Nuts about Needlepoint » graduation

Personal Needlepoint – Transferring the Design

Janet Perry — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:22:12 +0000

Using your image, a copier, and your knowledge of the finished size, make your chosen image the right size for your finished item.

When doing this remember to leave a margin on all sides, the design will look better, and be sure to leave enough room for the other elements in your finished piece. Once you have a possible good size, put it under your needlepoint canvas to be sure there is space for the details.

Like what you see?

Using a extra fine marker made for fabric, trace the item onto your canvas.

Once it is traced, darken the lines.

Next I charted “ti esti” and added a question mark. I think it will fit nicely below the animal, starting near the back foot. I’ll count to be sure there is enough room and color the intersections to match the chart.

Above the tail I want to put a monogram of SJC, so I’m looking at a vintage book, Needlework Monogram Unlimited by Barbara Borssuck that I have interlaced & modified (below). The year will go under it or above or below the bill.

The finished design looks like this:

Next Thursday I’ll talk about the choices I made for threads and stitches.

Personal Needlepoint – Selecting a Design

Janet Perry — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:49:36 +0000

My youngest is graduating from college this May and I want to make her an ornament. I’m not happy with the “normal” graduation ornaments I see, I’d like to make her something unique.

Sometimes when we want to make a needlepoint present for someone, there just aren’t commercial designs out there. At that point we need to create our own, which actually isn’t as hard as you might think.

Over the next few weeks I’ll show you how the ornament is progressing in a set of posts designed to help you make your own designs.

What Do I Make?

Before you start this process you need to do some thinking. First you need to decide what item you will be making. That will give you an overall size and also clue you into how much detail you can include.

If it will go into something for self-finishing, look for those measurements. For Anna I’m making an ornament so I’d like it to be about 4-5″ in the longest direction.

So your image searching will be easier, narrow down the possibilities by deciding on an item. Anna’s school, St. John’s College, has a mascot, the duck-billed platypus. They have very few interscholastic sports (up from none when I went there) and so the mascot mostly shows up on T shirts with the Greek question “ti esti?” (What is it?) on them.

I think a design of the phrase, a platypus, SJC and the year would be fun.

Now on to find the components.

Finding the Artwork

If you are looking for artwork for your own use (not to sell because of copyright protections), you can’t do better than Google’s image search. You can find it by clicking “Images” in the upper left corner of the Google home page or directly at: http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi.

If you just put in the item “platypus” you’ll get a mixture of photos and drawings, few of them useful as the basis of needlepoint. It can be discouraging.

So you need to modify the item right from the beginning. I use “outline” or “coloring book.” Most of the time, I like the coloring book options better.

Google Images gives you a gallery view of many images. You can click on any of them to go to the page where it was found. Right click to save. The image I picked is at the top of this post.

What about Letters

As long as you are using the Latin alphabet, you’ll have no problem finding books or free alphabet charts. That takes care of the initials and date.

But I’ve got some Greek here, which does not use the same alphabet. And it’s hard to find.

Except that Greek capital letters are used for fraternities and sororities, so you CAN find them. So, by necessity I have the elements I need.

Tomorrow learn how to compose your design.

Graduation Ornaments

Janet Perry — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:37:30 +0000

Originally posted 2006-05-15 07:43:02. Republished by Blog Post PromoterWhen my eldest daughter graduated from high school in 2001 I decided I’d make each of my three kids needlepoint ornaments commenorating their graduation. She got a charming graduation angle from Painted Pony. I just finished my sons, this graduation nutcracker from Kathy Schenkel. My younger daughter graduates next month and I’m making her a graduation cap ornament I found on eBay (search on graduation needlepoint). There are also lots of canvases from other designers. This ornament wasn’t exactly finished quickly and my family has been teasing me about it. But it’s done and will be a lovely remembrance for him in years to come. Related posts: Sunday Stitching – Project Done Nautilus Shell & Christmas Ornaments Christmas Ornaments Class Christmas Ornaments from Just Cross Stitch – review Wonderful Scrap Ornaments Related posts:

School Needlepoint

Janet Perry — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:42:08 +0000

For many people the idea of stitching a needlepoint with your school logo is a compelling one. I made needlepoint ornaments for each of my kids for their high school graduations. I was disappointed I had to go with generic “graduate” pieces and didn’t have one for their school.

But a new company, School Needlepoint, has come to our rescue. They will make custom needlepoint ornaments or brick covers for your school. The thing I love about them is that many of their designs use the school’s logo, in the school’s colors, so you get something which is very specific and therefore very special. Shops carry their canvases and charts for cross stitch of area schools, but you can also order on-line.

The ornament pictured above is one I’m stitching. You can see the unstitched canvas on the company’s site. It’s for my husband and is of the main classroom building at our alma mater, St. John’s College. Part of the fun was the care Roger (the owner) took in designing it. He looked at the school’s website for ideas, asked me what I would like and then sent me a sketch of his idea.

My youngest (who is a student there now) and one of her roommates are here right now and they recognized the building right away.

Besides graduation presents, think of school needlepoint for an unusual Christmas gift, or what about a set as coasters. If a beloved building is set to be torn down, an ornament or brick cover is a great memory of the place. Take a look, you’ll love the possibilities.