Category Archives: patterns and designs

Extraordinary Monograms

Posted on March 20, 2012 by

Well, I was browsing through the Antique Pattern Library (free, y’all!), checking to see if there were any new or previously-overlooked books, when I discovered this treasure! What a truly epic H! I will definitely have to embroider myself a monogram … Continue reading →

Posted in patterns and designs | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Punto Antico vs Hardanger

Posted on September 22, 2011 by

Erica asked if I was sure the piece shown in Hardanger Inspiration was hardanger and not Punto Antico. I thought I’d reply in a post since my answer was getting a little long and perhaps others would be interested too. … Continue reading →

Posted in Drawn thread, Free resources online, Hardanger, patterns and designs, tutorials | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Medieval Middle Eastern counted thread embroidery

Posted on July 11, 2011 by

I found a fantastic website from Mathilde Eschenbach with charts for medieval Middle Eastern counted thread embroidery (blackwork, pattern darning, cross-stitch) plus photos of the original pieces. Here are a few example thumbnails to inspire you to take a look:

Posted in Blackwork, Cross-stitch, Embroidery around the world, Free resources online, patterns and designs | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Blackwork Pattern Book: Ensamplario Atlantio

Posted on June 29, 2011 by

 String or Nothing has posted a brand new free blackwork pattern book, Ensamplario Atlantio! It’s pretty cool – there are over 200 patterns in there. The patterns range from simple geometric repeats to stag heads and griffins. Anyway, if you … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackwork, books, Free resources online, patterns and designs | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Blackwork and Color Theory

Posted on April 20, 2011 by

Kathy at The Unbroken Thread recently completed an absolutely beautiful blackwork piece. The first photo is the finished piece. The second photo is missing some of the border, but it is at less of an angle so you can see … Continue reading →

Posted in Blackwork, Color and design, Free resources online, Goldwork, patterns and designs | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Turkish-esque embroidery

Posted on March 28, 2011 by

Ever since I ran across this etsy shop by chance, I’ve been dying to learn more about Turkish embroidery. The work there is really beautiful (shockingly expensive, too). So I’ve been desperately ransacking the internet looking for information. I still … Continue reading →

Posted in Embroidery around the world, Free resources online, My work, patterns and designs | Tagged , , , , | 23 Comments

J. F. Ingalls Catalog, 1886

Posted on February 25, 2011 by

You may know this already, but I thought I’d mention that there’s a free scan of an 1886 embroidery stamping catalog available online. John Governale was kind enough to scan all 255 pages in and release them to the public … Continue reading →

Posted in Historical, patterns and designs | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Portfolio of Designs for Embroidery

Posted on January 10, 2011 by

The Antique Pattern Library strikes again: This is a free 1929 pamphlet by Joan Drew, which consists of a 1 page introduction and 16 pages of nothing but design outlines. The contents are mostly flowering plants and birds, in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Free resources online, Historical, patterns and designs | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Les Patrons-Modèles “Echo”, Les – Album No. 3 – Travaux de Dames

Posted on December 29, 2010 by

This is a free book from Paris, 1925. It’s another find in the Antique Pattern Library, and its focus is cutwork. Not that you have to do the designs in cutwork. I haven’t tried cutwork yet, but one of these … Continue reading →

Posted in Cutwork, Free resources online, Historical, patterns and designs | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments