The first is outline embroidery of a chrysanthemum. Outline embroidery is done in the stem stitch. When worked in red thread, the technique is called Redwork but here there is a combination of red and green suitable to the flower design. The mum is a classic design and I found it in a reprint of Ruby Short McKim's Flower Garden series which ran in the Kansas City Star newspaper in 1930. Ruby's granddaughter heads the McKim Studios website today. The whole series for the Flower Garden quilt is available from the website in a beautifully printed little book. http://www.mckimstudios.com/04treasures/quiltspecial/flowergardensamples.shtml .
The thread? Both the rusty red (color #1490) and deep green (color #4371) are worked in double-strands of embroidery floss. The brand is Finca Mouline by Presencia and you can see the floss color chart at the Presencia online catalog http://www.presenciaamerica.com/ . There's also a handy conversion chart for Presencia/DMC so if you know your DMC color #, you can find its equivalent in Presencia http://www.wonderfil.net/dmc.htm . The fabric in the chrysanthemum stitchery is vintage linen and the plaid is upcycled from a linen shirt.
The second sample is a Crazy Quilt block out of my imagination. Fabrics include silk, cotton, homespun plaid, and a batik. Threads used were the Presencia floss in ivory (color #3000), palest sage green (color #5051), and bright gold metallic floss (color #0009).
For both of these embroidery works, I used embroidery needles by John James. The picture here is only of size 7 but for multiple threads ,try the 3-9 Embroidery needle assortment since you're sure to find the right size needle for most embroidery projects.
Quilt Market's around the corner and with hundreds of vendors and thousands of people coming from around the world, it's sure to be a great time. Stop and say hello if you're attending. The Colonial Needle Company and Presencia Thread will be in these endcap booths: 608-708 and across the aisle, 709-809.
