Originally posted 2010-06-29 07:23:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter This eight-pointed star pattern has everything going for it as a way to test color combinations and threads in needlepoint. It’s easy (just one stitch), fast (you can stitch it a couple of hours (even if you are slow or distracted), and it can be the basis of many variations (look in quilt books for some of them)> I’ve made versions of this star for years as a test bed for needlepoint. Once year I made 20 of them using various color combinations in Silk & Ivory and metals and gave them as Christmas presents. Another year I used some variations in red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July. The chart, pictured above, is really simple. To make this variation, one color is the solid lines. The other color is the open lines. By stitching them in two threads,
Monthly Archive:: July 2012
Watercolours is a stunning thread. I find myself buying a color just because I think it’s pretty. But finding floss colors to go with it can be a problem. I recently got a question from a reader about finding a conversion chart for Watercolours to floss. One doesn’t exist, for three reasons. First, because each Watercolours shade has more than one color in it, you can’t really map a Watercolours shade to a single color of floss. Second, the different dyers at Caron dye the shades differently. Although they are consistent from dyelot to dyelot by the same dyer, they are not consistent between dyers. That means that even if I could make a conversion for col0r X by dyer A, this may not work for color X by dyer B. Third, because of the dyeing method there are transitional colors between the main colors. These colors happen when the
Originally posted 2006-09-20 16:32:27. Republished by Blog Post PromoterI do. In fact it was one of the first needlepoint techniques I did and I still love it. I was noticing in the last couple of days, some of the oldest pillows I have I made in Bargello back in the 70’s (oh those colors!) The wools are still vibrant and the patterns lovely. Bargello is simple to do. It’s made up of straight stitches,often going over four threads. One or more stitches is in a step. The steps move up and down in a regular pattern. The shades and/or colors progress in a regular pattern as well. Once you stitch the first row, Bargello is just following the pattern. At least most of the time. This makes it very smoothing and relaxing. There aren’t too many Bargello books out there, but lots were published in the 70’s. Look for them
Imagine a needlepoint canvas with no sizing. One that stretches slightly. One that can drape like fabric. And one that can be washed and dried. That canvas does exist. It’s called garment canvas and is distributed by Kreinik. It only comes in 18 mesh and can be ordered on this page. Garment canvas is a 100% polyester interlock canvas. It’s designed so that you can make items such as collars, cuffs, and other pieces that need to drape, move, and be washed. You can’t do these things with regular needlepoint canvas with any ease. According to Kreinik’s site, the canvas requires minimal blocking and can be painted. It is 60″ wide. That makes it long enough for longer belts, although if I was using it, I would be sure to ask my finisher to add an extra layer or two of interfacing to make it stiffer. I used garment canvas
Originally posted 2008-11-07 07:12:32. Republished by Blog Post PromoterAMH Designs has made a huge impact both in and outside the needlepoint world. Amy’s modern designs and inventive uses of needlepoint have been talked about everywhere. I just love her clean, modern style and the way she is making needlepoint easy for people who have thought they couldn’t needlepoint. She wrote to me recently about a new product — needlepoint iPod/phone cases. She said: “[They] are stitched on plastic canvas- which gives them a nice rigidity. And I use Paternayan wool thread (no acrylic junk) so they look really nice when they are all stitched up. People love them although many don’t want to take the time to make one themselves (at least that is what I am finding in New York where people seem not to have a lot of free time. Maybe with the economy going sour, they might
DMC showcases Stephen Beale. You may know of him from his poems, collected in his book, The Very Stuff. Or you may know him from his Periodic Table of Floss, pictured here. Interweave Press has an interview with him from several years ago on their site. I first learned about him with some projects of his that were in Piecework magazine. He works entirely in DMC floss, often in needlepoint and does lovely shaded works. If you can find it the March 2001 issue of Piecework has one of my favorites of his, a lovely sunrise. You can see an on-line exhibit of his work as well
Originally posted 2010-05-18 07:07:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter Often I’m frustrated and a little jealous. As a needlepointer there are so many charts out there for cross stitchers. They’re free and often quite beautiful. But also, alas, often not adaptable to needlepoint. Take heart! This isn’t always the case. If you know what makes a good chart to adapt, you’ll find lots of inspiration for free on the Web. Most importantly, look for charts that have whole stitches only. The partial stitches that make curves in cross stitch can’t be done on needlepoint canvas. Also look for charts that have a minimum of backstitching, especially for important design elements. While you can Backstitch on needlepoint canvas, it’s hard to adapt and many charts like this won’t work well. The best charts to adapt are those that have large blocks of color. These, once outlines or counted, can be done
Galina Tregubov makes stunning embroidered icons in Split Stitch using only DMC #5 perle cotton. The tradition of writing icons in the Orthodox Churches is a long (Yes, you “write” an icon, you don’t “paint” or even “stitch” it). It’s said that the oldest icon of all was painted by St. Luke. It’s of the Virgin Mary. The look of a particular icon is copied exactly and is passed down through the generations. These icons are found in churches and homes. What makes Galina’s icons unusual is that they are the traditional images you will see elsewher but they are done entirely in thread. I astonished at how lovely they are, especially when you consider they are done with the thread as it comes out of the skein. On her site she has a lovely slide show of her work. If you want to learn more about her technique (which
Originally posted 2009-03-01 06:24:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter>My eldest daughter, Maggie, loves children’s books. She even has a great blog devoted to them. As a result, I am often looking and finding vintage children’s illustrations which I think would make great needlepoint. I particularly love the kind which have that sweet Mid-century Modern look and those washed out colors which are now almost pastel. Looking through one of my design notebooks awhile ago, I found many I had cut out for inspiration. Plenty of ideas, but none stitched yet as I can’t get to my blank canvas, it’s buried. So that’s the theme of our challenge this month, vintage children’s books and toys. Pick a favorite illustrator or author and do a picture from one of their books. Find a retro looking wallpaper and use that. Pick a vintage clipart (Dover has a whole book of them). There’s plenty
DMC has an interview with the delightful Beth Gantz (of Beth Gantz Designs) on their blog. As part of this she created a design especially for them. It’s available as a free PDF here. The design, except for the flower center’s uses DMC color Variations Perle (reviewed here). The centers use DMC’s Memory Thread. As you can see from the picture, it makes a delightful book cover
Originally posted 2009-02-04 05:48:25. Republished by Blog Post PromoterLately I’ve been starting many projects. These include the Winter Stars project, the heart bellpull and two CyberPointers projects, the Stitchalong and the President’s Challenge. And then there is my personal challenges: to use up at least one thread on every project (I’ve only missed two so far and those were Twinchies). to stitch projects using only threads from my stash. Every time I start a project I go through the thread stash and this has gotten me thinking about threads. As I look I remember other projects using that thread and think about why I like it. But I’d love to hear from you. What’s your favorite thread? Why? Is it the colors, the fiber, the texture, or the projects you have made that makes it your favorite? My favorite thread is JL Walsh silk/wool. I first discovered it at an
If you’re like me a needlepoint canvas with lots of tiny spaces is both a pleasure and a pain. It’s a pleasure because usually they are small and fast to stitch. It’s a pain because it’s challenging to come up with enough different stitches to keep the piece from looking boring. That’s why I’m so excited about this new cyberclass I’m doing in conjunction with Art Needlepoint. This adorable kangaroo luggage tag has tons of small areas perfect for trying out many stitches that will give texture to those troublesome small areas in your needlepoint. And every one of them is easy to do. They don’t require complex counting and don’t come together in ways that can be confusing. Not only will this class tech you many exciting new stitches, you’ll also learn how to tell if a stitch will fit, easy ways to vary a stitch, and tricks to
Originally posted 2009-05-14 06:08:15. Republished by Blog Post PromoterKokeshi are simple wooden Japanese dolls. They have asimple trunk and a rounded head with painted features, so they are a design which can be adapted easily to needlepoint. This shopping site has about the best explanation of them I have found. Stick around and look at their lovely selection. This folk art has many people making lovely modern and traditional dolls. Poking around the web, I found some great sites with inspirations for needlepoint. Kokeshi Designs has delightful dolls, grouped by categories. To find the most typical, click on “girls” on the left column. Jun Japanese Gifts has many unorganized pages of kokeshi. These are no the hand-made Kokeshi of Kokeshi Designs, but there are over 100 doll here, so that’s lots of inspiration. This site, which only has three dolls, shows the striped kimono and columnar design I remember from
The limited edition cat stitch sampler class has a waiting list. If you are interested in taking this class, sign up for it using the button below There will be thread kits available for the class for up to 32 people. Registration for the class will close on August 15, 2012, in order to get the canvases painted
Originally posted 2009-02-26 05:13:24. Republished by Blog Post PromoterMarch is National Crafts Month and with your help I want to celebrate all month long. On Mondays, we’ll feature galleries and profiles of needlepointers. If you have a gallery on Flickr or Picasa with needlepoint, not matter what your level, email me. We all love to look at needlepoint and hear each other’s stories, so let’s share. Fridays will be studio & organization days. I’ll update you on my studio (which is coming together nicely and share pictures and organization tips from blog readers. Even if you don’t have a room devoted to needlepoint, just a useful tip, share it (with a picture if possible) and we’ll learn together on Fridays. Saturdays will be Web Tour days, and I’ll share with you some of my favorite places on the Internet to get ideas for crafts to try. Let’s enjoy March together!