Nuts about Needlepoint » nativity

Blog Stitching — Starting a Project

Janet Perry — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:12:44 +0000

I’ve been a good girl and I’ve managed tyo make a bit of a dent in the UFO pile, have stitched some new projects, and generally gotten more of my to do pile done. And California is having and El Nino winter and so it rains. Lots. To top it all off, here on Mare Island, we have what I call “san Francisco with wind” weather. Add wind, as in knocking small trees down wind, to the rain and I need something new.

So I’m going to take an idea from Spinster Stitcher and Jane of Chilly Hollow and bog stitch a canvas from my stash. I’ll have occasional posts about it, so you can learn how I approach the project and maybe even stitch along with me. But I want you to help me decide which to stitch.

The first candidate, pictured above, is an Amanda Lawford canvas of London. I lie it because it’s small and I love the sky.

The second is this stocking I bought on eBay. I don’t need another Christmas stcoking, but it’s a nativity and I’ve always wanted to do one.

I love the shaded sky. I also love that I will be able to do many different stitches and use lots of threads from my stash for it.

design by charley harper

Finally there is this Charley Harper piece. It’s in between the other two in size. My DD loves Charley Harper as much as I do and so this will be a pillow for her.

I like it because it’s a classic design of his and has many of his signature elements. I think it can have some cool stitches. On the downside, there will be lots of background.

Add your comments by Feb 6, I want to start this during the Super Bowl. One commenter, picked at random, will win a prize.

Make your own Needlepoint Nativity

Janet Perry — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:50:16 +0000

I have a large collection of nativities. My family knows this and indulges this collection in a way they don’t for other things, say, my collection of needlepoint canvases. And among the folk art nativities, I also look for needlepoint nativities.

This is the first figure from a small set I’m needlepointing from a free PDF from Wild Olive. The nativity is line drawings of the the manger, Mary, Joseph, and a shepherd. I traced them onto canvas and have started filling them in with stitches using threads from the stash.

In this picture from Wild Olive you can see the four figures cut out and finished simply as ornaments.

While I like the simplicity of the four figures, I always want more, so I’m going to make more than one shepherd and maybe a couple more sheep. Then I might add some more Josephs to become the three kings> This is a fun project for Christmas stitching!

Throughout the weeks before Christmas, I’ll be highlighting easy ideas for ornaments you can needlepoint. Some will be original designs, and some, like this one, will be adapted from other crafts.

Stitching Mary & Jesus in Needlepoint

Janet Perry — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:08:47 +0000

Awhile ago a friend asked me about religious cross stitch. This got me thinking about religious needlepoint, more specifically the timeless image of Mary and Jesus, the Madonna and Child. So I went on an internet search for needlepoint Madonnas and found several.

Designing Women has a charming small icon-like Madonna. They don’t have a website, but my friend Jane stitched it awhile ago and the link is to her finished one

Jane and I have also both stitched Designs by Petei’s Our Lady of Guadelupe. Mine is the picture at the top of this post. The link is to Petei’s page that has it

Sundance Designs has many canvases that will work as Madonnas. In their De Grazia line, there are many charming ones. Their are also several Tish canvases that will work as Madonnas. I like this one because it has such a sense of calm. It hangs in my studio.

Birds of a Feather makes a charming Madonna. I also found this traditional Madonna ornament at Needlepointus.com. I have also often found Madonnas, vintage and new on eBay.

Finally, if you like counted canvas, look into this lovely Mother and Child from Cross-eyed Cricket. I just adore its combination of folk art and Byzantine embellishment.

TNNA Preview – Needledeeva

Janet Perry — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 18:18:50 +0000

Judee of Needledeeva is one of my favorite designers and I was blown away by her new pieces which will be premiering at TNNA next week.

I want so many of them I can hardly stand it.

First off, there are the new Christmas stockings. If you like her small Christmas figures there are stocking to match many of them. If you’re looking for something elegant, look at the birds on black (my daughter’s favorite). And there are lots of others.

Thoughfully for those with less time, they are done on 13 mesh.

Then there is the new larger set of nativity figures.
And more new Easter figures and houses. What a great collection to make and add to your existing ones. I’d love to make a village of the houses (now up to six) as the focus of my decorations.

Also for Easter there are the new needlepoint baskets. I like the Eater Eggs basket the best. I can just see it in a riot of threads from my stash and lots of fun stitches.

And if that wasn’t enough, why not make a small heart just because? There is a new series of these too.

Needledeeva will be in booths 2054 & 2056 at TNNA.

Chirstmas Stitching

Janet Perry — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 16:01:01 +0000

This is a new canvas from Needledeeva (http://www.needledeeva.com) which is part of a stitch guide I’ve written. The canvases are being stitched as models for next month’s TNNA market.

They arenâ€™t quite done (hair and borders still left to do), but I think she is so adorable. I love all the great effects in Mary’s dress and Jesus’ blanket. The halos just glow and the Nordic Gold use for accents in the background makes it look like a piercingly cold Winter night.

Appropriately enough I started stitching her on the way to Mass on Christmas morning.

In this series, there are angels, the three kings, Joseph and a sheep. There is also a great stable background. We’re planning more figures for next year, so this can be a collectible Christmas series.

I love nativities (I have about 30 of them from all over the world), but I have always resisted needlepoint nativities. This is the first one I’m stitching. I love the tiny size and delicate look of the figures.

So from me to you, on this feast of St. John the Divine, Merry Christmas!