Nuts about Needlepoint » group projects

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.

Sweet from Orna Willis – Product Review

Janet Perry — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:36:51 +0000

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 have a couple of complaints. The first is that the regular size stretcher bars seemed cumbersome for such small pieces of canvas, I’d switch to minis myself. The second is that I would spend a little more time on prepping the canvas in the first pamphlet. But if the group leader knows even a little bit about needlepoint; this is easy to add.

The resulting book is a charming little piece. And it can open a wonderful world of needlepoint to ant teen or tween.

Clippings – Holiday Weekend Edition

Janet Perry — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:43:24 +0000

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 on Craft Gossip (thanks Denise!) and was thinking they were made on soda bottle tops, so they wouldn’t work well for needlepoint. But when I looked at the tutorial, I found they were made from milk or juice bottle tops.

The instructions talk about fabric. But you can easily adapt them to needlepoint by stitching on Congress Cloth or by doing needlepoint on evenweave fabric. I love the look of these little guys. They would make such great little gifts.

Finding great mats for your needlepoint can be a real challenge. Often it’s easier (and more interesting) to find a fabric that sets off the stitching perfectly. But fabric does not a mat make. Thanks to Denise at Craft Gossip I discovered this great tutorial on how to make fabric-covered mats. While she suggests cotton, any light-weight fabric will work.

If you follow my thrifty needlepoint idea of stitching in standard frame sizes, you should be able to find mats with openings that size that fit standard frame sizes. Buy a fat quarter of a great fabric, the mat, and a frame you like and you have the makings of a completely unique gift.

On the BeStitched blog there is the start of a series on beginning and ending threads. This post covers Basketweave.

Many of my friends have stitched Maggie Lane’s Kimono using the little book published that collected more than 90 stitches in one place. And it is stunning indeed. I have the book, but haven’t gotten to it. John Waddell has updated the piece from its restrained ecru colors to a bright and bold collection. He will be offering the class through the Shining Needle Society next year. You can read about it in this post and sign up on the SNS Home Room. This may be enough to get me working on it at last.

The Easiest Needlepoint Club Ever!

Janet Perry — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 13:56:20 +0000

The first stash busters project

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, information about the inspiration for it, a color [picture of the model, and instructions on how to finish the project.

Every one is designed to use up threads in your stash as well as your bits and pieces of canvas and every one you can finish yourself.

While many of the projects won’t need background threads, participants will have a chance (probably sometime in November) to order threads at a discount to be a unifying background thread for the pieces.

Each month you’ll get a new and exciting project, designed to create beautiful needlepoint with stuff you have on hand. The projects will be delivered via email in PDF format.

It will be tons of fun. The cost for the entire year is $35 however if you sign up for the club before October 15, 2011, your cost is only $30.

Click on the button below to join the club.

Want to Learn (or Learn More) about Needlepoint? Try CyberPointers

Janet Perry — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 14:00:38 +0000

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 of our members posting pictures of their finished Bargello. One project, Wild Rose from ANG’s Chapter Project Book, caught everyone’s eye, and we will be doing it as a group project starting in April. CPB projects are available only to chapter members as a project or program, so this is a perfect excuse to do this rare project. In the meantime, we will be doing Pat Mazu’s charming Bargello heart which was in Needlepointers in March 2008.

The picture is my colors for the heart. One of Pat’s goals for the project is to get people using colors they don’t normally use. These days my color palette tends to be bright, so I’m excited about how the muted colors pictured above will work out, I can’t wait to get started.

We will be stitching these projects together, sharing ideas and colors, and learning from each other.

If you have been wanting to explore any of these techniques, join CyberPointers and become part of them today.

Needlepoint Learning for Kids from Orna

Janet Perry — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 14:01:35 +0000

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 this post on Orna’s blog.

The Community of Stitchers

Janet Perry — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 13:57:29 +0000

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 possible. People will be less likely to stop and talk to you if you are by yourself and absorbed. This doesn’t hold true in stressful places like waiting rooms or airports.

2, Don’t stitch in cafes with empty plates from food. It looks messy and businesses like that depend on turning over tables. Pick places and times where people linger. If it’s a place where students study or people ring laptops, it a great place to linger and stitch.

3. If the business sells drinks, each person should buy at least one. They are supporting you by giving you a place to stitch. Support them back.

4. Pick your place to sit carefully. We were between the pick up place and the door; everyone passed us. If we had been on the other side of the store no one would have stopped.

5. Bring something small if you can to hand to people who ask about it. We didn’t and we should have. Got to do that for next time.

It was so much fun, we are planning to do it again soon.

The Friendship Tapestry

Janet Perry — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:35:02 +0000

Originally posted 2008-03-05 08:28:56. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

In 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 pieces from Lithuania (there were two in the quilt).

You can use any technique you like and should be 4″ x 6″. The checklist for your block is available at the site.

What a great idea, I’m already thinking about a block.

CyberPointers New Projects

Janet Perry — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:46:46 +0000

Have you joined CyberPointers yet? This on-line chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild has lots of great needlepoint projects happening and in the first half of this year.

Even as you read this, the January program is happening with a delightful piece designed and taught by our Education Chair Meg Shaffer and her daughter Tory.

Also beginning right now is our first semi-annual Stitch Along, Orna Willis’ Midnight Garden, available on the Caron Collection site. We’ll be working on this project from now until June and everyone who completes the project will get a prize.

In March, two great things are happening. First our program will be the Folding ORT Box from the ANG Chapter Project Book. I missed it when our chapter did it and I’m so excited about making it.

Best of all, our first workshop will be Minerva, by Jim Wurth. Not only is it a great design, you can use your stash threads for it.

Only if you are a member can you participate, so join now.

Stitch in Public Day — Coming in September!

Janet Perry — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:53:39 +0000

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 people, why not stop by every coffee shop in town and stitch on a table outside, where everyone can see you?

Do you live near a mall and have some time in the afternoon? Grab a bunch of stitchers and sit in the mall and stitch.

Going to soccer practice and know other players’ moms who stitch, bring your stuff along and work during practice.

Are you a teacher or do you have a job where many people take lunch at one time? Why not find stitchers among your colleagues and stitch together on that day?

Remember stitching is more than just needlepoint. It includes lacemaking, embroidery, cross stitch, tatting, quilting, and lots more.

If you are planning an event, email me to let me know. I’ll post it here to let others know who might want to join.

On September 2, I’ll post a list of everyplace I know about. If you take some pictures at your event, send them along, I’ll post those as well.

And tell everyone, I stitch in public!