A Joyful Abode has an easy to follow tutorial on how to embroider shisha mirrors.  What are shisha mirrors you ask?   They are little mirrors that are used to embellish clothing, textiles and home accessories – most commonly found in east Indian textiles.  Go check it out!
image source

I’ve had some reader requests to explain how to make the “baseball stitch” used in the heart softies tutorial.  It’s an easy & fast stitch for making a flat, almost invisible closure.  It’s great for 3D projects like stuffed animals.
For the sake of clarity, I’m going to be using left & right to designate which side of the fabric I’m working on.  Here’s a step-by-step how-to:

Thread your needle and knot the end.  Bring the needle up from the wrong side of the left piece of fabric.

Now take the needle and bring it over the left side and push it through …read more

Sorry about the lack of posts – my internet has been down for waaaaay too long!
Of course, when I’m not able to check my email or write, I do have a chance to play with techniques in my studio
I finally picked up an embroidery hoop (actually I got three) and have been working on a little igolochkoy (Russian punch needle) Christmas tree ornament.   Here’s what the front looks like so far:

The needle creates a little tuft of thread as you push it through the back.  I’ll post a more detailed look at how the needles work tomorrow.
Here’s what …read more

Have you ever run across a crochet project that you would love to do but can’t remember how to do a few of the stitches?  I have and it’s frustrating BUT not anymore.  Annie’s Attic has a crochet stitch guide that is great – and it’s free.  Click on any stitch that you want to know more about and get explicit instructions plus pictures on how to do it.  Some of them even have videos!  Don’t you love pictures?

Hi NeedleCrafters!
My name is Cathy and I am thrilled to be writing for the Tangled Thread!  We are going to explore all kinds of needle craft from crochet to needlepoint, knitting, crewel embroidery and much more.
If there is anything you want to talk about please post a comment.  I’d like this to be an interactive blog where crafters feel free to talk about what they like, what they don’t like, and to ask questions.
Technorati Profile

Finally.
I hadn’t been doing as much stitching, as it was making my eyes hurt. But now I have new lenses in my glasses, and the mad rush of many houseguests has calmed a bit. That means over the last couple of days I have had time to work on my needlecase! yay!
I realized in the reading of my chart last evening that I need to backstitch around the flowers in the center motif with gold metallic. I’d thought I was done with that one (except for beads & crystals, which I’m going to …read more

I haven’t really gotten much more stitched on this pillowcase since I last posted my progress. I’ve been spending more time thinking about how I can fill in the petals and leaves, than actually stitching them. The issue is that I do not know if the inked on design will wash out or not, because I have no information about the pillowcases other than the sticky label which tells me they were made in China and that they’re 100% cotton. So I cannot indulge in fancy filling stitches that will leave background visible, because then the ink …read more

There are a lot of guides on how to do needlework, some text, some with illustrations, online and in print. They range from beginning basics to advanced stitches. I prefer tutorials that have illustrations, as I like to see the process involved. It helps me understand it better. So, I’ve looked around online to see what I can find, and among all the sites with horrible instructions or confusing graphics, there are a few gems. Here are some sites that have good to excellent tutorials on how to create various stitches:

Stitching Tips & Techniques: …read more

Deciding on a project to begin can be a daunting task for any of us, regardless of how experienced we are. For the beginner, the sheer number of choices is overwhelming. For the more advanced stitcher the problem tends to be choosing one project from the endless Wish List and seeing it through to completion.
I have an ongoing interest in all things Egyptian, and for the stitcher there are many patterns available. My impetus for keeping focused on stitching “Frederick the Literate” is the promise and lure of Teresa Wentzler’s “Egyptian Sampler” (which is whispering to me from …read more