The Embroideress

Oh no, books, books, books. I have visions of books dancing through my head - The heck with sugarplums. They of course want to sell books to you but their little newsletters are a good little read.

"Our last Medieval Herald for this year – Issue V/December 2010 is online. As December is Holiday time this newsletter holds a very special treat for all our readers: A Special Holiday Offer of 35% on all books featured.*This time we spoke to Peter Hoskins, who told us about his project In the Steps of the Black Prince for which he followed the Black Prince’s trail through France on foot. If you have done something similar, why not share your experiences on our Medieval Herald Blog? We also introduce our new series Medieval and Renaissance Clothing and Textiles. Tina Kane, author of the first volume, The Troyes Memoire, tells about the wonderful art and craft of tapestries. Nick Higham, Manchester University, introduces two publications which are a must have for everyone interested in the latest research on Anglo-Saxon Landscape Archaeology.Discover more new & forthcoming books, learn about our POD programme, win books, and last but not least, visit our very own facebook page to keep up to date with our latest news and publications across all our imprints.As usual, please let us know if you have any questions, suggestions or if you would like to contribute to our newsletter or blog; simply write an e-mail to us via medievalherald@boydell.co.uk.We hope you will enjoy reading our new issue, good luck for the competition, & Happy Holidays!"

Labels: Medieval history

Can we still find it amidst all the shopping, the electric displays and the bettering the Jones folks?

I used to like going to my grandmother's at Christmas time because she had lights on her tree whereas my Dad was dead set "agin" them. We strung a lot of cranberries and popcorn and made more than one paper chain at our house. I'm lucky in having a collection of ornaments gifted me by friends and family and many of them are handcrafted (a plus). I tend to favor ornaments resembling birds (real or fantasy) and am always delighted to find one not before seen.

I am fortunate however that I can celebrate the holiday year round as several years ago my sis, Earlene made a miniature tree for me. It sits in glass domed splendor with heaps of packages underneath, wee ornaments and ropes of beads as well as tiny candles. It perches on a revolving base and never has to be dusted - just clean the glass once in a while and you're done. I leave it out in a place of honor always and when I move it is always hand carried by me. Don't want it to encounter a tragic mishap.

And yes, if I have a "normal" sized tree it is decorated with lights.

A very happy holiday season to all stitchers, their families and friends.

Labels: Christmas Ornaments

Run don't walk to http://boydellandbrewer.com/ to take advantage of their upcoming 48 hour sale.

Boydell and Brewer are publishers of scholarly works including the catalogs of university presses, societies, etc. They are not "cheap" but have titles not seen elsewhere. Their current catalog of medieval studies includes some 89 pages of titles. You can sometimes find that they have printed not only a hardback version of a book but also a softback. This can help bring these books within reason if you don't particularly require a hardback.

They are having their first ever special sale starting Sunday and continuing for 48 hours only. Some groups of societies' proceedings are not included but there are plenty of medieval costume, food, warfare. etc. for you to drool over. The sale is a discount of 40% of your entire order (other than excluded titles).

I'm just a satisfied customer of theirs, not affiliation with their biz. Now back to browsing and wishing.

Labels: Books

It is amazing what you find when you tidy up your stash, isn't it? I've had a go at threads lately and found stuff I forgot I had.

Now, the question is - what to do with some of it. Several batches of thread left from my teaching days will go to local schools and hopefully I'll get rid of some inventory of books by having a sale.

So - until November 2 you will get a 10% discount on anything you order from Skinner Sisters . I'm updating our catalog pages and putting a few things up that have been missing for awhile and there are always the tried and true blackwork books perfect for holiday giving. Help me get this stuff off my inventory and let me do some shopping myself. Some of the slow moving items are further discounted as well so check in this evening and see the changes.

Labels: Skinner Sisters Books

I'm fortunate in having a large grove of very tall trees outside my balcony. There is a variety of various sorts of trees and with each changing season the colors of the leaves change as well. We are getting into fall here in Tennessee now and the trees offer all sorts of colors - from green to yellow to russet to flame. It is amazing that this sometimes happens overnight. I never know what delights each morning will offer.

Labels: Color

Labels: Plain Sewing, Stitching in the Movies

I think we all have had the experience of stitching a wonderful design and then searching for the ideal frame, box, etc. to showcase our stitching.

But did you ever have a frame that simply calls for some beautiful stitching and then find ourselves hunting for a design to fit the frame?

I can't resist old frames and have quite a stack of what is now known as "shabby chic" frames. In days past I just thought of these as being unloved and needing some TLC.

Some I have used for framing models and from time to time a design that is just right floats to the surface and a friendship of frame and stitching begins. It can sometimes be a little difficult to find a "fitting" design as vintage frames don't always come in modern standard sizes

Labels: Needlework Designs