How you thread your needle makes a big difference in how your embroidery thread behaves, whether you’re stitching by hand or by machine. Jennifer Stern at Craftstylish gives the lowdown on how to avoid tangles, breaks, and frustration. See her … Read More ...

Jane Eborall has come up with a technique that is bound to have tatting enthusiasts celebrating: Jane invented a “cheat” for adding beads to picots without having to add them to the shuttle thread first! And she has kindly posted … Read More ...

The Free From ME section of Mary’s Engelbreit’s site is offering free instructions, chart, and color key for these precious cross-stitch flower pots. Download Mary’s Mini Flower Pots now.… Read More ...

I love the look of punchneedle embroidery. That snuggly, tiny-rug-like texture is so touchable and inviting. I somehow imagined that the technique would be difficult, but Marilyn Bohn has shown me just how wrong I was. Her video tutorial … Read More ...

Kat Rocha of Cross Eyed Kat needlework designs is sponsoring a month-long stitchalong in honor of the Tour de France bicycle race. If you participate, you’re in for a lot of fun, not to mention some great prizes – free … Read More ...

With Independence Day coming up in the U.S. on Friday, patriotic patterns seem to be on everyone’s minds. Here’s a great free cross-stitch pattern with a seasonal flair. Thanks to designer Erica Michaels and Rainbow Gallery web site.… Read More ...

I’ve just discovered Guyot Brothers, a manufacturer of filigree jewelry findings. The Guyot Brothers site notes a use for these metal bits and baubles that never before occurred to me: They can be used as miniature needlepoint or … Read More ...

Janet Perry at Nuts About Needlepoint blog invites us to participate in a monthly challenge, creating tiny works of needlepoint called “twinchies.” These 2-inch-square pieces can be completed in an evening. Janet says, “The rules are simple, take the theme … Read More ...

Carol Lenthall‘s pages for the Bead Journal Project are beautiful, captivating, and most of all innovative. By combining simple bead forms and cabochons in improvisational but basically geometric patterns, she creates a jeweled fabric that invites the eye to … Read More ...

If you’ve ever spent hours squinting at graph paper to chart your own text for an embroidery project, you are going to adore this new online tool from StitchPoint. Text in stitches lets you choose one of four cross-stitch … Read More ...

Calamity Kim has blogged a great tutorial for creating an embroidery pattern from a photo. Get the lowdown here. And thanks to Feeling Stitchy for pointing to this nifty idea.… Read More ...

This little cone is the perfect summer treat for cross-stitchers. The Pink Ice Cream pattern, designed by Debra Page, is available free from the chart shop. Download it here.… Read More ...

Mary Corbet over at Needle ‘n’ Thread blog is sharing an alphabet for hand-embroidered monograms that she’s salvaged from La Broderie Blanche, a French embroidery magazine published in 1912. As always, Mary is also offering lots of tips and suggestions … Read More ...