Nuts about Needlepoint » pets

New Canvases from Kathy Schenkel and Melissa Shirley

Janet Perry — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:38:06 +0000

I am always so happy at TNNA to go to Kathy Schenkel’s and Melissa Shirley’s booths. They are always full to bursting with great new ideas and canvases I just drool over.

I love Kathy’s bone-shaped ornaments for dogs and this year she has a delightful new set. These are “Things Dogs Do,” all done in a clever, easy-to-stitch style.

She also has mini-socks and ornament rounds for a number of different colleges and universities that aren’t just the usual logo style, often they have iconic buildings or other symbols of the campus.

She also has new dog and people tote bags and new North Woods designs. There are two new Christmas series, a nativity and a stars of Christmas, people associated with Christmas in stars.

A very clever idea is her animal alphabet, available both as a panel and as individual letters. The animals are creatively posed in and around the letters. An unusual ornament series would be to do a name or initials this way.

As always Melissa Shirley has tons of new stuff, so I’ll only hit the highlights.

If you like her pears, but have been wishing for designs that were less geometric, you’ll love her new series that has a different fruit in each pear. With gold backgrounds and fruits and blossoms vining up each shape, they are both elegant and timeless. There are 10 in the series.

She has expanded the selection of her popular crackers with a Thanksgiving series, a new Halloween series that features some of her vintage Halloween characters, pink or gold Christmas crackers, and a set of Christmas toy crackers. There is also a new series of candy canes, mostly stripes, in a modern palette of red, white, green, and light green.

Her newest series is 3-D needlepoint cupcakes. Each design is in two parts, a top and the sides. There are designs for Christmas and Valentine’s.

If you have been collecting Christmas canvases in particular colors, there are conical CHristmas trees in fabric-like patterns in both green and gold. Her acorns have been very popular and a set of Christmas acorns has been added. Her banners have been expanded with a series of pumpkins for Halloween.

There is lots of new stuff from her licensed designers. My favorite of these was Debbie Mumm’s “Trick or Treaters,” a haunted house background with twelve Halloween figures. Three of these are animals,a cat, a raccoon, and some mice, dressed up for Halloween.

There are lots more new canvases including some great seashore and insect pillow designs, and lots of new Christmas stockings. THere’s plenty to love and stitch here.

How to Approach a Hand Painted Canvas Needlepoint

Janet Perry — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:21:14 +0000

Originally posted 2010-02-22 07:39:19. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

by Kelly Clark, stitch guide available

Stitching a painted canvas looks so easy. The colors are picked out for you and all you need to do is add threads and stitches — so why is it that so often we are not happy with the results?

Since I discovered painted canvas (in the early 80′s) I’ve stitched hundreds of them, I even dream about canvases, threads, and stitches. As a result I’ve figured out some guidelines for stitching them which make it easier to do.

First, I think about threads. Your canvas gives you color, but not texture. And for any given color a number of threads exist in different textures. For me, I try to pick a thread with a texture similar to what the object is in real life. For example snow, should be a white or clear sparkly thread. My favorite for this (and for stars as well) is Nordic Gold from Rainbow Gallery. I like this lightness of the thread, it’s softness and it’s sparkle. For hair, I like Rainbow Tweed because it has some variation in it and has just enough furiness to look realistic.

Design by Cat's Cradle, stitch guide available

The texture of the thread determines how easily it will be noticed on the finished canvas. Furry or fuzzy threads are always seen first. Metallics are just slightly less noticeable than furry threads. The more matte a thread is, the less obvious it is. So the same color thread in pearl cotton, floss and Silk & Ivory will be most noticeable in pearl cotton and least in Silk & Ivory.

Once you have picked out your threads, double check that you haven’t picked out an attention-grabbing thread for an area which should be in the background.

But I’ve learned by trial and error, I don’t know of any books which really spell this out.

Then I look at the canvas. Every canvas should have some areas of Tent Stitch in it. Sometimes the choice is made for you, for example faces almost always look best in Tent Stitch. Tent Stitch gives the eye a place to rest and is the neutral texture in needlepoint. It’s kind of like zero on a number line.

by Dream House, stitch guide available

Once I know where Tent Stitch will be placed, I can then rank other spaces as being higher or lower than those areas. Lower spaces should have flatter or more open stitches. For these I use stitches like T Stitch, or techniques like Blackwork or Pattern Darning. For example, I almost always use Pattern Darning for skies, because the flatter stitch makes the sky look more open and bigger.

The places which will be higher will use stitches with more texture. This is the hardest part of picking stitches for needlepoint. The stitches you pick should be small enough to have three repeats of the stitch in every direction. This is enough for the eye to distinguish the pattern. Fewer repeats and the stitch can be mistaken for other stitches or the design can look confused. Even experienced stitchers get this wrong.

by Sandy Grossman-Morris, stitch guide available

There are two major exceptions to this rule. One is stripes. By their very nature stripes won’t have three repeats in all directions in an individual stripe, but the whole stripe pattern should be repeated, if it isn’t, pick a different stripe pattern. The second is accent stitches. There are lots of these, such as Eyelets, Rhodes or Jessicas. Accent stitches, most of which can be expended easily, should be sized so a single stitch fits in an area. Most of these stitches draw attention to themselves and having partial stitches in these looks jarring. Change the size or the stitch rather than use partial stitches for accents.

I think another big challenge in needlepoint is adding texture to very small spaces. One easy way to do this is by picking threads with different textures, but often this does not go far enough. Then you should have a repertoire of stitches which only take up one or two threads. Some of the stitches I use again and again are Tiny Knitting (columns or rows of Continental and Reverse Continental), Needlepoint Cross Stitch (cross stitch over one intersection), and open versions of Tent Stitch. In early 2010 I’ve been developing and finding even more of these kind of stitches. Building from that you can add high textures with French Knots or beads. Suddenly you have taken something which could look flat and given it dimension, life and subtle texture.

For finding stitches for particular effects, I mostly rely on my own experience. I look for stitches which have a particular shape. I use stitch dictionaries for ideas. And I’m always willing to pull out an area off if it does not work. On a piece I’m working on now (2007), I’m stitching a blackboard. I’ve ripped it out twice. The first time it was because I thought the thread (#12 pearl cotton) was too small. The second time, using #8 pearl cotton, I felt the stitch, Skip Tent, was too directional. I’m now stitching it in T Stitch and like the result.

But these are guidelines. There can be great needlepoint which breaks the rules. But you should know what rules you are breaking and have a good reason to do so. If you start with this process, then when you divert from it, you will know why and where you are going.

by Bongo, stitch guide available

If you like my approach to hand painted canvas needlepoint, I can write a custom stitch guide for you. My guides are complete and are customized to your stitching level and your tastes. I take into account your likes and dislikes and your ideas for the canvas. This kind of customization has not be available before at such a reasonable price. If you are interested in getting a free quote for a guide, fill out the stitch guide request form.

This article originally appeared in my friend Pierrette’s blog as part of a virtual book tour I did in 2007. It is not longer available and Pierrette gave me permission to reprint it here. Pierrette is a marvelous stitcher and is currently showing off her lovely work at My Stitching Gallery. A big thanks to her.

Plaid Scottie – Sneak Peek

Janet Perry — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:09:59 +0000

Originally posted 2007-04-20 17:57:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I just love rendering plaids into needlepoint. Needlepoint can make exact replicas of any plaid. Tartans are just about the best.

My latest stitch guide is this little Scottie from Cat’s Cradle. This makes an absolutley perfect introduction to needlepoint plaids for stitchers at any level.

First off, it’s on large canvas. Second, the plaid is a very simple one. Third, the thread is easy to use. Finally, the directions are clear and the charts are in color.

The process for stitching a plaid is not unlike the process for weaving a plaid. The vertical lines are stitched (every other stitch) in the pattern of the plaid (which is properly called a sett for tartans), then, following the sett again, the horizontal lines are stitched. The plaid emerges from the process.

I know it well, have stitched many plaids, but I love the surprise of how the plaid begins to take shape as you stitch the horizontal lines.

The Scottie is stitched using Trio from brown paper packages and the background uses Lorikeet from Gloriana Threads, a lovely soft wool.

It doesn’t take very long to stitch and I think you will just love it.

Dot’s Stocking – Sunday Stitching

Janet Perry — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:24:59 +0000

Mini-sock by ABS Designs & stitched by Janet M. Perry

The eldest of our three cats, Dot, has lived with us since she was 2 weeks old. Her mother was a formerly feral cat who lived in our yard. Although she had the kittens across the street in a neighbor’s yard, we brought Mother Thing and all three kittens to our garage when the kittens’ eyes opened.

She’s lived with us ever since.

Dot is black and has medium-long hair. And I’m stitching her this mini-sock. The design is from ABS Designs and I’m modifying it to suit Dot.

Because of Dot’s long hair (it will be stitched in Wisper) I had to stitch the background first, so the black thread wouldn’t pollute it.

This plaid background is wonderful, so I wanted something to set it off. Initially I planned to stitch it in all metallics. Their sparkle would be a nice contrast to the matte fur. But along the way I realized something. Stitching the whole background in metallic would be too much the same.

I needed something to set off the metallic, just as the metallic sets off the Wisper. So I replaced the red metallic with red overdyed perle #5. This highlights the attention-grabbing metallics and, like areas of Tent Stitch in many canvases, gives the eye a place to rest.

The threads used for the background are Sparkle Rays (green), Gold Rush 14 (brown), Water n’Ice (white) — all from Rainbow Gallery. And Weeks Dye Works perle #5 in Turkey Red.

I’m hoping to finish the background over the weekend and then start with the eyes and tongue on all the cats before I stitch the fur.

All Those Lovely Canvases!

Janet Perry — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 14:50:49 +0000

Originally posted 2008-01-29 07:05:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I’m not generally a one to have fits and fits about wanting tons of canvases. So much needlepoint has passed through my hands (I’ve been stitching since 1970 after all), that I almost never go nuts wanting more and more needlepoint.

But last week I visited the long page Melissa Shirley Designs has of their new canvases which debuted at TNNA earlier this month. There was so much great stuff I hardly know where to begin. You can see the whole page here, but I’ll have links to individual canvases throughout the article.

And I really want to share it with you.

They are simple but I really loved the two sets of a dozen needlepoint “lollipops,” two for Halloween (here and here) and two for Christmas (here and here. If you’re a beginning stitcher, try a few of the geometrical designs, more experienced stitchers might want to go crazy with threads and embellishments on the pictoral ones.

I also loved the two canvases with black cats (here’s one of them) which looked like vintage Halloween decorations.

There are also two series of small canvases with a wonderful, but very stitchable Victorian look about them. There is a series of eight charming little girlswith either Jack o’Lanterns or pumpkins. There are also more than 30 new small Santas in a similar style, for everything from a stitching Santa (love his “handknit sweater”) to a traditional bishop to an unusual Asian Santa.

Melissa has become known for her needlepoint bracelets and headbands. This Winter many of her new designs have versions which include these. There is a lovely series with butterflies and a floral ornament. Another just has butterflies by themselves. There is also one with jewel-like beetles and several with shells. There are lots more, in all kinds of styles. All are available as bracelets or headbands.

Many of these coordinate with her larger, realistic canvases. So many of these are so glorious, it’s hard to single them out but here are some of my favorites. My youngest loves mushrooms and she would go nuts over these two canvases. There are also a set of magnificent whales which have the charming qualities of vintage folk art from New England which is so compelling. I also loved the three cat canvases, also in a vintage style. Licensed from Mary LakeThompson is a charming chickadee canvas which really captures the spirit of these little birds.

Melissa also has dress canvases, four in all. They come in two sizes and several styles. There are fantastic nutcrackers (also from Mary Lake-Thompson), new Christmas stockings in many styles, two glorious tree skirts (two choices for background color), and several wonderful folk art cats.

I could go on and on, but go take a look for yourself, I guarantee you’ll find something you want to stitch.

Berlinwork Cushion – Free Designs (3 of 4)

Janet Perry — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 14:02:50 +0000

This week we finish up Star’s delightful Berlinwork-inspired set of small designs.

The last three sections:

Here are links to the other parts:

Part 1
Part 2
Frame & finishing (next week)

Berlinwork-inspired Cushion – Free Design

Janet Perry — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:42:01 +0000

If you are nuts about the look of Victorian Berlinwork and Elizabeth Bradley kits, you also probably can’t get enough of them. But often there are obstacles in the way of doing them often. The first obstacle is size, those pieces are BIG and sometimes you want something small and fast. The second obstacle is price. The kits are expensive and often you want something you can stitch from stash.

Star, a great needlepointer and art historian living in Italy loves them too and has come up with her own original designs, inspired by Berlinwork charts. There are nine of them, designed to be stitched together into a pillow top. You could also make them individually as ornaments.

To day and for the next two weeks, we’ll write about the charts. I love them because they are so small and have such character. The colors on the charts are bright, to make them easy to read, but stitch them in muted wools or silk on a dark background and you have lovely new Berlinwork designs.

The first three charts are:

You can get all four parts:

Part2
Part 3
Frame & Finishing

Needlepoint Stitch Guides Site Now Open!

Janet Perry — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 13:28:53 +0000

Order stitch guides like this from my new site.

There’s no doubt about it, stitchers love stitch guides. Our appetite for them is almost insatiable. Talk to any designer and they will tell you shopowners ask about stitch guides all the time.

If a designer has none, they wonder why not. If a designer has some, they want more. And we, as stitchers want them and want them at an affordable price.

Today marks the opening of my new on-line shop, Needlepoint Stitch Guides. Here you will find stitch guides for many popular designers, available both as PDFs (for you to print) or as printed guides). You can order directly from the shop and have your guides as soon as the same day. Talk about immediate stitchy gratification.

It’s the largest on-line shop dedicated to needlepoint stitch guides and related products.

There’s lots more to the site. You’ll find reference information about stitch guides and using them, order forms for my popular custom stitch guides and quick stitch help, and lots more. The site is easy to navigate with guides classified by designer and by subject.

Guides are available for canvases by some of today’s most popular designers including, Melissa Shirley, Kelly Clark, and Raymond Crawford. And for one stop shopping, some designers will allow you to order the canvas at the same time.

There are special products designed to help you make the most of your needlepoint. Background Stitch Guides are stitch and thread suggestions to make your needlepoint shine. Custom versions of them are available at the same low price. Thread Maps help you with a complete listing of threads and areas. Some shops charge up to $50 to pull threads, but with this service you get my expert eye at a low cost. Technique Sheets are specialized sheets (not canvas specific) showing you how to create an effect or do a technique on painted canvas.

I’m committed to sharing my knowledge with you so that your needlepoint can be exciting and beautiful. More products will be added just as fast as I can get them written, so stop back often to see what’s new.

Visit Needlepoint Stitch Guides today and keep stitching!

New Designs from Liz Morrow

Janet Perry — Mon, 17 May 2010 14:31:58 +0000

Petite Square Bargello Needlepoint by Liz Morrow

The marvelously talented Liz Morrow has released three new designs in her on-line shop. Needless to say, I’ve already bought the Bargello and am using it to try out some new threads.

And think of the possibilities for stitching the cat and the horse; you’d could even make it to match and animal you know.

Scrap Bag Cats – Part 1

Janet Perry — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:11:24 +0000

Originally posted 2009-02-25 07:45:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Time to get started on the cats. I want to have some consistency in this stash project, so I’m using the same thread for the border. and narrow dividing line between the rows of cats. A second thread will be used throughout for the background.

Borders & Dividing Lines

I’m using dark brown Paternayan Persian Wool from my stash, but Silk & Ivory or Vineyard Silk would also be nice. A very dark brown overdye, such as Gloriana’s Lorikeet, could also work.

You should stitch the inside border and the horizontal lines dividing the rows of cats before beginning to stitch the cats. Because the canvas is printed by computer, this will make sure you have the lines perfectly straight.

The inside border is stitched in Reverse Diagonal Gobelin over three threads. Find the lines which are most commonly the border and begin to stitch there. In general, the printing should not vary more than a thread or so.

You don’t have to stitch all of the borders right yet, Just stitch the top and start the sides of the inner border. This will be enough to stitch the first row of cats.

The lines between the rows of cats are stitched in Ruffle StitchThis stitch is a line of Alternating Oblique Gobelins. It only goes over one thread & creates a nice rhythm. Here I think it looks a little bit like a ruffle.

The Cats

With the cats, I’m trying to use different, and mostly matte threads, and lots of different stitches. I’m going to try to make each cat different, but I may not always succeed. Stitch diagrams are found following the description of each cat.

The first cat is stitched with scattered Smyrna Crosses using Rainbow Linen. These are stitched first. The background is Diagonal Mosaic, which compensates easily around the crosses.

The second cat has Woven Cross accents stitched in Pebbly Perle. Remember when making this stitch to tuck the fourth side under the first to get the woven effect. Around them the background is stitched in Trellis Cross Variation using two strands of JL Walsh silk/wool. The diagonal Trellis was stitched first and the Upright Crosses in the centers were them added.

The single lines in this cat are stitched in Contunental using Petite Frosty Rays. The three line pale pink areas between them are stitched in Reverse Diagonal Gobelin, the same stitch as used in the border, using Silk & Ivory.

One final note about the background. It’s important to have some consistency in a needlepoint piece. This piece will get it from the uniform borders and from using the same thread throughout the background, all stitched in Tent & Reverse Tent.

Follow the entire series and stitch along!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3