I am currently embroidering a cover for a very unusual edition of Bible. In an earlier post I showed you the first outlines of the cover. The work has progressed a lot, and here you can see the queen stitch portion of it. It is my absolutely favorite counted stitch! Despite being very angular and precise, it lends itself beautifully to hugging round shapes and lines. 

Emotions overcome me when I see pictures of the Klementinum,  a historic building complex in Prague, which houses National Library of the Czech Republic.  Let us go visit it this year!
There is more information on the Library’s website here. 

These are Madeira wool/acrylic embroidery threads. My dad made special little shelves, they are so perfect for neat storage of the bobbins! 

This little cute thing was under my Christmas Tree. 1900's pressed paper bookmark. 

​I made the embroidered tangerine quite some time ago, but it still makes me smile. Tangerines mean New Year! Why? Only us, those over 40 who grew up in Soviet Union will understand.  The second picture (photo from tula.air.ru) is a still from an iconic 1975 film “The Irony of Fate or Enjoy the Steam!” Can you count how many stereotypical and still beloved dishes are on that festive table? Happy Happy  New Year! 

​In cinemas all over the world the latest Star Wars movie has opened. The British Library is joining the fun with a very amusing and thought provoking article about familiar looking creatures in medieval manuscripts. You can see more pictures here.  

It is dark outside even in the middle of the day. Trees are lamenting in the wind, and rain is flogging our windows. Here is a perfect book to read on such a day: „Crewel World. Needlecraft Mystery” by Monica Ferris. Is embroiderer the murderer or the victim? I will let you know.

To all my creative friends, crafters and artists.  To all of us who know that creativity and fear are inseparable, that it is impossible to step into creative endeavor without having to encounter fear. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love”  in her new book “Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear” tells how she had to sit down and convince herself to write knowing very well that whatever she writes will never be as successful as “Eat, Pray, Love” and that her talent will be questioned. She still did it. Love her, love this book.

New book cover has begun. Tacked lines mark edges of the covers and spine.  They also show the center lines of the embroidered part of the covers. It helps with the correct placement of the embroidery design.

I love this story! It came from Uppsala University Library, and it tells about restoration of a book that had been mended using embroidery. Unfortunately I could not find information about this book on University's home page any more. It was told by library's conservator Augusta Strand. If you happen to know where to find the original publication, please, kindly let me know.The manuscript dates from the 14th century and it belonged to the monastic library at Vadstena Convent after its purchase in Konstanz in 1417. The pages of the book are made of parchment and they show typical damage in the form of holes and tears that happened while the parchment was being made. Some time after the book was copied, the holes and tears have been mended artistically with silk of various colors, mainly in blanket stitch.
This book was on display in the exhibition "A book harvest from the vineyard" at Uppsala University Library, May 9, 2003 - April 8, 2004.

I have received a very beautiful present. A book „Publishing and Book Design in Latvia 1919-1940: a Re-discovery”. The American book specialist and historian of publishing, James Howard Fraser has written a book about design and publishing in Latvia. Sadly, this was his last work. It is the most comprehensive overview of the activities of Latvian, Russian, Jewish and German publishers in Latvia in the interwar period. It shows and explains how cover, endpaper and layout of the books reflected the trends in European book design of that period. 

The very charming Queen Street in Toronto houses this little pearl – Mokuba shop. Shelves after shelves, rolls after rolls of the famous Mokuba ribbons! From 2mm delicate silk ribbons to 20cm impressive fur ribbons. My embroiderer’s heart was singing and credit card crying! It took a lot of willpower not to grab one of everything! 

For quite some time I have had an idea to try Bargello embroidery for a book cover. You know those beautiful marbled papers that bookbinders use for endsheets? The psychedelic and wavy patterns of Bargello embroidery look like a soft and warm version of the fascinating paint ripples on the bookbinding paper. So, why not try that for the outside covers of the book? Here is the beginning of a new book cover, which will be partly embroidered using a Bargello pattern in red and yellow wool, with some teal accents.