Hand embroidery chat thread!

[Anna_MN]

My Story: I will be starting my very first hand embroidered project tomorrow! My great grandma used to embroider a ton of things and when her dementia started getting really bad, my grandma took over all of her unfinished projects (my mom is a hard core knitter- no time for embroidery!) While grandma was finishing those up, she realized that she really enjoyed doing hand embroidery. So now she has sparked an interest in me and I will be doing my first dish towel tomorrow! I will be doing some pepper, garden basket, and chicken patterned towels.

In this thread you can post your story, questions, pictures, comments, and experiences with hand embroidering. I'd love to hear from you!!! This is becoming such a lost art- let's bring it back to life! Happy embroidering

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[Anna_MN]

Here are some great how-to videos to get your started if you've never hand embroidered before!

http://www.needlenthread.com/videos

 

[Anna_MN]

Just ironed on my transfer. My first towel will have a rooster on it. I'll post pictures

 

[shamblescross]

Have fun with your project! I love doing all sorts of handiwork, but I've caught up in quilting for awhile now, and haven't embroidered in quite some time.

 

[CaroleM]

I'm sure that whatever you produce with your needle and thread will be beautiful. I'm basically self and book taught but have been so amazingly fortunate to take 2 day classes with the Royal School of Needlework. Now I am saving like mad so that I can take the RSN's Certificate course, held in Bristol.

At long my Mum has taught be to be proud of the work I produce, it's only taken 57 years!

I have a huge, in my view, challenge to take on. The wonderful man who is like a 2nd father to me,
is a retired Master Mariner (Captain in the Merchant Navy) and he has asked me if I could embroider an enlarged version of his cap badge. He wants to be able to mount in on a wooden shield, alongside commercially available emblems of his past ships etc. It involves much magnification and gold work. When finished, I will ask his permission for me to put a photo on here for you to see.

Good luck with all your embroidery ventures - and welcome to a wonderful skill. Let us know who you are getting on and if any of us can help out if you get stuck in any way - even if it is only to give your moral support.

Best wishes,
Carole

 

[CrystalWho]

my mom and grandma got me interested in cross-stitching. so far I have finished.... nothing. but I think it's pretty fun.

My grandma could fill a whole wall with all the stuff mom and she made!

I think it's kind of funny that now if you wanted to cross-stitch or embroider or anything like that some people would laugh at you, but 100 years ago you HAD to know that sort of stuff by, i don't know, maybe 11? if you didn't you weren't going to get married and you wouldn't have many friends and a bunch of other stuff.

 

[CaroleM]

I have a very simple reaction to anyone who might laugh because you embroider - offer them needle and thread and challenge them to do better than you if they think they are able. Invaribly they back off. I put it down to them being uncomfortable because you can do something that produces a piece of work that is way, way beyond them, basically it's just jealousy. My SIL's mother, always has to make very nasty comments about anything I do, but I know it is just because I do things that are way beyond her comprehension - she's not that bright at the best of times - it's great fun ignoring her (and I'm a world expert at that where she and her other half are concerned, nasty pieces of work, so ignoring them really winds them up

Anyway, if anyone has the nerve to laugh or make fun of, just smile nicely and then ignore them - it's just them showing their ignorance. Their opinions are not those you should ever be concerned about. The only ones that matter are those opinions held by people who matter to you and who appreciate who you are and what you do, no matter what that is.

 

[newchickgal]

I decided to remove the photo of my embroidery due to lack of interest, which is ok. Not everyone is as enthused about it as I am.

 

[calicokat]

I wish I had gotten to this thread sooner, I would have enjoyed your picture newchickgal!

My dad's side of the family had embroiderers, not my moms though. I've collected some pillow cases and dresser scarves they did and some from DH's family too. My plan is to cut them up and piece a quilt for my littlest DD. It was actually DH's Aunt's idea - but she passed away before she could make it, so now it's up to me, LOL.

I've been doing small felt & embroidery projects and really like it. There's a quiet, soothing peace when you are stitching that I really enjoy.

So what has everyone been working on?

 

[Bama1]

I just found this thread also. I do a type of embrodery called "chicken scratch". It is know by other names, just depends i think on what part of the country you are in. I'm working on a rooster right now.