Caroline at Caroline’s Thread and Canvas shares with us some of the bookmarks she’s received for her Bookmark Challenge.

This bookmark was stitched by Caroline’s friend, Leonora, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday. Happy Birthday Leonora!

Check out the finishing on the back. A hem is turned under and the two edges are cross stitched together. The tube is closed on the ends with what appears to be a backstitch or a double running stitch, and the edges are fringed. Elegant, eh? That’s something we can all do to finish bookmarks on any fabric and hide the back side. Heads up cross stitching the seam: You’ll have to ply your needle in a sewing fashion as opposed to a stabbing fashion to avoid stitching through to the front of the piece.

These bookmarks are from an ANG member. ANG = American Needlepoint Guild. This is a national organization with local chapters, and is a great place to meet and hang out with other needleworkers and to learn new techniques.

These bookmarks present another good finishing technique. The designs are stitched on perforated paper then sewn or adhered to ribbon. (I’d apply a spray adhesive to the back of the paper, I think. Well, no, I’d hand stitch the paper to the ribbon, but if I were gluing, that’s how I’d do it. I have 20-some odd bottles of glue on the shelf above me; it’s not that I’m opposed to gluing, believe me!) It looks like grosgrain ribbon when I enlarge the image.

These bookmarks were stitched by Counted Thread and Crewel Master Craftsman, Catherine Jordan. That’s some nifty needleweaving on the left, and, of course, I love the fiber colors.

Catherine worked with school children on a project commemorating Jamestown’s 400-Year Anniversary. She has designed an old style needlework map of Jamestown. Check it out.

There’s still plenty of time to stitch bookmarks for the Challenge and to encourage a kid to read.