I made a very cool tool that you are free to use to add information (and posts) from this blog into your blog or webpage. The tool is called a “blidget,” short for blog widget, and comes from a totally cool site called Widgetbox. It’s as simple as pie to do. With it you can create a blidget for your own blog. While you’re there you can search for tons of other widgets as well. In fact, most of this week we’ll be exploring some cool widgets you can use for needlepoint. To see the bliget for yourself go to http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/nuts-about-needlepoint. Once there you can grab the code and add it to your site. Here’s what it looks like running: This week and next I will be highlighting some other cool widgets I have found which will he;[ with your needlepoint. If you have created a widget that has something
Monthly Archive:: June 2008
I want to send a big THANK YOU to Theresa of Homestead Needle Arts in Michigan, a fantastic store! Theresa’s newsletter and her posts from shows are the absolute best way to keep up-to-date on what’s happening in the needlepoint world. I really want to thank her for them. Because of TNNA, there are a ton of new product announcements. So, without further ado, here’s what’s up. THREAD NEWS: RAINBOW GALLERY has 26 new colors in Silk Lame: Lite Surf Blue, Surf Blue, Antique Blue, Dark Antique Blue, Lite Lavender, Lavender, Dark Lavender, Baby Pink, Rose Pink, Raspberry, Garnet, Burgundy, Chiffon, Orange, Copper, Coffee, Eggshell, Lemon, Buttercup, Chartreuse, Dark Avocado, Caribbean, Lagoon, Dove Gray, Pewter and Mint. Plus 2 new colors of Crystal Braid (Blue Pearl and Northern Lights,),one new Neon Rays Plus (True Blue) 7 new Soft Sheen Fyre Werks (Lite Tree Green, Espresso, Ocean Blue, Pink Pearl, Lilac
Isn’t this just too cute? Inspired by the free pattern on Pierrette’s blog, Sally Everett made this adorable Bargello in these great patriotic colors. She just sent me the picture and I wanted to share it with you. It illustrates how flexible and fun Bargello can be. Sally took the same line and the same outline (the mini-sock) and made something completely her own. I love the wider swathes of white and how the red-white-blue lines really look like old-fashioned flag bunting. It has both a modern and an old-fashioned feel which I think is just great. I also love what she’s going to do with it. It will be added to her collection hanging fro her kitchen cabinets
I’m making plans for what I’m going to be doing on this blog for the next few months and I’d love your opinion. So here’s a tiny poll asking you what you’d like to see. You don’t have to pick one answer, you can pick both. If you’d like something else, or have a designer in mind, add a comment. Have fun! Opinion Polls & Market Research
Just to give you a listing of where you can find my books and stitch guides at TNNA. Bargello Revisited will be a featured book at Rainbow Gallery’s booth (728). They will be taking orders for autographed copies. The book will also be available at Unicorn Books (323) and Nordic Needle (1852). Needlepoint Trade Secrets is also available from these companies. Needledeeva (1436) will have the models (so far) of her small nativity as well as copies of all my stitch guides. If you’re thinking about a club or a Christmas in July offering, you can’t got far wrong with this little nativity. The pieces are small, easy to stitch and the stitch guide covers the complete set and is coordinated to go together. Kelly Clark (1900) will have all my stitch guides for her, including the two new Nordic Santas. Raymond Crawford (1525) will have the delightful and popular
These are my latest stitch guides, Nordic Joy and Nordic Love Santas from Kelly Clark Needlepoint. I just love them. They have such pretty, quiet colors, but they aren’t boring at all. I like the charming cat and dog. It’s so hard to make animals, especially cats, look realistic and still whimsical, so I think they’re great. The metallic on the robes was a real challenge. I wanted to imitate those elaborate metallic thread frog and embroidery closures you often see on folk embroidery. It was done in the easiest way. Begin by stitching Continental between the wider areas. Then add a Continental Stitch at the outside of each frog. Make the frog by weaving your needle in and out in a figure 8 between the Continentals. I also love the Christmas trees in each canvas. The charming method was developed by Kelly. It uses French Knots on a stick