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Textile Arts Symposium 2004

Just Cross Stitch German Folk Slipper

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Kits

These kits are available from:
Elegant Stitch
  www.elegantstitch.com
  lois@elegantstitch.com
  Thistle Threads
  thistlethreads@comcast.net


Criss Cross Row
  www.crisscrossrow.com



3 Stitches
  Spring, Texas
  281-320-0133








Salem Flower Basket Needleroll

This adaptation of a 19th century needleroll is embroidered with charmingly naïve wildflowers amongst the counted alphabets and motifs from Lucy Beadle’s 1817 sampler, housed in the PEM collection. Worked in Au Ver a Soie silk on a 32 count green linen, the accessory is finished with rose-green changeable taffeta and textured satin ribbons. The kit includes instructions and CD Rom of the embroidery in process and finishing, 32 ct. linen, silk threads, needles, doctors cloth, green taffeta, batt, cardboard tube, Mokuba ribbons, and design transfer paper. A portion of each kit's proceeds goes to the Peabody Essex Museum.
  • Memorial Photokeep - $275.00

Memorial Photokeep

The approximately 4.5 inch x 7 inch Memorial Photokeep features an embroidered weeping willow and flower garland over an urn on the front cover. Open the photokeep bi-fold and the inside contains a place to put a photo of a departed loved one, perhaps a favorite relative, friend, or pet, and an area to stitch a personalized saying. The project teaches a combination of embroidery and counted stitches using Au Ver a Soie Soie Paris filament silk on 40-count linen. The design of the photokeep is inspired by several silkwork mourning pictures in the Winterthur collection. Silk chenille, specially dyed for this project, is used to embroider the tree trunks and grass as was often done in the mid-nineteenth century. The embroidery is framed by a black velvet ribbon and couched gold outline to emulate the painted glass which was often used to frame these silkwork pictures. A touch of gold is included in the picture as the vine of the garland. A button closure that is reminiscent of a piece of Victorian mourning jewelry is included.

The kit includes a CD-ROM with in-process photographs of the embroidery and finishing along with the 40 ct linen fabric premounted to scroll bars with the design transfer completed. Other kit contents include instructions, 40 ct. linens, silk threads, needles, hand-dyed silk chenille thread, metal threads, Mokuba velvet ribbon, victorian button, silk taffeta finishing fabric, and all other finishing materials needed to produce the photokeep. A portion of each kit's proceeds goes to Winterthur.
  • Memorial Photokeep - $275.00


Lady's Sampler Slipper and Burse

Lady's Sampler Slipper and Burse is a three piece needlework necessities set featuring muted colors. The pieces are worked on 32 count Belfast linen using Au Ver a Soie Soie d'Alger silk. The pieces include a pinkeep, a slipper to hold your scissors and needles and a sampler burse with peak-a-boo gussets. The kit includes all instructions, silk fibers, linen, needles, silk finishing fabrics and all needed finishing materials such as interfacing, skirtex, and cardboards. A CD-ROM showing the finishing of the pieces in detail is included with each kit.

  • Lady's Sampler Slipper and Burse - $85.00


  

A Casket Needlecase and a Scissors Gauntlet

Many of you have asked about the availability of the kits from the Peabody Essex Museum Textile Symposium 2004. The kits will be available both retail and wholesale from Thistle Threads starting the week following the Symposium. I will also be available to teach the project for groups who are interested.

Three kits will be available:

  • A Casket Needlecase (which includes the Rose Needlebook and Tulip Pinkeep) for $350.00
  • A Scissors Gauntlet for $140
  • Rose Needlebook and Tulip Pinkeep (price to be announced)

A portion of each kits proceeds goes to the Peabody Essex Museum.

Check the Textile Symposium Page for full descriptions of the kit contents. If you are interested in a kit, please contact me at thistlethreads@comcast.net before the website becomes active for orders.


Fragments of Italy
  
Acorn Treasures
Fragments Of Italy

This piece is inspired by a series of wonderful embroidery fragments found at flea markets in the US and Europe. What would happen if they were all used to make another piece, I wondered. While the design of this piece is new, you could imagine how it was "constructed" of "fragments from Italy". The project includes double running motifs, Assisi, and delightful tassels inspired by Castiguli work. We use a hand dyed pink-peach silk to give the impression that the Assisi piece has been faded from many years of use. We will also learn to use wooden beads to make tassel forms which we will embellish to make our project special. The bag also includes a pin keep and a scissors case as accoutrements.

Fragments of Italy Kit - $150.00
SALE PRICE: $115.00
   Acorn Treasures

Acorn Treasures is a five piece needlework necessities set featuring multiple adaptations of an antique acorn border. The piece is worked on 40 count hand dyed linen using Au Ver a Soie Soie Paris filament silk. The pieces include an octagon shaped pinkeep, an acorn emery accented with silk chenille top, a three sided emery keeper, a needlebook that can hold threadwinders, and a scissors fob. The kit includes all instructions, silk fibers, ribbons, chenille, linen, emery, wool, and silk finishing fabric. The Historic Needlework Guild carries acorn scrimshaw threadwinders which compliment this project and fit into the three threadwinder pockets.

Acorn Treasures Kit - $110.00
SALE PRICE: $85.00

   
French Monogram

   
Friendship Huswif

The French Monogram set of needlework necessities includes a reproduction of a 19th century reticule from the designer's own collection. Luscious double-sided satin silk ribbon was used extensively on this project to complement the large and small coordinating silk check. The set includes a pin pad, scissors fob, thimble nest, and thread keep, all fitting inside the drawstring reticule. The kit contains 36-count hand-dyed linen, silk floss, Thread Gatherer silk ribbon, and all specialty finishing materials. Hannah's Treasures has made an exclusive bandbox to accompany your set. Kit for five pieces available for $85.00 Red Toile Wallpaper Bandbox available for $45.00 Download the thimblenest instructions as a preview of our quality kits.

  • French Monogram Kit - $85.00
  • Toile Box - $45.00


Download the thimblenest instructions as a preview of our quality kits.
    Tell me ye knowing and discerning few
Where I may find a friend both firm and true
Who dares stand by me when in deep distress
And then his love and friendship most express.


This elegant project provides storage for your fine needles, skeins of silk, and other stitching accessories. The huswif is wrapped around the needleroll or can be detached using leaf-shaped mother-of-pearl buttons. Portions of the project use quilting to accentuate the silk taffeta, which has been custom woven especially for Thistle Threads.

The kit includes 36-count linen, Soie Paris floss, imported Japanese ribbon, Thread Gatherer silk ribbon, and all specialty finishing materials. A limited number of Hannah's Treasures vintage wallpaper-covered bandboxes are available to complement your set. Bandbox kits also include silk lining for the box.

Kit packed in a vintage wallpaper bandbox
Choose the size and color of your box.
Inside the kit, each huswif is the same.
    • Friendship Huswif Kit, no box - $85.00

    • Small Blue Toile Box and kit - SOLD OUT

    • Medium Blue Toile Box and kit - SOLD OUT

    • Large Teal Toile Box and kit - $115.00
      SALE PRICE: $85.00
    • Large Green Toile Box and kit - $115.00
      SALE PRICE: $85.00
    • Empty Large Green Friendship Box - $30.00
    • Empty Large Teal Friendship Box - $30.00
    • Empty Medium Teal Friendship Box - $20.00
    • Empty Medium Dark Blue Friendship Box - SOLD OUT



   
House on Hill Pin

   
Though Far We Be
Stationary Holder

House on the Hill Pin was inspired by classic 19th century samplers. This interpretation of girlhood embroidery allows you to wear a bit of schoolgirl art every day. Worked primarily in tent stitch, accented by stitches in untwisted silk, this project can quickly adorn your lapel. The kit contains the chart, 40-count linen, silk floss, velvet backing, pin back, floss for twisted cord, and the finishing instructions to complete the two-inch pin.

  • House on Hill Kit - $30.00
    House on Hill Kit - $30.00
    SALE PRICE: $22.50


    We have adapted a 17th century running stitch border to serve as the decorative accent to a stationary keep for your writing supplies. There are pockets for an address book, pen, envelopes, and paper. The keep is fabricated from a blue silk taffeta with silk ribbon accents. The piece is tied using a jacquard ribbon imported from Japan which matches the colors in the silk. The kit includes 36 count fabric, 100/3 silk threads, needle, all ribbons, silk finishing fabric, color xerox, skirtex stiffener, and muslin.
  • Though Far We Be Stationary Holder - $70.00
    SOLD OUT

   
Vintage Purse

   
Blue Icicles

The motto on this piece is certainly contemporary: "If All Mankind Would Live in Mutual Love, This World Would Much Resemble That Above". The piece is designed to match the two lovely vintage toile wallpaper boxes made for us by Marilyn Krebiel of Hannah's Treasures. The purse has areas to hold needles, threads, and two extra pockets for your needlework necessities. The kits for this piece and a limited number of vintage toile boxes are available for purchase. In addition, a kit with silk and ribbon is available if you are interested in lining your box to match. If you are not a Fine Lines subscriber, we can send you the issue which contains the instructions for the purse and lining the box.
  • Vintage Purse Instructions, Fine Lines Vol. 8 No. 2 - $8.00
  • Vintage Purse Kit - $55.00
  • Gold Toile Box - $38.00
    SALE PRICE: $20.00
  • Plum Toile Box - $38.00
    SALE PRICE: $20.00
  • Toile Box Finishing Kit - $32.00


    Blue Icicles is an elegant adaptation of historic pattern darning worked using a light grey-blue silk on matching linen. The simple stitch is well diagrammed in the instructions, showing each stitch through the linen fabric. The kit includes linen, instructions, silk perlee thread, and a needle.
  • Blue Icicles Kit - $7.00
    SOLD OUT


   
Diamonds with Chocolate

   
Diamonds

We all need a little chocolate while we stitch! This small kit includes the 36 count linen, silk thread, instructions, silk jacquard backing fabric, finishing floss, and other finishing materials all packaged in a set of three nesting birch boxes with Lake Champlain chocolates. The piece uses faggoting and detached buttonhole bars to form a lovely scissors fob.
  • Diamonds Kit with Chocolate - $20.00
    SOLD OUT


    If you are interested in working our lovely diamonds piece in a brighter color, this simple kit provides a color or our choice (gold, peach, red, green and others) and a neutral linen with needle. You can provide a fun fabric to finish the piece as you like.
  • Diamonds Kit - $7.00
    SOLD OUT


   
Two Hearts As One

   
Dutch Sampler

This piece makes a wonderful gift or weekend project. It comes in either blue or red, your choice. The kit contains 36 count linen, silk floss, silk backing fabrics and all other finishing materials.
  • Two Hearts as One: Blue - $14.00
    SALE PRICE: $10.00
  • Two Hearts as One: Red - $14.00
    SALE PRICE: $10.00


    This piece was developed for Kreinik to showcase nine silks from the Milkpaint collection. The Dutch inspired sampler kit includes nine skeins of silk and the instructions for the sampler in a handy little box.
  • Dutch Sampler Kit - $15.00


   
Nantucket - Hearts

   
Nantucket - Snowflakes

Our heart nantucket pincushion makes a fast evening project. The kit contains the instructions, linen, needle, silk floss, two inch nantucket basket and the pincushion form.

  • Nantucket Basket - Heart Kit - SOLD OUT



  •     Our snowflake nantucket pincushion makes a fast evening project. The kit contains the instructions, linen, needle, silk floss, two inch nantucket basket and the pincushion form.
    • Nantucket Basket - Snowflake Kit - SOLD OUT


       
    A Blushing Summer's Peony

       
    Peony Sampler
    Beautiful hand dyed silk ribbons were used to form this wonderful peony corsage. Wear it on your lapel or on a romantic hat reminiscent of the Victorian Era. The flowers, leaves, and berries are formed from simple straight stitches and gatherings of the silk ribbons. The kit includes all silk ribbons, matching threads, stamens, buckram, ultrasuede backing, pin back, and instructions.
    • A Blushing Summer's Peony Pin Kit - $26.00
      SALE PRICE: $19.50


        The silk flowers which adorn the cross stitch sampler are formed from bias cut hand dyed silk ribbons. As beautiful as they look, they are formed using simple straight stitches and gatherings. The kit includes all silk ribbons, matching threads, imported gros-grain ribbon with stripe, linen, needle, and instructions.
    • Peony Sampler Kit - $30.00
      Sale Price: $22.50


       
    Carnation Candy Cone

       
    Elizabeth's Sweet Bag
    This piece was designed after a visit to the Sampler A to Z exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston a few years ago. On display was a Mexican sampler which had a set of flowers, like carnations, which had been embroidered in long and short stitch. What was unique about this piece was that the flowers were stitched with a two color twisted silk thread. Having studied Japanese embroidery, I knew that the stitcher must have made her own thread to achieve the unique "candy cane" effect. This piece incorporates 'candy cane' silks in a traditional sampler band. The instructions teach you how to take two colors of Au Ver a Soie Soie Platte and twist it by hand to make a two color thread for your satin stitches. If you are interested in something different, try this technique. The kit includes the linen, instructions, silk threads, needle, velvet and morie, and floss for finishing.
    • Carnation Candy Cone Kit - $25.00
      SOLD OUT


        The Elizabeth's Sweet Bag was the continuing project for Fine Lines Volume 5. The instructions are incorporated into all four issues. It is designed based on stitches and designs commonly used on 17th century coifs, purses, cushions, and jackets. I took inspiration from a cushion cover in polychrome silks from the Embroiderer's Guild collection and created this piece to appeal to those stitchers who would like to produce a challenging, historically styled piece. A kit for this piece is available on the Kits page. Also, while the instructions are comprehensive, some groups like to have me come and teach this piece in person. One guild also commissioned me to design a matching set of accessories, which can be found on the Teaching page, entitled Elizabeth's Accessories.

    The kit includes linen, silk perlee and goblin, gold threads, Japanese needle, paillettes, wooden tassel forms, and finishing silk floss.
    • Elizabeth's Sweet Bag Kit - $85.00
    • Elizabeth's Sweet Bag - Instructions, Fine Lines Issues - $32.00 SOLD OUT