I was reading the summer issue of A Needle Pulling Thread and it got me thinking about how much inspiration I find and how many good ideas there are from other crafts. Here’s some I use often: adapting quilt blocks to needlepoint using quilt and other color schemes as inspiration getting and stitching a whole stitch cross stitch chart using knitting yarns for needlepoint using an applique or embroidery outline on canvas taking color and design ideas from rug hooking using a couture dress as the inspiration for the threads tracing a stained glass pattern and using it to do needlepoint There’s inspiration all around us, just waiting to be picked up!
Monthly Archive:: July 2011
Originally posted 2009-07-28 07:02:30. Republished by Blog Post PromoterI know this book has been out awhile and is very popular. I’ve not looked at it because I didn’t want to stitch the project. But I looked at it recently and have to say that it’s a disappointment. In order to get enough out of the book to make it worth the cost, not only do you need to stitch the project, but you also have to be an experienced needlepointer, able to read stitch diagrams and also decipher a stitch from a sample. Why? Because every stitch is charted and many of the charts have mistakes in them so you need to do the stitch from the picture of the block. The book says it has 247+ stitches, but far too many of them are simple variations of each other. This is fine when I’m using it as a guide
I am envious and anxious to stitch my own all at once! Isn’t this stumpwork sampler that my friend Kelly Clark is stitching amazing? As you can read in her first blog post about the project, Kelly was reading about stumpwork techniques and noticed all the books had pieces stitched in free embroidery on linen. She thought, “Why can’t you do this on canvas?” It’s something I’ve thought often, especially about Jane Nichols lovely stumpwork bugs, but haven’t done a blessed thing about. But Kelly did and the results are lovely. Go over to her post and take a good look at the sampler. Not only is there the wonderful rooster, but there are examples of so many different types of stumpwork, from silk ribbon embroidery to thread-covered wire. I hope when she’s done she turns this into either a stitch guide or a cyberclass!
One of my favorite blogs is design seeds, a blog that puts together several color schemes each day from all kinds of sources. I’m alway getting neat ideas from it. BUt not only is it inspirational but the Palette Search tool can help you to put together your own schemes. There are three sections to the tool. The top section classifies all schemes by theme. There are thumbnails of one scheme in the theme as well as text links. Click on the subject and you find all schemes of that type. The Allsorts scheme pictured here is from edible color and there are schemes from wine, cake, fruit, and lots else. Below this is a section where schemes are classified according to season. THere are no text links here. I don’t know why some schemes are one season and some another but I felt as if the autumn schemes were
Originally posted 2008-09-16 06:42:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter If you’ve been participating in the Twinchy Challenge, you’re probably like me, on the lookout for things to do with them. These charming frames from Just Nan called WhimZis are delightful and so easy to use to frame needlepoint. As you can see from the picture above, it’s a perfect size for a little bit or needlepoint. To finish, just cut your needlepoint to fit the little piece of cardboard included in the frame. If your needlepoint has an open background, you should probably color the cardboard so it doesn’t remain gray. Put the needlepoint onto the cardboard and slide it into the frame. Return the velvet backing board to its place, adjust and you’re done! How easy is that? WhimZis come in several different finishes, some embossed, and there are many designs which include seasonal charms. This is a great
I’m always on the lookout for easy projects to make that can make my stitching life easier and more beautiful. This charming holder for skeins of wool (or any other fluffy thread for that matter) is charming and easy to make. Kathy of The Unbroken Thread has made it for herself while she takes courses at The Royal School of Needlework this summer. It uses felt, cotton tape (twill tape), ribbon, and some hand sewing. You could make it in an afternoon in colors of your choice. You could even give it embellishment by coloring, dying, stamping, or embroidering the felt. Get the details on how to make it in this tutorial. Thanks to Denise at Craft Gossip for pointing this out
Originally posted 2008-10-30 05:49:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter The R block in our sampler uses a lower case letter in Tempo 21 from Tink’s Alphabets Eclectic and Interesting (available here ) and charted below. It’s a simple alphabet, similar to Times, so it’s nice amid all the fancier letters. Because this letter leaves lots of open space in the block, I wanted to use a stitch which had a strong pattern and took a little while to develop. Diagonal Milanese (charted below) is great that way. It has a strong diagonal direction because of the arrowheads all pointing along the same diagonal. It also has a wonderful rhythm because of the alternating and interlocking direction of each line. Begin stitching in the upper left corner of the block. Make the establishing row of this stitch with arrowheads pointing up from this corner down. I’m terrible at counting so I
Diamonds, Hearts, Octagons, Stars, Sandy Arthur, Duo Designs, 2011, $44.95 On August 15, the next book in this series will be available. If I sat down and thought about the shapes in needlepoint that perplex me the most, these four would be at the top of the list. Every time I need to stitch one of these I can’t find a stitch and, once I do, I’m never satisfied. But no more, I have this book, a tremendous resource for the stitcher. The stitches are arranged by shape and then by size within the shape. The Table of Contents summarizes them all. So if you need to find a stitch for an 8×8 diamond, for example, there are seven listed, on pages 28-30. Pick your shape, pick your size and find your ideas. One thing that makes this book so useful is that you’ll find many open shapes that can
Originally posted 2007-10-01 10:35:10. Republished by Blog Post PromoterJust a little bit down the page at Jane Wood’s Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure you can find a long interview with me, mostly about Bargello. You can also see great close-up pictures of the two Bargello mini-socks I worked on over the weekend. I talk about how the designs evolved and how one works and one doesn’t. I learned so much doing these projects, and you will too. Stop by and visit!
Earlier this year Planet Earth Fibers came out with a lovely, very soft Merino Wool. Available in 120 colors (color card in link); it comes in 28 yard skeins. It has quickly become my favorite wool. As I said, this thread is very soft and has lots of air spun into it. What does that mean to you as a stitcher? It compresses enough to work just fine on 18 mesh, but it’s thick enough to provide good coverage on 13 and 14 mesh. The matte threads in this ornament are both Planet Earth Wool. I love the color range of Planet Earth’s threads. While there are not as many colors in wool as in silk or stranded silk, the colors match and are numbered and named the same, making substitutions a breeze. Those who like to stitch with wool can have real problems these days. With Planet Earth Wool
Originally posted 2008-08-08 12:12:30. Republished by Blog Post PromoterBarbara has posted several steps to get up started on our project. Here’s a list: Step 2A – Sets up the pattern, and compares it to an actual quilt. There will be eight colors, including one neutral. Step 2B – helps you pick your colors for your needlepoint. It describes the kind of color you will need for each section. Once I get back from lunch I’m going to pull my colors and will update with a blog post later today. Step 3 – label your threads. This post shows you how to label your threads. Having done many pieces like this with lots of threads, I know how important this can be. I’m probably going to put my 8 threads on thread drops to keep them straight
I often stitch at night while we watch TV. Sometimes my DH doesn’t like the light on, so off goes the light and thus my stitching ends for the evening. But not now. With the Beam N Read LED Light, I can stitch without any other lights and see my needlepoint just fine. I tested both the 3 and 6 light sizes. They run on AA batteries (included with the 3 light size but not with the 6) and hang around your neck with a webbing strap. I found that while the 3 light size was just fine when using the unfiltered light, the 6 light size was far too bright when unfiltered; brighter than the regular light I use. The lights come with filters as well. The 3 light comes with a dark pink filter for night vision. I found that it worked well, making things nicely clear at
In this outstanding library of counted patterns (thanks to Denise of CraftGossip for pointing it out), you’ll find dozens of motifs from the riches of traditional Middle Eastern embroidery. The index page for the designs breaks them into technique. It shows a thumbnail of each design,describes it, and provides information about the source. Click on the title to get the full-size chart. The pieces cover a broad range of dates, from the 12th Century to today and come from many countries. It’s a marvelous resources and a wonderful source of ideas
Originally posted 2006-07-10 05:56:03. Republished by Blog Post PromoterThat’s what people chanted when he was playing. Although I didn’t get to his face yesterday, everything but face and hair are finished. I’ll do those next week. He’s looking pretty cool isn’t he? You may be wondering about the dark bat. It is sort of a move of despiration. First, I couldn’t find a good Baseball bat color in my stash or when I looked at Needle in a Haystack last week. Second, I noticed watching baseball yesterday that many players use dark bats. My DH says he remembers green bats from Reggie’s days playing with the A’s, so I made it dark green
Michael’s has complete instructions for a simple pendant stitched on plastic canvas using white floss. More floss is used for the necklace itself. The intriguing thing is that the whole thing is dyed after it’s put together. The necklace is pictured here and there is a link to the downloadable pattern at the bottom of the page