The Stitch and Thimble : 07

It's hard to believe sometimes how quickly three months can flash by. Before I know it, I'm putting together another issue of the Stitch and Thimble. And it feels as though I was working on the previous one just yesterday.

Issue 07 features embroidery designs and patterns for a plush covered coathanger (in defiance of the plastic, pack-of-five variety), a contemporary redwork first aid kit, some bright and cheerful bunting and an embellished tea towel. And the sampler and templates in this issue focus on punctuation, Jacobean style.

It's also getting more and more difficult to favour one issue over another. I always think the most recent issue is the best... until I see the next one. And this one is no exception.

Issue 07 of the Stitch and Thimble is available for sale now on my website.

Do stitchers respect copyright?

When I first brought out the Stitch and Thimble, my digital hand embroidery publication, I did some research into copyright protection. My thinking was that putting out a PDF, the simplest of formats for such a publication, without some sort of protection was foolhardy as it would be way too easy for buyers to simply forward it on to any and everyone should they so choose. Or print out dozens of copies and hand them out to friends, fellow stitchers, customers and pupils. Or – worst-case scenario – upload the publication to the net for the world to download for free. A fellow designer even bought the first issue of the Stitch and Thimble for the sole purpose of seeing what measures I'd taken to protect my copyright.

Nothing has changed since issue 01. Document protection software is either woefully inadequate for my purposes or too easy to skirt around if you know the tricks, which are posted all over the net. And after much reading and research, the conclusion I came to then, which still stands today, is that if people really want to abuse your copyright and copy or distribute your intellectual property, they will find a way. No matter what measure you put in place to try and avoid it. Think photocopiers, scanners, screen grabs... the ways and means are many.

In the meanwhile, all I'd have done was alienate potential buyers with passwords and encryptions and sign-in accounts – basically making willing customers jump through hoops to get their hands on a copy. So I decided to make it as easy as possible to buy the Stitch and Thimble, which I did and still do. You pick your issues, pay online and they're emailed to you almost immediately. No fuss.

The same goes for my embroidery patterns. They're also all in PDF format and, as such, open to copyright abuse. The alternative is to print each issue of the Stitch and Thimble and all my patterns and sell them as hard copies. This would increase my costs (paper, printing, packaging and postage) and push up my prices, and it'd take longer for my customers to receive their purchases. And copyright abusers could still abuse my copyright. Think photocopiers, scanners and so on. Otherwise I could get fancy with technology and use existing online magazine solutions or employ a guru to come up with a way to only view my products online for a certain amount of time and limit the number of copies printed – again, this would increase my costs and push up my prices, not to mention frustrate potential buyers.

I've gone back and forth, deliberating between formats, doubting my decision to go digital many times. For all I know my hard work could have been forwarded, copied and printed out hundreds of times – I'd never know. And it's not as though needlework design is a lucrative business to begin with. But ultimately common sense and trust has won out. By sticking with digital, I can focus on and spend more time designing and creating new products, buyers get their patterns and issues of the Stitch and Thimble within minutes of ordering and we save a few trees in the process. And as for copyright abuse, I can only put my faith in you, the people who buy my designs, and trust that you will respect my copyright and my right to earn an honest living.

Spreading the love : Embroidered heart tutorial

I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day. I'll be honest. My cynical side can't help but think it's evolved into a clever marketing ploy that creates unrealistic expectations of love and romance. But I'm happy to give a nod to the essence of the day and a hand-crafted token of love isn't exactly buying into the corporate swindle, so I've put together a hand-embroidered card tutorial to give the day its dues. And the heart design is in no way limited to card, or even Valentine's Day. It's got legs - in ad industry speak - and can be used in myriad ways to spread a little love. 

Supplies: 

6" square, plain white card
Embroidery design, printed and cut to size
DMC six-stranded cotton embroidery floss: Red (304), pink (605), grey (168) and white (B5200)
Needles: embroidery (size 8), milliner (size 9)
Pin
Awl
Thimble
Cutting mat
Embroidery scissors
Masking tape 

Instructions: 

1. Print the design at 100% (no scaling) and cut to size. Place the card flat on a cutting mat and position the design over the front of the card. Tape in place with masking tape.

2. Use the pin to prick holes in the card according to the dots on the design. Use a thimble to save your finger. 

3. Start each new thread with a small knot and end by threading it away on the back of the card. Stitch the outer heart in stem stitch, using four strands of red (304) DMC embroidery floss. Embroider it as a stab stitch, holding the card firmly between your thumb and forefinger and as close to the hole through which you're stitching to stop the card from bending.

4. Use an awl to make the holes of the inner heart a bit bigger before embroidering it in back stitch, using six strands of pink (605). Hold the card as before to stop it from folding and embroider as a stab stitch.

5. Use three strands of grey (168) and two wraps each to make the French knots, using the pattern as a guide.

6. Stitch the remaining French knots using three strands of white (B5200).

Click on the image below to get the full-size pattern, save to your hard drive and print from there. 

R 5, p, 5, p, 5, p, 5 Cl

I had no idea there were so many different forms of lacemaking until this past weekend, when I went for a lesson in tatting. My mom has been keen to learn shuttle tatting since having her appendix out as a child and watching the nun who sat with her in the hospital making lace in this way. So I tagged along, but opted for the easier needle tatting.

We were expecting to be part of a group of tatters, but as everyone started pulling out their work we saw Carrickmacross and Romanian lacemaking, Irish crochet lace, weaving and Tunisian crochet, as well as surface embroidery and stumpwork being done. I saw and heard about techniques I'd never come across before, which made for an interesting morning.

So my first attempt at needle tatting goes a little something like this (a butterfly):

And then I got on to creating a border, although I confess this is my second attempt:

There's something of crochet about it, which interests me. But there's a lot of knotting and fiddling with long threads and concentrating on tension too, so we'll see. Whether or not needle tatting ends up being a regular in my arsenal of techniques remains to be seen, but for now I'm simply enjoying learning a new skill, and seeing and hearing of other people's adventures with needles.

Of note

I've stumbled across some enticing online content lately. I'm always on the lookout for exceptional stitching, beautiful images and inspiring people, and these definitely fit the bill.

Elizabeth Bookey of This Tiny Existence has an eye for colour, which is evident in her thread illustrations (as I like to think of them). Crafting Shelves is what originally caught my eye and got me twigged on to this artist:

Marie Viljoen is a South African-born writer, photographer and garden designer living in New York. Although nothing to do with stitching, her blog features beautiful photographs that I find especially inspiring when it comes to colour. To see Marie's photos, go to 66 Square Feet.

Kate gives us a glimpse into her life as an organic farmer, cook, mom, wife and maker over on Foxs Lane. The way she stays true to the life her family strives to lead is inspirational, and she even manages to find time to craft:

The clean lines of Corinne's designs appeal to me hugely. And her blog, So September, is a pleasure to read too. Head over there to see her embroidery.

Stitchers and designers Carina Envoldsen-Harris and Nicole Vos van Avezathe have joined forces to produce embroidery e-zine &Stitches. Being the producer of a digital magazine myself, I had to include them in this post as I know just how much work went into their first issue, which looks great. Find out more about it on the &Stitches blog.

 Note: All the images in this post are © the owners. Please click on the links to see their individual limitations on use of images.

Embroidery is not for sissies

Sissies (noun, plural) : wimps
Common use in South Africa: "Don't be a sissy." As in, don't be afraid. 

Hand embroidery is not for the faint-hearted. It requires skills similar to those found in endurance athletes.

Determination : Seeing a project through to its end takes a large dose of determination and will power, especially if it's a large project and you have a deadline.

Endurance : It always takes twice as long to get that section done as you think it's going to take. This requires a certain level of patience and endurance in the stitcher, to keep going when your inner sissy is screaming for you to stop.

A high pain threshold : Needle pricks, neck, back and shoulder ache, cramping fingers and stunted eye sight after hours of stitching are common injuries among hand embroiders. You need to be able to withstand these and push through the pain.

Mental strength : This comes into play particularly when unpicking is required. Knowing you have to backtrack when the finish line is right there in your sights is a particular kind of torture known only to those who have lived to tell the tale.

A healthy attitude towards failure : Sometimes needlework projects just don't work out as planned. Knowing when to let go graciously and accept your failure is vital, even when you know that taking this course of action will result in a UFO that taunts you with its beady little eyes and knobbly filthy fingers from deep in the bottom drawer.

But when the end is in sight and the elation starts to build, when you finally put down your needle and survey the hours of stitching before you, that feeling – the one where your heart rate increases ever so slightly, your breath comes a little shorter and a grin creeps its way across your face –  is like, well, winning a marathon.

A bit after the fact…

...but I got some stitchy bits and bobs for Christmas.

I love how other stitchers know just what you want and need. Especially when that other stitcher also happens to be your mom. 

So two Cath Kidston kits (in tins that look like books), a bobbin holder, a tailor's awl and a buttonhole cutter - the last two are the same make as my seam ripper. Rather a nice little haul there.