Make a cute plump Santa — or a whole collection of them — to use as gift tie-ons or tree ornaments. Jenni of The Vintage Umbrella shares the pattern and shows us how. See her tutorial.
Free pattern: Christmas pickle
Squee! I don’t know what culture this comes from; but if you’ve ever been to Atkins, Arkansas (The Pickle Capital of the World), then you know that every Christmas tree is supposed to have a pickle ornament hidden somewhere. Abby … Read More...
Free ebook: Woven bags
Check out this new free ebook from Interweave: Learn How to Make Woven Bags with 4 Woven Bag Projects. The site says,
… Read More...Handmade bags and totes require only a small amount of fabric, are easy to weave, require minimal
Tutorial: Teacher’s coffee cozy
Bethany of Finding Pins and Needles adapts a tutorial by Crafty Staci to make a coffee cozy that’s a perfect teacher-appreciation gift. Follow her instructions to make some for the teachers in your life. See Bethany’s post.
Follow the redwork progress
Mary Corbet of Needle ‘n’ Thread has embarked on a new many-staged project that she’s sharing with us in a series of posts. If you want to track her progress on the Hungarian Redwork Runner from beginning to end, she’s … Read More...
Pattern and tutorial: Christmas deer
Cute, cute, cute! Make this little deer to decorate a package or the tree. Add a pin to the back, and it also can be worn as a holiday brooch. Susi of Lilla Luise came up with the idea and … Read More...
Tutorials: Handmade Christmas ornaments
Jenni of The Vintage Umbrella has fired up her annual ornament-making engine! Yea! Here are a couple of DIYs that are perfect for needleworkers. Make twine-covered bells and embellish them with all those scraps of trim you’ve been hoarding. Or … Read More...
Resource: Sarah’s Hand Embroidery Tutorials
Palak of Make It Handmade sent me a recommendation for a site I hadn’t seen before, Sarah’s Hand Embroidery Tutorials. Palak says,
… Read More...I came across this site when I was searching for handwork tutorials. She has a huge library
Tutorial: Watercolor backgrounds
Elizabeth of Sew in Love explains how she creates watercolor-on-fabric backgrounds for her needlework. We can do this! See her tute.
Tutorial: Atom Beads
When you make your own beaded beads, you can coordinate the colors precisely to an outfit (if you use them in handmade jewelry) or to a composition (if you use them to embellish needlework). The Crimson Moon is sharing a … Read More...
Tutorial: Embroidered moth patches
I love the wit as well as the beauty of this bit of mending. To repair a little moth hole in a comfy sweater, Joan of Nini Makes created a moth-shaped patch and embellished it with sweet stitching. Don’t wait … Read More...
Brilliant: A box made of hoops
Carol of iStitch created this beautiful hinged box from embroidery hoops! She credits the idea and technique to a tutorial by The Twisted Stitcher. But she definitely deserves props for the excellence of her stitching and her finish. See … Read More...
Tutorial: Copy a pattern in embroidery
TeresaDownUnder of Sewn Up shares the process she followed to create embroidered pillowcases to match a duvet cover. Her bright idea would work in any situation where you want to match an existing pattern. Maybe a pretty purse with an … Read More...
Tutorial: Fairy Tale Felt Flower
Construction of this pretty felt fantasy flower by Rachel of Lines Across is similar to a rolled rose. Find out how to make them from her tutorial.
Tutorial: Teeny tiny pumpkin
OMG! The cutest embroidered pumpkin in the world! Mary Corbet of Needle ‘n’ Thread shows us how to make one in five minutes with just a few bullion stitches. See her tutorial.
Tutorial: Embroidery basics
If you’re wanting to dip a toe into hand embroidery, Rachael of Imagine Gnats has got you covered. Her guest post at Sew Delicious covers the basics for embroidery beginners. Check out her guide.
Tutorial: Scrappy background for embroidery
Kirsty of You Had Me at Bonjour shows us how to use tiny scraps to create a background for embroidery. (Oh, great! Now I won’t even be able to throw away the inchies!) See her rockin tutorial.
How to keep metallic threads from breaking
Using metallic threads and blending filaments can be tricky. Kreinik‘s Facebook readers recently chimed in with personal experience and tips for a poster who was frustrated by the tendency of delicate fibers to break. Check out the wealth of … Read More...
How to read a bargello chart
Bargello Needlepoint offers clear, concise directions for reading and understanding a bargello pattern. Check out the post.
And many thanks to Jane of Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure for pointing out this find.
Bargello embroidery patterns are a type of … Read More...
Tutorial: Embroidered needlebooks
Carol of Stitches of Life created these embroidered matchbook-style needlebooks as favors for participants in a recent workshop. I’m a serious fan of stitching on paper to begin with, and I am knocked out by Carol’s choices of patterns and … Read More...