Nuts about Needlepoint » come stitch with me

Needlepoint Ebooks Premiere!

Janet Perry — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:32:29 +0000

Originally posted 2009-07-03 06:09:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

That’s on the cover of Celebrate! The ebook version of the Come Stitch with Me needlepoint sampler from 2008. It has been expanded with additional ideas for using the stitches and information on how to develop a color scheme

This cover is from 50 Patchwork Blocks Charted for Needlepoint or Cross Stitch, my other new ebook. You’ll be amazed and delighted by the originality shown by the stitchers in interpreting these classic quilt designs. More books in this series are on the way.

You can purchase these book now using the PayPal shopping cart on this page. I’m so excited about them both because they represent an affordable way to buy needlepoint projects as well as great ways to use material you already have on hand.

A PayPal shopping cart makes it all easy to purchase.

And don’t forget the custom stitch guide service and the new quick stitch help service for when you want help with just an area.

ANG SOTM Update

Janet Perry — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:14:35 +0000

The picture here is of my first patch in the 2012 Stitch of the Month (SOTM) from ANG. I am using all stash threads in my favorite color, Teal. Throughout the year I’ll be sharing my progress with you.

I’m committed to being thrifty in my needlepoint purchases, so I try to use what I have on hand. I love this because it means I need to exercise my creativity and make something my own. I always find inspiration in how using scarce resources can make something beautiful by thinking of my beloved Amish and scrap bag quilts. In these quilts using what is on hand makes quilts of great beauty.

While I don’t aspire to those heights, I do want my needlepoint to be beautiful as well as thrifty.

Starting from the teal threads I pulled from my stash I did some other things to make changes.

Since I didn’t have any opal canvas, I made a unique canvas of my own. Using a natural sponge and Martha Stewart Pearl Craft Paint in Jet Stream, I sponge painted the entire piece of canvas. This will create a textured light teal background that is, easy to do and very interesting.

A teal heart will look odd, so I turned it into a rectangle. But I kept the small heart on the inside and I may even make it the focal point by stitching it in another color. The new shape meant I had to extend lines. It also meant that the shapes near the bottom of the heart were too large, so I added some additional lines. Those spaces will most likely have SOTM‘s from previous years in them.

The first area is stitched. I used Dragonfly Lotus Panda Threads, a hand-dyed and hand-spun silk/wool blend. It isn’t super shiny like Panache, but I love it’s subtle look. The color is Teal Shadow.

Watch for more next month. If you are stitching this project, check out the ANG Yahoo group, they are assembling information about the different thread and color combinations.

2012 SOTM Colors – Reveal your Teal

Janet Perry — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:48:59 +0000

Teal is, in clothing, a universally flattering color. In my family where we got from golden to ashy to ruddy to olive, it’s the only color we can all wear successfully.

It is also just about my favorite color and currently I am on a serious teal buying spree, getting a leather tote, tops, dresses, and just about anything else I can get me hands on.

But all this is besides the point. I’m going to make the ANG 2012 Stitch of the Month (anyone can follow and it’s free, check it out). The piece will be done in shades of one color in a variety of threads.

I want to use different color and I want to use all stash threads. I also didn’t want to use a color that is strongly associated with a cause, since I don’t know what the result will be (it’s a mystery project).

So I picked teal because I love it.

These are just the first threads I’ve pulled for the project. They include some metallic, Grandeur and Pebbly Perle, Waterlilies, a vareigated knitting yarn, Vineyard Merino, Silk & Ivory, Dragonfly Lotus Threads, and Planet Earth wool. I haven’t gone through all the drawers yet, so I know I will be adding more threads.

It’s way overkill but this gives me plenty for picking and choosing. I’m thinking I’m going to buy some teal paint and sponge paint white canvas for the background. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

BTW, teal also happens to be the color of our local hockey team, the Sharks, who used Reveal your Teal as a slogan one season.

Come Stitch with Me – Winter Stars Part 1

Janet Perry — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 14:36:39 +0000

Originally posted 2009-01-20 06:07:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

A sparkly sky in icy blues. white, and pale grays is the inspiration for this Scrap Bag Needlepoint piece based on a quilt design.

You can make the quilt in any monochromatic color you like. To do so, first pick out your background color. In my case this was white, pale gray, and pale blue. Pull out all your threads in this color. Then pull out all your threads in the main color of the quilt. In my case this was blue to blue-violet. There will be a few blue-green patches, but not many.

For each block of the quilt you will use two shades of blue and one accent color. As you can see by the sample, you can have the darker shade either as the center or as the points. The only trick is to keep the look varied by not having the same thread in two blocks next to each other.

I try to keep the same thread from appearing in the same row, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, but then I have lots of thread for these.

The layout will have 5 rows of five blocks. It is stitched on a 14″ square piece of 18 mesh mono canvas. I chose a dark blue for the canvas, as I wanted to have an underlying blue theme. You can pick any color.

The block is made up of a Scotch variation called Islay. Some are a single color, while some are split between two colors.

Scotch Stitches over more than five threads have a tendency to catch and snag. One way to fix this is to split up the stitches. You lose the smooth box look, but for something which is based on a quilt, you get little divisions, which look like the ties in an old-fashioned quilt.

As the design builds, this creates a nice rhythm.

The block has nine Islay and Reverse Islay Stitches in it. The corner blocks can be either of the two stitches. The diagram shows one possibility, the picture at the top of the post shows another.

Begin by finding the center of the canvas. This should be the center of one block.

Always complete a block before moving onto the next block.

As I add blocks I find them easiest to stitch by making a corner block which is next to an already stitched block. Then I stitch the triangle points, then the center blocks, then I finish up the background.

When you are fitting in triangles or making the second triangle on a side, begin with the outside stitches and work towards the corner, this makes the triangles easier to stitch.

Come back next month for the first borders and to see the center section completed.

Substitutions in the Abstract Needlepoint

Janet Perry — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:52:05 +0000

Originally posted 2009-07-14 06:50:22. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

If you want to make a Scrap Bag Needlepoint from your stash and want it to have a coordinated look, there’s nothing better than pulling out all your threads in a particular color scheme.

That’s what I chose to do for my version of the delightful abstract cross stitch you first saw awhile ago. I’m making it to go into my powder room and using a blue-violet and violet color scheme. There are also some accents based on Caron Collections Amethyst (pink and olive) and on the gray and brown undertones of the violet colors.

But just randomly picking colors doesn’t always work, especially if you have a design such as this one which is busy and doesn’t have any background. If I picked all my threads in these color and just chose randomly, I’d end up with a mess.

But there is a clever and easy way to adapt ANY design to a different color scheme and that’s by using a one-to-one substitution. Begin by looking at the pattern and writing down the colors in color families. For some patterns the value of the colors is important, for others, such as this one, it isn’t.

Now think about textures. Are there any colors in the design which stand out sharply, either because they are painted a different texture or they are a different color? Pick threads for those first. In looking at this pattern it seemed to me that the bright yellow stood out as if it should be gold.

I picked a multi-colored metallic to use for all the blocks in that color.

Next I looked at color families and picked similar threads or colors for those. The pinks and reds use three shades of blue-violet. The two golds used two shades of muted violet to almosty brown. I had problems when I got to the final two families of violets and greens, largely because I needed to get more variety into the piece.

The two violets use an two overdyes I had which has lots of warm colors in it and the lavender the lightest of the accent colors. The blue uses the Amethyst overdye because blocks of it occur all over the design and will tie it together, giving it a color scheme. These choices added color and accents throughout the design, but I still worried it wasn’t enough.

The three greens were left to pick. I decided that I’d try to pick threads to be accents for them and not worry about them being the same color. The lightest green is a pink metallic, since the original metallic wasn’t as attention-getting stitched as it is in the spool. The darkest green is a dark violet velour, a different texture. That left the middle green and I didn’t like any of the accent colors I had left. So I picked a light blue-violet similar to the color I used for the pink but ion a different fiber. Since this is near the wall color of the room, It will work.

I wrote down my substitutions and proceeded to test them. Starting in one corner, I stitched blocks of each color in the substituted. Thread. I’m not very far along, which is OK, because I can see that the colors work nicely together to make a harmonious whole.

Tomorrow we’ll cover stitch choice for the project.

Stitch your Stress Away Update

Janet Perry — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 14:02:33 +0000

Originally posted 2009-02-09 05:23:38. Republished by Blog Post PromoterBarbara has posted the latest patch to the sampler on her blog. It’s Diagonal Scotch, one of my favorite stitches. She has alternated rows in two colors, but you can also make another fun stitch, Hesitation Stitch by only making the shortest stitches in each row a contrasting texture or different color of thread. Related posts: Stitch your Stress Away Update Stitch Your Stress Away Update Stitch Your Stress Away — Three More Stitches Stitch your Stress Away – More New Stitches Stitch your Stash around the World — Project Update Related posts:

Mod Sampler – Update

Janet Perry — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:06:05 +0000

Originally posted 2009-04-24 06:34:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Here are the first two steps of the Mod Sampler completed.

Isn’t it just too fun?

At this point 1/3 of the blocks are complete.

The other change I made was to substitute a darker and brighter yellow. I think this color provides plenty of contrast and makes the yellow blocks pop. Use Splendor S999 for Splendor S908.

If you are only starting this sampler now, here are the links to
Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Celebrate – Come Stitch with Me!

Janet Perry — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 14:16:43 +0000

Originally posted 2008-08-14 06:32:56. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Recently I was at the Post Office and bought these Celebrate stamps. I thought they were so cute.

This inspired me to create this blog’s very first Come Stitch with Me project. The idea behind this project is that we will stitch it together, one square at a time. The colors and threads will be up to you, I’ll post instructions for each block about one every two weeks or so.

If you’re new to needlepoint, this will be a great way to learn 12 new stitches and techniques. If you have been stitching for a long time, it will be a great way to try out new color combinations and threads.

This post has the basic materials list and instructions for marking the canvas.

Next week I’ll post the first block.

To make this project you will need:

10 x 12 piece 14 mesh mono canvas
2 skeins lettering color of your choice (I’m using black Kreinik & Silk & Ivory) – if you like you can use different colors as is the case with the stamp
3-7 different background threads in the color palette of your choice
2 accent threads
1 metallic (for the star)

Using a non-xylene or dye-based permanent marker, make a grid on the canvas of 2 inch (28 threads) squares. There should be 4 rows of 3 squares.

Once you have marked the squares, make a mark at the center hole of each square as a reference.

Now mount the canvas and wait for the first block.

I’m planning an analogous color palette of peach, pink, a pale red-violet, often suffused with gold. I have done a few pieces in these colors and I love them. Once we get the new house (keep praying), my studio is going to be peachy-pink, black and white, so I’m going to put it in there.

The parts of this project will all be listed a the end of each section and all will be found under “Come Stitch with Me” in the category list. When the project is finished, it will also be available from Napa Needlepoint or your LNS as an eProject.
Here’s a rundown of the sampler so far:

Come Stitch with Me – Celebrate Sampler “A”

Janet Perry — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:09:21 +0000

Originally posted 2008-11-20 07:08:29. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

We’re past the halfway point in making our Celebrate sampler. This block uses the “A” from Arts n Crafts 24 in Tink’s Alphabets Eclectic and Interesting (available here).

This alphabet is one of my favorites of Tink’s. I just love the way this letter is ornate while still being clean. And I just adore the way it fills up a space. I could see this alphabet used for a single letter monogram, or if you wanted the first letter of a saying to be bold and dramatic. What if you made it an illuminated letter by putting a box around it and a patterned background? The letter chart is below.

needlepoint chart for alphabet designed by Tink Boord-Dill

I wanted the background to be something which would highlight this height by being vertical itself, so I chose a narrow variation of Linenfold Stitch. This stitch is named after Linenfold pattern, a type of carved wood pattern which mimicked the look of folded lengths of linen cloth.

Linenfold is made with alternating columns of Diagonal and Straight Gobelin. The stitch can be easily varied by changing the widths of the columns’ this version uses narrow columns. I think it’s a fun and fast stitch to do.

Here’s a rundown of the sampler so far:

Come Stitch with Me! – Celebrate Sampler “R”

Janet Perry — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:57:53 +0000

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 only stitched to the letter. I made the background along the left side of the letter, under it and then back up the other side. For me this is far more reliable than attempting to count.
This stitch brings up the question of picking the right stitch for an area. It isn’t a particularly large stitch, but to me it feels big. Although you should pick stitches where a minimum of three repeats of the stitch can be found in each direction, that is probably a marginal size for this stitch. Those diagonal lines can be hard to discern in a smaller space. I only use Milanese when I can have five repeats along at least one line.

Here’s a rundown of the sampler so far: