It is so exciting these days to be looking at the private chat room for the Cabinet of Curiosities and all the other courses I teach as students are starting to post their finished caskets or almost finished pieces at a much more rapid rate. Seeing the shear variety and the amazing workmanship is just so exciting and it is making this adventure so worthwhile. So I asked if I could share a few of them with the general public! The first is an original design inspired by 17th century florals by Elizabeth Ballard. She has finished the inside of her casket and three panels and decided that they would be safest on the casket - allowing her to see them all the time (and likely give her the inspiration to get the next set done. She also shared with me a tidbit about the process saying that her first try at the leaves were too small so she redid them a bit later much larger and really preferred them that way (agreed!). I loved the symmetry of the design and her sides continue the same theme. Can't wait to see the rest! Elizabeth Ballard's original casket design showing the back installed The next finish is our very first Harmony with Nature Stitch Along student! Jane McIvor lives in New Zealand and what a terrific job she has done! She was nipping at my heels the entire time I was stitching, finishing panels it seemed as fast as I was publishing them. It is always such a relief as a teacher to see not only a successful finish but such a well done piece - you never know what mistakes you may have made and those first brave souls verify everything for you! Jane also made few color tweaks to the design if you look closely at the top you will see that Harmony's dress is in purples and blues and not reds and yellows. I really like her combination and I think I might use it on a future project! Of course after we all finish drooling about her casket, one much ask about the amazing hardanger below it! Jane McIvor's Harmony with Nature Casket Notice how Jane changed the colors on Harmony - down to her shoes and the cape has a different stitch. I just love it when students take my design and make it theirs A spectacular unicorn on Jane's casket! And then for something completely different, we have the final finish of a casket we have all been waiting to see for quite some time with anticipation! Rachael Kinnison had previously delighted us all with videos of the inside of her flat casket with its amazing commissioned music box and faux floor for it as well as her embroidered interior. We just had to know what was going to go on the outside with such an amazing interior! Rachael emailed me in a slight panic two weeks ago as she had the panels mounted but when she trialed her planned trim on it and compared it to a small cut of the gold trim I made, she decided to go for the bling and had to wait for the slow postal service to deliver enough of it from here to there. How excruciating! But the bling is well worth it. Once it was all on and she filmed it in candle light, the box and the beads just sparkle like diamonds. I had been planning on making a beaded box where the beads are flat against the surface but not anymore! I will tell you all to go to her blog where she has posted videos (you can hear the music box) and see much more of the embroidery and the background story. Rachael Kinnison's beaded casket "Precious" Just a bit of the inside of Racheal's Casket "Precious" The side of Rachael's casket, the swans have individual feathers out of beads! Obviously I am just proud as punch of everyone!!

Heirloom Ornament Kit Special Offer ~August 2024~ I am cleaning out making room for new class kits and am offering FREE Priority Insured SHIPPING within the continental USA on the above ornament kits~ depending on the zone you are located in, this could be close to 28.90 savings per kit! Many of the limited edition ornament kits have sold out, I have just 2 remaining of the Ort King, 4 of Winter Queen, 5 Flemish Coffer, and 9 Skarlet Ladye (my personal favorite it looks AMAZING against the green of a Christmas tree). Everything you need to make one ornament(silk ground, silk, and REAL metal threads, seed pearls etc) along with full step-by-step colour printed instructions are included in each kit~ full spools of silks are included so you will have plenty of leftovers to add to your stash! Basics like embroidery frames, scissors, pencils, and that sort of basic tools most folks already have are not included~ if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. This offer is only good through the email~ if you are interested, email me at [email protected] and I can send a Paypal invoice to your email. 2017 Winter Queen~ 350.00 2019 Ort King~ 260.00 2021 Flemish Coffer~ 385.00 2022 Skarlet Ladye~ 325.00 All Overseas orders will receive a 30.00 USD discount on shipping

Casket with embroidered silk satin panels, England, 1650-1675.

I will be doing a stumpwork casket class in the future as the Cabinet of Curiosities course is being shut down. This will allow me to keep production of only the short flat casket for a little while and a tight group of materials as the thread makers start to retire. I am not sure how many spots I will have over the next few years - but we will see. In June 2017, I will be starting this course in a special way and at this point it will only be open to students who have been in the Cabinet of Curiosities Part I or Part II Stumpwork. It will be run as a Stitch-Along with paid instruction and materials will be ala carte. There are answers to what might be the most frequently asked questions below: Why only instructions and no materials kit? The first running of this course will be while the embroidery is in process. You know it takes a long time to do these projects! So the materials kit will have uncertainty at the beginning. That is why it is restricted to the former and current students of COC - you know more about what you are getting into and this is just a nice way to get stitching on a casket. Why are the materials ala carte? If you have been in COC courses, why pay twice for the same threads if they are already in your Front and right sides have a lion and unicorn in the oval hands? This way you can use what you have to drive down the cost of the casket by using what you have already invested in - just as if you grabbed the design and worked it. You are only paying for the instructional material to be led through the stitch choices and problem solving on a monthly basis. I also don't know if you have COC1, COC2, the Frostings boxes, etc. So I will work from materials that are in them (and have a continual supply) and if you are lucky - that tube will be sitting in your stash already. There are a few materials that are being custom made for this box - they will become available while we are stitching. But if I waited until they were done and I was done doing the box - this wouldn't get off the ground for another two years, getting us too close to the end of the boxes. How much will it cost? I can't say yet on the materials and not exactly on the instructions yet - but I am aiming for something 18-months long and around $25-$30 per month for the instructions. What is the design? Back and left side with a stag and leopard in the ovals The design will be posted in full on the Cabinet of Curiosities Part I class web page in November 2016. You can download it and if you want, go ahead and stitch it however you want. My goal here is to aid the current and former students of COC to get a casket done! If you want the instruction on working it - that will be available starting June 2017 as the instruction only course. After that course is done, it will become available for those who have never been in COC as a full blown instruction/kit course; but always available as an ala-carte option for those who already took COC I or II. The design is also going to be available for download and construction as a mini-casket in November 2016 for you to look at. Pictures of it are shown here. There are two options for the top - the lady with the lute will be in the instructions. For the few who want to branch out on their own, they can stitch the lady with the stitching frame instead in her place. The background will be the same and it is just a few independent choices to stitch the alternative design. Again, all these will be placed on the COC Part I web page for you to download in case you like a frieze or side or the whole thing and want to skip the step-by-step instructions and get going on your own. Why is part of the top in grey vs black in the picture? The lady with the stitching is a choice that can be made but full instructions will only be available for the lady and lute That was a way for me to work with the design to show what will be in higher relief so I could visualize. The center is going to be highly raised with the woman having clothing that can be folded back, etc. and that amazing lute in three dimension. The oval around her will be worked in high relief too. What casket is this? This is the $375 short flat casket. It will have a lid insert kit that will be available later to make the lid have compartments too. I will be using the fancy feet and you can choose brass or tinned brass (silver) for the hardware. Will there be a lock and key for the casket? No the design has a high relief area in the middle front that would be disrupted by a lock and key. That also keeps the cost down. What fabric will you be doing? I am going to recommend and stitch the design on the Old White 40 count linen. It is the most forgiving of the choices. Since this is aka-carte, if you prefer the satin you can do that. If you have something in your stash that is cream colored and very tight weave, go ahead. Can I change the colors? You can certainly do that! Since this is ala carte on its first running, you are free to change a thread if you have one in the stash that you like its color better or even substitute with something that works for that technique. Do I need to buy the casket now? I would suggest that you get the box when you can. The production of the casket maker does have limits so if you can, get it when you can and don't wait until the end. He has an assistant at the moment and between runs of double caskets (our most popular choice), he tries to make more of these simpler less expensive caskets. What will the inside look like? Well, I will be working that up soon and I am excited about it. I have had Richard make me lid inserts that will be available as an extra to add secret panels/doors to the inside lid. There will also be a single embroidered insert in the lid. The interior that I am working for the class is in blues. But for the ala-carte version, any color you want is possible. If you have more questions that aren't answered - please email me at [email protected] and I will post questions that seem to be asked by more than one person. Also email me if you are interested so I can make sure to make good estimates to the cabinet maker and thread makers too.

Embroidered Casket, satin panels embroidered with coloured silks, worked with the initials 'E.C', England, 1678

Casket panel, embroidered silk, female figure of Taste, English, c.1650

It is so exciting these days to be looking at the private chat room for the Cabinet of Curiosities and all the other courses I teach as students are starting to post their finished caskets or almost finished pieces at a much more rapid rate. Seeing the shear variety and the amazing workmanship is just so exciting and it is making this adventure so worthwhile. So I asked if I could share a few of them with the general public! The first is an original design inspired by 17th century florals by Elizabeth Ballard. She has finished the inside of her casket and three panels and decided that they would be safest on the casket - allowing her to see them all the time (and likely give her the inspiration to get the next set done. She also shared with me a tidbit about the process saying that her first try at the leaves were too small so she redid them a bit later much larger and really preferred them that way (agreed!). I loved the symmetry of the design and her sides continue the same theme. Can't wait to see the rest! Elizabeth Ballard's original casket design showing the back installed The next finish is our very first Harmony with Nature Stitch Along student! Jane McIvor lives in New Zealand and what a terrific job she has done! She was nipping at my heels the entire time I was stitching, finishing panels it seemed as fast as I was publishing them. It is always such a relief as a teacher to see not only a successful finish but such a well done piece - you never know what mistakes you may have made and those first brave souls verify everything for you! Jane also made few color tweaks to the design if you look closely at the top you will see that Harmony's dress is in purples and blues and not reds and yellows. I really like her combination and I think I might use it on a future project! Of course after we all finish drooling about her casket, one much ask about the amazing hardanger below it! Jane McIvor's Harmony with Nature Casket Notice how Jane changed the colors on Harmony - down to her shoes and the cape has a different stitch. I just love it when students take my design and make it theirs A spectacular unicorn on Jane's casket! And then for something completely different, we have the final finish of a casket we have all been waiting to see for quite some time with anticipation! Rachael Kinnison had previously delighted us all with videos of the inside of her flat casket with its amazing commissioned music box and faux floor for it as well as her embroidered interior. We just had to know what was going to go on the outside with such an amazing interior! Rachael emailed me in a slight panic two weeks ago as she had the panels mounted but when she trialed her planned trim on it and compared it to a small cut of the gold trim I made, she decided to go for the bling and had to wait for the slow postal service to deliver enough of it from here to there. How excruciating! But the bling is well worth it. Once it was all on and she filmed it in candle light, the box and the beads just sparkle like diamonds. I had been planning on making a beaded box where the beads are flat against the surface but not anymore! I will tell you all to go to her blog where she has posted videos (you can hear the music box) and see much more of the embroidery and the background story. Rachael Kinnison's beaded casket "Precious" Just a bit of the inside of Racheal's Casket "Precious" The side of Rachael's casket, the swans have individual feathers out of beads! Obviously I am just proud as punch of everyone!!

Fountain with birds and animals, embroidered in coloured silks and silver thread, England, c.1600

Next month, from March 12 – March 15, Aiguille en Fête, one of the world’s premier needlework conventions, takes place in Paris at the Expo Porte de Versailles. The convention and market boasts over 1000 hours of needlework workshops in all kinds of disciplines, with nearly 240 exhibitors showing off their wares. It is a ...

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This is the second half of the popular Cabinet of Curiosities course. Cabinet of Curiosities Part II - Stumpwork is designed to teach the s...

Embroidered silk pin cushion, made by Martha Edlin, England, 1670-1680

Embroidered Casket, embroidered with silk threads, English, 1650-75

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Embroidered silk box panel, ca. 1650-1675, English, unfinished

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I have been working on all the tiny drawers of the casket over the last week or so, the casket has a total of ten drawers. All ...

Welcome to Thistle Threads, I am currently running a popular online course called 'Cabinet of Curiosities'. The course teaches the fundamental information needed to design, embroider and cover a wooden cabinet to make a replica of a 17th century casket. For those who have ever seen a picture of an embroidered cabinet or been lucky enough to see one in person, these items delight and enchant and are quite desirous for needleworkers. Due to popular demand, there will be a last encore of the course starting Fall 2016 and registrations for spots are starting in May 2016. 17th century embroidered cabinet, one of 32 caskets examined in detail in over 1000 photographs in the course. The course is 18-months and includes three phases: learning about the meaning and design of the 17th century embroideries seen on caskets so you can design your own trying out embroidery techniques on five small projects that include a small trinket box learning how to finish and apply the embroideries to a box. A small trinket box is provided to learn on with reproduction finishing materials. Four of the five projects used in the class to teach common embroidered cabinet techniques Two kits are sent during the class. They include four full 32-color thread lines (Soie Ovale, Soie Paris, Silk Gimp and Silk Wrapped Purl) that were reproduced in a color line that matches the back of 17th century embroidery. That is over 125 tubes of silk fiber! Other contents include the fabrics and finishing materials for the five projects and the trinket box with reproduction hardware. Some students use the designs I offer in the class, others design their own based on the motifs and design instruction, and others use a contemporary muse to make something their own. A casket will take a long time to embroider - it needs to be what you want to hand down generations, not the teacher's vision. The double casket form, one of three offered to students of the class at a discount The course is designed to allow the student to chose to make their own wooden form or purchase one of the boxes or mirrors that I offer. No matter what, a reproduction embroidered cabinet is an expensive project. The course allows great flexibility for students to spread that cost over years, use materials in their own stash and choose techniques that save time or resources. As a teacher, my goal is to enable the student to make their own opus within their own budget constraints. For that reason the special hardware needed is also sold separately so a different box design than offered can be made. Cabinets and hardware costs are extra and the range of cabinets and mirrors as well as hardware to allow the DIY student are shown on my shop. The Trinket Box project done with the class kits. Full stitching instructions for this piece is just part of the course If you want to learn more, there is much more information at the Thistle Threads website. A description of how the Online University works, comments from current students, two presentations about the course, as well as a registration page with those little details called the fine print! For this last course, you can choose to pay in full with the shipping supplement for your region rolled in or monthly for 18-months, again with first class shipping rolled into the course cost. Please go through all the above links before emailing me and asking me to rewrite all of the information in a private email, there are dozens of pages of information and pictures to explain more stored on the links. The course is designed to be a stand alone allowing gorgeous cabinets to be made, but there is a part II for those students who want to delve into stumpwork and explore dozens of needlelace stitches in further study. There are 250 spaces in the course left. I will not be renewing my licensing agreements for the course and will be wrapping it up because of the future retirement of the cabinet maker. Cabinets will be made until December 2020. The artisans are all in the twilight of their careers and since embroiderers often take years for their projects; it is my responsibility to be sure materials are available for those students I take on. This course is specifically for those students who want to stretch and produce something a bit unique - either taking the provided designs and stitching it in techniques of their comfort zone or who want to stretch themselves. If you have always wanted a double casket with tons of little drawers, this course is for you. If you are looking for a 'kit' course, I will be launching a stumpwork casket on the short flat casket in 2017 as a project class - you reproduce the teacher example but the number will be limited as I have to pre-manufacture all the threads. If you would like to see a few examples that students have worked in class, look at these examples. You will see pieces mounted on my wooden forms, those made by husbands with my hardware and the incredible diversity of the makers in the course. Some of whom had never tried anything other than cross stitch before: Janice Gail's Double Casket Edith and John Brewer's Casket Jeri Zoubek's Stumpwork Casket progress Kate and Jack Hewitt's Casket Janet Brandt's Casket Panels in progress

Embroidered, English, 1650-75; the Sacrifice of Isaac

DIY Hochzeitsidee | Was darf auf einer Hochzeit nicht fehlen? – Genau, die Eheringe und natürlich das Ringkissen oder die Ringdose. Im Beitrag zeige ich euch unsere Ringschatulle passend zu einer Boho-Hochzeit mit Moos und Blüten. Tipps und eine Anleitung wie ihr euch ganz einfach und schnell auch solch eine Ringbox selber machen könnt, findet ihr auf Yeah Handmade.

Welcome to Thistle Threads, I am currently running a popular online course called 'Cabinet of Curiosities'. The course teaches the fundamental information needed to design, embroider and cover a wooden cabinet to make a replica of a 17th century casket. For those who have ever seen a picture of an embroidered cabinet or been lucky enough to see one in person, these items delight and enchant and are quite desirous for needleworkers. Due to popular demand, there will be a last encore of the course starting Fall 2016 and registrations for spots are starting in May 2016. 17th century embroidered cabinet, one of 32 caskets examined in detail in over 1000 photographs in the course. The course is 18-months and includes three phases: learning about the meaning and design of the 17th century embroideries seen on caskets so you can design your own trying out embroidery techniques on five small projects that include a small trinket box learning how to finish and apply the embroideries to a box. A small trinket box is provided to learn on with reproduction finishing materials. Four of the five projects used in the class to teach common embroidered cabinet techniques Two kits are sent during the class. They include four full 32-color thread lines (Soie Ovale, Soie Paris, Silk Gimp and Silk Wrapped Purl) that were reproduced in a color line that matches the back of 17th century embroidery. That is over 125 tubes of silk fiber! Other contents include the fabrics and finishing materials for the five projects and the trinket box with reproduction hardware. Some students use the designs I offer in the class, others design their own based on the motifs and design instruction, and others use a contemporary muse to make something their own. A casket will take a long time to embroider - it needs to be what you want to hand down generations, not the teacher's vision. The double casket form, one of three offered to students of the class at a discount The course is designed to allow the student to chose to make their own wooden form or purchase one of the boxes or mirrors that I offer. No matter what, a reproduction embroidered cabinet is an expensive project. The course allows great flexibility for students to spread that cost over years, use materials in their own stash and choose techniques that save time or resources. As a teacher, my goal is to enable the student to make their own opus within their own budget constraints. For that reason the special hardware needed is also sold separately so a different box design than offered can be made. Cabinets and hardware costs are extra and the range of cabinets and mirrors as well as hardware to allow the DIY student are shown on my shop. The Trinket Box project done with the class kits. Full stitching instructions for this piece is just part of the course If you want to learn more, there is much more information at the Thistle Threads website. A description of how the Online University works, comments from current students, two presentations about the course, as well as a registration page with those little details called the fine print! For this last course, you can choose to pay in full with the shipping supplement for your region rolled in or monthly for 18-months, again with first class shipping rolled into the course cost. Please go through all the above links before emailing me and asking me to rewrite all of the information in a private email, there are dozens of pages of information and pictures to explain more stored on the links. The course is designed to be a stand alone allowing gorgeous cabinets to be made, but there is a part II for those students who want to delve into stumpwork and explore dozens of needlelace stitches in further study. There are 250 spaces in the course left. I will not be renewing my licensing agreements for the course and will be wrapping it up because of the future retirement of the cabinet maker. Cabinets will be made until December 2020. The artisans are all in the twilight of their careers and since embroiderers often take years for their projects; it is my responsibility to be sure materials are available for those students I take on. This course is specifically for those students who want to stretch and produce something a bit unique - either taking the provided designs and stitching it in techniques of their comfort zone or who want to stretch themselves. If you have always wanted a double casket with tons of little drawers, this course is for you. If you are looking for a 'kit' course, I will be launching a stumpwork casket on the short flat casket in 2017 as a project class - you reproduce the teacher example but the number will be limited as I have to pre-manufacture all the threads. If you would like to see a few examples that students have worked in class, look at these examples. You will see pieces mounted on my wooden forms, those made by husbands with my hardware and the incredible diversity of the makers in the course. Some of whom had never tried anything other than cross stitch before: Janice Gail's Double Casket Edith and John Brewer's Casket Jeri Zoubek's Stumpwork Casket progress Kate and Jack Hewitt's Casket Janet Brandt's Casket Panels in progress

I decided not to bring the vintage quilt top for hand quilting after all. And here is the reason: I realized It would be rare when I didn’t have a dog on my lap so it was unlikely that I woul…

Certainly, this lovely Cream Waves Ceramic Urn is a special tribute to a loved one. Indeed, its lovely rippling waves design reflects the ups and downs of life. Altogether a ceramic urn will last a lifetime As a result, you can store ashes safely. In addition, you can make this urn more special with a personal message. Indeed, our artists can hand-paint your words. If you have questions, email, call us or send a message using the blue button above. Of course, we will be happy to help."

A collection of rare photographs from Tennessee during the Great Depression showcases the resilience and daily life of its

Why do we visit pieces and study them in person? Especially nowadays, many collections are being photographed in high resolution and posted on websites. Museums want to share their pieces with the world and many have a mission to encourage viewing their items. But there have been many times when we have been in a museum study room viewing items and the curator has asked us, “Why do you want to see these? We posted hi-res images online.” The simple answer is that embroidered items are

It was Sunday and so few museums are open, we decided to have a half day workshop, a lecture by Mary Brooks and then make sure people visited the Treasurer's House (a National Trust property) to see two pieces of needlework and a beaded basket. Many had a great time touring all the wonders of York - it is truly a beautiful town. Our workshop in a period Guild Hall in York The workshop was held in an ancient Guild Hall!! I thought that was a nice touch, embroidering in a period interior. So what was the project? Well, it was a small bird that was my modern interpretation of a few 17th century sewing birds we had seen on the trip. The interpretation was a peacock in lacet braids, filled with wools that allow it to be a pincushion. Lacet Peacock for Workshop Course Hope a few of you might like the Peacock, because it will be a new Online Course after the New Year! Tricia

Stumpwork and 17th century embroidery generally being my favourite historical style I was very excited to finally get to the Burrell Collection. This is a collection of over 8,000 objects gifted to the city of Glasgow by Sir Edward Burrell in 1944. Although a small part of the collection, the embroidery on display was exquisite. The wonderful part was being able to get really close and to take pictures. There is alot of reflection but I did think it was worth putting some of the photos up. A very inspiring day out. I would also recommend a visit to The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford to see The Eye of the Needle. This is displaying a small amount of the Feller Collection specifically their 17th century works with some of the museums own collection. Be quick, this finishes on October 12 2014. While you are in Oxford then you really should make a quick visit to Witney Antiques. They sell original stumpwork and 17th century embroideries. A little out of my price range but wonderful to dream. Do call first to check opening and they are also happy to take group visits. They sell catalogues of their antiques with very clear photography so any students of stumpwork should really try and get hold of them. A wonderful stumpwork castle with buttonholed slips and mica windows. Stumpwork fruit tree with buttonholed leaves. Notice how all the leaves have a silk floss embroidered leaf behind it. A shining mica fountain with a coloured grotto behind. The grotto seems to be made up of thin metal plate which has been wrapped in silk thread and then couched down in a pattern. Canvas work slip and the couching line around. Wonderful wire hair on Susannah. c. 1630-1660 Silk thread couched in loops to give texture. King Solomon with a crown of beads and pearls. A wonderful wild boar stitched with a metal passing in what looks like long and short stitch which is hard enough in silk so it's amazing to see it in metal. A three dimensional ear and a beady eye. I think was my favourite embroidery detail. A silk shaded butterfly with a metal effect body. This shimmering thread I have seen on quite a few stumpworks and I think it may be peacock feathers. They are known to be used. Fantastic use of metal threads in this hairpiece. This stumpwork is from a professional workshop. you can see it has a refinement the others perhaps don't. A basket made of beads c.1675. 63 cms wide !!!