Fine Needleworks

EGA National Tapestry

"C" — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:53:06 +0000

I was updating the EGA Youngstown Chapter history scrapbook today and was reminded of the EGA National tapestry.This five panel piece, designed by Judy Jeroy, is stunning both at a distance and close up. There are many geographical features such as trees, ocean, hills, and rivers as well as birds, animals and plants. Each panel was passed around its own region and thousands of volunteers stitched on it. I got to see the completed tapestry when visiting Louisville Kentucky a couple of years ago. It's created on 18 count canvas, but many techniques are represented. Many of the animals are stitched on slips and appliqued to the background. There are counted techniques as well as crewel, raised work, silk shading and silk ribbon stitches. Check out the section on http://www.egausa.org/html/national_tapestry.html to see lots of detail.

Those pesky cracked hands

"C" — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 18:57:41 +0000

Like many people, my hands get very dry and have sharp bits which get caught up on the fine threads. I’ve found that ordinary hand creams, even if they are the luxury ones, leave residue on my hands so I can’t stitch after applying.

Udder cream, called Udderly Smooth doesn’t have this problem. I use it and within a minute or so I can stitch again. My local pharmacy, including Target and Walmart sell it. However, in some stores it’s stored behind the pharmacy counter. I don’t particularly like the style that comes in the “milk bottle” and prefer the tub where the contents are more like a cream/paste. The packaging has black and white spots, similar to the cartoon dairy cow.

Monica Ferris Thai Dye

"C" — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:33:50 +0000

Thai Dye, the Monica Ferris murder mystery I’m reading at the moment has her heroine Betsy exploring the big crime area of international artifact smuggling. Doris, Betsy’s friend returns from a trip to Thailand with silks and “a little extra”.

Betsy owns a needlecraft store in Minnesota and each mystery she’s involved in includes lots of references to threads, fabrics, designers, as well as background material (pun intended). For those who embroider or like needlework in its many forms, the light mystery interspersed with tips and ideas makes for pleasant book reading. This didn’t seem to be Ferris’ best book, as I guessed a lot of the plot early on, but the information about silk was interesting.

Royal School of Needlework made lace for Royal Wedding

"C" — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:40:32 +0000

Did you see the Royal Wedding! And what about the dress? I thought it was spectacular and when I read the needlework was done by the Royal School of Needlework I was excited.

Apparently, the thistle, rose, daffodil and shamrock were incorporated into the design. However, I haven't found a closeup picture that shows that part. The lace is made in the Carrickmacross lacemaking style. The embroiderers had to wash their hands every 30 minutes to keep the material clean.

Smocked dresses to be sold on Ebay

"C" — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:49:03 +0000

Country Bumpkin publications in Australia are selling some of their sample dresses on Ebay.

Australian Smocking and Embroidery Magazine has beautiful projects so I'm sure the sample dresses will make many people very happy. Check out the magazine at Country Bumpkin's website.

L’Aiguille en Fête

"C" — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:55:03 +0000

The latest Country Bumpkin newsletter covers their visit to L’Aiguille en Fête in Paris. This huge craft, needlework and art show is one of Europe’s finest.

I was particularly struck by these fishing flies made with Au ver à Soie silk thread. Bruno Pimpanini makes pins that are gorgeous. Check out the rest of the newsletter from Country Bumpkin's website. www.countrybumpkin.com.au.

Plimouth Plantation Embroidered Jacket

"C" — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:48:30 +0000

I keep meaning to reference this astonishing piece of embroidery. It’s a replica of a 17^th century embroidered jacket. This project is part of the living history museum at Plimouth Plantation near Plymouth, MA. The picture here is a very small detail of a full ladies jacket.

It took volunteers three years to make and is a true masterpiece. There were over a hundred people who stitched it. The credits include embroiderers, lacemakers, and spanglers. Check out the blog at http://www.plimoth.org/embroidery-blog/. You will need to scroll down to see the photographs of the finished piece. I agree with the author that seeing it in the candlelight is as fascinating as the close up picture.

On the right column of the blog is a list of categories. You can see details of such items as stitches, weaving, lacemaking and historical background. I’ve spent several hours looking at all the details. Enjoy!

Myth and Magic of Embroidery

"C" — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:23:26 +0000

I received Helen Stevens’ Myth & Magic of Embroidery as a birthday present. Thank you Carol and Donald! It is autographed, so I am particularly lucky.It continues Helen’s series of books that offer a mixture of history and techniques for her surface embroidery. Her style is very distinctive and her standard of stitching extraordinary. She often uses the typical short and long stitch but in an unusual way. She doesn’t usually completely cover the ground material and takes advantage of the background fabric for shading and color subtleties. One of the more striking pictures is of a cat. In one image the stitch coverage is more intense than in the other. The difference is one looks like a black cat and the other a grey one.

I have several other books of hers. They are all nature oriented. My favorite is Embroiderers’ Countryside. This includes many of her birds, mice, and butterflies that are perennial favorites.

ANG National Exhibit

"C" — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 16:09:21 +0000

January Needlepointers contains photos of fabulous projects. These are the award winners from the ANG National Exhibit. The cover picture of a 3D carnation made from canvas is beautiful. It won 1st place in the Professional adaptation category as well as the Ohio State award. It was made by Rozelle Hirschfelt.

Several other projects in the January Needlepointers caught my fancy too. I had looked at doing the stitch of the month series for 2010 that Toni Minieri designed and which was shaped like a kimono, however, someone had made it heart-shaped. She won second place in the Professional Independent project category. I laughed when I read the details and found that was also made by Rozelle Hirschfelt! I think that means she is my favorite designer at the moment.

William Morris book and fabric

"C" — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:11:55 +0000

This new book from Michele Hill, More William Morris Appliqué, looks really sumptuous.

Michele has created a series of fabrics as well as quilt patterns to go with the book, so you’ll be able to produce rich colorful quilts and clothes with these fabrics. I particularly like the fabric with bordered patterns and the way the dark green leaves contrast the strong red flowers.

If you like Michele’s books you should look out for her first book too. It’s called William Morris in Appliqué.