How about a short little tour of needlework-related “stuff” going on out there in the Great Big Needlework World? Just a few little stops that have caught my eye recently…
First up is Hannah’s new blog, Enbrouderie, which is filling up quickly with a bunch of useful information, beautiful embroidery, and all kinds of delightful needlework-related topics. She’s currently working on a crewel project that has captured my interest – I’m enjoying seeing it develop.
This crewel bird is quite a looker – and the shading on the wing is particularly nice. It’s so pretty! Stop by Enbrouderie to see other elements of the piece – and if you bookmark it or add it to your feedreader, you’ll be able to check back to see Hannah’s progress and to read her other interesting needlework-related content.
And speaking of her needlework-related content, Hannah highlighted a great website dedicated to crewel embroidery, but not your typical crewel embroidery. I spent a good hour just browsing this site, soaking it in, examining the various gallery pieces, and I think you’ll enjoy it to. The site is called Talliaferro, and there you will see some of the most beautiful crewel work pieces!
Under Works In Progress on Talliaferro, you will find this gorgeous piece in shades of scarlet and pink. The shading is magnificent!
And in Gallery 7, I found this gorgeous blue pomegranate, with taupe foliage – the foliage is stunning! I love the way the shades work together, and the little shadows here and there under the tips of leaves are perfectly placed, to make the foliage seem as if it is in relief. It’s so beautiful!
The idea that this line of crewel work may soon be available as transfer and instruction packets is quite exciting. You can read more about this in the Coming Soon section on Talliaferro. I definitely plan to keep up with their news, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they offer in designs and instructions in the future.
Are you familiar with Birdbrain Designs? They have a terrific blog that occasionally highlights some really darling free patterns for surface embroidery, perfect for fun tea towels and so forth. Well, they’ve announced the release of their Redwork Sampler, and it’s really cute!
It’s got all kinds of surface stitches featured on it, and named, too. So it’s kind of like stitching a darling displayable stitch journal in the “Primitive” style. It looks like heaps of fun!
Carol-Anne at Threads Across the Web is displaying her progress on her beading project. Every time I see this project pop up on her website, I’m amazed by it. Is it the blues? The shading? The sparkle of beads? The precisely perfect stitching (Carol-Anne is a precisely-perfect stitcher!)… I don’t know. But I love this and I love to see it progress. If you haven’t seen her photos of this project, do stop by and take a look!
Finally, if you’ve been reading here on Needle ‘n Thread for a while, you know I’m a great fan of Hedgehog Handworks. I thought you might want to know (if you don’t already know!) that they’re having a sale! If you need to stock up on some needlework supplies for the upcoming year – or if there are some needlework supplies you’ve been wanting to try – you might take a look at Hedgehog’s inventory, which is always growing. “The ‘hog” (to quote a friend of mine) is having a 15% off everything sale for the month of January. This is when I like to buy floche, silk threads, goldwork threads, and good fabrics that are not normally found on sale anywhere, ever. I’m taking stock of some of the things I want to do this year, and taking advantage of the 15% off sale. I thought you might want to, too… and so I mention it.
But I should warn you. You’ll want everything.
So those are some things out there that have caught my attention recently. What about you? Have you stumbled on some good embroidery-related websites recently that are worth hoping over to visit? If you have – or if you have a particular favorite – feel free to let the rest of us know, by leaving a comment below.
Tomorrow’s the start of the work week – time to get back to business. I’ve got some posts lined up for this coming week that include book reviews for a couple interesting finds I’ve come across lately, some scissor talk, a little tutorial on a goldwork tray, and … what else? I suppose you’ll have to wait and see!
Have a terrific week!
