Originally posted 2008-07-15 08:24:16. Republished by Blog Post PromoterOver the weekend I learned about this great blog post from Judy Heim. It gives you step-by-step instructions for printing a needlepoint canvas on you inkjet printer. (scroll down past the copyright notice to get the instructions. I tried doing this several years ago, with MUCH less than stellar results. The papers I used often blocked holed and left a plastic film on the canvas. I did finally have good results when I took my design to a printer who transferred images onto mugs and such and who was a stitcher herself. The store closed and so I’m left with thinking about doing this on my own. The post goes into great detail about how to choose your image, scanning it, sizing it and preparing the canvas (including how to work with an image which is larger than 8.5 x 11. Next
Monthly Archive:: February 2010
Originally posted 2005-09-18 05:55:09. Republished by Blog Post PromoterMY POINT EXACTLY by Orna Willis Orna is one of my favorite people and I love the way she uses color and design in her geometric pieces. Her new book is an innovation in how needlepoint is presented as well as being crammed full with eight lovely designs. Each small geometric design is given a complete chapter. The book is in full color, with tremendous illustrations od the completed ornaments, close-ups of sections of them, full color charts of the designs and large instructional illustrations. The chapters open with a photo of the design, done in several different color schemes. The first text page of the chapter talks about how this design was finished. Her reasons for finishing the pieces as she did are given as well as specific instructions about less familiar techniques. The materials for each piece are announced on
Liz Morrow has been one of my favorite designers since I started to read both Needlepoint News and NeedlePointers in the early 80′s. My notebooks of projects from magazines are filled with her projects. So I was delighted when she started to blog, at Lizart, and even happier when she opened the Lizart shop, and bought two charts right away. We talked this week about needlepoint and Bargello. Here’s her interview, along with a selection of her Bargello pieces. To see a larger version of any piece, click on it. You can see lots more by visiting Liz’s blog. Detailed information about the designs follows the interview. Thank you for the opportunity to do this interview. During the process I have thought a lot about needlepoint, past & present. What a revelation! I hope the readers will find my discoveries as interesting as I did! I’ve loved your style since
Threadworx, is fast becoming one of the most innovative thread companies around. Not only are they creating amazing threads, they have also come out with Threadworx Journal, a bi-monthly ezine, that sets a new standard in what can be done with needlepoint and new technology. UPDATE: The journal ceased publication after four issues, but print versions are available to order here. The Journal is as treasure trove of ideas and information. There is a What’s New? section which has close-up pictures of all the new colors. These are done by thread and then by color. The pictures are very clear and have the names of the colors on the right. I love having this as a reference. There’s one thing I’d add though, the color numbers after the names, since many shops list them only by the numbers. This issue also had reviews of two classic books, now available as
My stitching for Super Bowl Sunday was to start working on the Ladybug. I love ladybugs, always have (but then I’ve never lived in a place with major infestations of them. This one is the Two-spotted ladybug, but there are many other kinds, not all of them red. The red is stitched in Double Woven, above, using Silk & Ivory. I find the rhythm of this stitch very comforting and I like that it stitches up fast. Although the stitch isn’t directional, I made the two sides symmetrical by lining up the center stitches and having them slant in different directions. The spots are stitched in Basketweave using black Silk & Ivory, but I wanted the spots to look very round. Round is a problem in needlepoint. Jessicas make things round, but have far more texture than I want here. The solution is to use Whipped Backstitch, above. You can
Originally posted 2008-12-07 21:57:50. Republished by Blog Post PromoterSorry about that mostly blank post. Our Internet was down this morning, then I went to Mass, to a concert and then to dinner. I just got home. I’m about to settle down and do the post I would have done this morning if I hadn’t been crawling around on the floor unplugging and replugging cables. And then there was my brilliant idea for the next Celebrate block, which looked terrible. So I’ll rip it out and post it tomorrow sometime. The good thing was the concert was nice, dinner was great, and I wasn’t spending my day fighting crowds at the Mall
Starting a new needlepoint canvas is such a delight. There is the fun of picking threads, the thoughts about stitches, and the happy work of preparation. This canvas is big (14″ x 16″) so it’s going to be staying home and not traveling. Although the temptation is great just to start stitching, a little bit of time spent thinking and preparing will make the process much more enjoyable. This canvas, as is the case with the majority of needlepoint canvases, does not have the background marked. Often I just don’t bother or decide after I’ve started stitching, but it’s easier to do it now. Decide what you want it to be and then using an ultra-fine point marker (I like Pigma microns for this), mark the edges of the finished piece. You’ll find it easiest to stitch if you leave at least 1.5″, preferably 2″ of unstitched canvas all around.
In my secret life (a one sans cats) I weave, so imagine my delight in the Hazel Rose looms (pictured here). These simple looms come in several different shapes. They are a type of loom called continuous weave and they are one of the simplest looms out there. If you have tried to weave before and been put off by warping, shuttles, weaving diagrams or harnesses, this is a great start. If you have tons of stash, especially in uncut skeins, this is stash busting project perfection. The loom sent to me for testing was the 4″ square loom in walnut. The looms are made from different hardwoods and come if different shapes and sizes. Looms, accessories, books, and replacement parts can all be ordered through the site. There is plenty of information and ideas on the site, including instructional videos, PDFs, a gallery of projects from all over, and