It is one of my “top books” this year – it’s a banner book that celebrates a banner accomplishment! And it teaches you, very simply and directly, how to stitch your own bits of the Bayeux Tapestry.

The book is Embroider the Bayeux Tapestry by Mia Hansson, who, in fact, has pretty much embroidered the whole Bayeux Tapestry single handedly.

Let’s take a look at it!

I learned about Mia Hansson and her incredible embroidery feat – embroidering her own reproduction of the entire Bayeux Tapestry – when she somehow magically showed up in my Facebook feed. I was immediately hooked, and frankly, bowled over. I couldn’t believe the extent of work she has put into this incredible accomplishment!

I wasn’t surprised to learn that Search Press was publishing a book by Mia that shows readers how to embroider the Bayeux Tapestry for themselves – or at least, pieces of it, which is much more manageable than embroidering the Whole Thing!

The book pulls from Mia’s experiences over years (ten of them so far, I think) of stitching her phenomenal repro tapestry.

The book itself is worthy of the endeavor – it is a beautiful hardbound book, just as suitable for the coffee table as it is for the work table.

The outer cover has a delightfully tactile linen-like texture!

The end papers deserve a nice pause and perusal!

The book is both an instructional book and a project book – and there are loads of projects! Big and small vignettes from the tapestry feature characters, animals, events – so there’s something for every interest, as long as your interest includes the whole style of the tapestry!

Seriously, there are loads to choose from. Most books don’t feature this many projects, but because the instruction is all the same, there’s a lot of space for many projects.

The book begins, of course, with information about the original Tapestry…

…and an explanation of materials and tools (which are rather minimal!)…

…followed by instruction on the embroidery stitches used for all the projects (also minimal – there are not very many types of stitches employed in the tapestry, after all)…

…followed by an overview on how to approach and stitch the projects.

There’s also a nice section on tips and techniques for stitching the designs.

Then there’s the Meat of the Matter – the whole point of the book, and the vast majority of the book: The Projects.

There are, in fact, twenty five projects!

All the projects are worked with the same stitches and same techniques covered in the general information earlier in the book. Each project is presented with a materials list…

… a close up image of the finished vignette, sometimes with a blurb on how the design or interpretation differs from the original and why (very interesting stuff!)…

…a line drawing of the scene with the stitch & color layout…

…and close-up photos of different elements of the scene, so that you can know where you going and what you’re trying to achieve as you stitch that particular scene.

There are projects that are small and very manageable…

…and for those of the “Go Big or Go Home” Mindset, there are large, more complex scenes to stitch as well.

Finally, in the very back of the book, attached to the inside back cover, you will find an envelope contains iron-on transfers for all the projects.

These full-size, ready to use iron-ons will help you hasten the project preparation so you can get right to the embroidery!

And that, my friends, is a detailed look at Embroider the Bayeux Tapestry by Mia Hansson!

If you’ve ever had a hankering to stitch a Bayeux Tapestry scene, Mia makes it easy! This book is a delight on every level, from the background information, to the instructional content, to the pattern collection, to the overall presentation of the book! It’s definitely worth adding to your embroidery library!

Where to Find It

If you’re looking for your own copy of Embroider the Bayeux Tapestry, you’ll find it listed here on my Amazon Book Recommendations page. Get it while you can! I think it’s proving to be a very popular book!

The link to my Amazon Needlework Books Recommendation Page is an affiliate link, which means that Needle ‘n Thread may receive a small commission for purchases made through that link, at no extra expense to you. Thanks!

This isn’t to say that we don’t see beautiful whitework embroidery produced today. Not at all! Because we do! Take, for example, many of the exquisite pieces of Jenny Adin-Christie (like this one). Beautiful!

But in some respects it is still different from the fine whitework of ages past.

Perhaps the best visual example of what I mean can be found in the book Lady Evenlyn’s Needlework Collection by Mary-Dick Digges, et al., where you can see cataloged the extraordinary and extensive collection of astounding whitework pieces amassed by Lady Evelyn Steward Murray (1868-1940). In fact, if you are in any way drawn to whitework embroidery and its history and development, it’s well worth adding a copy of this book to your library if you can get your hands on it.

In any case, the whitework of old is different. And it’s different for a number of reasons. Generally, we can just say “things change.” Fashions change. Tastes change. Society and trends and fads and wars and social upheaval and marketing and on and on – these influence the interest, value, time, effort, and more that we put into things that, in the past, may have garnered more interest, more effort, more value, more time, more care, and so forth.

And when Things Change, more things change – including the availability of materials. When the wider-spread ability or interest in using certain materials diminishes, manufacturers stop making those materials. A diminishing population of skilled or interested parties results in an extinct supply of the materials used by that smaller and smaller skilled segment of the population. It is, in a sense, the rule of supply and demand driven by the bottom line.

A few things have definitely changed in the “material world” of fine whitework embroidery, and the two most notable are fabric and threads. Today, it is nearly impossible to find the same exquisite quality of linen that was used a century ago. Handle or examine antique linens and you’ll know what I mean!

And it is nearly impossible to find some of the threads that were used in fine whitework. They are simply not made because they are not in demand. The skilled populace that used them, the interest in using them, and perhaps even the skill to manufacture them have diminished or disappeared. Because Things Change. C’est la vie!

Through the very kind interest and solicitude of a highly skilled, renowned, and enthusiastic needleworker whom I have not met but count as a friend and mentor – she is ever a source of excellent advice and encouragement! – I have come by a fabulous collection of whitework (and other) threads, many of which are no longer made.

And they are in pristine, usable, beautiful condition.

The threads are mostly in the family of DMC cotton whitework threads (and some Anchor brand threads, too) of a type called “coton a broder,” sometimes also called “cutwork thread.”

You can read in detail about coton a broder here, where I compare it to regular stranded cotton. There are also other comparison articles linked to in this article, with more information on the thread.

Coton a broder is a softly twisted, non-stranded, mercerized cotton threads ideal for all kinds of whitework: monogramming, cutwork, drawn thread work, different openwork and lacework techniques, and so forth. You can read about it in detail here.

Coton a broder is, of course, still produced today. I talk about it – and use it – frequently here on Needle ‘n Thread. But it used to be that coton a broder was produced in much finer weights than it is today.

In fact, even 20 years ago when I started Needle ‘n Thread, you could still find coton a broder #40 and #35. Now, the finest weight of coton a broder available is #30. The heaviest weight of coton a broder available 20 years ago was coton a broder #12. Now, it is #16. (The higher the number, the finer the thread).

Today, you can find coton a broder #16, #20, #25, and #30 for whitework, and that’s it.

You can, of course, use other threads for whitework – including stranded cotton (or “floss”) – but it isn’t the same thread, and the stitched results are different.

It is rare to find pristine collections of still-usable whitework threads. Here and there, you might come across a skein or two – maybe a box of skeins. Count your blessings if you do!

It is delightful to see how even the boxes are different. They are embossed, pretty boxes, wrapped in glassine paper.

When you open them, you find blue-lined interiors and threads wrapped in tissue.

In my newly acquired treasure trove of whitework threads, there are a variety of sizes. There are some of the sizes we still see available today, like 20, which you can see above.

The “put up” of the skein is different. These are not what we call “pull skeins,” which is the typical put-up for stranded cotton (and all sizes of coton a broder) today. These are more like hanks that are put up in circles (like floche or even perle cotton, but without the final twist on a hank of perle cotton).

I prefer this vastly to a pull skein. I’ve never loved pull skeins.

You can read about my approach to pull skeins here. And you can read more thoughts about pull skeins here, especially with coton a broder.

And you can read about my approach to this older kind of put-up for coton a broder here. Because even as recently as 20 years ago, coton a broder was not put up as a pull skein.

Besides the sizes we’re familiar with today, there are other obsolete sizes in this collection, including…

…the treasure of treasures: coton a broder #70 and #80.

You just don’t find these today. And if you do, the chance that 1. there’s an abundant supply of them that is 2. in pristine, usable condition… is Pretty Slim!

They didn’t always come in the flat, glassine-wrapped boxes.

Sometimes, they came in tubes.

When you open the tube, you find a bundle of slender skeins wrapped in blue tissue.

The skeins are so slender because the thread is so fine.

And there it is!

What a treasure!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Bobbi!

What Will I Do With Them?

I have not yet decided what to do with this incredible cache of practically extinct threads.

I suspect there is more here than I would ever use in a lifetime – or at least, in as much of my lifetime is left.

I am considering putting together a very limited (for obvious reasons) collection of fine whitework threads in obsolete weights, for those who are interested in trying them at least once in their lifetime. It would be a way to share the joy of experiencing threads from the past – of stitching, in a way, with a bit of history!

At the same time, I can think of several uses for them here in the studio, for bespoke or custom work. But the reality is that the supply is limited. And to work “commercially” with supplies that don’t exist anymore doesn’t necessarily make sense.

I’m toying with ideas, letting them percolate.

What do you think I should do with them?

The project is called Clara’s Garden, and the full kit for it is available in my shop, here. It’s quite a satisfactory piece to work, and I think it will look nice on my entryway table, under a statue or vase.

This was my “home” project for evening stitching, and it was good company while it lasted! I’m kind of glad it’s not completely finished, actually. I still need to hem it, and for that, I’ll do a decorative hemstitch of some sort. I haven’t really figured out what stitch I’ll use, but I would like it to be a little more decorative than a regular hemstitch. We shall see!

Oh. Ahem. Yes. Well, it’s not completely finished. I have to go back and correct a mistake. You might be able to see it! It’s kind of funny. I’m not sure how I got backwards on one of the motifs, but I did. It will just require picking out a small bit, and then stitching the motif where it actually belongs.

Sorry about the shoddy photo. I took that with my phone, with it on a sofa table, at about 11:00 PM the night I finished it!

For the finished edge, I wanted about the same amount of white space between the strip of withdrawn threads that will finish the hem, and the width of the colorful border on the piece.

It’s not exactly the same – the white space is 20 threads of linen wide, and the colorful border is 18.

I withdrew four threads in the linen, for the drawn thread work along the hem.

I withdrew the threads to the corner where two sides intersect, and I made sure that I had a few inches of the linen thread still attached (instead of cutting the linen threads completely as I went.

I prefer to re-weave the withdrawn threads into the fabric around the corners, to finish the corners and to keep the fabric in the corner of the hem “whole” (without strips of withdrawn thread left in the hem area).

This method works best when you withdraw any even number of threads from the fabric.

I withdrew one thread all the way down into the hem area, and then I took the adjacent thread, threaded it in my needle, and “re-wove” it into the blank space created by the withdrawn thread.

You can see that this creates a secure, nicely finished edge around the empty “box” left at the intersection.

I prefer this method of finishing the corners to satin stitching over the edges around the empty box, or to just leaving a withdrawn strip in the hem area. I think it looks neater and more professional.

Here, you can see both sides of the affected corner intersection finished.

Before I start the hemstitching, I’ll take a little piece of tape and pat it over that whole area, to lift off any linty bits of fiber leftover from withdrawing the fabric threads.

More on Withdrawn Threads

Way back towards the very beginnings of Needle ‘n Thread, I worked a series of drawn thread embroidery tutorials for the website. You can find those tutorials here, including this more detailed explanation (with photos) of re-weaving threads for drawn thread work edges.

Hope your week’s off to a great start!

I made 4th-of-July decorations this year. This is unusual on a number of levels, not least of which is the fact that I rarely use a sewing machine and I’m not that great at it when I do.

4th of July (Independence Day) is the quintessential summer holiday in most American small towns. It’s a picnic day, a cookout day, a day for fireworks and parades and parks and pools, rivers, ponds and lakes, sandy lots and corn on the cob, and, for most of the country, it’s a sweltering hot summer day where you get sticky and sweaty and bug-bit while eating hotdogs and hamburgers all in the name of celebrating the events of 1776 and thereabouts.

It’s a big one this year – the semiquincentennial. The big 250. And it just so happens that the 4th of July this year, for my family, coincides with extended family coming to town for their summer break.

And that means we’re having a Big Ole Party. And, on another level of Unusual, the party’s at my house instead of my sister’s.

And that’s all a roundabout way of explaining why I got the hair-brained idea to make my own decorations.

I made pennant banners – about 50 yards of pennant banners, in fact.

The fact is, lately I’ve had a ton of at-home time while taking care of my dad. And to keep myself sane, I do things. During working hours, the projects are Needle ‘n Thread related: writing, researching, designing, stitching, and the like. During the non-work hours, I still need things to do! I do some casual stitching to pass time, but I can’t stitch all the time.

One Must Diversify!

So I do other typical things that home-bound people do: I cook, bake, clean out closets, organize drawers, pour beeswax petites, make candles, clean the refrigerator, whatever it takes to have stuff to do.

When it was proposed that we celebrate the 4th at my house, I said, “Yay! A party! Good idea!”

In my mind, I covered my preparation bases very quickly: the nominal investment in a kiddie pool, the judicious placement of a sprinkler, hanging some lights, cleaning the grill, and sweeping the patio.

Easy peasy!

But then … what’s a party without decorations? I asked myself. Decorations are festive! I like festive!

So I started to look about for decorations.

I priced pre-made decorative bunting for the front porch and the fence line in the backyard. But do you know, decorative bunting is pricy.

And so I said to myself, “I can make my own decorations!”

Many a person, I’m sure, has fallen down the same rabbit hole, so I am not ashamed.

I squizzed around online to compare prices, and I ended up ordering 3 sets of 10″ “layer cakes” (10″ square pre-cuts of quilting fabric) in a patriotic theme, and 50 yards of double fold bias tape. I found the “layer cakes” on sale for about $28. There are 42 10″ squares of a variety of fabrics in each set. And I found the bias tape on clearance. For just around $90, I was able to procure everything I needed to make about 50 yards of pennant banners – with a few pennants leftover.

Compared to the $150+ it would have cost for re-usable buntings, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I had a project that I could whip out in no time (! I always underestimate time !), and the result would be cheery and cute.

And so, of an evening (and through a weekend), I set to work.

I forgot about things like ironing. And ironing. And pinning. And folding and ironing. And ironing.

And pinning. And did I mention ironing?

(Guess who doesn’t like ironing.)

And of course, the bias tape that was on sale was the wrong size – it was too wide – so I had to re-fold and iron it all, too.

But that’s ok. It worked!

Of course I had machine hiccups along the way. What the heck is happening here?

After spending hours trying to figure out why the needle kept jumping and knocking after working just fine for dozens of yards, I did the only thing my computer-functional (but sewing-machine-dysfunctional) self knew how to do: I rebooted the sewing machine. I unplugged the whole thing and let it sit overnight.

I don’t know if rebooting a sewing machine is a Thing, but hey! It worked!

It came to pass, eventually, that I had 50 yards of pennant banners complete and ready to hang.

I think it was worthwhile. They are re-usable, they’re unique, and I think they look cute and festive.

Plus, it was a pretty good diversion with a satisfactory finish.

I haven’t actually tested them on the back fence yet.

(Well – the party’s not till tomorrow. What’s the hurry?)

Pennant Banners

If you are interested in making pennant banners with embroidery on them, check out this article about the pennant banner that hangs front and center in the Studio – made the Valley Quail Chapter of the EGA. I love it! I think of them with gratitude every time I see it – and I see it multiple times a day!

There is a PDF of instructions available at the end of the article, that shows you how they constructed the pennant banner.

If you’re interested in making fabric pennant banners like the ones I made, I used this YouTube tutorial. So simple!

For those celebrating Independence Day, Happy 4th of July tomorrow! I hope you have a fun, safe, and exciting weekend!

Until recently, the drawers were organized in a pretty basic system: A series of drawers would be dedicated to one brand and type of thread. So, for example, DMC stranded cotton occupied some 8 or so drawers. Each drawer (or two) was dedicated to a color family: two drawers full of green DMC stranded cotton; two drawers of reds; one drawer of purples, and so forth.

If I needed red DMC stranded cotton, I went to the “red” DMC stranded cotton thread drawer and dug around for the specific color number I was looking for – or, if I wasn’t looking by number but rather by shade or tone, I rummaged till I found the shade or tone I was looking for, or I referenced the real thread color chart, found the shade I wanted, and then rummaged for the number.

You can image that such rummagings are not conducive to efficiency.

We use DMC cotton more than any other thread, and we have a lot of it on hand to design with. And while we do work with a lot of other thread types and brands, they don’t all occupy as much space or cover as great a color range.

It’s never been quick or easy to find DMC colors within color families, either by color number or by preferred shade or tone. Digging through drawers, checking each label for a number, or pulling threads of various shades and tones to lay out and compare with other threads, and not finding just the right shade, but knowing it exists … so you dig, you rummage some more. All this leads to disorganized and messy drawers and it eats up a lot of time!

The Rummage System eventually grew old, needless to say!

More and more frequently, we’d find ourselves using the real thread color card to narrow down colors and shades we wanted to use, before “screwing our courage to the sticking point” and facing the Rummage Job in the thread drawers.

At least when we referenced the color card, we had an idea of the shade and a number to seek. And that was helpful.

But it still wasn’t efficient. We’d find a good blue, for example, on the color card. And then, with an idea of the color in mind, and knowing the color number, we’d have to still fumble through the unorganized morass of every shade of blue in the blue thread drawers

Ugh.

What a time sink!

So we decided to use the color card as the basis of our organization.

Each column on the color card has a number at the top of it.

We sorted all the colors on that column into organized groupings in the drawers, following the order of thread numbers found on the particular column on the color card.

Sometimes, we fit two columns in one drawer, depending on the quantity of threads we have in those colors.

Then, we marked the label on the drawer with the column number.

Now, when we find a color on the color card, we look at the column number at the top of the card, go to that drawer, and quickly find the color from the threads that are laid out in the drawer in the same sequence as the numbers on the color card.

We have the color we want, lickety-split!

It’s also very easy to see what colors we’re out of, to make sure we replace them.

We also finally made a thread inventory list that we can update when we add or remove threads, or when we realize we’re out of a color.

We’re now in the process of updating thread inventory spreadsheets that we can keep up-to-date on our phones, that we can also access on the computer when we’re placing orders.

It’s oh-so-much more efficient!

We’ll be applying some of the same organizational tactics to our silk threads and goldwork threads, too – but the need is not quite as urgent, so we’ll be doing that as time allows. We don’t have as many, and we don’t access them as often.

And that, my friends, is our ongoing thread organization venture!

I really can’t emphasize enough how convenient it is to have real thread color cards. It would be ideal if every thread manufacturer produced them, but I’m sure it’s time consuming and expensive to do so.

Happy July 1st! See you Friday!

This rose project detailed below is one such instance.

The project began ok, went pretty quickly, but then got derailed when we realized that the finishing approach that we originally intended to take wasn’t going to work.

Eventually, though, I’ve got to get these OFF this slate frame! So I need to get my brain around a finishing solution.

These three roses were supposed to be appliquéd onto an altar cover.

It wasn’t until after they were finished that I decided they needed a bit more “oomph” behind them – lift, and a bit of stiffness – to keep them intact and protected against movement that inevitably comes with the movement of the cloth that covers an altar.

This extra support could be easily supplied by some backing card or board, or, better yet, by a nice stiff felt.

But the little leaves pose a problem. They’re too small and fiddly, and I’m not keen to tackle the roses with the leaves on them.

This is something I have to think about. It is likely these will be re-done at some point. Maybe. Or maybe we’ll just pick out the leaves and approach the leaves a different way.

I don’t know! I really can’t seem to get my mushy brain around a solution right now.

The roses are simply an enlarged version of the little rose in the box top above.

That is the prototype rose for the Tudor-esque roses I worked on this Marian Medallion design.

You can find the whole process of this very small rose worked out here, step-by-step.

The larger roses take longer to stitch, needless to say, and they require more supplies. More supplies is No Small Thing these days, because goldwork threads are harder to come by and much more expensive than they were four or five years ago.

So I don’t really want to re-stitch the bigger roses.

I’ll have to make my brain actually do some work, I suppose, and devise a solution.

The big roses are about three inches across.

The small rose is about 1.25″ across (an inch and a quarter).

And that, my friends, is all my brain can muster at the moment about this topic.

It’s a problem that will stew in the back of my head a bit longer before I make any definite move forward on it.

I’ll let you know what comes of it!

If you can’t make it to Texas by July 12th, though, you’ll miss it. I know! Short notice!

But if you can’t make it, you can still enjoy the exhibit from a distance. Here’s a look!

The Kimbell Art Museum in Ft. Worth is one of those “transcendent” art museum experiences, in my mind. It’s the type of art museum that I think is practically perfect in every way: it’s not Huge, it’s not Overwhelming, and its acquisitions are all “works of definitive excellence.”

In their own words, the aim of the Kimbell is “not historical completeness but the acquisition of individual objects of the highest possible aesthetic quality as determined by condition, rarity, importance, suitability, and communicative powers. The rationale is that a single work of outstanding merit and significance is more effective as an educational tool than a larger number of representative examples.”

If you enjoy contemplating, in a manageable space, the highlights of most excellent art representing a period – rather than, say, perambulating through extensive, unending galleries of piece after piece after piece that all start to blur together and look the same – then the Kimbell is for you!

Right now (it’s been running a while and has been extended to July 12), they have an exhibit on called The Holy Sepulcher: Treasures from the Terra Sancta Museum in Jerusalem.

In the exhibit, you’ll experience a collection of treasures from the artistic and archeological heritage of Christianity in the Holy Land, collected and safeguarded by the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land for over 800 years.

Of note to embroiderers who have an interest in historical and / or ecclesiastical embroidery, you’ll see several significant pieces. And while the “solemn set” of goldwork-embroidered vestments is probably the greater focal point, there are a couple exquisite pieces besides that set that I think are even more compelling to view.

One is a 17th century antependium (altar frontal) from Italy or Spain, worked in silk and gold & silver threads.

The other is a most fabulous 17th century cope from Genoa. It is a sumptuous example of silk embroidery in exquisite color, that is so well-preserved that it boggles the mind. I mean – the color on this thing! Incredible! There’s no metalwork on the cope. It’s “just” silk embroidery – absolutely gorgeous!

There are several other significant pieces in the exhibit, but these two – and especially that cope – are the two pieces I’d find myself spending a lot of time gazing at!

The Virtual Tour

If you can’t be in Ft Worth by July 12th – I certainly can’t be, boo hoo! – visit the website and enjoy the virtual tour. It’s so good! No, it’s not being there in person, and no, you can’t get up close and really see the details. But at least you can get a sense of the magnificence of these exquisite works of art.

With this project, I wanted to use a natural colored linen, because I’m including some blossoms that are very light, and they will show up better against a natural background as opposed to a white background. I also like the look of this type of design (only slightly stylized, a bit “loose” and natural) on natural colored linen. It works.

The linen I’m using is not high count – it’s a 32/33 thread count weave (so not perfectly “even weave”) – but the weave is fairly full. The linen threads fill up the fabric surface pretty well, so you don’t have that airy, separated-weave look that you’ll often find in some linens made for counted work.

Still, the nature of this particular linen is a little “rougher” than higher count, finer weave, smoother-handed fabric.

And this poses a little bit of a problem with design transfer.

It is more difficult to transfer tiny details of a design onto this type of weave, and then, when you’re stitching under a good light, to actually clearly see your design lines.

So, I solve the tiny detail problem in a very specific way.

With this project, I’m starting with the “foundation” of the design, which is the twigs, vines, brambles – whatever you want to call them.

I wanted something quite dark as a foundation, so I’m working with a very dark grayish-brown. And to stitch the thickest part of the vine, I started with a very sketchy split stitch (using one strand of floss), next to which I added more lines of sketchy split stitch until the foundation vine achieved the thickness I wanted.

There’s no formula to this type of sketchy stitching. You just put in the stitches until you get a look that you are happy with.

Onto the dark brown, I wanted to add some variation of brown and green, and the best way to do this for my purposes is with a variegated thread.

Again, no formula: no “this-color-goes-right-here” approach! Instead, the randomness (or seeming randomness) of the variegated thread dictates where the color changes happen. And that’s exactly what I want.

Some of the smaller twigs benefited from a more structured stem stitch, while others worked out in a fine and sketchy split stitch line. I found myself randomly switching between stem and split stitch, as the need struck, depending on what I wanted a line to look like. Did I want it tighter, more structured? I went with stem. Did I want it angular, split, sketchy? I went with split.

Even as I added some highlights of color to the “foundation” vine, it was really just a matter of a long stitch or two here using the variegated thread to put in a bit of color.

No, it doesn’t look meticulously “shaded” – it’s not supposed to.

When you zoom out from this close-up view, you end up with a mottled branchy sort of vine, which is what I’m going for.

When it comes to the little prickly bits, they would get Utterly Lost on the linen by the time the “foundation” lines were stitched. You wouldn’t be able to see them, if you were trying to cover them on the design.

Little bits like this are completely free-handed. They’re just tiny straight stitches worked here and there, randomly, judiciously, haphazardly – however they work out! – to give you a prickly, brambly look to your twiggy things.

Even if I were stitching on a perfectly smooth, high-count linen – or even, say, something like a Kona cotton, which is very smooth and very receptive of design details – I would never include this kind of detail in my design transfer for this type of design. It’s not necessary, and it is, in a sense, too restrictive, because they would have to be covered, even if you didn’t want a prickle Right There.

But certainly, on this type of weave, which is much more hearty than the weave of super high-count, super-smooth fabrics, you wouldn’t even be able to see that kind of tiny detail. So you wing it!

And you know what?

It’s FUN! There’s a lot to be said for this kind of freedom and randomness with this type of design. Coupled with the variations supplied by the thread, it’s delightful to watch how it all turns out.

So, that’s early progress on this project. It’s come further since I’ve stitches this part of it, but the foundation was the first hurdle. I wasn’t 100% sure how I wanted to approach it, and after a couple test runs, I decided to get loose.

And that’s when I finally liked it.

In Other News

We resume shipping tomorrow. Thanks for your patience on that! Anna gets home from their vacation this evening, so she’ll be back on the shipping floor tomorrow. And at some point, I’ll be back in the studio for morning work sessions. (I miss Studio Life! It’s always so varied and exciting!)

We have just a few more copies of Volume 7 of the Handpicked Collection. You can read my review of the book here, if you haven’t seen it yet. We’ll re-stock this book if possible. They do tend to sell out of their print runs on these volumes, but I’ll try to keep it in stock as long as it’s available in print.

I have another fabulous book to review for you. It’s not something I’m carrying in the shop, because it’s available through the wider book markets and easy enough to get. It’s a fascinating book – I read it from cover to cover, and I think you’ll like it, too.

Next week, I’m going to show you our new thread organization approach. It works so well! Finally, I can find threads fast. I can easily see what threads we have or don’t have, so that I can keep my color choices up to date.

More to come, more to come!

Hope your week is going well!

On Friday I apparently struck horror and grief into the hearts of many when I mentioned in this book review that …

…it’s true….

I don’t have a teapot.

I was even berated by some for being a self-claimed “dedicated tea drinker,” yet without a teapot!

There I was, reading my email, feeling so inadequate, so incomplete, so… stunted!…

…and then I remembered my friends.

In the studio where Anna and I work and where we occasionally entertain guests and do a lot of shipping and whatnot, we have a large wall of cubbies (24 total) that separates the front half of the studio from the back half.

We love the cubbies! They’ve become a little decorative playground for us, where we switch out seasonal display items – embroidered things that we’ve made or that we’ve received as gifts, along with tools, threads, tins, boxes, useful things, decorative things, and just downright fun things.

On the cubbies, we have two “friends” that we have named.

One, we named Turtle. And the other, we named Frog.

We are very original when it comes to names.

Turtle and Frog are little pincushions.

Frog is pewter, made in England by A E Williams, I believe. A E Williams produces some fabulous little pincushions that are eminently collectible, giftable, and just really wonderful, whimsical little things.

Turtle doesn’t quite have the same pedigree, but he is just as endearing!

And along with Frog and Turtle, I have one more little pincushion…

… and it is a teapot.

So, see, people! I do have a teapot!

I AM ADEQUATE!

I just felt like I should restore my estimation in your eyes.

Heh heh.

Who knew that the lack of teapot would be such an evocative topic?! Thank you for your humorous emails, your excellent recommendations for good teapots, and your encouragement to “ritualize” tea by using a legit teapot!

I will keep all your recommendations in mind. As my nephew would say, #goalz.

We’ll get back to the serious programming on Wednesday, with a bit of embroidery! See you then!

Have a wonderful Monday!

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!