White Threads

Fine white threads

Mary Corbet has written an excellent article on the non-availability of fine white threads for whitework embroidery.

This is an issue that has caused problems for me on occasions. When I was about to publish my Ukrainian book – which specified broder cotton No 12 as being the best thread to use – I suddenly learned that that weight of thread had been discontinued. Fortunately, you’re still able to use pearl cotton instead, however it was a huge annoyance for me!

Trying to find the right threads for Mountmellick embroidery was also extremely difficult. Eventually I did find a source for them, which was great, because they are unlike anything else on the market. They are soft, matt threads, with fine ply (differing quantities of ply depending on the thickness of the thread) and a medium twist. I now stock Mountmellick thread so that others can use this lovely thread for their Mountmellick embroidery.

Mountmellick thread doesn’t have to only be used for Mountmellick embroidery! It can definitely be used for other whitework as well!

The finest Mountmellick thread I stock is No 2 (shown much larger than actual size, on the right), because Mountmellick is not supposed to be very fine. It is meant to be big, bold and chunky, so I stock the most appropriate thicknesses for this.

However, Mountmellick thread DOES come in No 1 thickness. No 2 is approximately equivalent in thickness to No 12 pearl cotton, so No 1 would be a bit finer than that. I have to order more Mountmellick thread from my supplier soon, and am wondering about also getting some No 1 thickness. Perhaps people might like to experiment with using it for other types of whitework embroidery?

I wrote an article some years ago about Mountmellick thread, and how it compares to other threads. You can read it here. It explains about the number of ply in each thickness, its feel and its look.

So perhaps there is another thread worth considering for whitework in general. I think I’ll get some of the Mountmellick No 1 thickness with my next order and let the experimentation begin.

So I’ve booked…

You all did a really bad job of convincing me that I would be able to stay here in Australia and do justice to the cultural and historical research that I want to do for my next book.

The thing is that when we travel, we travel as a family. We love sharing the world with our girls, as they add so much to our experience, and they learn so much (as do we!) by travelling. However, due to various reasons, we can only travel during school holidays, and if travelling to Europe, the best time for us is the middle of the year holidays. This is peak season, and therefore we pay peak prices. Investigating a family trip to Mystery Destination revealed that it was going to be ridiculously expensive, and that there was no way we could afford it, in our wildest dreams. Very regretfully that idea got canned.

But I couldn’t help but think that if I didn’t go, it wasn’t going to be the book I wanted it to be or the book you would expect from me. (And you all helped to convince me of that too.) So I started investigating going by myself in a shoulder or low season. By doing a bit of careful research, I found that I could reduce the cost of an adult airfare by about $1000! I had two options for dates: one period very soon, and one period in September.

I worked out where I needed to visit – the must haves for researching this embroidery – and made a plan of public transport between them. I figured that I could probably manage with just two museums, and a little cultural exploration of the desired region. A little over a week would suffice, including the two to three days travel each way. (Australia is a long way from Europe!)

I did a costing of accommodation, and worked out that for about the same amount as the original peak season airfare, I could do the whole trip just by myself, in a shoulder season. I managed to find a time that avoided teaching commitments, the craft show, and other busy business periods. As far as I could see, it could work. But then I needed to sell the idea to my husband, because he wanted to come too, if I was going.

I presented my spreadsheet, along with the dates. While he isn’t happy about not going with me, he’s agreed that I need to go.

I made enquiries of the two museums about the not very likely possibility of obtaining reasonably soon appointments to see the relevant parts of the collection (most things that I want to see are in archives and not on general display). But I figured that if I didn’t ask, I would never know!

One said that there was unfortunately no way they could fit me in for the quite soon option – being a large museum in a capital city, this wasn’t surprising. I could still visit the museum, but just see their regular display, which certainly won’t be a waste of time!

However, the other one, a small regional museum which was my top choice for museums to visit because of their extensive collection, amazingly said that they were happy to see me on the date that I had nominated. I was completely astonished and so very happy and grateful! As soon as I received that email, I realised that there was nothing holding me back from booking to go for the very soon option.

So on Friday night we booked flights, and a train trip. Since then, I’ve booked the accommodation, and arranged travel insurance. It’s all done. It all came about so quickly. I’m still a bit amazed, because I will be leaving NEXT WEDNESDAY. Yes, that soon!

We told the girls on Saturday morning. They were not happy with me. The Reader gave me dirty looks all day. Thankfully she’s stopped since then! They really want to come too. Both of them have specific reasons for wanting to visit the region. But we just can’t afford it.

Very importantly, I’d like to say thanks so very much to everyone who has pre-ordered books and also purchased other things from my website in an effort to support my “Get Yvette to Mystery Destination for researching her next book” fund. While it certainly hasn’t covered the whole trip, it has been an encouraging amount of money that has come in, and has helped immensely. I’m very grateful to each of you for your encouragement of me, and your practical support. THANKS!

I will therefore be away from 14th May until 22nd May (back to work on the 23rd). The Vetty Creations office will be closed during that time. Any orders placed and enquiries will be attended to on my return. I apologise for any inconvenience.

Again, thank you so much for your support and encouragement of me. I am so very grateful!

hand embroidery on clothing

embroidered dress The two books are making progress together. For “Sardinian Knotted Embroidery: Whitework from Teulada” I have been continuing to work on promotional material, and for the new mysterious book I have been continuing to embroider, research and think through ideas.

I personally like the idea of wearing hand embroidered clothing. It is embroidery that gets used. I have a couple of embroidered shirts that I enjoy wearing, and for the Sardinian book, I made a dress with an embroidered border, seen right on the sample book pages. I love wearing it!

For this next book, I am seriously considering including another garment. I just really like the idea of wearing the fruit of my labour. Apart from anything else, it is a really good advertisement for what I do – it is a very practical way of showing people what I do all day!

When we think of embroidery on clothing, we often think of smocked dresses for little girls, grub roses on singlets for little babies. Why do babies and children get all the fun? Why don’t we adults wear embroidery on our clothing more often? One practical reason could be that children are smaller, therefore less time is required to embroider their clothing!

Two of the magazines that I have worked with were always interested in projects that either put embroidery on existing clothing or that had embroidery that was done and then included in the construction of the garment.

Embroidery on clothing was one of the main reasons I wanted to do the pattern drafting course that The Reader and I have been doing over the past year and a half now. I used those skills to draft the pattern for the dress in “Sardinian Knotted Embroidery”.

Do you like the idea of wearing embroidered garments? Is this something you already do? Have you embroidered either on existing clothing or on components that have been then made into a new garment? Is it something you would like to do?

phone not working

I do apologise that if you have tried to call Vetty Creations any time since Monday, you won’t have gotten through. Our phone is not working. You can hear it ringing from your end, and I can hear it ringing from this end too, but when I pick up the phone, it just keeps ringing.

Our service provider is supposedly working on it, but they don’t seem to be rushing. When I contacted them this morning, they said someone will check (not fix!) the line before May 7th. And if they do find a fault when they finally get around to checking it, who knows how long they would take to get around to fixing it.

Great for business… 🙁 I’m not at all pleased.

In the mean time, please contact me via the internet – at least that is working!

I’m so sorry for the inconvenience. It is certainly an inconvenience for us!

When the phone is finally back on, I will update this post to let you know. Hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later.

Edit, Sunday 4th May: The phone is finally back on today. 🙂

If you want me to go…

It was so interesting reading the responses to my post on the blog and its repost on the Vetty Creations Facebook page yesterday. Thank you for all the responses – they were very thought provoking.

Some of you really tried to think laterally about how I might be able to not go on my research trip, yet still access the resources that I need to.

Many suggested contacting migrant groups from that community, here in Australia. For reasons that will eventually become clear, unfortunately that just won’t work for the embroidery that I’m wanting to study. The chances of finding 200 year old examples of the embroidery here in Australia are next to zero.

Others threw caution to the wind, didn’t even bother trying to convince me not to go, and just launched right in telling me all the reasons they thought I *should* go! (I’m on your side!)

However, as I stated, there is the small issue of finances! I said that I’d considered crowd funding, but I just don’t like the idea of asking others for money like that.

So my suggestion instead, is this: For my next book (subject as yet still unrevealed, so I don’t mean the Sardinian book), if you think it would make it a better book if I were to go to its cultural home to properly research it (I do!), then please support my effort to do this by ordering your copy of “Sardinian Knotted Embroidery: Whitework from Teulada”, NOW!

A friend suggested that she would happily preorder the as yet unrevealed book in an effort to support me getting to go on a research trip for it. Well, I could organise it that way, but that means the carrot at the end of the stick is a very long way away! However, if you order the Sardinian book, you’ll get it in just a few short months. Doesn’t that sound like a better deal?!

You can order your copy of “Sardinian Knotted Embroidery: Whitework from Teulada” from the Vetty Creations website. Do it now, and you can say that you helped my effort to get to the country of origin to research my next book! And I’ll send you the book as soon as my shipment arrives from the printers in July (or sooner, if they turn up sooner!)

Thanks for your support!

baby steps and a lament

I am making progress on the next book. I’ve received emails back from two of the museums that I contacted saying that they are willing to help me, by answering any questions I might have. I am so very grateful that people are willing to do this for me. I understand that most museums are understaffed and underfunded, so for people to be willing to devote time to my questions is just lovely.

Last night I started a new project for the book. It is quite different from anything I’ve ever done before. I hope it works out. If it doesn’t, you’ll never see it! 😉

I still wish that I could travel to the home of the embroidery I’m going to be focusing on. I just know it would be such a valuable experience for me for the book. However, my husband insists that he would be coming with me, and then the girls both insist too. That makes it quite an expensive little exercise!

I keep hoping that the money will miraculously turn up in our bank account, but that’s not at all likely. I even considered using a crowdfunding website like “GoFundMe”, but I feel pretty weird about asking people for money like that!

I’ll just have to convince myself that I don’t need to go.

Of course, not going, I’ll have to purchase photos to use that I could otherwise take myself… I won’t be able to see the embroidery up close and personal… I won’t be able to ask the questions that I would only think of when I see the work in the flesh… I wouldn’t be able to purchase local materials and support the local economy… I wouldn’t be able to meet local craftspeople who still make the embroidery and treasure it as part of their culture… I wouldn’t be able to get a real feel for the culture, and see how the embroidery fits in with that…

I’m not doing a very good job of convincing myself, am I?! Must try harder!

Introducing the White Threads characters

You may have been reading this blog for a long time (thanks!) or you may be quite new (also thanks!). When I’m not talking about what embroidery or book project I’m working on, I tend to talk about my family. You might not have yet been introduced, so please, let me introduce you to the regular characters in the White Threads story!

The Reader: my elder daughter, who as you can guess, rather likes reading, though she has a large range of other interests, including playing the piano (which she is doing as I write this), playing the trumpet, doing drama, enjoying her friends and travel. She and I have been doing a clothing pattern making course over the last year and a half together.

The Gymnast (previously known as Rainbow Girl): my younger daughter, who is as her name suggests, a gymnast. She’s very seriously aiming for the 2020 Olympics, and while she is on track for that, whether she ever makes it will be interesting to see. Regardless of whether she makes it or not, she loves doing gymnastics. She also loves watching David Attenborough documentaries, particularly about anything sea or polar related.

The Husband: is a librarian, who loves spending time with his family, architecture, history, and travel. When I suggest another research trip for another book, he is always the one to plan the trip, and his first port of call in the planning is always the World Heritage List!

And then there’s me, Yvette Stanton: I love embroidery, particularly whitework. I love the fact that my work fits nicely around my family’s needs. I love writing books, and when I have the chance, I love teaching others how to do embroidery. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be able to do what I love!

Added later:
I received this as an email response from Carole, and thought it was so lovely that I would share it with you (I hope you don’t mind, Carole!)
From Carole: “And then there are those of us who hang on your every word, and add your books to our stash, although we must live to be 375 years to finish just what we have started and kitted! At this point we feel pretty much your characters too.”

I think she’s right – you are some of the characters here too. I just don’t know all your names. 🙂

I’ve started the next book!

I can’t hold myself back. I’ve already started work on my next book. 🙂 I’ve done lots of planning, some research (over many years), and even some stitching. Let’s be clear here though, this is a book that I have now started three times, including this start. Each time the book idea changes just a little bit.

Yesterday I was sitting in traffic doing the very regular drive to gymnastics to pick up The Gymnast. And suddenly, while waiting at traffic lights, an idea popped into my head for a project. Just like that! I think that some of the pieces that I’d seen earlier in the day while looking at online museum exhibits had finished percolating in my brain, and the idea just popped out! I do love it when that happens!

It is always difficult coming up with a good range of projects to make. I could just make a million table runners, but if you’re not interested in making table runners it will make you less interested in my book. So when this idea popped out yesterday, it was rather lovely!

We briefly toyed with the idea of a research trip for this book, but unfortunately there is just NO WAY that we can afford it, unless I win the lottery – which I don’t enter – so that’s not going to happen! We spent a lovely two days dreaming up where we could go, but it’s just not to be. It is a pity because I would have enjoyed sharing the photos with you, in the same way that I’ve been enjoying telling you about Sardinia and sharing photos from that trip.

In terms of research, there are some things that are better seen with your own eyes. Seeing embroidery in the flesh is always different than seeing museum catalogue photos, or low res images on Pinterest, or even good quality ones in books. It just isn’t the same. The photographer is not necessarily focusing on the things I want to see and know about.

I will just have to hope that I can find some very helpful museum staff and other experts who are willing to answer my questions from afar, and be my eyes.

It is lovely to have a book to work on again. No, I’m not telling you what it is yet. It is WAY too early in the process for that!

photos of Teulada

When I visit a town or region for book research, I like to take photos of the environs. They help me to remember what the place was like, and they are great to show to others so they can get a feel for a place as well.

I started taking these sorts of photos after our trip to Mountmellick, about 10 years ago. When we came home from that trip, I wondered why I only took one or two photos of and around Mountmellick. It wasn’t a very good image library to draw on! However, I think that because in those days I used film, rather than a digital camera, that had a lot to do with it!

Since that time, I have made an effort to remember to take town and environs photographs. I did it in Deerfield, Massachusetts, which if I remember corectly, the photos accompanied an article I wrote for Piecework Magazine. On our trip to Portugal, I did this in the early morning – went off by myself, shortly after dawn, to photograph the old town.

This trip, researching for “Sardinian Knotted Embroidery”, I did the same, and The Reader joined me on my photographic excursion. We enjoyed our early morning wander through Teulada. The light is best in the early morning or in the late afternoon. If you take photos in the middle of the day, the light usually comes straight down from above and looks quite harsh. In the early morning and late afternoon/evening, the light is much softer, and falls from a better angle. (I did also take photos at other times of the day as we went about our business.)

Approaching Teulada for the very first time. (I have a similar shot of the sign to Guimarães!)

I love photographing doors. This one has so much character.

Leading down to one of the main squares of Teulada. Later in the day, there might be a group of older men under the trees, whiling the time away, solving the problems of the world. 😉

Another door. Unfortunately the bin was out to be collected. Oh well! It’s a part of life!

Many of the houses are painted pretty colours.

Another of the main squares of Teulada. The library and one of the main churches are on this square.

A pretty, rustic door with vines and plants, at Residenza Locci, where we stayed.

naming the book: Sardinian Knotted Embroidery

At some point, you may wonder (especially if you’re Sardinian) why I didn’t put “Punt ‘e Nù” (which means “knotted stitches” in Sardinian) anywhere in the title of my book, if that is what the book is about. It is true, I didn’t. However, it was very carefully planned.

When I name a book, many things are considered including the following. It has to explain what the book is about. It has to be easy to say. It has to roll off the tongue. It has to pique the interest of the reader.

When I’m dealing with an embroidery from another culture, where it is known by a name in another language, this is where things become a little difficult. I want prospective purchasers to be able to walk into a shop and confidently ask for the book by its title. As an English speaker, would you feel confident about asking for “Punt ‘e Nù”? Do you have any idea how to pronounce that? Probably most of us wouldn’t!

Even “Teulada”, for those of us who speak English is a little problematic. How do you pronounce that? *I* know, because I’ve been there, but you haven’t (at least I’m assuming that you haven’t!). By having “Teulada” in just the subtitle rather than the title, you can ask for the book, without ever actually having to attempt to say “Teulada”, but having it in the subtitle does give more clarity about the style of embroidery than if it was not mentioned.

So that is why I have called the book “Sardinian Knotted Embroidery: Whitework from Teulada”. The title actually explains quite a few things about the contents of the book – that it is from Teulada in Sardinian, that it is about whitework embroidery, and that it uses a knotted technique.

As most of my readers are English speaking – the book is written in English, after all! – I have to cater for the needs of English speakers. If I had felt reasonably sure that they would know how to confidently pronounce “Punt ‘e Nù”, then I definitely would have included it in the title. However, as very few English speakers would feel confident pronouncing it without ever having heard someone else do so, I felt that it was not going to be helpful to include it in the title.

If you would like to hear these words pronounced, you can hear me say them in my book trailer.

(Found here for those who receive this post via email.) At approximately 1:18 I say “Teulada” and then at 1:20 I say “Punt ‘e Nù”.

So, “Sardinian Knotted Embroidery: Whitework from Teulada” it is! And I hope that you will say as much or as little of that title as you feel confident with.