Figuring out what to do about the background of a needlepoint piece is often perplexing. The design is so pretty on it’s white background. But stitch and suddenly something more is needed — a background. Some canvas come on colored or metallic canvas so a possible background is there. Some canvases have a painted background. But almost always you will need to stitch something. I have tried all kinds of different things for backgrounds from a pulled canvas background, to an all-metallic Giant Diagonal Mosaic. Some have worked well, some haven’t, but here are some of my favorite techniques for backgrounds. I’ve found several ways to think about what will work for a background before I make a stitch and discuss them in this post. Needlepoint Damask uses two threads with a slight contrast to make a background which is stitched entirely in Tent Stitch, but which has pattern in
Monthly Archive:: April 2009
Like many people who needlepoint, I fell in love with it immediately and totally. At this point, after almost 40 years of stitching, I can honestly say that I still get thrilled with the possibilities for stitching just by looking at the picture of a canvas, or sometimes even by a picture of something else. One of the great joys of my life is that I “see” things in terms of stitches. Show me a painted canvas and I know how I want to stitch it. That’s why I like writing stitch guides. It lets me put what I see into words so it can be stitched. Sometimes when I stitch I think and I think about what makes needlepoint so special. In the world of embroiderers I think needlepointers are something special. They take a wonderful and huge middle ground that leaves so much space for creativity but still
I have a stomach bug and am too sick to think or write. So I’ll just share this from the archives & hope you are well enough to take advantage of this effect. From the March 2008 issue of O magazine: . . .According to research at the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine, the repetitive motion and focus of needlework can elicit what’s known as the relaxation response – a calming meditation-like state that slows heart rate and causes blood pressure to drop. In addition, a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that knitting is associated with a lower risk of dementia for those 65 and older. Thanks to industry publication Creative Leisure News for alerting me to this
Earlier this week Judy Harper had a marvelous post on FREEBIES, Etc! about creating your own needlepoint jeweled insect. She shows you, step by step, how to create a beetle and a ladybug. I’m starting some of my own this weekend. Some may think it a bit strange but I just adore bugs done in needlework. I have a ton of needlepoint bugs and butterflies painted by Mika Partridge which I stitched in the early 90′s and I still have one, a spider, in my stash. Some of her bugs were distributed by JB Needleworks and might be available from Julia’s Needleworks. If you’re looking for realistic beetle insect canvases, there are delightful ladybugs from Amanda Lawford, DMC, and many others. Dragonflies are also popular with great ones from JP Needlepoint, Amanda Lawford, and **. As are bees, with ones by the designers mentioned as well as Birds of a
Laura Perin has created a charming Bargello needlepoint piece, which combines Bargello with bullion knot flowers. She talks about the piece in a great article on her blog. The pattern for this piece is available on Laura’s site. Have a Blessed Easter. Or, more traditionally: “The Lord is risen!” “He is risen indeed! Allelulia!&#