread, today, we shall look at the letter Y. Literally.

Way back in 2013 – that’s 13 years ago! – I wrote about this Y.

This was an “extra” from my Stitch Sampler Alphabet PDF, a decorative alphabet involving some 65 embroidery stitches and stitch combinations. This downloadable PDF is a hefty work that teaches you all kinds of embroidery stitches played out over a decorative alphabet. Of course, you can apply them to other projects as well – but the letters are a whole lot of fun!

Embroidered almost entirely in floche and / or coton a broder #25, the letters are colorful, pretty, and packed with a lot of stitch variety. The variety is what makes them so satisfying to work, I think.

Here’s the same Y, but in a different color scheme. I like the first color scheme better, although when I first stitched the samples for this, I think I was more inclined towards the brighter pinks and purples.

Stitch Sampler Alphabet was one of the earliest download PDF (“e-books”) that I published, and it has been a favorite over the years. The information in it is timeless, so even though it’s 13 years old, it’s still a good one!

Let’s Talk Stitches

Like I said, there are a lot of stitches and stitch combinations in these letters, and may of those are detailed in tutorials here on the blog.

For example, you’ll find a tutorial for the interlaced chain stitch band (highlighted in the photo above) here. In the photo above, the band has a backstitch running down the center and some French knots out on the sides for accents.

One stitch combination “motif” that runs through the whole alphabet is the scalloped buttonholed chain stitch. I’ve got a step-by-step tutorial for that stitch combination here. On the Y, this stitch combination is accented with French knots, too.

The mock wheatear stitch allows you to work what looks like a wheatear stitch, but with separate colors for he chain and the little “spokes.” The stitch is further enhanced with running stitches down the center of the chain.

Those are just a few of the many, many stitches and stitch combinations I played with when creating Stitch Sampler Alphabet! If you want more, check out Stitch Sampler Alphabet in the shop, or you can meander through the Stitch Fun series of tutorials here on the website, where you’ll find all kinds of stitches and combinations to explore!

Happy Wednesday!

The maniturgium is almost finished. It’ll be sewn into a tube today, pressed a final time, wrapped in tissue paper and packaged nicely in a box, and on Wednesday, it’ll be FedExed to the client.

Amen.

Let’s take a look at the finished embroidery.

First, there are the fish: Fish 1 and Fish 2. Can you tell the difference?

Of course, I named them in my head, because when you’re spending hours embroidering, your mind does funny things with your projects.

For example, when I had both fish finished together, I couldn’t help reciting One Fish, Two Fish…

And in my head, I named the fish Fin and Finnegan. (As in Fin-again.) If I had identical twin boys, I’d be sorely tempted to do that to them.

This is right off the hoop, so it hasn’t been blocked or pressed or anything. I was just messing around with it to get the effect of the whole piece.

The cross is behind the fold – you can see it above.

It’s difficult to photograph long, narrow pieces of embroidery and still be able to see the embroidery.

I tried it here.

Sorry for the messy table.

This was my attempt to block the linen strip, and it didn’t work very well because I only have three 12″ cork tiles. The piece is over 40″ long, so I had to space the tiles, putting some small boxes between them to keep tension.

Well, that didn’t work very well at all! Without being able to pin in the spaces between the tiles, I couldn’t get good tension on the whole piece.

It worked somewhat, but it’s ok – pressing works just as well on this piece.

One step you don’t see here is the personalization on the maniturgium. On what will be the back, I’ve embroidered the name of the ordinand and date of the ordination, using a small simple hand script, in pale blue silk.

Final Steps & Use

The final step, then, is to sew the thing up. It’s really just a simple tube. The make it, the two short ends will be hemmed, and then a seam will be sewn down the length, with the right sides together, to make a 3″ wide tube. Then, the tube is turned right-side out and pressed.

A maniturgium, technically, is just a strip of linen. It doesn’t have to be decorated. It doesn’t have to be finished in any way – it can just be a cut strip of linen. During the ordination ceremony, it binds the hands of the newly ordained priest after they’ve been anointed with chrism. It has become customary over the centuries to decorate the linen. The mode of decoration can be simple or ornate. Sometimes, they’re painted. Sometimes, they’re embroidered.

After the ordination, it has become custom over the centuries that the newly ordained priest passes the maniturgium on to his mother, and when she dies, it is wrapped around her hands before she is buried.

If I have the mental wherewithal to get good photos of the finished piece ready for packaging, I will share them with you. At this point, my goal is to meat the shipping deadline on Wednesday, and I may not have the opportunity for any decent photography. We’ll see!

Previous Articles on this Project

If you’d like to follow this project from the beginning, here are all the articles about it, listed in chronological order:

Books, Fish, & News – first mention of the project and discussion of design ideas

Doodling & Designing

Battling the Indecision of Decision Making – settling on colors, etc.

“Duc” is Done & Deep

Drippy Water on Embroidered Lettering

Adding a Touch of Silver

UM – it’s All That’s Left (on the lettering)

Maniturgium Update – Fish in progress, lettering finished

Today, we’re going to delve into a confusing topic for your weekend reading. I’m going to direct you to a couple publications that I think are Very Interesting and that – I think! – will help allay some of the confusion around thread weight.

Thread weight. What does that mean? Yes, it has to do with weight, in a sense, but in practical, physical, visible terms, it really means thread thickness. That is, what we see of and about the thread when using the thread. It involves the thread make-up – strands, plies, twists, and all the engineering bits that go into make a particular thread what it is, so that it can perform as that thread is meant to perform.

It can be a really confusing topic. And I should clarify before you jump into it that most of what you’ll read in the publications below are related to regular sewing threads and machine threads more than hand embroidery threads (though sometimes, the principles are applicable, despite the category).

I’ll also share some extensive updates from the Studio End of Needle ‘n Thread! So… read on!

Thread education can be a true rabbit hole. There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving the whole topic a complete miss, if it’s not something that you’re curious about. If you prefer just to use the threads you like simple because you like them, and you don’t feel at all inclined to know anything about their make-up or particulars, that’s A-OK!

Don’t feel like you have to go floundering into the complexities of thread engineering in order to be a good embroiderer. You don’t!

But I do get asked a lot of questions about threads and their make-up. So I know there are folks out there who are curious about “what this means” or “what that means” when they see terminology or specifications on thread types.

YLI Threads is a thread company owned by Bob Purcell, who purchased the company in 2023. He and his wife Helen were the founders of Superior Threads, which they sold in 2016. Superior Threads is a well-known and beloved thread brand among quilters and machine embroiderers, and YLI is equally so.

Years ago, YLI used to produce a very fine silk embroidery floss, too, but to my knowledge, they no longer have a line of silk floss. They do have silk ribbon, though, and “ribbon floss,” both of which are used in the hand stitching world.

Additionally, they produce a love Silk #100, which is a super duper fine silk thread for hand sewing. I use it on goldwork when I need a very, very fine thread for couching goldwork.

Over on the YLI website, they have a really nice information section devoted to Thread Education.

In particular, I find these two resources to be very interesting and very helpful for understanding the particulars about thread weight. And while they are devoted mostly to information for quilters and others who use thread on machines, there is much useful information in them for anyone who uses thread in any form.

Thread Weight for Quilting: Your Complete Guide to Choosing the Right Thread

Thread Mastery Booklet – a downloadable PDF focusing on thread education. It’s very thorough!

Other Thread Weight Education

If you want to read some articles I’ve written about thread weight and embroidery threads, you might check out the following articles:

Sizing Up Cotton Threads

Comparing Cotton Threads, Stitched

Of course, there are a gazillion other articles on Needle ‘n Thread about all kinds of embroidery threads, but those two articles above will give you some insight into cottons commonly used for hand embroidery!

Updates in the World of Needle ‘n Thread!

I have a thumb. And it works!

The thumb surgery was successful! I’m still nursing the skin and scar into normality, and there are some surprising little jolts of pain now and then, but I don’t care about those little things!

I can stitch!

I can pick things up!

My thumb opposes!

It’s all very exciting.

I finished the maniturgium this week, and I will show it to you in its finished form quite soon.

I am working on the stitch-along project (the berries! hurray!) and hope to have it finished-finished very soon. I’m working on it from home in the afternoons, as much as I can.

Life on the home front has not changed. My sister and I are still in the continuous cycle of Dad-care. She comes to the house Mon-Fri, from 9:00-noon so that I can get some work time in at the Studio. Otherwise, I am at home, working as I can on Needle ‘n Thread between home stuff.

I have discovered that this situation is neither efficient nor conducive to much in the way of inspiration. LOL! It is, in fact, a bit mind-stultifying. I do so admire all the people in the world who have survived and flourished through similar situations! They are my heroes.

In the meantime, as far as Needle ‘n Thread goes, I’m just happy if we can stay afloat. Anna and I are both working hard behind the scenes, trying to bring you quality content, inspiration, and good things for your stitching life!

Speaking of Good Things

We’ve expanded our embroidery hoop offerings again, this time adding in two sizes of oval hoops!

These hoops are terrific for working longer, narrower pieces.

I also see them used a lot by sampler stitchers, too, because they so conveniently fit the horizontal segments often found in sampler designs. If you are particular about having just the right tool, just the right fit, you’ll love these! They feature strong, dual-sided brass hardware with a long screw, that works exceptionally well to keep the outer ring fitting snuggly on the inner on these irregular shapes.

Don’t confuse these hoops with cheap hoops that can’t get a grip because they’re not engineered to manage the irregular oval shape. These hoops work!

Ho ho ho! Guess what’s back in red?!? Hurray! I’m so glad to have these red Golden Forge scissors that I wrote about here available again.

I almost wasn’t going to mention it, because I know, come autumn and winter, people are always requesting them for their own holiday stitching, gifts, and whatnot, and they will likely be out of stock and unavailable again by then.

If you’ve been waiting for them, though, you deserve to know they are here, waiting for you.

Plus, they’d look stellar with your red, white, and blue needlework projects for summer!

Please don’t miss the opportunity to get your copy of Elisabetta Sforza’s newest book, Bouquet Letters, that I reviewed here the other day! They are going fast!

Now that I can stitch again, I am also back to my night-time project (above – I wrote about it here).

We’ve re-stocked a wide variety of these Avlea Folk Embroidery Kits. They are quite popular, and for good reason. They’re high quality kits, with everything you need to stitch the project: excellent charts with clear instructions, all the threads, fabric, and needles.

This kit has worked out well for me, to have something to do at night when sleep isn’t an option. It doesn’t require a lot of equipment, I don’t need a magnifier or any special lighting beyond my regular light to stitch it, and I can take it out and pack it up easily. I’m glad I’m able to get back to it now that I have a working thumb again.

And on the Website Side of Things…

Some of you have reached out to say that the images are not showing up in your email newsletters. We are exploring possible reasons for this. We’ve been working on upgrading and increasing security measures on the website, to ward off the ever-increasing AI bots and boogers that are constantly trolling the internet and attacking legit websites. So the glitch with the images may have to do with our security upgrades, and if so, we will have them ironed out as soon as possible.

In the meantime, if you’re having problems viewing the article in your email, please visit the website directly to see the latest article. I do have a professional team that takes care of major problems on the back end of the website, so I’ve put this in their hands and hope to see results quickly.

When it rains, it pours…

Thanks for putting up with the lengthy news and updates! I hope you enjoy the Thread Education resources above! And I’ll see you next week with project updates and other fun needlework chatter!

Have a wonderful weekend!

And yes, the books have arrived and are stocked, so if you have Bouquet Letters – or any of Elisabetta’s books – on your wish list, we’ve got ’em! You’ll find them in the shop now.

Let’s take a look at Bouquet Letters up close…

Bouquet Letters presents an elegant floral alphabet embroidered in a range of techniques, from needle painting on the larger blossoms, to dimensional stitches on the accents. It’s such a pretty alphabet!

The book begins with an overview of stitches and techniques, all illustrated with clear diagrams and explained in both Italian and English.

Then, she takes us step-by-step through the process of stitching the letters.

This instructional section is presented in step-by-step photo of the stitching process, so that you can see the embroidered letters develop in close, clear detail.

For each letter and element, she provides a DMC color list, too, so that you can reproduce the letters in the same delicate colorway.

However, you are not restricted solely to this colorway! As with any instructional and project book, you can freely substitute a different palette if you prefer to!

I just love, love, love the blues, purples, ivory, and greens on these letters, though! They all work together so beautifully!

Mmmmmm, mmmmmm, mmmm! Luscious! The dimensional accents are luscious!

While the book concentrates on the embroidered alphabet, Elisabetta also presents the possibility of stitching a tea cloth embellished with a verse from Walt Whitman’s poem “Give Me the Splendid Silent Sun.” She provides the text and a sample layout, using the style of the featured alphabet to embellish the text layout.

In the book, you’ll find the designs for all the letters and for many small accompanying embellishments in the same style.

The designs are printed in clear, bold line drawings that are ideal for tracing.

And of course, throughout the book, you will find many sumptuous photos of the finished embroidery to help guide you and to delight!

Where to Find It

We’ve got Bouquet Letters in stock here in the shop, along with all of Elisabetta’s books.

If you’re interested in exploring Elisabetta’s other books, here’s a list of my reviews for each of them:

A Flower Alphabet

In a Wheat Field – and you can see my sample project from this book here.

Sea to Stitch – and you can see my project from this book here.

From Rose to Rose

The ABC of Padded Stitch

I hope June is off to a great start for you! See you Friday with updates and news!

It’s not easy to come up with an X as an embroidery topic, that’s for sure!

I could have done x-stitch (abbreviating cross-stitch), but I kind of felt like that was cheating. So you know what I did?

I went to the search page here on Needle ‘n Thread, and I typed in the letter X to see what the search engine would spit out. And it spit out a lot of X’s!

Way back in the day, when Needle ‘n Thread was just a wee baby and I published a blog post every single day, I ran several series offering free monogram alphabets, one letter at a time.

From knotty Celtic-style X’s to lots of floral X’s, you’ll find plenty of X’s is on those early monogram alphabets!

The nice thing is, if you’re not looking specifically for an X, you can find all of these styles of alphabets available for free here, and download the letters you really want to use!

I know, I know. This is such a slothful way to approach X in the ABC Archive Series.

But what can one do?! It’s an X, after all!

If you’re a traveler and an avid needleworker – if you find the history and culture of needlework to be a worthwhile topic to explore in your travels – then you need to check out this Fabulous List!

Pieceworks Magazine recently highlighted a great resource for needlework & textile enthusiasts in one of their newsletters.

They’ve put together the International Needlework Museum Directory, a comprehensive list of museums around the world that have notable textile holdings highlighting needlework.

From intricate embroidery and colorwork knitting to folk dress and fashion, our global museum list makes it easy to find where needlework is preserved and celebrated worldwide.

Discover collections near home or wherever your travels may take you. Many museums offer digitized holdings, inviting you to explore, learn, and spark new inspiration for your own handwork…

Many of the museums listed on the directory have digitized collections, too, so you can enjoy their holdings as an “arm chair traveler,” too.

So this summer, whether you’re going abroad, taking a roadtrip, or just visiting your closest city, why not check out the directory for a new museum to explore? You never know what may be waiting there to inspire you!

I hope your summer is off to a grand start!