I can't wait for the opening of Over and Under, an embroidered art show curated by Jenny Hart, this weekend here in Austin at Yard Dog Art Gallery. Jenny has been featuring some of the artists' work on her blog, and I'm really looking forward to be able to see it in person. Featured artists include Annie Aube, Deborah Baker, Kate Bingaman Burt, Dana Carlson, Diem Chau, Orly Cogan, Emily Eibel, Veronica Fuentes, Takashi Iwasaki, Joetta Maue, Michael Aaron McAllister, Johnny Murder, Christopher Niver, Jennifer Porter, Shannon Rankin, Richard Saja, Kate Westerholt and Kathie Sever. The show opens with a reception Friday from 7 - 9 pm and runs through December 6.

Over and Under Art Show Opening
Friday, November 6 from 7-9 pm
Yard Dog Art Gallery
1510 S. Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is watching A Christmas Story and laughing hysterically (even after all these years!) This embroidery from Flickr user glazedangel101 immediately caught my attention. I love all the details from the movie, like the soap, the bunny costume and - of course - the very awesome leg lamp.

June at Noon had a great tutorial for mounting your embroidery or other needlework project to a solid backing board. [via the CRAFT Flickr pool]

I love seeing new ways to display embroidery, and this example from Flickr user, moesewco, fits that bill.

I drew this face one afternoon, and decided that it would look good in black floss on a dark background. When the question of framing came up, I was looking for options that did not include simply putting the pieces inside a wooden embroidery hoop. I decided that this face would look good framed by an LP record. You might notice that it's also backed with a record, and that I drilled holes and stitched the records together to complete the frame.

Andrea Dezso is an artist in a wide variety of media (animation, sculpture, book design, fibers), and while her heart embroidery from 2004 isn't new, it is certainly impressive.

More:

Pricked: Extreme Embroidery

I'm in awe of the detail in this newly completed fiber book from Million Little Stitches. She's included pages for each month, and the intricate stitching, gorgeous design and meticulous attention to detail is stunning. Be sure to click through to see each month's page - they are all beautiful and have fascinating stories behind them. [via Beefranck at Mr. X Stitch]

Last month, Melissa of tiny happy shared an adorable needlecase she made after being inspired by a project she saw in a 1970s craft book. She's just posted instructions on how to make your own needlecase using wide vintage embroidered ribbon.

Amy of Glitter, Vinyl and Thread came up with this fascinating entry for the Craftster Good Cause Challenge. Inspired by the vibrant and "deceptively beautiful" images of breast cancer cells she found while researching the subject, she designed this plush version of breast cancer cells. She created the piece with stretch velvet, reclaimed pillow filling and wool embroidery floss. Read more about its construction and the picture that inspired the piece over on her blog.

This needle felted dragon is awfully life-like for being a mythical beast! The work is quite impressive! From the artist, tallydragon, on deviantart.com:

He is made out of natural wools from the Iron Horse Farm, a local fiber farm, and the Flying Ewe, a fiber arts website. He has a wire understructure through most of his body that makes his wings, legs, and tail moderately poseable--the tail is extra long so that it can curl around the finger its sitting on. He's got glass eyes held in by glue and wires, and his horns are made out of wire covered in apoxie sculpt, topped with acrylic paint and matte varnish.

[Thanks, Eric Russell!]

The only downside to having a business card holder as adorable as this one from Wee Folk Art is that folks might be so overwhelmed by its cuteness that they might forget to look at your business card. Learn how to make your own, and be sure you make some cards cute enough to match! [via @sallysetforth on Twitter]

Here's a brilliant way to incorporate a little embroidery into your reading routine. Kirsty of Kootoyoo shares how to make a corner bookmark from scrap cardboard and muslin. I love this alternative to the standard rectangle bookmark, and even more clever is the way she's used the "X Marks The Spot" motif! [via @SisterDiane]

Fall is in the air, and I'm feeling a need to embroider. If you're like me, you have an enormous pile of yarn left over from other projects. In my case, it sits in my needlework bag and taunts me, daring me to dig into it and make something pretty. So, one early fall afternoon with Vivaldi's Autumn Allegro playing on iTunes, I took the challenge. Using one of the butcher linen placemats from my Felix Populi product line, I set about laying down some fall foliage in yarn.

Jenny Hart's newly-released book, Embroidered Effects, takes the easy-to-follow stitching instructions Jenny's know for and pulls in new and more advanced stitches and design elements to help move stitchers to a new level. Where Jenny's book Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To introduces basic stitches and provides dozens of very simple patterns, Embroidered Effects ups the ante by sharing more complicated stitches and ideas and inspiration for combining those stitches for a new, more stylized effect.

Jenny's fun and friendly voice is strong throughout Embroidered Effects, and the projects are reflective of her unique sense of style and ability to translate centuries-old stitching techniques into new, engaging designs.

Today's CRAFT Pattern Podcast holds special meaning for me on a few levels. I was lucky enough to be one of four women who helped stitch the sample projects that were photographed for Embroidered Effects. Last summer, Amy of Early Bird Special, Floresita of Things I've Made, Ginger of Ginger's Needlearts in Austin and I were each assigned three to four projects to stitch for Jenny's book.

I was over the moon excited to learn that one of my projects would be a Mah Jong table cloth. My mom has played Mah Jong forever, and nine years ago, she finally convinced me to sit down and learn to play. (this is the traditional game of Mah Jong, not the computer matching game *) My first game lasted five hours, and I had to be pulled away from the table - I was hooked in a big way. Since then, my mom has gifted me with my own Mah Jong set, and I keep trying to find friends my age who know how to play or are willing to take a little time to learn.

It turns out that Jenny is also an avid Mah Jong player, and she designed this gorgeous table cloth that I was able to stitch up for the book. The Mah Jong embroidery pattern offers a selection of tiles and gorgeous Asian-inspired ornaments, including Jenny's own stitch, the Lazy Lotus.

I had such a blast stitching the table cloth, and I'm so excited that we get to share the Mah Jong pattern with you. If you aren't up for tackling an entire table cloth, you could whip of a snazzy set of napkins, tea towels or even a Mah Jong case cover. Aside from stitching, I hope this also inspires you to check out the game of Mah Jong if you haven't played it before. Grab some friends and settle in for a fun, thoughtful and beautiful game! And be sure to check out Embroidered Effects for more gorgeous, fun and inspiring designs!

* Sadly, the photo stylist must have not been familiar with traditional Mah Jong, and set the table like a computer tile matching game.

Download the Pattern PDF | Subscribe in iTunes

Halloween Doodle Embroidery
by Vickie Howell

If you're like me, you pretty much start celebrating Halloween by about September 15th. Skulls, witches, bats, and ghosts make me smile like a kid at Christmas (no disrespect). Instead of keeping the visions of pumpkins dancing in my head, though, I prefer to sew them onto cloth. Join me won'tcha, by downloading my doodles and partaking in a little stitch witchery of your own. Happy Halloween!

Merrill Melideo in New York, NY writes in:

Recently I embroidered some baby snap suits for my dear friend who was expecting her first baby. She loved them so much that she's purchasing more, and I'm feeling inspired to start making a whole bunch and trying to sell them! However I do have a concern about the backside of the embroidery work with all of the knots. I'm worried that perhaps it may be irritating to a baby's skin. Is this a valid concern? I've seen that iron-on fabric that goes on the backside of some needlework and I was wondering if that might be a good idea.

Well, one approach, if you're worried about the knots, is to just not use them when creating your stitches. I often just leave a long (non-knotted) tail when I start, and wrap my stitches around the tail, working it into the design. This makes the back smooth and knot-free. I'm not sure if the knots would irritate a baby's skin, and I consulted our resident embroidery expert, Contributing Writer Rachel Hobson. She writes:

Generally the knots are small enough that it isn't an issue. Regarding the stabilizer material, most of those are meant to be removed after stitching, and since they don't cover the stitching, just support it. I don't know that it would help much, and may cause more discomfort because of the stiffness.

One option would be to stitch on a separate piece of fabric (like a soft cotton) and then applique that piece to the onesie using wonder under or some kind of fusible webbing. Or, you could cut a rectangle of cotton large enough to cover the back of the design and then use the strips of fusible webbing along the edges to adhere it to the back of the design.

The best advice I can give is to ask the babies' parents if they notice any irritation, and then take steps to correct it when you gather some more information!

Mary of Needle 'N Thread shares pictures of this stunning hand embroidered wedding gown from 1914 that belonged to a friend's great-grandmother.

Made from a gorgeous silk Crepe de Chine, the dress and "court train" are completely hand embroidered in silk perle with a pattern of chrysanthemums, ribbons, and shamrocks. The shoulders and sleeves of the dress are made of embroidered tulle, and the waste is accented with a rhinestone and bead bow.

The detail is simply amazing, and the condition of the embroidery is highly impressive. One of my favorite details is this cluster of French knots in the middle of a perfectly satin stitched flower. They are breathtaking, and look as though they could have been stitched just yesterday. The dress is a true treasure.

Artist Andrew Salomone writes:

It occurred to me that needleworkers used to have to make patterns and images to decorate fabric in the same way that contemporary music producers make beats and musical compositions by repeating and layering audio samples in digital sound editing programs. So the files created using digital editing programs today basically function in the same way that needlework samplers did in the days when all embroidery had to be done by hand.

So he made this Breakbeats Sampler, featuring waveforms for some common breakbeats, lovingly stitched on fabric. I'm guessing the natural next step would be to make each breakbeat playable with a soft switch.

I am thrilled to see that our pal, Kristin, of Craft Leftovers has created a set of hand embroidery patterns, of which the first installment is now available in her shop. Her drawings are always so lovely, and beg to be stitched. Now, she's created some for that express purpose. Her Crafty Buddies designs are adorable, and she's even offering up a freebie pattern of a cute-as-all-get-out thimble.

A common problem when working from the stash, is having only a small amount of each type of fiber left. How can you successfully combine cotton and wool in the same project? How can you combine acrylic with silk? Should you? Would you? Could you dare? (Yes, I totally stole that line from the Spooky Old Tree). Yes to all three! Of course your should.

By combining fibers in the same project you can start playing with texture, color, and drape in ways never possible. I love taking advantage of a fiber's inherent property and pairing it with another to create various affects and looks.

A few guidelines to get started
1. If using a combination of wool and anything else remember that the wool will felt and the other fibers will not. This can be used to your advantage, or end up in the reject bin. I combine wool and cotton in the Perfect Dishcloth so it will intentionally felt the wool as you use it as a dish rag. In this case it make a semi harsh scouring pad perfect for use of teflon and the like. The un-felted cotton gives it a nice texture that a just wool felted rag would not have.

2. If you don't want your project to gather, use the same gauge throughout your project. Like the felting, this is not a rule, just keep it in mind. This can mean using all the same weight, or changing needles/hooks for each section of yarn. It can be used to your advantage to have a thinner stretching yarn combined with a thicker yarn that has less give. Like an alpaca with cotton.

3. Winding yarns together is a great way to get a new yarn from three old ones. I used a cotton, wool, silk, and acrylic all together to make the great bulky yarn in this crocheted scarflet.

Knit Pin Cushion Pattern

First, take a good look at the ball band. It has a ton of great information to get you started in the right direction. You can see what all the symbols mean by going to Skein Lane Studio and Yarn Standards.

Look at the yarn's weight (lace, fingering, sport, dk, worsted, aran, bulky, chunky - each yarn brand is different though) and the suggested hook and needle size. You can see general yarn standards for weights and suggested hook and needle sizes on Yarn Standards as well as suggested gauge.

Now here is the tricky thing - we all knit and crochet differently and with different tensions (how tight our stitches are) so for me I like to knit worsted yarns with size 6 needles tops. And I often crochet it with a size D hook. And it also depends on the type of fabric we want to create. Do we want a tight thick fabric or an open fabric? Not to mention all yarns are not created equal so some yarns are spun tight and others loose. You have 1 ply, 2 ply, 3 ply, etc ply yarns all wound up different ways. And then there are fiber types. Some fibers look a lot better knit loose while others tight. Alpaca will drape heavily and straight wool will have a bit more bounce.

I make sure to look at the weight they say the yarn is, what the suggested needle size is and then what the gauge is. Those are the big indicators of what the yarn will knit up like. All the same it's always best to get it wrapped around your needles/hook and work a few short rows to see what it's like. The yarn shop I used to work at had a huge basket of yarn just for this purpose, so crafters could see what the yarn worked up like and if it would be right for their pattern.

The easiest thing to do is to knit with the recommended yarn and needles/hook recommended by your pattern - but who does that? In an ideal world sure, but we work with what's available, what's on hand, what's in our stash or our local yarn shop. Yarns get discontinued too, so sometimes it's just impossible to find.

I found this great "Thinking Beyond the Pattern... A field guide to yarn substitutions" on Knitty.com about doing yarn substitutions. And this is wonderful to know. I think that was the number one question I was asked while working at the Yarn Exchange "what yarn can I use for this pattern?"

So to recap - swatches are your best bet, experience will help you get a feel for it, there are standards but they don't always apply, once you figure out how to do yarn substitutions you are golden for any project.

I hope this helps and that you will be well on your way to grabbing the right hook the first time around!

Holly of Chez Beeper Bebe embarked on a summer-long project of crafting a wardrobe of cloth napkins for her home, and recently reached her goal of 40 napkins. Along the way, she's shared tutorials for several of the napkin variations she's used, including ruffled napkins and ric rac-trimmed napkins. She's concluded her series with a tutorial and patterns for these adorable embroidered face napkins.

I've been cleaning out my apartment one space at a time. Today was my studio. After collecting up all the butterfly bobbins of wool I have floating around I was confronted with a whole shopping bag full of random colors. Some people may see this as overwhelming, depressing, challenging (what to do with all these random colors)... well... honestly... it filled me with childhood glee! You see, wool is great for crewel... and all those random colors? A painters palette!

Sometimes it's fun to mix things up a bit. Just because you have leftovers from a knit project, does not mean you have to stick with knitting for the leftovers. Those last 3 yards are perfect for a variety of projects and crewel is on the top of my list. It's free style embroidery, but specifically with 2-ply wool yarn - though I've used a variety of fiber types with good results.

The Hand Embroidery Network is quickly building a rich resource of stitch instructions through their Stitch A Day project. The pictures and instructions are very clear, and they often include variations on the stitch and good pictures of the final stitch in action, making the lessons incredibly valuable.

Craftster has a blog post with information on crafting for Eid ul-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. I love this dish towel made by Craftster user la la laurrenn! It's made for a holiday dish towel swap, and it's just beautiful.

Doe-c-doe created this fun embroidered ode to vintage wood-paneled cars.

the overall piece is 18" x 11" & I got the illustration from a thrifted book. I created the wood paneling by scanning a piece of wood-grain contact paper then manipulated it in photoshop to make the scale & perspective work for the image, then printed it out on avery printable fabric. vroom vroom!

If you have access to a laser printer, transferring your own designs for embroidery is a snap. All you need is a little nail polish remover (acetone)!

More:

• How-To: Embroider Digital Images
  
• Embroidery Pattern Transfer Tutorial
  
• CRAFT Video: Create Your Own Embroidery Pattern from a Photo

Ellen from The Long Thread created this charming car mat mini quilt from her daughter's drawing on a magnetic doodle board. Ellen scanned the image in to the computer, traced it in Illustrator and digitized it for machine embroidery. The same could be done to create a pattern for hand embroidery. I've always loved the ideas of using children's illustrations for stitching, and this fun little mat for driving cars is just fantastic!

I love this ingenious project for stitching with your kids from This Little Project. Using recycled materials from an "invention junk box" kids are able to practice the motions of stitching and creating their own projects. Brilliant!