Online Stitching Guides

I’ve been working on our group correspondence course, Dresden Garden, and went in search of online stitching guides. No matter how well a diagram is presented, nothing is better than seeing a stitch as it is being created.

The Victoria Sampler site is a great resource. She has a number of interactive, animated stitch guides. Included are a variety of hardanger stitches, pulled work stitches, ribbon work, surface stitches and the hemstitch. Just use the drop down menu to select your animation. She breaks down several of the stitches into parts. You are able to pause and replay all of the videos so you can follow along with each stitch, step by step, at your own pace. While I do like her illustrations, I do disagree with her cutting instructions. She shows cutting the Kloster block by “loading up” your scissors with two threads at a time. I load up all four threads. If you do two at a time your cut will be uneven and the likelihood of having nubs greatly increases.

Another great resource is from Mary Corbet. She has full color videos of a wide variety of needlework stitches. She breaks the stitches down into categories: 1) Line Stitches and Bands, 2) Chain, Fly and Buttonhole, 3) Detached Stitches and Knots, 4) Filling Stitches.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you’ll also see how to use a laying tool and create a bullion rose bud.

While you are there check out her Tips and Techniques. She presents step by step instructions on a variety of stitching techniques.

I am making good progress on the baby quilt. I am just about ready for the border quilting. This next week I start swimming lessons with my granddaughter. The lessons last two weeks but I do hope to finish both the baby quilt and the Dresden Garden piece in that time. Photos will be posted soon (I hope!).