group projects Archive

Over at Stitcherie is a clever idea for a year-long project/challenge. It’s called Stitching Games 2013. Joining is simple: Pick a canvas with at least 10 areas for techniques. It must be unstitched but it can be painted or line-drawn. It can also be your own work. You must be able to post pictures of your canvas to the group. Each month a clue will be randomly drawn. The last is drawn in October 2013. People posting pictures each month are eligible for a door prize. Completed canvases posted in November are eligible for voting for the People’s Choice Prize. Each month interpret that clue and apply that interpretation to your stitching. By the end of the month, you will post a picture of what you stitched and an explanation of how you arrived at that decision (both are necessary to be eligible for that month’s prize). Please clearly label

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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

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The second in Orna’s delightful series of Gatherings (group kits for needlepoint parties) is Sweet, a kit that allows six people to create delightful needlepoint stitch books. I can’t think of a better way to introduce a small group of girls to needlepoint than with this colorful project. It’s easy, fairly quick to stitch, and easily made into a custom book for each participant. The kit has two instruction pamphlets, one covering the stitch samples, the other the book assembly, six pieces of canvas, four skeins of multi-colored perle cotton, a needle, stretcher bars, and even scissors to cut the thread. In addition to this stitchy goodness are all the materials you need to create an accordion book of the samples and charts. Everything comes packed beautifully in one box. It only took me about an hour to stitch the samples and another hour to make the book. I only

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Considering we went to friends on Thursday, so I didn’t have to cook, and that we didn’t go shopping, I’ve been pooped since Friday afternoon. I’m figuring it’s been all the household chores and organizing my DH and I did all week. So today I have a clippings post with an assortment of intriguing and useful blog posts I came across over the weekend. Threadworx Journal was immensely popular in its on-line version. Happily, Threadworx has decided to make each issue of the magazine available in a printed version. You can buy them each here. Each issue is $11.99. They use PayPal for the sales. Finding ornament patterns that work for boys can be tough. But the Cross Stitch design Kell Smuthwaite of Kincavel Krosses has an adorable whole stitch Little Samurai chart available free on her site. These would make such cute ornaments. I saw these bottle top ornaments

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Sometimes I feel as if I’m surrounded by bad news. There are health problems, money problems, job problems, no job problems. And that’s just my friends and family. If I look outside of myself the Post Office is going broke, we heading into another recession (did we ever leave the first), we’re going into election season (I hate political commercials), and baseball season (and the gentle background to my stitching) is ending. All in all, I feel as if we all need a mood lightener and one that won’t rely on the Post Office or make me go out and buy things I don’t need. So I’m debuting the Stash Busters Needlepoint Club. It’s a one-year club that will begin November 1, 2011 and run for one year. Each month you’ll get a new project designed to use up thread in your stash. In each packet you’ll get the pattern,

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Originally posted 2010-02-19 07:00:15. Republished by Blog Post Promoter I am almost as much a needlepoint technique junkie as I am a thread junkie. So this year’s President’s Challenge for CyberPointers is right up my alley. Each moth a different technique is going to be highlighted. The different techniques have all kinds of support existing and planned for them, including SIGs (Special Interest Groups), web pages, projects, instruction, and galleries of inspiring needlework. Each group has a leader and each group is full of people who are either experienced with the technique or who want to learn. Some of the techniques we are exploring include: Hilton Stitches, Hardanger, Surface Embroidery on Canvas and Bargello. While ultimately there will be public information on our website about each technique, right now all the fun is in the members-only SIGs. I’ll talk about Bargello, since I’m leading that group. It started with some

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Awhile ago, I told you about Orna’s delightful new venture, Gatherings, that packages a lovely bracelet for groups (think guilds, classes or parties). Her second offerings in the series has just come out, and it’s a simply fantastic idea! Many of us wonder about getting kids to stitch, and some of us even do something about it. But Orna has done all the thinking for us, by putting together her Sweet package. You can see the kit pictured here. In it you’ll find colorful overdyed threads, canvas, stretcher bars and tacks, scissors, needles, embellishments, glue, stickers, instructions, and everything you need to make an accordion book of your project, pictured at the top of the article. Normally it’s sold in sets of six, but for a limited time you can try out an individual kit (mine’s on its way). You can read all about it and buy the kit through

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On Friday I got together with my friends Candy and Jody to stitch. It wasn’t completely selfish, we are all three in CyberPointers and we are also all three working on the piece the chapter is doing for ANG’s 40th anniversary in 2012. Jody and Candy live in Sacramento and I live in Vallejo. We picked the town of Dixon as being halfway between and figured no one would bother us at Starbucks if we bought some drinks. We came prepared with canvases, threads, tools, and stitch books. We had bought drinks. But what surprised and delighted me was the number of people who stopped by and asked about what we were doing. I stitch in public alot, but I’ve never had so many people come by. This got me thinking about how you can make the most of your stitching in public. 1. Stitch in a small group if

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Originally posted 2008-03-05 08:28:56. Republished by Blog Post PromoterIn Iceland a remarkable cooperative needlework project is happening. It’s called The Friendship Tapestry and it welcomes contributions from stitchers all over the world. In the 261 patches (so far) 23 countries are represented and you can find just about every needlework technique in one or more blocks. All the blocks are pictured on-line at their site. Some of the needlepoint blocks I’ve seen include: A combination of Bargello and Tent Stitchfrom Arizona. This charming block from New Zealand with textured stitches inset in an embroidered fabric border. The patches are all knotted together with friendship knots. Individuals guild chapters, and groups of all kinds have contributed. It’s so inspiring to go through the site and look at all the lovely pieces. It is also great for learning about national forms of needlework. I’d love to see more of those wonderful woven

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Do you stitch in public? Do you want to show off your lovely needlework & get others interested in stitching? On September 3, you will have a perfect opportunity to do so, with National Stitch in Public Day. This event commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the found of EGA. There will be lots of public events in Louisville at that time (during EGA’s National Seminar that week). But let’s have a real show of stitching by having stitch in public events all across the country. Knitters have done this often to generate publicity, and we can do the same thing. Here are some ideas: Do you commute to work? Do you have friends who ride with you who stitch? Everyone bring a project and stitch on the bus, train, ferry, or carpool. Do you have time during the rush hour to hang out? Even if it’s only a couple of

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