The Embroideress

I was in Hobby Lobby today. Not shopping but browsing for inspiration. They had most or all of their Christmas merchandise out already.

Amongst all of the glam and glitter they had a large selection of photoframe ornaments. They are an attractive size for mounting needlework for your favorite tree this year. Also picked up some free tip sheets on various techniques.

The holiday catalogs are also arriving. The mailing list folks are sadly mistaken if they think I will order, but they certainly point out trends. It seems watches with fabric bands are very popular this year so why not mount that inexpensive watch on a grosgrain or beaded or canvasworked band. Jewelery findings should yield fasteners/clasps for the projects.

Labels: Christmas Gifts, Christmas Ornaments

I've been doing some slow reading lately. A little reading followed by a lot of thinking. It's left me with some ideas that need further exploration. Amongst these are other references to husifs stitched by soldiers and sailors for sweethearts and wives; "Os used as background filler for beaded pieces (or possibly raised embroidery) of biblical pictorial embroidery; and tiny purl roses formed of two rounds placed around a small pearl.

Labels: Embroidery History, embroidery technique

A reader recently asked:

"Can you tell me Schwartzenbergers first name please? "

I'm assuming you mean the early modelbuch publisher of Augsburg. If so, Lotz gives his first name as Johan from the title page of his 1534 Ain new Formbuchlin". Lotz 9a

Bibliographia der Modelbucher von Arthur Lotz, Verlag Karl W. Hiersemann, Leipzig 1933, p. 53

I hope this is the information you seek and this answer assists you in your research.

Labels: Arthur Lotz, Johan Schwartzenberger, Lotz 9a, Modelbuch

India Club caters to a large Indian community residing in the US as well as those fascinated by Indian culture(s).

If you do a little keyword search from the homepage for "embroidery" you will turn up some books not on the shelves of your local book megastore.

BUT, if you don't watch out you will drift over to the cookery section and after about 1.5 minutes run to the kitchen and get out the tandori spices, the garum masalla, and yogurt. You'll frantically chop cilantro and late season cucumbers - you get the picture.

They have a large section of vegetarian cookbooks which is not unexpected considering how many Indians are vegetarian.

I've not ordered from them so I can't speak as to their level of service, but I'm very tempted by more than one book

Labels: Indian Embroidery, Indian Food, Needlework Books

The Textile Society of America is a grand sort of organization which is inclusive in its membership and participation. It exists to bring together all those involved or interested in textiles whether they be anthropologists, artists, designers, educators, artisans or those who just "love textiles."

They sponsor several events during the year, publish research, fund research and generally "do good". There is currently a call for paper proposals for 2010 on their website. This is open not only to academicians but to independent scholars and all who are involved with textiles in any way.

So toddle on over and give their site a good look and think about submitting a proposal.

Labels: Call for proposals, Textile Society of America

Check out the short article on the History of Chinese Cabinets at the Silk Road site. This is a commercial site but it has heaps of quirky and interesting bits and stuff.

Seems traditionally the lovely wooden kitchen cabinets had open work topside so vegetables and fruit could be stored there with plenty of circulating air to keep them fresh. The bottom of the tall cabinet had solid doors and live chickens were kept there until needed for the wok.

If you think about it it's much the same idea as the pie safe sitting in my dining area. It has pierced tin on the top to allow air to circulate around baked goods and closed storage on the bottom for staples. None of the women in my family have ever (at last report) stuffed chickens, live or otherwise, into this piece of furniture.

It is the humble, everyday things that fascinate me and it is amazing how cross-cultural they are, are they not. Any other similar examples seen in other cultures?

Labels: Chinese Cabinets, Decorative Arts, Woodworking

The Kovels have written on the subject of antiques of every sort for ages. They've published newsletters, price guides and written books about "old stuff".

Every once in a while they write about needlework and their latest online weekly newsletter has a few comments about mourning samplers. I sometimes agree with their opinions and values and sometimes not. But, I could say that of most "experts" and they could say the same of me, couldn't they?

Still the newsletter may be worth following if you are a lover of the past.

Labels: Antiques, Kovels, Mourning Samplers, Samplers

Try out Tatyana's Etsy shop for some bits and bobs for your Etsy shop or otherwise - or ask for custom designs. Several needlework themes are available.

While you are there hop on over to some other Etsy shopfronts. I am always amazed to see the innovative and beautiful handcrafted items on offer at very reasonable prices. Avoid the local pricey Ye Olde Gifte Shoppe and put your money directly in the pocket of the artisan.

Labels: Craft Shopping, Etsy, Needlework Graphics

The Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University maintains a site so rich in information and links and commentary you may come away inebriated with knowledge and even further questions. Let a kid read it and they will drive the entire family nuts with trivia.

Go check it out at HyperPhysics . When you arrive click on "Light And Vision" and then click further down to "Color"

Don't miss the color history section or the color puzzles.

Go forth and have fun.

Labels: Color History, Color theory, Physics of Color

Labels: Beading, Beading Daily, Free projects

I continue to discover new and delightful things about Nashville. The other day when traveling through a neighborhood I'd not before visited, I was charmed by a sort of architectural flourish.

In California (home of a good many craftsman style buildings) a sort of varient on the craftsman bungalow exists that adds a Chinese influenced roof to the occasional building. The roof itself is typically red tile (of the Spanish revival sort) but I have also seen blue ceramic tiles. The roofs are not flat but rather gabled and the roof ridges sport the scrollwork found atop Chinese temples.

In Nashville I ran across the bungalow's Southern shirt tail kin. Namely craftsman bungalow with typical shingle siding, but with grey asphalt roof shingles and exuberant red Chinese roof ridge decorations. I'm unsure but it seemed to me that the oriental gingerbread was wooden, but it will require further investigation and hopefully a chance to photograph some examples.

Are there any examples in your neighborhood? I would be quite interested in knowing about them, if so.

Labels: American Architecture, Architecture, Craftsman Architecture

Labels: Dharma Trading, dyeing, Dyeing History

Art Consulting Scandinavia has moved to a new physical location but their website is still in the same place:

http://www.nordicartbooks.com/

Their book selection is a delight. They are not in the inexpensive category of booksellers, but they often have exquisite books not found easily outside of Scandinavia and I have always experienced excellent service from them.

Have a few minutes of dream time at their site if you'd like a little step up from IKEA. NOTE: I'm not knocking IKEA - I've lived with great bookshelves from IKEA forever. Wonderful for heavy needlework books.

Labels: Books, Scandinavian Design

Well goodness, August is the anniversary month of the start of this blog. My first posts were six years ago in 2003. I never kept a written journal that long. I've done better and worse at keeping up with the blog depending on "Life The Universe And Everything", but I'm still in there swinging.

So I look forward to another year of needlework and needlework blogging.

Labels: Life the Universe and Everything

I do feel better now however. Boring details include a trip to my regular clinic for a followup appointment a week ago last Monday and a trip to the ER from the clinic via ambulance (no lights or siren kiddos).

We have emerged lighter on the other side and am home today having shed right about 2 Gal. of fluid from our chest cavity thanks to 4 thoracentisis jabs, 4 CT Scans, 2 Ultrasounds, 1 Echocardiogram, various other nasty tests (unmentionable in public), two units of whole blood and dozens of holes left by the blood-letting phlebotomy vampires.

I'll be able to do weight training with all the new bottles of pills and nostrums I brought home with me, but gosh breathing is fun and having a bit of energy is a high not to be duplicated. All the medical type folks consider me quite a mystery though and we still don't know for sure how I wound up in that condition.

So here's promising (fingers crossed) no more nasty medical reports and only needlework nonsense. Watch this space.

Linn

Labels: Life the Universe and Everything