The EmbroideressTuesday, May 13, 2008
More than you ever wanted to know about color.
Donald Johansson's Colors On the Web is another one of those "get lost for hours sites". Many sites and publications have great explanations of the color wheel but leave a mysterious feeling about hue, value, saturation and a few other concepts.
Lots of good information for web designers including all the hexadecimal numbers and the colors considered web-safe for older monitors.
I can see thread choices and fabric choices for quilts being a handy use for some of the gadgets here.
You do run into Google ads all over the place but it is well worth putting up with them, in my opionion.
A great site for those of us who like to collect color info.
Lots of good information for web designers including all the hexadecimal numbers and the colors considered web-safe for older monitors.
I can see thread choices and fabric choices for quilts being a handy use for some of the gadgets here.
You do run into Google ads all over the place but it is well worth putting up with them, in my opionion.
A great site for those of us who like to collect color info.
Labels: Color theory
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Saturday, May 10, 2008
Dingbats Forever!!!!
I adore dingbats. If you've not run into them, you may fall in very strong like when you first play with them. They are great for decorating edges of publications, punching up fliers and brochures and spicing up correspondence.
They are often found bundled with a font set and are little works of art.
Now if you want to play and play and play with dingbats, try out Dingbats-UK
The usual waiver applies - I am not responsible for the hours you spend there.
They are often found bundled with a font set and are little works of art.
Now if you want to play and play and play with dingbats, try out Dingbats-UK
The usual waiver applies - I am not responsible for the hours you spend there.
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Friday, May 09, 2008
Don't Blame Me
Don't blame me if you click through to the MICHAEL site and get lost in one museum or another's online resources.
Why didn't I know about the Egypt Centre when I was in Swansea. Guess I'll just have to go back. The sites vary in size of graphics, number of items and ease of use but what a nice shopping list.
Why didn't I know about the Egypt Centre when I was in Swansea. Guess I'll just have to go back. The sites vary in size of graphics, number of items and ease of use but what a nice shopping list.
Labels: Museums
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Thursday, May 08, 2008
Sneaky, Snakey, Stringy Things
When I left California many, many moons ago some of the boxes of embroidery/craft stuff just got all tossed together and sealed up. I was really in the worst throes of my bad back saga and just getting on the road was a superhuman accomplishment.
Is it any wonder that I am now straightening out masses of threads and yarns. You do realize that if you give threads half a chance they immediately start sneaking about and tangling like mad. In this respect they are like their cousins-thrice-removed, computer cords and cables. How do they ever get so entwined? I need my terribly organized friend here who doesn't stitch a lick but gathered all my scattered DMC one time, got it all onto bobbins and boxed up in numerical order. I always start out great but then I have a bit of this or that out and then another bit and I put something down half finished with the threads bundled in it and then don't take the time to put everything back all nice and tidy. Maybe I will improve now that I don't have to go to a dayjob anymore. Keep your fingers crossed and tell me you believe in the thread fairies folks.
All these sneaky thingies are also related to the concept of wire hangers making whoopee in dark closets and reproducing at an alarming rate and the socks which commit fratricide on their twins whilst in the washing machine. How easily I am defeated by supposedly inanimate objects.
Is it any wonder that I am now straightening out masses of threads and yarns. You do realize that if you give threads half a chance they immediately start sneaking about and tangling like mad. In this respect they are like their cousins-thrice-removed, computer cords and cables. How do they ever get so entwined? I need my terribly organized friend here who doesn't stitch a lick but gathered all my scattered DMC one time, got it all onto bobbins and boxed up in numerical order. I always start out great but then I have a bit of this or that out and then another bit and I put something down half finished with the threads bundled in it and then don't take the time to put everything back all nice and tidy. Maybe I will improve now that I don't have to go to a dayjob anymore. Keep your fingers crossed and tell me you believe in the thread fairies folks.
All these sneaky thingies are also related to the concept of wire hangers making whoopee in dark closets and reproducing at an alarming rate and the socks which commit fratricide on their twins whilst in the washing machine. How easily I am defeated by supposedly inanimate objects.
Labels: Life the Universe and Everything
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When you are ready to tackle new threads and knitting, let me know. I pickup some fun fibers for socks at Stitches West. Lots of sock patterns too. I've been waiting to send them until you can enjoy them.
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Tuesday, May 06, 2008
How Do You Manage?
As I was packing up books for this last move a friend said "well it will be easier this time because you can pack them all in alphabetical order just as you have them on the shelves here." No my dears, those pesky needlework books have to be packed by dimensions. First you create at least three piles --- large/overlarge, medium, and small. Then you start to fit them into small boxes fitting one or two large books at the bottom, starting to fill with medium books and then tucking small books in remaining available space.
They came out of the boxes just that way this time and went directly on the shelves. Later I'll get them whipped back into order by author's name.
Some of my friends put their needlework books on the shelf by technique (i.e. blackwork, drawn thread, goldwork, etc.) and this is the method I followed for years. But as the number of books grew and the number of quirky books grew by leaps and bounds, I began shelving by name of author/editor/publisher. With a decent database it makes things manageable for me.
Now when it comes to fibers, I sort by type (wool, silk, metallic, gold, cotton, linen, etc.) If there are a number of threads by one manufacturer then they get a container(s) of their own. I know some folks manage their threads by color - but when does blue end and green begin. I'm easily confused.
As to ground materials it is by material (linen, cotton, silk, paper) and then sometimes broken down into weave (Aida, evenweave, mono canvas, penelope canvas, silk gauze).
Buttons go in tins - everyone needs a button box or two or three. Charms go in a drawer of an organizer, braids, cords and tassels get stored together and lace is grouped together.
Needles go in plastic boxes with a cobalt blue dresser pin tray which belonged to my grandmother and mother holding an assorted pool of needles that have escaped from somewhere. These are the needles I use day-to-day.
Arrgh. I'm always open to suggestions from others on managing all this STUFF!
They came out of the boxes just that way this time and went directly on the shelves. Later I'll get them whipped back into order by author's name.
Some of my friends put their needlework books on the shelf by technique (i.e. blackwork, drawn thread, goldwork, etc.) and this is the method I followed for years. But as the number of books grew and the number of quirky books grew by leaps and bounds, I began shelving by name of author/editor/publisher. With a decent database it makes things manageable for me.
Now when it comes to fibers, I sort by type (wool, silk, metallic, gold, cotton, linen, etc.) If there are a number of threads by one manufacturer then they get a container(s) of their own. I know some folks manage their threads by color - but when does blue end and green begin. I'm easily confused.
As to ground materials it is by material (linen, cotton, silk, paper) and then sometimes broken down into weave (Aida, evenweave, mono canvas, penelope canvas, silk gauze).
Buttons go in tins - everyone needs a button box or two or three. Charms go in a drawer of an organizer, braids, cords and tassels get stored together and lace is grouped together.
Needles go in plastic boxes with a cobalt blue dresser pin tray which belonged to my grandmother and mother holding an assorted pool of needles that have escaped from somewhere. These are the needles I use day-to-day.
Arrgh. I'm always open to suggestions from others on managing all this STUFF!
Labels: Consumer Needlework Shows, Needlework Supplies
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
A Dangerous Occupation
My friends, reshelving books can be a dangerous occupation. I've been opening boxes of needlework books and getting them back on shelves again. Some of the boxes were not opened after my relocation from California to Tennessee so it is a pleasure coming upon books I've not seen for three years.
One does tend to get carried away (lost) in page turning however. I'm enjoying my copy of Elizabethan Households by Lena Cowen Orlin for the Folger Library.
In any sort of research the seeker of an understanding of a society always pursues the primary documentary sources and this anthology consists of period documents to help us understand how Elizabethan/Stuart society worked.
The title is a bit of a misnomer as some of the documents presented actually fall within the reign of the Stuarts but this is not the difficulty it might seem. One doesn't turn on a dime or a pence and start using new things in new ways on a broad basis because of the death of a monarch or the change of a political leader. Dinner is dinner and eaten off the same old plates. There were changes of course and some of them are very revealing. The requirement of inventories in probate and poundage taxes for import and export give us long lists of articles (including needlework tools, textiles and costume items) that were in common use in the late 16th/early 17th century in England (and to some extent the continent.)
A good read and highly recommended.
Elizabethan Households, An Anthology
Lena Cowen Orlin
The Folger Shakespeare Library, 1995
ISBN 0-295-97464-8
One does tend to get carried away (lost) in page turning however. I'm enjoying my copy of Elizabethan Households by Lena Cowen Orlin for the Folger Library.
In any sort of research the seeker of an understanding of a society always pursues the primary documentary sources and this anthology consists of period documents to help us understand how Elizabethan/Stuart society worked.
The title is a bit of a misnomer as some of the documents presented actually fall within the reign of the Stuarts but this is not the difficulty it might seem. One doesn't turn on a dime or a pence and start using new things in new ways on a broad basis because of the death of a monarch or the change of a political leader. Dinner is dinner and eaten off the same old plates. There were changes of course and some of them are very revealing. The requirement of inventories in probate and poundage taxes for import and export give us long lists of articles (including needlework tools, textiles and costume items) that were in common use in the late 16th/early 17th century in England (and to some extent the continent.)
A good read and highly recommended.
Elizabethan Households, An Anthology
Lena Cowen Orlin
The Folger Shakespeare Library, 1995
ISBN 0-295-97464-8
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Monday, April 28, 2008
I'm Back?????
Well folks, I'm at last signing in from beautiful, almost downtown Madison, TN.
All moved if you define having one room in which to live and one's bedroom presently packed to the rafters with boxes. The movers did a wonderful job of setting the heaviest boxes and furniture in front of all the electric outlets and the telephone jack. So it is unboxing and moving stuff about to free these necessary amenities.
I'm unpacking the needlework books first and just setting them on shelves any old way to get them out of boxes and the boxes out of my life. I normally shelve them by author but that will come later. At that time I will hopefully get all of them entered into Library Thing.
All moved if you define having one room in which to live and one's bedroom presently packed to the rafters with boxes. The movers did a wonderful job of setting the heaviest boxes and furniture in front of all the electric outlets and the telephone jack. So it is unboxing and moving stuff about to free these necessary amenities.
I'm unpacking the needlework books first and just setting them on shelves any old way to get them out of boxes and the boxes out of my life. I normally shelve them by author but that will come later. At that time I will hopefully get all of them entered into Library Thing.
Labels: Life the Universe and Everything, Moving
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