The Dictionary of Needlework: An Encyclopaedia of Artistic, Plain, and Fancy Needlework Sophia Frances Anne Caulfeild published in 1887 is a beautiful encyclopedia. It spans over 500 pages and it’s full of over 800 illustrations. Dealing fully with the details of all the stitches employed, the method of working The materials used, the meaning of technical terms It even looks back at the origin and history of the various needle works described A genuinely nice book for the background of Needle Work with loads of pictures included. This book contains over 500 pages and is delivered instantly in PDF format.  For you to enjoy.

“Where flowers bloom so does hope.” – Lady Bird Johnson Love this sweet little touch.

Listen or download Song From A Secret Garden for free on Prostopleer

Today's tutorial is VERY beginners-friendly! So if you are still a little nervous to take up stitching, this little project would be a great start :) It is also not tied up to a pattern. On the contrary, you can build this starry sky yourself in a way that you like the most. Or use any of these stars as a doodley motif in another project. And if you are a beginner and want to know the basics first, you can start with the following posts: how to start thread, how to end thread and others in the “Guide to embroidery” tag! And without further ado, let's start. There will be lots of pictures ahead! So, the first star is this easy 5-point star. I quickly doodled it up on the fabric with a chalk pencil. And to work it you just need to make straight stitches for all of the edges. As easy as it can be. And it looks kind of cute, doesn't it? :) Now, if you want to fill it in, you can do that with parallel stitches slanted in the same angle as one of the edges. You can place these stitches as densely as you want. In my case, I decided to take it easy and leave some space between them. If you want to add an extra “tail” to the star to show that it is moving, you can use one of the line stitches to do that. I used split back stitch here when you come up through the fabric a step down the line and then insert the needle in the previous stitch. Alternative stitches that you can use for these lines: stem stitch, back stitch and regular split stitch. At the end of the tail, the lines interrupt so you can leave some space between these tiny stitches. I'm actually still moving in a “back stitch” way here, moving backward, but you can work it as a running stitch. Falling stars, falling stars everywhere. And we have a rising star! :) Another easy way to stitch a pentagonal star is to make longer stitches connecting the five points. The finished one! There are also 4-pointed stars with soft, bending sides. They are easy to work too, we just need to use fly stitch technique. Make a stitch at one of the peaks and end it in another peak, then come up through the fabric in between these two points while tucking the working end of the thread under the needle tip. Pull the needle through and anchor the stitch. Repeat for the other sides to get a star like this :) Now, a criss-cross star! Make a vertical stitch, cross it with a horizontal one, and then add two diagonal stitches. Doesn't it remind you of the northern star? In fact, you don't have to make the first two stitches so long, If you make all of the stitches approximately the same length, it will look very cute too! Lastly, you may want to add just little dot-like stars, which are also a very pretty way to work starry skies. For that, you can use french knots. For a very small dot use 1 strand of thread and 1 wrap around the needle. For bigger knots, you can make 2 wraps (3 wraps is usually too much), and the more strands you use, the more dimensional will be the knots. And if you want to create a scattering of little stars, use seed stitch. You can grab even just 1 fiber of fabric with your thread if you want to make these little guys extra tiny. And that's about that! Now you can make your own starry sky using these tutorials. Isn't that one of the easiest ways to make a decorative hoop for your home? :)

Artist Krista Decor stitches her embroidery designs onto tulle—a translucent, net-like fabric that makes her designs look as though they are floating.

And you won't even have to hide its flaws

Please read the entire page carefully before you buy! It is NOT a kit, floss and fabric NOT included Premium counted cross stitch chart. Stitches: 230w x 330h Finished Size : 14 count: 16.4” X 23.6”; 41.7 cm X 59.9 cm 18 count: 12.8” X 18.3”; 32.5 cm X 46.6 cm 22 count: 10.5” X 15.0”; 26.6 cm X 38.1 cm Color: 85 (charted for DMC floss); uses solid floss colors, All stitches are full Stitches. No half stitches or back stitching. Black & White PDF electronic Pattern chart with Symbols. Picture shows stitched results, not original art. You can download your pattern immediately after the payment. DISCLAIMER: Due to the limitations & inconsistencies of various display monitors, the colors you see on your screen may not be a totally accurate reproduction of the actual product. Screen images are intended as a guide only and should not be regarded as absolutely correct. This chart has been designed and printed with our best intentions of being without mistakes. However, the possibility of human error, printing mistakes or the variation of individual stitching does exist, and we regret that we cannot be responsible for this.

Please read the entire page carefully before you buy! It is NOT a kit, floss and fabric NOT included Premium counted cross stitch chart. Stitches: 160w x 420h Finished Size : 14 count: 11.4” X 30.0”; 29.0 cm X 76.2 cm 18 count: 8.89” X 23.3”; 22.6 cm X 59.3 cm 22 count: 7.27” X 19.1”; 18.5 cm X 48.5 cm Color: 89 (charted for DMC floss); uses solid floss colors, All stitches are full Stitches. No half stitches or back stitching. Black & White PDF electronic Pattern chart with Symbols. Picture shows stitched results, not original art. You can download your pattern immediately after the payment. DISCLAIMER: Due to the limitations & inconsistencies of various display monitors, the colors you see on your screen may not be a totally accurate reproduction of the actual product. Screen images are intended as a guide only and should not be regarded as absolutely correct. This chart has been designed and printed with our best intentions of being without mistakes. However, the possibility of human error, printing mistakes or the variation of individual stitching does exist, and we regret that we cannot be responsible for this.

Broderie main sur feutrine. ( 18x25cm )

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Download this Premium Vector about Needlework icons set, and discover more than 141 Million Professional Graphic Resources on Freepik. #freepik #vector #textile #sewingicon #sewingbutton

From Marie Claire idées Juin 1999 I just found out that this is designed by Lesley Turpin Delport and is called "A Country Feeling" It reminded me of Jenny Bee's Country Garden

The cover for my needlebook (or, as some may call it, a "hussif") is coming along. I've almost finished embroidering the back of it, and then will only have one more panel. Then I can add the inside layer, embroider the book spines, and start on the little inside accessory spaces. The whole proje

So my good friend the Lattice Sampler, which began as part of the Stitch Fun series, is almost finished. On the one hand, this is a good thing, because I find it distracts me now and then. On the other hand, this is a bad thing, because I find I like to be distracted by it. Also, it has prove

Image taken from a photograph - Foxy

New old posts on hand embroidery essentials :) As I mentioned before, I'm planning to update some old posts because they are too outdated. I started with the essentials of starting and ending thread, so here are the posts for you to check out: 5 ways to start thread in hand embroidery How to finish thread in hand embroidery I didn't just update the pictures, but also added some new information and tips and cut out what the “me today” decided was insignificant. That's why I'm informing you here. Because some of the added tips might be of interest to you. For instance, previously there were just 3 ways of starting thread, but now there are 5. One of which is what I came up with myself in the time that passed since the post was published. As we gain more experience, we also gain more practical knowledge. I noticed that I too, invented in the recent time some new ways if starting and finishing thread. These methods aren't obvious for a beginner, because well, they aren't really shared on the net and in the books. At least, I have never come across that. But I also didn't want to make a new post about that, so I just updated the old ones, haha. So make sure to check them out! :) And the title picture here is a sneak peek to another version of a flower pattern from Amelia designs. Like I said, this one will feel a bit stricter and serious, but still just as charming. Love the combination of golden yellows with violet. Yummy! Look forward to it!

Sampler, Rhode Island, 1791.

Another way of filling a shape in your embroidery pattern :) Lots of pictures below, you were warned! So, the stitch of this month is detached buttonhole! Or, rather, the technique of this month, because actually, this stitch has some variations and the name can even be extended to a technique common for stumpwork (which will hopefully be covered in one of the next posts). But I digress. If you are not familiar with a regular buttonhole stitch, check out these posts first: Buttonhole stitch basics Buttonhole stitch variations Buttonhole stitch as a filler Buttonhole stitch tip I recommend trying it out on a spare piece of fabric first, at least the basic one, to get used to the way it is worked. Although, you can actually work detached buttonhole without any preparation! Now, let's start the lesson because it is quite long as it is. Detached buttonhole type 1: loose I'm working this one with 1 strand of floss. First, we need to outline the shape. I used chain stitch, but other line stitches will do just as fine: back stitch, stem stitch, split stitch will suit this purpose. Now, if you strive for perfection, you might want to work the stitches evenly on the left and right sides. In this case, they will serve as a sort of mark. I'm usually the one to take it easy, so my stitches aren't perfectly aligned, they only serve the purpose of being an outline. Because of that I don't have marks and have to rely on my intuition, but I don't really mind, haha. We begin the first row of detached buttonhole the following way: bring the needle up through the fabric at one side of the shape, a little under the top, then slide the needle through one of the stitches of the outline vertically with your tip going downward. Notice how the working end of the thread is being tucked under the needle tip at this step. Pull the needle through, forming a loop. Keep it loose enough, don't pull too tight. But also, keep it in shape, you know? Well, you will get a hang of it once you try! Keep making stitches the same way and don't forget to slide your needle under the top stitches with its tip down and with the working thread tucked underneath. After you make the last loop, insert the needle on the other side of the shape, a little below the top level, mirroring what you did in the first step. Now come up through the fabric on the same side and repeat all the steps except that now you will be anchoring your loops on the ones from the row above. Keep going! By the way, for weaving techniques like this it is always better to use a needle with a blunt tip to avoid picking on thread fibers. I was too lazy to search for one in my stash though, so I just moved the needle with the needle eye down. If you look closely at the loops from different rows you will see the slight difference in how they are formed. It is because we change the direction with every row. But the difference is very difficult to notice without looking closely so we can make this sacrifice in order to save thread, right? It will not work for the other type of detached buttonhole though.... When we finished, we need to anchor the last row. For that, make a loop like you would normally do, tucking the working end of thread under the needle, and then slide the needle under one of the stitches from the outline. It will anchor the loop to that stitch. Keep doing the same with the rest of the loops in the last row. Anchored well! The result. Well, not perfectly neat, but it is a practice so I didn't really sweat over it, haha. I actually used this detached buttonhole for the leaves in this pattern! You can see that it can be worked for irregular shapes as well. Going to be a little challenging, but you just need to calculate the way place your rows. Detached buttonhole type 2: close woven The order of work for this is almost the same, the core movements are identical – we just add one more element. For this shape, I'm using 3 strands of floss, to make the weave even more close and dense. If I worked it with 1 strand of floss it would be a little more airy, but I wanted to show how to get that “heavy” effect. So, work an outline for your shape, I used back stitch here. Then, come upwards through the fabric at one side of the shape and insert the needle at another side on the same level. You are making a giant straight stitch this way, which lies horizontally on the fabric. And then, on the same side where you inserted the needle last time, you will come up a little below that bar, and make a loop. The loop is worked almost the same way as before: the needle sliding downward through the stitch above, except that the needle also goes under the bar before you tuck the working thread under it. So, remember: under the stitch above, under the bar, but over the working thread. This way, you are trapping the bar stitch inside your loop. And then you can continue working the full row repeating the previous steps. When you reach the other side, you need to make a new bar and start another row of detached buttonhole. So, basically, you always start on the same side. With this type of weaving and this thickness of thread, if you start a new row of loops from another side, the difference will be more visible. It is not that likely to start from the other side, though, because you always come back to the same one after making another bar, anyway. But I'm telling this in case your thread ends and you want to continue from the other side. The difference in loops will be clear! Now to the topic of anchoring the loops. I have two suggestions. Here, as you are working the last row of loops, you can slide under the outline stitch as well. So, the order will be: under the loop above, under the bar, under the stitch from the outline, over the working thread. It will create a sort of an edge. Another way is to work the last row of stitches completely (I cut it in half here just to show you what it would look like), and then anchor every loop like you would do with a fly stitch. This is how it can look like. You can also anchor it right over the outline stitches! I used the first method to save thread because it was about to finish, haha. It can be worked even closer, actually. To the point that the background hardly peaks through at all. For that, make your loops shorter – I skipped every other back stitch when I was working the first row, but you can make a loop for each one. So, here are the new ways you can fill your shapes in embroidery. One is an open filling, like lattice, the other is... semi-solid, I would say? It will depend on how closely you work it and how thick your thread will be! Oof, congrats if you made it till here! See you at the next tutorial! :)

It seems there’s lots of stuff going on in the hand embroidery world these days, and I think that’s an excellent sign! You really can’t convince me that hand embroidery is a dying art. No, no, no! I think it’s definitely a living art, and I think it’s growing in popularity by leaps and bounds! ...

Since I've been playing around with drawn thread embroidery on my whitework technique sampler, I thought it worthwhile to look around online for some good resources for technique and design ideas. As usual, one of my first stops when looking for needlework instructional books online is Antique P

The other day, I was having One of Those Days. Do you ever have them? I sat at my worktable, staring before me, not really sure what to tackle. And so, listlessly, without really thinking about what I was doing, I reached for my Stitch Fun lattice work sampler. I picked up a pencil and ...