I just heard George the mailman drive by so I went out to pick up my mail. Yesterday, I had received a quilt magazine and some Cutco knives I had purchased from Ebay, so I didn't think I'd have a fun mail day again today. Well to my surprise, there was a squishy package in my mailbox that I had forgotten was on its way. It sure didn't smell fishy, but this is what was in it...
Have you ever seen a more handsome fish? This is all hand embroidered by Mary Corbet over at Needle 'n Thread. She does amazing fine work, and let me tell you, this is fine work! The whole fish measures only about 8 1/2 inches by 5 inches, but look at all the detail in that small space. It looks like most of it is done using only one very fine thread and the variety of stitches and designs is just fascinating.
If you are interested in embroidery and follow Mary's website, you may remember when she was working on this project. Click HERE for a link to one of her posts on this project and from there you can link to the other posts where she shows her progress on this fish. It really is an amazing little project to read about, even if you don't do embroidery yourself.
So why did it end up in my mailbox, you may be asking yourself. I'll tell you. Mary has known of my love of, and almost obsession with, designing and making bags for quite some time. In fact, Mary is the proud owner of one of my bags which you can see HERE. (I have two just like this one for sale in my Etsy shop right now...the only difference, besides the fabric, is that the little hidden zipper pocket is not included.)
Now back to the fish. I had asked Mary, while she was working on the project, what she was going to do with the fish when she finished it and suggested it might make a really awesome insert on the outside of a tote bag. She thought about that and agreed, and we made a deal. If she would send me the fish, I would make it into a tote bag for her. How's that for a great deal?
So this project will be added to my list of projects for this summer, and if I'm lucky, I'll have it finished by this time next year! You all know how that is, don't you? I can't wait to start picking out fabrics for this fish, and I might be soliciting suggestions from all of you, so feel free to share your thoughts on what might look good with it. I'm all ears!
Happy Stitching!
Click here to return to HookedOnNeedles.com
Have you ever seen a more handsome fish? This is all hand embroidered by Mary Corbet over at Needle 'n Thread. She does amazing fine work, and let me tell you, this is fine work! The whole fish measures only about 8 1/2 inches by 5 inches, but look at all the detail in that small space. It looks like most of it is done using only one very fine thread and the variety of stitches and designs is just fascinating. 
If you are interested in embroidery and follow Mary's website, you may remember when she was working on this project. Click HERE for a link to one of her posts on this project and from there you can link to the other posts where she shows her progress on this fish. It really is an amazing little project to read about, even if you don't do embroidery yourself. So why did it end up in my mailbox, you may be asking yourself. I'll tell you. Mary has known of my love of, and almost obsession with, designing and making bags for quite some time. In fact, Mary is the proud owner of one of my bags which you can see HERE. (I have two just like this one for sale in my Etsy shop right now...the only difference, besides the fabric, is that the little hidden zipper pocket is not included.)
Now back to the fish. I had asked Mary, while she was working on the project, what she was going to do with the fish when she finished it and suggested it might make a really awesome insert on the outside of a tote bag. She thought about that and agreed, and we made a deal. If she would send me the fish, I would make it into a tote bag for her. How's that for a great deal?
So this project will be added to my list of projects for this summer, and if I'm lucky, I'll have it finished by this time next year! You all know how that is, don't you? I can't wait to start picking out fabrics for this fish, and I might be soliciting suggestions from all of you, so feel free to share your thoughts on what might look good with it. I'm all ears!
Happy Stitching!
Click here to return to HookedOnNeedles.comLabels: black work, embroidery, tote bag
posted by Mary Grace McNamara on Tuesday, June 21, 2011
4 Comments:
Wow! You two make a great team! I'm looking forward to seeing your collaborative creation.
Nedra
By
Anonymous, At
June 21, 2011 at 7:18 PM
I think it would be very pretty with a black and white toile or paisley print. Maybe even black/white polka dot :) Wow! That's beautiful work! So fine and detailed! Good luck!
By
Grace Ann, At
June 22, 2011 at 11:15 AM
Ahhh - he made it! Funny, he doesn't look too much the worse for wear, despite the mailing. Don't know why I didn't send him sooner! :-)
By
Mary Corbet, At
June 27, 2011 at 12:44 PM
Hi Mary Grace!
I hope you will take us through the thought/design process you will use when making this lovely fishy into a tote bag. Please don't make us wait until you are finished.
By
Cynthia Gilbreth, At
June 28, 2011 at 11:11 PM
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