Needlework

Smocked ornaments are a lovely home accent, excellent practice piece and a beautiful holiday gift. Smocking, or hand embroidery on pleated fabric, is often used for heirloom garments but can also...

Today, sewing machines create buttonholes with the touch of a button. There was a time, however, when most housewives knew how to buttonhole stitch. Even if you do not need to hand sew a...

The Raggedy Ann doll has been around since the early 20th century. Chances are your mother and grandmother played with her when they were little. Maybe you did too. If you have a pattern, you can...

Would you like to know how to center a French knot or simply knot-off an embroidery thread on a cross-stitch? By the end of these instructions you would have learned, not only how to knot, but...

So you want to know how to do a French Knot in your cross stitching artwork? No Problema! Just follow the steps below and you'll be French Knotting your way away!! Just remember to practice...

The blanket stitch is a basic embroidery technique used to stitch two pieces of fabric together or flatter the edges of a single-layer piece to prevent fraying. People who make quilts, blankets,...

Always choose your Cross Stitch project wisely. If it is to challenging for you chances are you won't finish it. Or worse you'll stop stitching all together. Here are a few things to consider...

Cross Stitch is one of the simplest of needlework arts. However; certain specialty knots require a little extra finesse to produce elegant results. Below are instructions for four types of Cross...

DMC is a company that dominates the market for needlework threads internationally. Its catalog reference numbers have become standard terminology for every type of needlework pattern. DMC...

Silk ribbon embroidery is quick, pretty and easy for an experienced embroiderer. Even beginners can quickly become competent at silk ribbon embroidery techniques of all sorts. It requires...

Learning a new craft like stamped cross-stitch is a pursuit that will keep you occupied and absorbed as you learn new sewing techniques to prepare creations that you will be proud to display in...

Cross-stitchers and other who use hundreds of colors of embroidery thread face the dilemma of how to keep their stash organized and accessible. This simple organization systems will allow you to...

Punch needle embroidery, sometimes called "thread painting," can be used to create complex designs across a wide area of fabric. Punch needle embroidery uses simple tools and notions, and the...

Pillowcases embellished with embroidery give your bed a charming, welcoming air, suggesting a love of fine needlework and of handmade objects. You can buy embroidered pillowcases in the linen...

Redwork embroidery became popular during a period of time when colorfast dyed floss was not readily available. It is believed to have come to the United States as a craft during the Civil War...

Embroidery is the interesting task of creating pictures or pillows with fabric and floss or yarn. Most often you buy embroidery kits that contain the fabric, floss, needle and instructions....

If you want to avoid a jumbled mess of DMC embroidery floss or losing the identifying packaging strips, you need to get organized. The key to organizing DMC floss is to keep it from getting...

Redwork is a type of embroidery that uses line art and red floss to embellish fabric. You might choose to do redwork on a themed quilt with each block a different flower, bird or dog. Or, you...

A traditional tapestry is made with a specialized loom. Purchasing this type of loom can be too great an expense to produce one or two tapestries for your home. You can create your own tapestry,...

Embroidery floss can be used to create all kinds of crafts, including counted cross stitch, stamped cross stitch, needlepoint, and embroidery projects. A kit will contain all of the embroidery...

Whether it's an old-fashioned sampler or a pillow, many people find cross stitching to be a fun and relaxing hobby. One advantage of cross stitching is that it doesn't require years of sewing...

Cross stitch involves embroidering in X-shaped stitches to form designs or pictures. Cross stitch is a very popular craft because it's easy to learn and can be taken along on trips or used to pass...

A round table runner can be used on any table, but is especially well-suited to a round table. You can create this project with wool felt and a few basic embroidery stitches, making it appropriate...

French knots are knots that are used to add detail to embroidery projects. They can be small and delicate or larger and more pronounced. If you enjoy embroidering or are attempting to learn the...

Embroidering letters by hand is useful for adding monograms to personal items. Monograms can be added to linens and clothing for a distinctive touch of personalization. If you choose to embroider...

Patches aren't just for hiding holes anymore. They're often used as stylish design elements for clothes, bags, hats, pillows, and any other fabric you might want to add some of your personal style...

Embroidered badges are a great way to lend distinction to a uniform or a garment worn while in the service of any kind of organization--whether it's a scouting troop, the PTA, a camping and hiking...

Hand sewing and embroidery remain useful skills in today's busy world. The recent revival in crafting has led to a renewed interest in this type of handwork, as well as new availability of modern...

Meet the Girlz welcomes you to make this BFF Album Cover to add a little dazzle and flare. Oh yeah, and no boys allowed.

If you start now, you might have this costume ready by Halloween, depending on how busy you are. Adding the details will make it win the contest!

Cross-stitching has been around for centuries, and cross-stitch kits offer crafters an affordable way to enjoy this form of embroidery. Cross-stitch patterns can be used on pillows, blankets, wall...

Daisies are easy to draw. The flowers have bright round yellow centers surrounded by oval petals. They are quite easy to embroider and make a great first project for people who are beginning to...

Some cross-stitch kits come with blank fabric and a chart that explains where to put each stitch. This is known as a counted cross stitch. In the stamped cross stitch the chart is stamped directly...

The ever-variable Celtic knot seems to hold immense fascination for craftspeople of all walks. The Celtic knot appears in woodworking, leather craft, stained glass... and, yes, in cross-stitch...

One of the greatest aspects of this craft is the time spent in its meticulous creation. It would be almost impossible for one stitcher to create an entire cross-stitch tablecloth during her...

Sashiko is a traditional Japanese form of quilting. In some designs used, the quilting design appears as elaborate as needlepoint. The type of quilting technique and the look to be achieved make...

A French knot is an embroidery stitch that sticks up on top of the fabric and can be as fat or skinny as you need depending on the thickness of your thread. Usually French knots are used to create...

Cross stitching is a nice, relaxing hobby that you can do almost anywhere. All you need is the fabric, thread, needle and hoop, and the hoop isn't mandatory. When you cross stitch, make "Xs" on a...

Cross stitching is the art of sewing stitches to create a picture. Learning this art can provide many relaxing hours as you create beauty for your home. You can easily find pattern books, fabric,...

Embroidering names is one way to add a personal touch to quilts, tote bags, clothing and more. To embroider by hand, you’ll need a few tools such as embroidery floss, an embroidery needle...

If you enjoy embroidery or cross-stitching, it's important to know how to backstitch. A good backstitch can help you outline a picture or make neat letters.

Plastic bags are everywhere! Even if you refuse them at the store, they still seem to pop up in one form or another. You can use plastic bag material to create useful and pretty rugs for the...

You can create a piece of modern patchwork art similar to that found in Access Space in Sheffield, England. To make the patchwork you piece each of the 216 colors of the HTML hexadecimal system...

To produce a button hole stitch on a fleece throw is a piece of cake, if you have the right tools! What is the "right tool" you might wonder? Well, the key is to get a large enough eye of a needle...

Russian punch needle embroidery uses a long hollow needle with a handle. The hollow tube extends from the sharp point right through the top of the handle. Threading a punch needle means getting...

Embellish note cards and envelopes with some simple embroidery stitches for memorable cards your friends and loved ones will treasure forever!

When I first tried to cross stitch I was overwhelmed, losing my place on my fabric. This led to frustration as I had to rip out stitches I'd stitched in wrong places. But when I discovered the...

Railroading in cross stitch will eliminate the twist in your thread, makes the work flatter and improves floss coverage. Although it is a little more time consuming, your work will show a...

To many, hand embroidery is quickly becoming a lost art. Our grandmothers and great grandmothers probably used it to embellish every day objects around the home. You can employ it on the blouse...

The upright cross stitch is a cross stitch variation that looks exactly as the name implies; it's a cross stitch turned upright to form a plus sign. It's a very easy stitch to learn, and it can...