Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Things are starting to level off here, and next week, I should be back to the normal Mon-Wed-Fri publishing schedule, if all goes as planned. Yay! More on that below…

Today, I wanted to share an online treasure with you, thanks to a friend who sent the link. There are So Many old needlework books online, that it’s hard to recall which ones you’ve encountered. I try to keep a list of favorites, and I always download them as PDFs, if there’s an option. There is an option on this one, so do download the PDF if you can. Then you can browse through the book at your leisure.

The full title page of the book will tell you what it’s all about:

Art needlework. A complete manual of embroidery in silks and crewels, with full instructions as to stitches, materials, and implements. Containing also a large number of original designs and a handsome coloured design for crewel work

They liked long, descriptive titles back then.

Since the book was published in 1882, you’ll find that some of the content may seem dated in a charming sort of way, but throughout the book, you’ll still encounter much that is relevant today.

Materials that may be worked upon are so numerous and varied that it hardly seems like exaggeration to say that almost any material may be embroidered upon…

… yep. Chain link fences, anyone? Iron frying pans? Colanders? Tennis rackets…

The book features many images that could be adapted in whole or part to new embroidery projects.

It even offers some ready-to-trace designs in florals and even some whimsical studies…

…like an Alice in Wonderland tea cloth.

Very much in the style of the late 19th century, the Alice in Wonderland drawings are akin to the originals, which always struck me as a little creepy.

But then, Alice in Wonderland always struck me as a little creepy, too.

Some of the image plates might seem puzzling, but really, doesn’t everyone want to embroider a ghoulish nutcracker brandishing his baton at maniacal squirrels gathering nuts in trees?

In any case, it’s a book well worth browsing through – and it’s online, for free, and you can download it right to your computer. What can you lose?

You’ll find Art Needlework: A Complete Manual for Embroidery in Silks & Crewels available here on Internet Archive. Go grab the PDF today!

Follow Up on the Eyes

So, things are coming together eye-wise on my end. I have a problem with the new lens in the left eye, and it’s scheduled to be fixed hopefully towards the end of October… once again, delaying new and stable spectacles. I’m plodding along well enough, though, otherwise. I can stitch fairly well with readers, though the over the counter readers that I bought three weeks ago quickly became obsolete as the eyes healed. Then the ones I bought a week after that became obsolete. The ones I got last week are fair-to-middlin’ right now, and I’m going to try to stretch their usability for another week.

The temporary prescription glasses I got for distance in the interim (after the second surgery) are ok for distance still, though it takes my eyes a while to adjust to them. The bifocal part of them is useless!

Moral of the story for those who are anticipating cataract surgery: wait a while! Be patient! Listen to your optometrist. It’ll save you money and frustration in the long run.

I can see the computer better than I could, which is nice. The overwhelming problem I’m encountering with computer work, though, is neck strain. So I’m trying to find the “sweet spot” in position while seated, standing, typing, and so forth. I haven’t found it yet. But I know it must be here somewhere!

Follow Up on the SFSNAD Chat

For those who registered last week but didn’t get a chance to join us on the chat with Lauren at the San Francisco School of Needlework & Design, you can email SFSNAD for a link to the recording. The recording is only available to those who were registered for the event.

While you’re there, check out the other online lecture they have scheduled. Some are free, others are not. But they all look good!

If you posed questions during the discussion and we didn’t have a chance to get to them, just drop me a line! I’ll see if I can put together a list of questions and answer them here on Needle ‘n Thread, or maybe do another little Zoom thing from this end. We’ll see! I’m playing with possibilities.

Have a lovely Tuesday! I’ll see you a little later this week, and then next week, hopefully, we’ll be back to normal publishing. I have many exciting things to show you!