Book Review: Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery

I received Sharon Boggon's book, Creative Stitches for Contemporary Embroidery, for Christmas. This book is a visual guide of 120 embroidery stitches. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced embroiderer, this book encourages you to create new patterns by playing with the stitches. For example, to manipulate the height and width of a stitch, to overlap and stack stitches, to combine laced and threaded stitches . . . Page 27 has a list of 21 questions to consider when using a particular stitch, such as

• How does this stitch behave on a curve?
• Can this stitch be laced with another thread?
• What happens if I add beads?

Lots of stitch combinations to consider!

You won't be disappointed with the coloured photos throughout the book.

You are probably familiar with Sharon's website, Pintangle. If not, and you are interested in hand embroidery (beginner or experienced), please check it out. 

Another TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday) challenge started today. So it's time to get your threads and doodle cloth ready for stitching!

More links about hand embroidery:

• Nordic Needle   (free patterns)
• Freebie Gallery  
• Needle 'n Thread Network (Mary Corbet)
• Jo Butcher, artist  
• Emma Mattson, artist  
• Needle Work,  Needle Painting
• DMC free patterns   
• Tanja Berlin, Canadian designer 
• EAC, Embroiderers' Association of Canada   
• 10 Contemporary Embroidery Artists   

Enjoy!

Crazy Quilted Post Card

As I posted on November 27, I won a gorgeous crazy quilted postcard from Magpie's Mumblings. It arrived a few days ago and is lovely. The button embellishments are quite tiny and the beaded stocking is very dainty. Thanks again, Mary Anne.

• Crazy Quilted Christmas on Pinterest HERE.   
• Christmas Crazy Quilt  
• Christmas Stocking  
• U Tube how to sew a Crazy Quilted Stocking 
• Crazy Quilt Embroidery Stitches  
• Crazy Quilting at Needle 'N Thread       
• Tutorial from Pin Tangle  

I also added Sharon Boggon's Visual Guild to Crazy Quilting, to my library.  In this book, Learn crazy-quilting techniques with colorful photos that show every detail. Sharon combines fabric, embellishments, and 35 stitches as well as endless variations of these stitches to create stunning crazy quilts. This is a 'must have' if you like making crazy quilted projects.

Enjoy!1

TAST

Well, Sharon Boggon's,  Pintangle, Take A Stitch Tuesday (TAST), is back! For those of us who have followed Pintangle, this is indeed exciting. Even if you didn't do the weekly stitching, it was there as an excellent reference. You could also do the stitching at your leisure without any pressure. That was the part I liked best.

What is TAST? Check it out HERE.  This link has a list of all the stitches that were done over the last few years - AND is an excellent resource. Worth book marking for quick access.

So, everyone, check out the re-run of TAST!

For the beginner, it is a great way to learn to stitch and for others, it is a way to explore and use a variety of different threads and yarns.

So, get started and enjoy!

TAST - Take A Stitch Tuesday Challenge

Sharon B of Pintangle is offering her Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge again in the new year. If you are interested in learning some new embroidery stitches or brushing up on some old ones, this is a great opportunity to do so. The best thing - it's free! Read more about it here. I just signed up. Not that I need another project, but you never know what new ideas might come from it. Not only that, but it will give me something to focus on in our Thursday night stitching group called FETE - friends every Thursday night.

Pin Tangle

For the last hour or so I have been looking at blogs listed in Pin Tangle. 'Pin Tangle tracks online resources, news and information which relate to contemporary and historical textiles, embroidery and crazy quilting, the fiber and book arts including studio and visual journals.' In this blog, Sharon Boggon has just finished listing quilting and stitching blogs by the letters of the alphabet. She plans to start over again very soon, updating the list and removing blogs no longer active. Her main website is In a Minute Ago. Among the many things you will find on this site is a dictionary of stitches for hand embroidery and needlework. If you are into crazy quilting, this site is one to view.

Try this free pattern, Crazy Quilt Teacup Wall Hanging, from Kreinik.