Seems I skipped last week's "needlework site of the week" entirely. Yikes! (I turn 54 today--can we chalk it up to either a "senior moment" or a "meno-moment"?)

To make up for the omission, the site I offer you today starts with redwork; however, do some exploring and you'll find a lot more here on needle arts. A whole lot more.

A Redwork Embroidery Primer by Rissa Peace Root provides a fascinating history of redwork, and then goes on to discuss threads, fabrics, stitching techniques, pattern transfer methods, and a must-read list of "tips and tricks" to help you avoid such problems as thread colors running.

I enjoy redwork, although I prefer to do my own patterns. The photo above I adapted from the following sketch my mother had done for a Valentine's Day card:

Years later I wanted to make a gift of a redwork piece for her quilting, so I scanned the card, used photo-altering software to remove the color, and fiddled with the contrast to make the lines more pronounced. Next I printed the sheet out, went over all the key lines and details with a fine point Sharpie, then turned the sheet over and traced all the lines with a transfer pencil. I ironed the finished design to muslin and worked it. In fact, I stitched it backed by batting and another piece of muslin (a "quilt sandwich"); that's probably a no-no, but it adds dimension to the finished piece. (If you'd like to read more about this sketch and the quilt made from the redwork piece above, read "Valentine's Day in the 1940s" at Lillian's Cupboard.)

As for A Redwork Embroidery Primer--don't stop with this great page. It's part of Root's Pretty Impressive Stuff website, where she addresses a wide range of needle arts techniques as well as providing a stitch guide, gallery, blog, and more. (To get better acquainted with Rissa Peace Root, see her About page.)