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.

Related posts:

1. New Site from Orna Willis
2. New ( and Inexpensive) Design from Orna Willis
3. Cyberworkshop from Orna Willis
4. Pansy Portraits – Product Review
5. Free Project from Orna Willis

With the new Cutter Bee Piercing Bugs from EK Success you can take this idea and update it.

The tools allow you to pre-punch paper and card stock with rows of holes. While not big enough for shoelaces, you can use embroidery floss for sewing.

To turn this into a special gift, make the holes on cardstock with decorative paper glued on it, include charts for motifs and borders along with threads to match and a needle.

Package it all in a pretty basket for a great gift or rainy day activity.

Related posts:

1. Make an Inchie Gift Tag
2. Make Yourself a Portable ORT Box
3. Make a Quick Bracelet from Stash Threads & Plastic Canvas
4. Make the Tag the Gift with this Needlepoint
5. Use Free Designs to Make Great Gifts

Because they don’t have finished edges interlock is best to use here, but don’t you just love the needlepoint barrette pictured here?

And, when you go visit, you’ll just love the Needlepoint Inchy Bookmarks. You could even use these ideas as a springboard for projects for your kids to make.

If you don’t want to make them yourself, the bloggers also have an Etsy shop.

Thanks to Denise at Craft Gossip for pointing this out.

Related posts:

1. Make a Quick Bracelet from Stash Threads & Plastic Canvas
2. Use Free Designs to Make Great Gifts
3. Getting Ready to Give Needlepoint Gifts
4. Thread Candy Studio – Product Review
5. Make a Bargello Notebook

The intriguing thing is that the whole thing is dyed after it’s put together.

The necklace is pictured here and there is a link to the downloadable pattern at the bottom of the page.

Related posts:

1. Mosaic Stitch Necklace – Free Pattern from Ziva Needlepoint
2. Make a Quick Bracelet from Stash Threads & Plastic Canvas
3. Fast, FAST Needlepoint – Plastic Canvas Pendants
4. Another Plastic Canvas Alert
5. Thrifty Stitcher – Free Plastic Canvas Pattern

Look no further than these wrist wraps, a free pattern from Coats & Clark. Using plastic canvas with stitching modeled on friendship bracelets, these projects are a great introduction to needlepoint.

Although the instructions call for floss, you can use any thread that works on 18 mesh canvas on 14 mesh plastic canvas. So you can put your stash to work here.

Related posts:

1. Plastic Canvas Gift to Make for Knitters
2. Great Plastic Canvas Storage Box
3. Plastic Canvas iPod Case – Make it Today, Use it Tomorrow
4. Plastic Canvas Podcast
5. Free Project Alert – Plastic Canvas & Dyed Floss Necklace

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.

Related posts:

1. Needlepoint for Kids’ Rooms
2. Of Learning Styles & Needlepoint
3. My Family – Free Designs from Orna Willis
4. Orna’s Needlecase Pattern
5. New ( and Inexpensive) Design from Orna Willis

Stitch it in a single color in a hand-dyed thread for a great rustic look. Even better, pick out a lovely color of canvas (maybe one of the hand-dyed or Nature’s Palette painted ones) and then stitch it in a darker or brighter hand-dye in the same color.

Don’t want to do a sampler? Consider repeating the animals as a wide border, or even stitching the animals singly as ornaments.

Thanks to DMC for providing this to us!

Related posts:

1. Charming Free Folks Art Animal Charts
2. African Animals Link Corrected
3. Free Sampler Pattern – Seven Heavenly Virtues
4. Berlinwork-inspired Cushion – Free Design
5. Charming Free Patterns from Two Sites

Threads: Dinky Dyes has just released their first collection of silk ribbon. The ribbon comes in 4mm & 7mm widths in their 20 best-selling colors. Crescent Colours has added Garden Days colors to their line of floss, including ladybug, grasshopper, and Caterpillar. Dede’s Needleworks has introduced four new threads: FireFly a wired thread for couching (think 3-D), Glitzy, a super-shiny gold thread for 18 mesh or higher, Super-Twist,semi-twinkle in 67 colors, and Prisms, a clear opalescent. She will soon be distributing Treenway’s Fine Silk Cord in 100 colors.

Finishing: Have you ever thought about making a bellpull but hesitated because you didn’t like the hardware? Rosewood Manor has come out with lovely turned wool rods in 7 colors and two lengths (6 and 8 inches). They can also be ordered with cords. Designing Women has photo and scrapbook albums with oval or rectangle mounting boards.
Do you collect Longaberger baskets? Now you can create custom lids for them. They work with all types of needlework and come in 15 finishes as well as four crackle finishes. The package includes a template and a Magicpad for finishing which expends to s ½” pad when activated. Yarn Tree has a 16oz stainless steel travel mug with space for your stitching. Sudberry has added a letter box to their Nantucket basket line.

Canvases: Sekas & Co just keeps expanding their line of adorable painted canvas fobs. They are available on your choice of 1, 16 or 18 mesh. The new set of 6 has great summery designs, including a golf hole, a lighthouse, ice cream, and a sailboat. Finishing instructions are included. All about Stitching has a new set of critters, cartoony animals that hang by their tails. Each is dressed in a whimsical outfit. CBK Nedlepoint Collection has a line of license plates for “needleptr”s, for different states.
DeElda’s line of beginner kits now has 40 designs in it. Each is 4”x4”, on 10 mesh canvas and includes instructions, a needle, a threader, and Persian wool. Alice Vantrese has a great series of witty dog canvases, designed by Joy Schmetz for Designing Dogs. There are 9 dog designs and one cat in the series, all showing the animals stitching in various locations.
Elizabeth Bradley has a lovely new kit called Amaryllis. It is in the Botanical Series and has three a fiery orange-red blossoms. Voila has come out with a line of 4” x 7” cases on 14 mesh in their most popular designs. Blue Dogwood Designs has a collection of 12 ornaments in an ornament of the month series. Each comes with a stitch guide.

Related posts:

1. New Needlepoint Products – November 2008
2. New Needlepoint Products – August 2009
3. New Products – June 2008
4. New Needlepoint Products – April 2010
5. New Needlepoint Products – August 2010

picture from Sippy Cup Special

As you can see from the picture Sippy Cup Central came up with a wonderful idea — use fruit and vegetable bags as the basis for needlepoint. She shows you how to do it step-by-step and even shows her daughter enjoying it.

I love this idea for so many reasons. First off the holes in the bags are big, much bigger even than the largest holes in plastic canvas, so even very young stitchers can try it. It’s thrifty, so you don’t need to worry if it doesn’t work out or if the child doesn’t like it. Finally, you can use threads from your stash. The most you’ll need to buy is an embroidery hoop and some plastic needles.

Related posts:

1. Easy Adaptation to Needlepoint
2. Easy Custom Tabletop Tree to Show off your Ornaments
3. Fast, FAST Needlepoint – Plastic Canvas Pendants
4. Needlepoint Purses Old & New
5. What Makes a Canvas Easy to Stitch?

I had to share with you my latest technical editing project, a stitch guide for ABS Designs.

Not only is this a bright and fun design, it also uses simple stitches and easy-to-use threads, so it’s perfect for a beginner’s project.

I also think it would be a great accent for a kid’s room.

I love the Rainbow colors, it makes ther gloomy winter weather outside seem much brighter.

You can read a profile of the designer, Anne Stradel, here.

Related posts:

1. Square Mini-egg Sneak Peek
2. Plaid Scottie – Sneak Peek
3. Nordic Joy and Nordic Love Santa – Sneak Peek
4. The Prince & the Lady – Sneak Peek
5. Rooster — Sneak Peek