budget stitching Archive

Recently I bought this glorious canvas from Doolittle Stitchery on Etsy. I fell in love with it and will be doing it as a project to use up my stash. You can, and I often do, stitch projects like this by picking random threads. However the time you spend planning a Scrap Bag Needlepoint, especially if it is large, can result in a better looking project. The most effective planning comes in thread selection. Once you decide some things about threads, many other things fall into place. The goal will be, as always, a balanced needlepoint. To get this the elements of color, thread, and stitch need to be in balance. One has to have lots of variety; it’s your large aspect. One needs to have only a few choices; it’s your small, or unifying aspect. The other needs to be in the middle. Color is clearly the large aspect.

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Blue Dogwood Designs is a lovely hand-painted canvas company with many designs that are simply great for beginners. One of my favorite things about them is that they have several free needlepoint ornament series, each with a theme. This year’s series just finished up and it’s so clever and such a great way to learn new stitches. The 2012 ornaments are called Zornaments. Each month is a different shape. On the template for the ornament is drawn a bold Z. One or more stitches is recommended for the design, which can be stitched in any colors or threads you like. EAch month’s instructions are complete on a single page to print out. I love them because they are clever, modern, and unusual. Two other series are also available on their stitch guide page. The 2011 series, Tangled Rose is a stitch sampler with six squares done for each month’s. There

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By using just one stitch you can make this Scotch Stitch Needlepoint Christmas Tree Free Pattern using threads from your stash. It’s so flexible you can use any combination of red, cream and green. The design is based on a Christmas quilt and converted to needlepoint. The design is made up of squares except for the points of the tree, which are triangles. The stitch is a Scotch Stitch variation I found in a project designed by Genny Morrow. It covers a 6-thread square. I call it Genny’s Scotch in her honor. It’s diagrammed above. The design is 10 squares across and 13 squares high. Follow the picture of the completed ornament for placement of colors. Where there are triangles, stitch up to the middle stitch with green, stitch the remainder in cream or red. You cannot be consistent in stitch direction and make the points come out correctly. Therefore

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Word needlepoint has become very popular, while needlepoint of names continues to thrive. But what do you do if the name you want or the affirmation that speaks to you is not available? Having a custom design painted for you is a possibility, but an expensive one. I have a great alternative — create your own with Debbie Rowley’s delightful project book, Change It Up Alphabet. The project book is a marvelous way to create a unique project. It’s easy enough for beginning needlepoint but has plenty of options to make even experienced stitchers happy. The book has each letter charted using a different stitch. All the stitches cover a 4-thread block, so that one stitch can easily be substituted for another. The letters are designed so they require no compensation. This keeps the focus on the letters and the marvelous selection of stitches. Because every stitch is the same

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Lately I’ve been seeing the topic of pixelated pictures come up in so many different areas. First there was the movie Wreck-it Ralph, which celebrates the pixelated look of old-style video games. Then I found this delightful set of pixelated letters on Pinterest, pictured below. That all got me thinking but it was topped off by a recent post of DMC’s blog interviewing a cross stitcher who makes pixelated images. I also have a delightful Japanese book of small pixelated pictures. It’s was used as the basis of today’s free project. Any pixelated image is easy to convert to needlepoint because the image is broken into squares. Look at the image below, look familiar? It looks just like a whole stitch chart. That’s the secret to converting the pixel image to needlepoint. Make every square on the chart a different stitch. Want to make something small? Make each stitch a

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UPDATE: I realized this morning that I forgot the stitched picture of the shadow stitching technique on yesterday’s blog. Check the post after 11 AM Pacific 12/7/12 for the picture. My apologies. Who doesn’t like a plaid? This year delight the folks on your list by making them a quick and easy needlepoint tartan gift (they can be done in cross stitch as well). With my assortment of charted tartans you can. You may have thought you needed to be Scottish to use a tartan, but that isn’t true. As these pictures show. Your needlepoint tartan can be a last name, a country (great for different heritages), or a state. It can even just be colors or a pattern you like. They are charted in full color with separate charts for horizontal and vertical stripes as well as a completed plaid chart, seen here, as a reference. Complete stitching instructions

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For all these years I’ve been doing needlepoint, I’ve always seen things that inspire me: great ideas, lovely needlepoint, cool techniques. And until recently I’ve kept these by making notebooks, lots and lots of notebooks. But there are several problems with them. They are not organized take up too much space new ones can be hard to find Pinterest acts as a wonderful virtual and organized notebook. I’m crazy about the site and I’m using it as a collected repository of needlepoint. On Pinterest, images are collected into boards that are of a subject. Because you determine the names of the boards, you can categorize them however you like. For example, I have a board called “cats” but another pinner (the term for users) has boards for tabby cats, white cats, black cats, and kittens. Most of my boards have to do with needlepoint and I’d like to share them

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Every year around this time I get obsessed with a couple of things: Making new Christmas ornaments Using up my stash This doesn’t mean needlepoint necessarily. To qualify the ornaments or projects need to be easy. They need to use up lots of thread, and, they need to be fast to make. A bonus is if they can be made with kids. This delightful project from Gingerbread Snowflakes qualifies on all counts. The yarn paintings of Mexico’s Huichol Indians are adapted to simple shapes, traced from cookie cutters and turned into ornaments. Though the pictured ornaments use very long strands of yarn, I don’t see why you couldn’t adapt them by using our already cut lengths. Once the thread (or yarn) is glued on, you could go even further and add embellishments. This is so easy to do and something that would be great to share with kids

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I’d almost rather find a great new stitch than get a diamond. They are more generally useful and are significantly less expensive. If you are like me, finding new stitches is almost addictive. In fact in the last week I’ve created one new variation and found a new stitch to try. That’s why I’m being an enabler and giving you an easy, and very inexpensive way to get tons of new stitches. I’ve done several ebooks and projects that focus on stitches and stitch variations. Due to popular demand, I’ve extended this special offer until November 15, 2012 for the special “Stitches Galore” ebook bundle. In it you’ll find: Heart Sampler I The Sapphires (Heart Sampler II) Stitch Annual Celebrate! Sampler Arts & Crafts Trees Sampler Stitch Sampler Mantle Stockings If you bought these six projects separately, the cost would be close to $40. But the special Stitches Galore Sampler

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Last week we had Plaidurday and, I’m told, today has been proclaimed “I Love Yarn Day” by the folks at the Craft Yarn Council. Although primarily aimed at knitters and crocheters, why don’t you shake up their world by showing them just how creative needlepoint can be? Knitting yarn can be a wonderful source of inexpensive backgrounds, interesting textures, and different colors. I’ve used it in my needlepoint for years. Let me know about how you have stitched with knitting yarns, show off a piece you’ve done using them on your Facebook page on a Pinterest board, or in an on-line photo album, then let us know about it here. P.S. – From the commenters, I’ll pick one winner who will get an assortment of knitting yarns in 10-yard mini-skeins, suitable for needlepoint

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My big problem with most needlepoint clubs is that they are just too expensive. Once you buy the canvas and the threads and the instruction each month, you’ve spent lots of money. For me to do that I have to love the project. Really love it. I wanted to create needlepoint clubs that were different. They had to: Be economical, so you could use your stash as much as possible Teach more than just the project, so you’ll learn about color, design, threads, or Bargello. Often with information based on extensive research outside needlepoint. Give you the tools you need to create your own unique projects. The clubs are suitable for stitchers of all levels and they have resulted in many wonderful projects from club members. You can join any one of them and energize your needlepoint. The clubs currently in process are Mittens & Mini-socks Bargello Club – Bargello

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I’d almost rather find a great new stitch than get a diamond. They are more generally useful and are significantly less expensive. If you are like me, finding new stitches is almost addictive. That’s why I’m being an enabler today and giving you an easy, and very inexpensive way to get tons of new stitches. I’ve done several ebooks and projects that focus on stitches and stitch variations. Right now, and only through October 31, 2012, I’ve put together a special “stitches Galore” ebook bundle. In it you’ll find: Heart Sampler I The Sapphires (Heart Sampler II) Stitch Annual Celebrate! Sampler Arts & Crafts Trees Sampler Stitch Sampler Mantle Stockings If you bought these six projects separately, the cost would be close to $40. But the special Stitches Galore Sampler is only $25. Best of all, those who buy the package will be put on the priority list for my

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Ever seen the “very interesting” Nazi? Or Tyrone, the dirty old man on the park bench? Those are two of Arte Johnson’s most memorable characters from Laugh-In. I just love his stuff (if you don’t know him, visit YouTube to watch him; the link goes to a list of his videos). Arte Johnson was a needlepointer. He invented a delightful method for using up scraps of thread which is named the Arte Johnson Stitch after him. His method is delightfully adaptable for many kinds of threads and was used to stitch the front of a needlepoint purse. The Arte Johnson Stitch consists of Cashmere Stitches, stitched in diagonal rows. The trick is found in how the threads are selected and picked. Original Method Use leftover strands of Persian wool and some 14 mesh canvas. Separate all the strands of wool and put them into a paper bag. Begin by pulling

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You might be well-rounded, knowledgeable about the world and able to converse with people on many topics, but is your stash well-rounded? Can you find threads there to stitch many kinds of canvases? If you have a canvas stash do you have a canvas you can use to make a quick gift? If you do charted needlepoint or design your own projects, do you have enough blank canvas to start a new project when inspiration strikes? No matter how small or large your stitching space may be, planning and buying for your stash strategically creates a stash that is like a well-rounded guest at a party — able to fit in anywhere and do a variety of things. So what goes into a well-rounded stash? Basic metallics – In your preferred metallic thread (or threads) have a gold and silver you like. Most lines have several shades of these so

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I’ll never forget a lady I knew who was seriously into matching clothing. She would wear a printed corduroy dress sometimes with a hunter green background. With it she’d wear hunter green tights, hunter green shoes and a hunter green bag. And when she wore the yellow dress with the matching yellow bag and shoes, it hurt your eyes. The lady in the picture here took matching to an extreme level, everything: dress, hat, clutch, shoes, and gloves are all the exact same color. In a way it’s a bit boring. Don’t let your needlepoint look like this! If you watch What Not to Wear or follow fashion you have heard of the concept that your clothes should “go” not “match.” Gone are the days when everything needed to match, today color combinations are freer, include more colors and are more interesting. That’s a lesson we can, and should, take

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