White Threads

Publishing nightmares

I was looking at the Ikea catalogue the other day. You know the type – thin, crackly paper, with ripples near the spine because of the glue, which make it hard to turn the pages.

It reminded me of a nightmare that I had, some time before my left-handed books were delivered to me from the printer.

I dreamt that my books had all come back from the printer and they looked just like the Ikea catalogue: thin, crackly paper, with ripples near the spine because of the glue, which make it hard to turn the pages. In the dream I was devastated, and also pretty horrified by the idea when I woke up.

I was so pleased when the books came back (in real life) from the printer looking nothing like that! 🙂

Elegant Hardanger Embroidery online preview

Here’s the next online book preview: Elegant Hardanger Embroidery.

This time we have a preview of the cover, the inside front cover showing some of the projects, the contents, the first few pages of information, part of a project, the index, the inside back cover showing the remainder of the projects, and the back cover.

PREVIEW Elegant Hardanger Embroidery by Yvette Stanton

Please note that all content in this preview is just as copyrighted as the actual book, so it cannot be reproduced.

Needlework shop and bookshop owners: You are welcome to go to Scribd by clicking on the link at the top left of the preview, and getting a copy to embed in your website or blog, as a promotional tool. If you can make no sense of it all, email me for information on how to do it!

natty knitted garden

My husband and I were listening to ABC Classic Radio today, a national radio station. Now this is a seriously high-brow radio station – no shock jocks, silly business or the like- just serious classical music.

The news came on, and partway through, the newsreader told us this strange little story about a group in Griffith (south western NSW) that has received some sort of grant to make a crocheted garden. And then he said something about it being knitted (showing his ignorance that knitting and crocheting are not the same thing!).

Well, according to the Griffith Council website, the Griffith Natty Knitters will be exhibiting a sculptural knitted garden as part of this year’s “Flower Power” exhibition, at the Griffith Regional Gallery in October.

Unfortunately I can find out nothing more about it. I checked the websites of ABC Riverina (the region that Griffith is in) and local newspapers but there’s no mention of it amongst the local news.

There are many questions that need to be answered:
– who are the Griffith Natty Knitters?
– will it be full-size as the newsreader suggested? (he got other information wrong, so I really doubt this “fact”…)
– what have the Griffith Natty Knitters made in the past?
– are they making the garden up, or are they using patterns?
– what plants or other features will be in the garden?
– why are they knitting a garden? Why? Why? Why?!

I’m sure the knitted garden will be a sight to be seen. My nephew lives in Griffith. I might just have to convince him to go along and do a little report for us. Hmm… somehow I just can’t see that happening!

its going to happen

Well, you’re the first to know it: “The Right-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion: a step-by-step stitch dictionary” is underway.

I heard the jealous cries of the right-handers who want their own version of my stitch dictionary. I also heard the happy ravings (and I mean that in the nicest possible way!) of the left-handers who love theirs so much, and thought that its a pity for right-handers to miss out on that joy.

As I began work on it, I realised that there really is not so terribly much to do on it (not as much as a completely new book, anyway!). So it seemed to me to be silly not to do it.

So right-handers, some time later this year, “The Right-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion” should be available, thereby making you happy ever after. 🙂

Of course, more details will be forthcoming as soon as they are available. And if all goes according to plan, it’ll be out well before the end of the year.

Left-handed book online preview

I’ve found a way of creating online previews of my books so that you can see a sample of the contents of my books. I have started with The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion.

It has a sample of pages: there are the front and back covers, the contents page, one surface stitch, a variation of that stitch, a counted thread stitch, a needlepoint stitch, and the index. That should give you a really good idea of what the book is like and what is in it.

PREVIEW The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion: a step-by-step stitch dictionary by Yvette Stanton

I’d love to hear what you think of the preview, and whether you’d like to see similar previews of my other books.

Please note that all content in these previews is just as copyrighted as the actual book, so it cannot be reproduced.

Beginners Hardanger class

These are the two class models for my beginners hardanger class at The Crewel Gobelin in June. Contact The Crewel Gobelin in Killara, Sydney, for more information and bookings.

You can choose whatever colour threads and fabric you want for this class. I’ve worked both my examples on “flax” Dublin linen (25 count). However, you could also choose to use the basic white on white (or tone on tone) for the project. While that’s actually what I love best (I love whitework!), many beginners often find it easier to work with a coloured thread on light fabric, or a light thread on coloured fabric. If you like being daring, you could choose strong colours too.

The bluish one uses three different threads: two perle 8s and one perle 5. The purplish one uses two different threads: one perle 5 and one silk thread which equates to perle 8 (Colourstreams Ophir).

The panel can be framed, applied to a cushion or bag, put into a window card for a special person, or you could even make it into a needlebook if you have the know-how to do that.

The class will be run over three weeks, with a 2 hour lesson each week. This gives us lots of time to learn and master the new techniques and stitches. Each of the stitches used will be taught, so absolute beginners are completely catered for, though it will probably help if you can count…

I look forward to seeing you there!

ADDED 9/3/2015: Do to revived interest, this class is to be run again in May 2015. Please contact The Crewel Gobelin and stayed tuned here for more details.

an interesting discovery

I have been doing some Hardanger to prepare for a beginner’s Hardanger class that I have coming up in June at The Crewel Gobelin.

I have designed a simple design that we will work over a period of three weeks. So that students can get an idea of how it can work in different colourways, I have stitched up two designs so far.

One is in DMC varigated thread and plain solid coloured threads. The other uses a DMC varigated thread and a Colourstreams silk – Ophir in “La Plume” colour.

I have used Colourstreams silks before, but I have learnt some new things about Ophir while stitching this class model. I noticed that some of the stitches were sitting a little differently than how I expected. I then realised that the thread is not an S twist thread, as I am used to, but a Z twist thread.

I also found that because it is so slippery, its not particularly ideal for needleweaving as the stitch tension keeps easing off, and it is therefore difficult to make the bars really narrow. In fact, I would probably say that while it looks lovely, with its colour and sheen, I haven’t particularly enjoyed using it to stitch Hardanger with. (I do love it for other embroidery though.)

However, I have greatly enjoyed working some Hardanger again. The last time I did any was probably in October last year at Beating Around the Bush, and even then, I did very little, just helping the students out with their projects – not even my own stitching.

I’ll post pictures of the projects soon. If you’d like more details about the Beginner’s Hardanger class, or to sign up, please contact The Crewel Gobelin.

Exhibiting at Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair

Just thought I’d let you know that I have taken the plunge and will this year be exhibiting at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair at Darling Harbour, from June 16-20.

I’ll be sharing a stand with The Gift Of Stitching Magazine, and we will have lots of wonderful goodies for sale. If you catch me during a really quiet period, you may be able to ask me to demonstrate a stitch for you, or ask me a curly embroidery question.

I have requested to teach a short workshop on basic left-handed embroidery stitches, but I’ll have to wait and see whether I am able to – I figure they have lots of requests, but have to choose what they consider to be the best ones for their market.

I’ll let you know more, as I know more.

right-handed stitch dictionary?

In the interests of finding out whether people want fire that can be nasally inserted (thanks Douglas Adams), I’m wanting to do a little market research.

The idea of converting my already popular left-handed stitch dictionary into a right-handed version has been kicking around my head for a very long time. Probably right from the beginning.

But there is a big reason that makes me wonder whether I should bother. Is there any need in this world for yet another stitch dictionary for right-handers? I mean, it was obvious that there was a need for a left-handed one. It is not obvious that there is a need for another right-handed one.

However, even right-handers are jealous of my left-handed book. As we found earlier, there is now left-handed envy. Is that enough reason for me to bring out a right-handed version of my book?

If you are right-handed and have seen my left-handed stitch dictionary, would you want to buy a right-handed edition of it? If yes, why, and if no, why?

I am VERY interested in hearing all opinions.

Thanks!

left-handed envy?

I’ve never heard of left-handed envy, but it seems it now exists. Karen Platt, who does a great job of reviewing a lot of different embroidery books, had this to say about my left-handed book, The Left-Handed Embroiderer’s Companion:

This is the first time in my life I have wanted to be left-handed. Unfortunately, I’m not.

That’s hilarious! I had no idea that my book would do that to people!

You can read the rest of the review at Karen’s website:
http://karenplatt.co.uk/reviews/2010/03/the-left-handed-embroiderers-companion-by-yvette-stanton/

Added later: It begs the question… do right-handers want their own edition of my stitch dictionary?