Nuts about Needlepoint » let’s get . . .

Free Christmas Ornament Patterns on this Site

Janet Perry — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:56:56 +0000

Merry Christmas!

I love CHristmas ornaments and stitch them all the time. Some of that love has been reflected in the projects I’ve done for this site.

In case you are like me and want to start a new stitching project (although I’m most likely cooking not stitching), you might want to make one of these delightful little projects.

Besides these stand-alone projects, check out last year’s Learn-a-Stitch Mini-sock series, and the many Twinchy posts, there are lots more ornament ideas there.

Do I Have Time to Finish It Before Christmas?

Janet Perry — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 15:42:28 +0000

With only about two weeks left before Christmas, no doubt slight panic is setting in as you think about all the things you wanted to make but haven’t finished.

If you are really lucky, those things don’t need to be mailed. iIf you are really, REALLY lucky, they don’t have to be finished either.

But if you are like me, you’re wringing your hands thinking about how you can get things done in time for Christmas.

Since this happens to me every year, I thought i’d help out a bit by doing a round-up of some posts relating to self-finishing, easy finishing ideas, and finishing techniques. Many of these posts point to external websites for information.

Self-finishing

Easy Finishing Ideas

Four Needlepoint Gift Tags has finishing instructions in the linked article
Stitchy Cell Phone Case
Bargello Tin Toppers
Plastic Canvas Pendants
Bottle Bags
Square Pincushion
Tote Bag

Finishing Techniques

Quilts as a Source of Inspiration

Janet Perry — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:55:15 +0000

Originally posted 2010-04-23 07:16:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

A skein of background thread & your stash is all you need for this project

Patchwork Quilts remain a rich source of inspiration of design in all kinds of media, needlepoint not the least. Every time I look at a quilt book, any quilt book, I find lots of ideas for new projects. And I’m not alone in this, many other needlepoint designers do as well. I thought on this sunny (at least here) spring Friday I’d share some of the many quilt-inspired posts and projects you can find here at Nuts about Needlepoint.

First off, we have the Pyramid mini-sock post from earlier this week. Based on a traditional quilt block, Thousand Pyramids, and designed by me in about 2003, this design is one of a series of Scrap Bag Needlepoint ™ mini-socks.

The Sunbonnet Sue mini-sock remains one of my favorites. Sunbonnet Sue has been so popular as a quilt pattern that there are whole web sites devoted to her and her friends. If you wanted to you could use these blocks as inspiration for a whole series of needlepoint designs.

The Pines Trees mini-sock is based on a lovely tradition, that of the Christmas quilt. These quilts, often having pine trees as a motif, are used only during the Christmas season. I like this pattern better than many other Christmas quilts because it’s quiet beauty fits in so many places.

The Sunburst Mosaic Pattern is also based on a quilt pattern, this one called Sunburst. It’s related to the lovely (and easy to vary) Log Cabin quilt patterns.

If you are looking for larger needlepoint projects, consider my Mod Sampler. Based on a charming sampler quilt and done in a mod palette of red, pink, orange, and yellow, this design is a great one to learn new stitches and to practice stitching with silk. The projects in in three parts: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. You can see some wonderful and colorful interpretations of this quilt in the Flickr group for the quiltalong

Another three-part project based on a quilt is Winter Stars. A Scrap Bag Needlepoint ™ project, this design uses a monochrome palette of blues, blue-violets, white, light blue, and gray. It uses Genny’s Scotch in an eight-pointed star pattern for the blocks and has a variety of unusual borders. You can get all three parts on Nuts: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Quilt Blocks have also inspired several tiwnchies, that have patterns on the site including Stepping Stones, Independence, and Christmas Leaves (pictured above).

There are also some quilt-inspired patterns I’ve designed on other sites. This leaf block is available from my friend Kristen’s site Craft Leftovers.

Along with these many free patterns, several of my ebooks are based on quilts, including Maple Leaf Rag, Attic Windows, the heart samplers, and 50 Patchwork Patterns. All if these are available in my on-line store.

Needlepoint Instruction on YouTube

Janet Perry — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 13:57:12 +0000

Originally posted 2008-05-27 08:58:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

My husband is often fond of exclaiming “Isn’t the Internet wonderful?”

Now people who know my background outside of stitching would find that ironic, as I’ve been on the Internet for more than 20 years.

But, you know, he’s right, without the Internet how would we have access to all these wonderful instructional and inspirational videos about needlepoint.

I was looking through YouTube last night and here is a summary (with links) of what I’ve found.

If you’re looking to make hair, beards, or moustaches, you can’t do better than this excerpt from Amy Bunger’s how-to-videos.

Expert Village has lots of how-to-videos and there a many for beginning needlepointers. This one covers tools and materials. There are also more advanced topics, such as Setting the mood with color. These are unscripted and are probably self-filmed so that the production values are not high, terms are not explained correctly, or even used sometimes, but they are short and mostly to the point.

You may have wondered how artists get inspired to make their projects. A New York artist, Joseph Dunn, shows off how he created his illuminated manuascripts, which are a combination of needlepoint and calligraphy. There are several in this series. In addition, there is a video about his commercial designs and the NYC store Rita’s Needlepoint.

There are also videos like this one, about using a frame or stretching your canvas.

If you broaden your search to include other terms, you can learn about:
how to thread a needle
how to stitch a French Knot
a selection from British cross stitch designer, Jane Green off on stitching on paper
ow to lace the back of needlework

Bargello Links

Janet Perry — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 14:50:21 +0000

Originally posted 2006-09-27 22:26:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Here are some great Internet resources on Bargello to get you started on exploring this great technique or doing a Bargello project.

Cathy’s Bargello Page http://hal.ucr.edu/~cathy/barg/barg.html – an outstanding resource with an historical essay, lots of links, and, best of all, outstanding patterns and pictures of her work.

Bargello Candle Stocking http://www.caron-net.com/dec98files/magdec.html – charming Bargello mini-sock featuring Caron Collection threads.

Bargello Pine Trees Stocking http://www.caron-net.com/magfiles/magdecharts/magdec.html – charming Bargello mini-sock featuring Caron Collection threads.

Steph’s Stitched Pieces http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/charts.htm – find links to pictures of several Bargello items here.

Milano Evening Purse http://www.bayrose.org/needlework/bargello.html – don’t be put off by the title. This is an EXCELLENT SCA article, with many photos of historic Bargello pieces and instructions on the basic stitches.

Beautiful Bargello Profile http://www.caron-net.com/may02files/may02des.html archived article with stunning pictures about this British firm.

Bargello Zig-zag Pillow http://www.jonathanadler.com/shop/product.php?cat=347&productid=16630 – ths ready-made pillow from Jonathon Adler is an inspiring piece of contemporary Bargello.

Florentine Needlecasehttp://www.caron-net.com/designerfiles/desmarfiles/marchrt.html Four-way Bargello project by Sue Kerndt.

Bargello Embroidered Footstool http://www.yeoman-icelandic-sheep.ca/my_bargello_embroidered_footstoo.htm – Beautiful project and article about how it was stitched.

Bargello Frosting http://www.needlework.com/pattseries2pats/patts2stitch47a.html – charming small Bargello pattern.

Summary of Free Patterns

Janet Perry — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:31:22 +0000

I hope you liked this free patterns month. There was lots of stitchy goodness here as well as plenty of inspiring patterns ands projects for you to stitch.

Here’s a summary of what we saw:

If all these weren’t enough there are plenty of other ways to find posts about free patterns on Nuts about Needlepoint. The easiest way is to use the categories, found in the dark gray boxes at the top of every page. Every post that has a free pattern, mine or not, will be in the category, free patterns, found under design types. Come Stitch with Me (under Community) has longer free projects.

You can also find free projects, along with lots of other stuff, under technique categories, beginners, charts, and specific design types.

Have fun stitching!

Great Free Alphabets on the Web

Janet Perry — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 14:42:18 +0000

Originally posted 2006-11-10 22:16:59. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

These days I seem to be thinking about alphabets alot. There are some fantastic resources on the Web for creating your own charted words, creating an alphabet, or just great charts.

Here’s a round-up of my favorites:

How to Chart your own Alphabet (http://www.lysator.liu.se/~offe/kors/tutorial/alphabet.html) This page has been around for a long time, but it gives the best instructions I’ve seen on how to chart your own alphabet.

Celtic Cross Stitch (http://www.celticxstitch.ie/cgi-bin/stitches.cgi) has a free on-line chart generator which will take any word and produce a chart in a lovely Celtic alphabet. The charts of fort personal use only.

Carnie’s Creations (http://www.freepatternsonline.com/xscharts/alphabets.htm) has over 40 alphabets, mostly small and simple, available on-line. There is even a Greek upper case alphabet for sorority and fraternity initials.

Tink Boord-Dill’s Americana (http://www.tinkbd.com/Americana.htm) – My friend Tink has this lovely 18 stitch alphabet for free on her site. It’s a superb example of what’s available in her alphabet and monogram books. It’s also a great alphabet for needlepoint.

Caption Generator (http://www.crosstitch.com/fontform.html) – free version cross stitch only. Enter a phrase and get a Backstitch chart, centered or not. There is a paid version with more options.

Times New Roman (http://www.yarntree.com/036alpht.htm) A 14-stitch tall version of this elegant typeface. Both upper and lower case letters.

Subversive Cross Stitch Alphabets (http://subversivecrossstitch.com/howto/alphabet.htm) Three free alphabets from this creator of unconventional cross stitch kits.

French Alphabet (http://francine-broderies.com/Alphabet.html?lang=en) A lovely vintage embellished alphabet (like on old linens) for needlepoint or cross stitch. There are also several alphabets for free embroidery on the site.

Medieval Alphabet (http://www.dragonbear.com/uncial.html) two medieval alphabets in two chart formats.

Let’s Get . . . Needlepoint Books

Janet Perry — Sun, 23 May 2010 14:02:37 +0000

Originally posted 2009-05-12 06:01:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

My studio is full of books. I think I buy every needlepoint book that comes out. I am always looking for “oldies but goodies” at guild auctions and library sales. I’m also one of those people who forget what books I have and so I buy them again.

As a result, this site has lots of book reviews. This Let’s Get Post is a master list of the book reviews so far. Whenever I write a new review it will always be listed in the category “book reviews.” You can also find them easily that way.

Bargello Books

Project & Chart Books

Stitch Dictionaries

Needlepoint Techniques

Alphabets & Misc. Books

Thread

Color

Let’s Get . . . Stitching Backgrounds

Janet Perry — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:57:54 +0000

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 it.

Another technique I love for backgrounds is Blackwork. I like the look of it in matching threads on colored canvas or in colored threads on white canvas. This post has tips on how to do it.

Most often I use a textured stitch for a bacgkround. When the combination of thread, color, and stitch is right, this is a perfect, but simple background. Here are five great stitches for them.

Stripes make powerful backgrounds. This post, on the Random Stripe Generator program, has some ideas for how to use them.

One of the most common types of background is a sky. While there are many great techniques to stitch skies, here are some of the ones I use again and again.

Don’t be afraid of doing something unique for your background. Even if you only have learned Basketweave there is plenty you can do to make your backgrounds exciting.

Let’s Get . . . Series

Janet Perry — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:47:52 +0000

I just realized that there are over 1800 posts on this blog and there is tons of fantastic information here, but that it can be very hard to find. So I’m going to be doing the mining for you. I’ll take a topic and write about it, linking to other posts on Nuts about Needlepoint which will give you even more information about the topic. Some of the topics we’ll cover include: backgrounds beginning needlepoint painted canvases color threads From time to time, I’ll be running more of these posts and will update the ones which are here. I’m adding a new category “Let’s get . . .” which will collect all of these posts. You will also find them in the relevant category. The first of these posts, on backgrounds, will run Wednesday. Related posts: Book Review — The Needlepoint Belt Series Classic Needlepoint Recharted – Monday Series Pat Thode Santa Last in Series Shapes of Needlepoint Series II – Book Review Two New Series for 2010 at About.com Related posts: