Have you seen this? I offer it to you because I discovered it, and now I want to share.
The Royal School of Needlework has been around since 1872. They are located in London (and all around the UK.) Last year, they offered a series of classes in the U.S. I’m looking forward to further US offerings, as it is my goal to attend at least once–here or overseas.
But getting back to what they refer to as their stitch bank. I was so impressed by the quality of all the information. The whole idea is that historians and stitch artists (also known as embroiderers) needed a place to reference stitches on antique garments. The School also wanted to supply a fertile ground for those who want to experiment with new stitches and preserve techniques that could easily be lost forever.
So the Royal School of Needlework created their stitch bank.
Every stitch listed has photographic instructions on how to make it, an accompanying diagram, to make things clearer, and a short video, so you can see exactly how the stitch is made.
That’s fantastic!
You’ll want to use the menu on the lefthand side to explore stitches categorized by their utility or their structure.
The “Stitch Wall” shows you a simple graphic of each stitch and you can choose to explore.
The number of stitches grows all the time.
I hope you find something there that excites your imagination or challenges you to try something new. I’ve decided that I will commit to at least one online class in 2025…to challenge myself.
Presumably, Thomas Paine was not talking about the soles of socks, and I am also left to presume that women wore clothes during revolutionary times, as well as men.
Nevertheless. Here we are. Repairing our clothes. Or as my husband likes to say: “You are working on your post-apocalyptic skills.”
Now I’ve seen some videos of people who literally have a tiny knitting machine that they use to darn holes on knitted fabric. I imagine it works on any fabric. But before I got myself into anything too complicated, I tried a simpler, slow-stitched, hand technique.
As you can see above, the trick to repairing a hole, any hole in your clothes, is to delineate the area you will stitch.
Then you want to start and end each stitch across the hole with an “anchor” stitch. This is important. It helps to hold the shape, length and tautness of the long stitch.
I used some decorative thread that I had from Wonderfil that was attributed to Sue Spargo. Eleganza Perle Size #5. This is a fairly substantive thread. Nothing that I would ever use in a sewing machine. Standard Valdani perle cotton is usually Size #8 or #12.
Thread actually gets to be a heavier weight as the numbers go down. The calculation is based on how many kilometers of thread will weigh one kilogram. So a thread that is thicker and more robust will have fewer kilometers per kilogram.
With this method, we’re actually creating the warp and weft of a fabric, as we stitch it out. You can see one layer above, after it’s finished.
Next, we start the weaved layer. Again, you must create an anchor stitch at the start and end of every row. This, of course, is where a little tool would come in handy, but it’s certainly easy enough to do by hand. Weave in and out every single thread. This part is easier to do if you turn the needle and use the blunt end to weave. Don’t worry, I missed a few. It happens. But the more precise you can be about getting your needle in and out in the right places, the more it starts to look like a woven fabric.
I was working on stretch jeans, and so, I noticed a bit of puckering from pulling the stitches taut. I could probably have avoided that it I had stabilized the area, but I really wanted to just try it without a lot of fuss.
I used a small hoop and opened the pant leg up on the side to make it easier for me to stitch.
Would I consider it lovely? I don’t know. It’s unique. And I think with a bit of practice, I could get this to where It’s pretty cool.
I urge you to start repairing your clothes. On social media, I see the youngsters buying up all of Grandma’s old quilts at garage sales and thrift stores and turning them into hoodies and dance pants. It’s really something.
Hope you enjoy some slow stitching in your life, and find you own way to revitalize something that might have ended in the trash.
Sashiko is another gem on my list of repairs. I just bought myself some Sashiko needles. Can’t wait to try that.
To close this one out, we’ll give Thomas Paine the respect he deserves when he speaks of tyranny.
“These are the times that try men’s souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” –Thomas Paine, 1776
I bought a pair of those baggy overalls the young people are wearing. For me, they are at the very least, cool and comfortable.
They are not flattering.
They should be worn while working around the house. Not in public. (Not by me, anyway.)
However, I got it into my head that I wanted a row of flowers across the top of the bib.
It was not a difficult task, but it is a challenge to transfer a drawing onto a dark background. I don’t have the solution to this yet. For these, I just redrew the image I wanted directly onto the overalls using a blue wash-away pen.
Then I stitched it out.
I thought it was cute. But then the dark color of the hyacinth on the end was bothering me. It’s actually very true to what a hyacinth looks like. I have pics of them starting to bloom in my back yard.
But every time I walked past them, the dark color of that flower on the end bothered me more and more. I was not going to relax until I picked out every single one of those french knots and redid it.
Since I wanted to stay true to the color of a hyacinth, I went with peach. I have peach hyacinths in my front yard.
I am much happier with this result. The hyacinth looks a bit bright in this pic but that’s just the lighting. It now blends in with the others much more.
Tip:
I wanted to protect the stitching and the knots on the back so that when this gets machine-washed, nothing will fall apart.
I remembered a product that OESD carries called Gentle Touch. It is designed to iron onto the back of machine embroidery so that the stitches against your skin (or a child, or baby’s skin) will not irritate. It really is very soft, with fusible on one side.
I ironed it onto the back and now, not only does it not rub, but all the stitches are given an extra layer of protection when going through a washer and dryer. The front stays exactly the same, There’s just an added layer of protection on the back. I’m going to use it on the back of all my hand stitching.
It’s funny that there is a product for every single need. Of course, when I needed Gentle Touch, I did not have it in my vast stock of stabilizers. Here’s a link for you.
My next challenge is a patch on my husband’s grass-mowing pants. No pressure there. If my mending is a complete failure, who cares? (Trust me, not my husband.) So that leaves room for me to be a bit experimental.
Anyway, the season is starting to turn here in the Northern Hemisphere. We are prepping for a solar eclipse and an onslaught of cicadas. Nature is keeping us occupied this spring.
As my grandmother used to say, “Keep your hands busy!”
Do you have a pair of pants that are past pretending to be cool with all their holes? Shirts with stains? ( I seem to have a lot of these, I can’t seem to keep my food in my mouth. Kids, this is something they don’t tell you about aging. You constantly have your food on your shirt. Yes, it’s gross. You’ll get there soon enough.)
My husband is particularly good at wearing down the hems of his pants. (Another sign of aging…you seem to get shorter and your pants drag on the ground.)
Although for those of us who have never been considered tall, dragging hems is a lifelong problem.
But hey! We fix our clothes now. I’d love to do a blog post on fast fashion and where all our cheap clothes end up. We all know it’s a problem. We can’t just keep purchasing new clothes and throwing out the old ones or even just donating them. Third world countries are telling us to keep our crap. They have enough stupid t-shirts, thanks.
Here’s a pair of stretchy pants that were way too long and were an easy fix on a serger using the cover stitch.
Of course, mending and hemming are where a serger really comes in handy. For the shredded hems. I just run them through the serger and hem on the sewing machine. Takes a few minutes, and the pants get a bit shorter, but a really quick solution, all things considered.
Speaking of all things NOT considered, here’s another mending project.
I have this sweatshirt which I made, and it is actually quite loved. Worn and worn and worn. But I set it aside when I realized it had grease stains on the front. Probably from cooking at some point. Aprons actually do have a function, but I’m not yet ready to wear one around the house. (That’s really crossing an old lady rubicon for me. Still, why deny the inevitable?)
I decided to cover it with some hand embroidery. Looking back, I probably should have just embroidered a few strategically-placed daisies and been done with it. Instead, I used a photo out my back window, and converted it to a hand embroidery design.
I drew it out onto a piece of wash away stabilizer, so I could see it on the dark fabric. I think I should have just drawn it using a white pencil. The washaway stabilizer made every stitch a bit harder to push and pull through. And there are a LOT of stitches.
This design took me a ridiculously long time to finish. So simple, yet so time-consuming.
And to be honest, I’m not a hundred percent sure I love it, but it is interesting. The washaway was rather stubborn and I had to rinse it in the sink for quite a while.
I finally threw it into the wash and pulled it out before it got to the dryer. I ironed it while it was still damp.
Here’s a tip:
When ironing embroidery, even machine embroidery, use a towel on top of the embroidery. A hot iron will flatten it and take away all the dimension, and it might even harm the thread. So just use a towel over the top which allows the threads in the design to have a place to go.
It turned out kind of fun, almost like a window in the middle of my sweatshirt. In fact, I’m thinking I just might add a frame around it to make it look like a window. It has that hand-made feel, which is something that was important to me. I also get a kick that it’s the early spring view out my family room window. All in all, it was a learning experience.
I love the look of visible mending that all the kids are doing these days. I’ll be trying more and more. I have plenty of jeans with holes in the knees.
Here’s to making things last a bit longer. Like the planet.
My niece is having a baby at the end of this month. My nephews and nieces all get quilts when they have a baby. Thank heavens, I think they are slowing down now. This may be the last one. And this baby (we know it’s a girl) is getting a cute one for sure.
So I just want to say that I am not terribly fond of these somewhat complicated quilt instructions. If I had my way, every quilt would be improv. Or my other preferred way is 300 blocks of the exact same pattern. That way, a bad cut or a mis-measurement is not that big a deal. Lots of focus on color and design…not so much on fussiness. Plenty more fabric and ways to get around an error.
But this was a kit I purchased at the local quilt shop. And while I liked most of the fabric, they had a much duller color for the body of the fox. So I scrounged around in my sewing room and found something that had *just enough* fabric to be perfect for the fox body. But not an inch to spare.
That makes a slightly stressful process.
And here is an image of the many post-it notes necessary to label all the parts of this quilt.
Starting at A, we were well into HH and II and JJ. That’s a lot of different pieces.
But I managed to get it assembled.
I kept the quilting simple but fun. And added some lettering to the white border dedicating the quilt to the coming arrival, with my name and the year.
I’m pleased with the way it turned out. The assembly was a bit painful, but that’s just me. I always find that part hard to wrap my brain around.
If you are interested in the pattern, you can find it here.
I hope your new year is off to a good start. We have had almost all cloudy and foggy days.
The sun needs to show up soon.
Happy late winter. I’m already waiting for spring.
A lot to choose from this year, but I thought rather than try to write a recap of the year, I would just show you in pictures. It seems I did a lot of walking out in the woods. And took a renewed interest in hand-stitching.
I love a good list. So when I needed some gift ideas, I thought…why not go to my sewing room and share with you some of the tools I use the most?
They are things I probably would not want to live without, and I’m sure each of you would have your own items to add to this list. But I recently came across someone online who was fairly new to sewing and didn’t have any quilt shops nearby. And I thought, well, if someone is new to the hobby, and getting a machine for Christmas, or just is interested in the tools I use non-stop…well, here’s a peek.
Whether you are a beginner or an old pro, I hope you’ll find something to consider.
1 Karen Kay Buckley Scissors
I love these scissors because the finger holes are not small. I have several pairs of the green ones because I keep one pair downstairs for hand sewing, one in a container upstairs for binding, and another near the sewing machine for miscellaneous small tasks.
2. Numbered Quilt Pins
I never really thought I’d use these but now I would never assemble a quilt without them. I label rows and point the pin in one direction. That tells me when I go to grab all the pieces for row assembly, which direction to sew. It’s fantastic and I would screw it up every time I turned around with a stack of fabric in my hand, without these pins.
3. Telescoping Magnet
A telescoping magnet is the best tool you never knew you needed in the sewing room. And, what a great stocking stuffer. These are available at most hardware stores and online. I find more pins and screws (because I always have a screw loose) than I ever thought imaginable. And if, like me, you are clumsy and occasionally knock over a box of pins…well. Trust me, you need a good magnet to get into those corners on the floor under the machine.
4. BobbinSaver
Here’s a trendy gadget that I resisted as unnecessary until I was gifted one. And now, I don’t know what I’d do without it. They come in multiple sizes, so be sure to get the right one. My bobbins are larger than standard, so I need the larger size. Comes in regular and jumbo for those Bernina bobbins that are large.
5. Clover Roller
This humble looking little roller can really save some time. This is perfect for tiny piecing, when you don’t really want to run to an iron for every itty bitty seam. It really works.
6. Cast Iron Thread Stand
Sorry for the awkward shot. But when I taught lessons, one of the first things I suggested for someone to purchase after they got a new machine was a cast iron thread holder. Especially if you do any fast sewing like embroidery or machine quilting. I can’t speak to Viking or Brother machines. But on Berninas and many others, the spool cap can catch the thread and break it. I find that this is one of the smoothest thread paths ever, and the thread feeds like a dream.
7. Machine Embroidery Bobbin Thread
Such a simple purchase, but for a machine embroiderer, it’s something you cannot live without. Bobbin thread from OESD. You can use it in your bobbin any time you do machine embroidery. It’s inexpensive and comes on a large spool. You don’t have to use your higher priced embroidery thread in the bobbin. 5500 yards. It comes in black or white.
8. Curved Basting Pins
We can argue about this one. I don’t mind. Everyone has their own process. Obviously, someone with a longarm would not need them. But I quilt on my domestic machine at home. And I hate basting with thread. It just doesn’t work well for me. So I’ve grown to love my curved basting pins. I lay my quilt out across several banquet-sized tables and I don’t have to crawl around the floor. It works for me. So…I never have enough of these.
9. Stabilizer Organizer
To the naked eye, this may not look organized. But shockingly, it is a free-form sort of organization. If you are an avid machine-embroiderer, you know that stabilizer accumulates. Often you don’t know what you have, and can never find the right thing when you need it. Believe it or not, this really helps. I tuck the label inside the roll, so I always know what’s there. This particular organizer cam from Nancy’s Notions and is no longer available. BUT. I found another online that I think would be just as great. (In fact, maybe mine needs an upgrade).
10. Babylock Accolade Serger
Finally, last but not least, you knew I would have a machine recommendation. And I would like to give a shoutout to the Bernina 435 machine which is on sale right now. It’s an excellent machine. But this Babylock Accolade serger has been one of the best investments I’ve ever made. It’s versatile. It has all the normal serger features, plus a wonderful cover stitch and chain stitch. Do not be put off by the list price. No dealer will ever charge that much. But it’s a worthwhile machine. I can make a t-shirt in about 2 hours. I hem shirts and pants professionally. I use it for quilt backs, valances, garment sewing, and 100 other things. You’ll never regret a serger. And you can see the thread dust on mine, as I often also use it to finish quilt fabric before I wash it. (I tend to wash quilt fabric before using it because I don’t like to handle the finishing chemicals) All in all a great sewing room tool and gift idea.
I hope there’s a little bit of sewing in your holidays and that you get everything your heart desires under the tree or however you celebrate the season. Remember that sewing is not just a hobby. It’s a way of life for some of us. We think in terms of this project and the next. And the next and the next after that.
May you find a way to share your love of sewing…with the next generation, with a friend, or in gifting someone with a product made by hand. That’s what the season is really about.
In my quest for a white-ish, neutral holiday color theme, I got the crazy idea of making some of my own putz houses. Now, you need to understand that I really am not adept with paper crafts, and I’m demonstrably terrible with a glue gun. I rarely use one.
But in googling putz houses, I found some svg files on Etsy that seemed like something I would like to do. You can find files to purchase all over. Just google putz house svg files. My first inclination was to print them out and then cut them out by hand.
Silly me.
I couldn’t see how to print the files. I did, however, locate accompanying pdf’s. So that at least gave me some vague instructions.
Undeterred, I remembered that my local library has a “maker” lab. I stopped in and asked if I could use their Cricut. Now, I have never touched a Cricut. I have never even known anyone who owns one. Still, I am endowed with a brain that consistently says, “I can figure it out.”
Whether I can or not is debatable.
Luckily, the attendant at the maker lab, was very sweet in explaining that no one is allowed to touch the equipment unless one of the experts is on hand to guide you. ( I think that is an excellent policy). So I set up an appointment for a couple of days later. I was eager to start my holiday decorating. And now these putz houses had become an obsession.
When I arrived, a very nice lady sat me down at the computer and taught me Cricut’s software. I should say she told me what buttons to push to do what I wanted. I am in no way versed in the software.
The next problem we ran into is that I brought 8 x 10 card stock, and a Cricut really likes 12 X 12. In addition, the files were designed to fit easily onto 12 x 12 and not necessarily 8 x 10.
So back to the drawing board, the software, and we resized everything to make it fit on my 8 x 10 card stock. Fortunately, only the church needed the larger sheet. By changing landscape to portrait for some of the houses, I was able to get most to fit. But some did need to be re-sized. The woman at the lab let me use a 12 x 12 sheet she had on hand and that got me through the hurdle.
Once I got them all cut, then I bundled up my sheets of card stock and went home for the assembly. As you can see in the photo at the top of this post, it was not pretty. I definitely put the smaller church together wrong, with the steeple at the back. But I got the hang of it with the larger size and that one is correct.
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about them, but in the end I think they were exactly what I was hoping for.
Simple, white structures that I could use on top of the mantle.
I like them.
I don’t think I could have asked for anything better. It’s precisely what I had in mind. Festive, but soft-spoken.
The tree is curated with only the light, white, neutral ornaments, and I supplemented with some ribbon that I got half-price at Joann’s.
Now, when I go out and see all the holiday decorations and the Christkindlmarkets and open houses, I have a singular goal: Do they have any white-ish ornaments I can’t live without?
This experiment in a low-key decorating project has been a success. I have a friend who cherishes every ornament and hangs it with the memories of when she purchased it. I love that.
But I also love NOT that. Those ornaments will still be there next year and every year until I’m gone. Sometimes, you just want to keep it simple.
And I think the only rule about decorating for the holidays is: What makes you happy?
And after that, rule #2 is: Don’t make extra work for yourself.
That second rule is cultivated over time. When your kids are young and you have boundless energy and you are visiting multiple houses and different families…well, bless your heart.
Age and time tend to mellow our holiday ambitions, at least to a reasonable degree.
Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season. May your decorating (and your stitching!) make you happy.
Anyone remember that line? It’s from A Bug’s Life. My son was old enough to watch it over and over and over again until I had it almost memorized. The grasshoppers threaten the ants to come back for their winter supply of food “When the last leaf falls”.
Well the last leaf has not quite fallen, but the temps are finally starting to drop, and that means only one thing: get ready for the holidays.
As I get older I find that I am SO SICK of the same old holiday decorations I’ve had for the past 30 years…some even longer. And I know, I know…TRADITION.
But who wants to look at all of that over and over and over again. I need to rotate it at the very least. Let it become new again in a few years.
So this year, I’m attempting to decorate with a soft neutral-y palette. It’s tougher than it looks. Tree skirts are all red and green (especially the ones I own). Ornaments are all the colors of the rainbow. What about those old weathered stockings? Handmade by Grandma, or Aunt So-and-So, or, of course, the ones made by people who passed away years ago.
It feels like we are supposed to honor them by at least putting up their things once a year.
But frankly, I’m really sick of hanging on to the possessions of the dead, and having no room to do anything my way. Before I’m the dead one.
So this year, I’m starting fresh. Oh, I’ll still dig out a few of my favorites. But my theme is natural. Or low-key. I want only low-volume ornaments and holiday decor.
And I find it invigorating to search out only certain colors, only certain things.
Let’s be honest. We’re all friends here. There is no shortage of white, pink, natural colors in all the retail stores and shops. It’s everywhere. So it’s very fun to allow myself a budget to do something creative.
But let’s start with handmade ornaments.
These are hand-stitched and stuffed with polyfil. Yes, I allowed myself some green because it’s natural. Nothing bright and overpowering.
Here’s a closer look at all of them.
My advice to you this holiday season:
Give yourself a theme. It’s much more fun to go out searching than to just wander. Two years ago, I went with black/white buffalo plaid. Last hear was red checks (hello Bob Evans restaurants). So this year it will be the soft palette, with white lights and fairy lights.
I’m not sure how it will work out. But it will be fun along the way.
But I have taken an interest (again) in hand embroidery. It’s certainly not something I want to do all the time, and of course quilting is always in the back of my mind.
I’m not entirely sure what the attraction is. For me, it’s a form of painting or artwork I’d moved away from years ago. I don’t really want to drag out my paints again. (Heaven knows it would go much faster to paint than to embroider by hand.)
Still.
When I am working from my own picture, my own drawing and not using anyone’s pattern, I find it very freeing. There’s a time for everything, as you know. Some days, I just want a pattern, and I just want clear directions and I just want to mindlessly sew.
Other days, I want to put something of myself into the project and own it.
That’s where hand embroidery comes in for me. It’s a disciplined form of expression. Takes time. Takes devotion. Takes thread, for pete’s sake…a lot of it.
But I can do it while listening to music, or a podcast. I can do it while I’m catching up with someone else on the phone.
Find your peace of mind. Whether that’s quilting, by hand or machine, reading, sewing, drawing, cooking, taking pictures, woodwork or crafting, literally anything that brings you joy.
Find it and hang onto it. And never let anyone tell you that you should be doing something else. The world only gives us one chance to live and to process it. Be sure you take your chance, and do the things you love and the things that color and fill your world.
