Starting Needlework

luck!

Elizabeth

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A few of my favourite Canadian online retailers are:

are highly recommended (by me!) Resources for beginners:

(look under the headings "Needlepointers" for the archived articles and "Needlepoint Information" for the Stitch of the Month Archive) That ought to keep you busy for a while but post again if you have any further questions!

Welcome to Needlework, it's a fantastic hobby!

Jeanine in Canada (BC)

Thanks, Elizabeth and Jeanine, for the links. I'm looking for a retirement hobby, and my Grandfather used to do needlework, and I thought I might give it a try.

Just adding in one more, Carole Leather in the UK has an awesome site with great instructions for beginners, and those continuing to learn techniques. She also has some nice beginner oriented kits. And, also don't forget - you might have a local Embroiderer's Guild chapter nearby.

Have fun... Ellice in Virginia

The best thing to do, honestly, is to see if there is a brick and mortar store near you that gives lessons or a local chapter of a needlework guild. One of the best things about needlework is doing it with other people. On line is great, but in person is best. If there aren't any guilds or stores close enough for weekly or monthly gatherings, there might be a weekend a bit farther that you could think about. I've always wanted to do a Victoria Sampler retreat, for example:

you could check out this one:

Thanks Ellice,

For the kind words about my site. The link is

Have fun.

Regards,

Carol

Hi Darkrats:

As you see there are lots of good resources > Thanks, Elizabeth and Jeanine, for the links.

Where in Canada are you? We have several Canadian stitchers who read here, some post and some lurk.

However they may know where there is a learning resource in your neck of the woods.

Gillian Florida.

Carol,

Thanks, I thought I had pasted in the link, but I didn't check before hitting send. Ooops..... It's a great site, I refer to it all the time when I have novices in the shop. Thank you for doing such a fine service for all the stitchers, and potential stitchers!

Ellice

classicstitches.com has a wonderful stitch guide and free online patterns. They cover everything from surface work to goldwork - and everything in between. about.com is also a good place to find really basic information and links.

Welcome!

Linda

I see someone has also recommended my site, but you might find the Primer just what you are looking for.

pdf format, it mainly deals with surface embroidery, but also touches on hemstitching so that you can "finish" a project. It also includes two projects to practise what you've learned. Dianne

If you think the fancy stitches that make current canvas work oh sew beautiful is intriguing, you don't need to buy a lot of expensive supplies to practise. Instead, get some plastic canvas, not too thick yarn (wool), and a large eyed needle.

Here in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, used book stores are treasure troves for reference materials and no longer loved leaflets.

Even just try some 14 or 13 mesh canvas - it's not very expensive - usually about 3 cents a sq in.

Lots of people working on canvas, and learning/improving their skills do stitch notebooks. Kind of like a diary, only with swatches - say 2" x 2" squares, with a couple of samples of a stitch, done in a couple of threads, and stick that on a page with some notes.

There are so many gorgeous and fun stitches. And many, if not most, translate well to a counted thread fabric.

Great idea. Even some designers have charted canvas with instructions designed for learning stitches. I believe Brenda Kocher is one, she has some labelled with levels, and some of the Jean Hilton pieces, particularly "Turnberry Ridge" which looks fabulous, but has great instructions for more than just the featured stitches. Lots of books out there - the Jo Ippoleto Christensen one, the Anchor book, with ideas. Also, if you're really intriqued, the books "Stitches for Effect" "More Stitches for Effect" and "Even More Stitches for Effect" by Suzanne Howeren & Beth Robertson are invaluable as they detail stitches, along with the threads and uses for those stitches.

Well, got to go.

Ellice