finishing needlepoint Archive

I don’t know about you but often I’m frustrated when learning a stitch. Yes I can try it on a canvas but often the spaces are too small or too irregular for me to have a great feel for the stitch. Ideally I’d like something big but not too big, straight-sided, easy to finish, and useful. You probably feel the same way. As part of the Plastic Canvas Blog Hop, Pam at Gingerbread Snowflakes signed up for a project. Although this was the first time she had used PC, her project is a real winner — stitch sample coasters. She used yarn and 7-count plastic canvas and made six lovely coasters. But you could use smaller count canvas and your stash threads.If I was using 14-count I’d make my coasters 3″ square. In her blog post, she shows you step-by-step how to make these. I just love this idea!

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Originally posted 2009-06-29 06:35:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter Log cabins in various forms are one of the most popular quilt patterns. I’ve used the often in my own design work, but I hadn’t thought of them as the basis for finishing. Log cabin quilts are based on a central block, usually small, but it doesn’t have to be, with strips of fabric, increasing in length, swirling around it. Why not use a small piece of needlepoint as that central block. We love to stitch smaller items and this way, if you have a fabric stash as well, you can choose your other fabrics from them. Whip Up has a great post about making a Log Cabin pillow. The instructions are detailed and easy to modify for needlepoint. The foundation block which inspires the piece isn’t a bit of fabric, it’s the needlepoint. Follow her instructions for picking fabrics, cutting

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Are you looking for a way to make ornaments that look sophisticated, use your stash threads but that can be finished quickly? Look no further than 14-count plastic canvas and the wealth of quilt designs. This Spoolies Plastic Canvas Needlepoint Quilt Ornament is a perfect introduction to this much-overlooked material and to the wealth of great quilt designs. It’s part of the Plastic Canvas Blog Hop. My grandmother was a seamstress and I remember loving all the wooden spools of brightly colored thread at her home. This quilt reminds me of her. It’s based on a free quilt pattern from Humble Bee Buzzings. I lightened both the spool ends and the background. 14-count plastic canvas is easily found at most craft shops. It comes in 8.5 x 11 inch sheets usually in white and clear. Either can be used although clear works slightly better for the front and white for

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Originally posted 2009-11-23 07:01:57. Republished by Blog Post PromoterAbout a month before Christmas is not the best time to start thinking about making Christmas gifts. But, judging from my email, many of you are procrastinators, just like me. I went into my usual panic (even though I’m in remarkably good shape at the moment) and got thinking about what to look for to make needlepoint into gifts. In no particular order, here are some ideas: needlepoint bookends Get a set of inexpensive metal bookends and some 14 mesh plastic canvas. Stitch the canvas to be about 1″ bigger than the bookend on the sides and top. Make two of these. Cut two more pieces the same size, but don’t stitch them. Spray paint the bookends another color if desired. Stitch one stitched and one unstitched piece of canvas together and slip the bookend in. Photo Albums Look for albums with

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Small needlepoint projects are always popular, but a bigger problem is figuring out what to do with them. If you stitch holiday-themed pieces you can, at least, put many of them out as decorations. But what do you do when the tree (or trees) are dripping with needlepoint, you have stockings for everyone, but you still love those small projects. The folks at the Florida shop, Needle Nicely, have been working on a marvelous idea; they have been stitching starfish to make a garland.They are not using painted canvases to do it but drawing the shape on canvas and then filling it with an interesting stitch. Even if you use another shape, you could easily adopt this idea as the basis of your own garland.Just find a shape and fill it. Recently they put up a post that is of tremendous help in planning this kind of project. It discusses

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Originally posted 2010-01-17 07:41:17. Republished by Blog Post PromoterFinishing needlepoint pillows (or making any pillows for that matter) should be a simple task. It meets my admittedly low bar for sewing — all straight seams, no zippers. But all too often they don’t turn out well. My friend Kristin at Craft Leftovers has been working on redecorating her apartment with many projects she’s doing herself. She recently turned to the question of pillows and has a fantastic post about stuffing pillows so they won’t be lumpy. Read it and take her hard-won advice

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Originally posted 2011-01-27 07:01:13. Republished by Blog Post PromoterMarlene assked earlier this week about how to finish a coaster. It’s not hard to do, so let’s talk about how to do it. Begin by selecting the size for the coasters. Square coasters are vastly easier to make than round coasters (I’ll put some notes about that in a bit). Coasters generally are 3 or 4 inches square, so plan on that for the finished size of the stitching. Stitches, Threads, & Coasters Because coasters get sone wear, you will want to use stitches that won’t snag. Because you will be putting something directly on the stitches, you will also want stitches that are flat and not bumpy. This is not the place for smyrna crosses, padding, or exposed canvas. Every thread you use MUST be colorfast. Glasses are often wet on the bottom or sweat and this moisture will cause

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Originally posted 2010-11-07 07:29:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter Do you have some rounds of needlepoint sitting around stitched but not made into anything? One idea I’ve thought about often is using them to make pincushions. On the craft blog, Creations by Kara, there are great instructions on using an old tunafish can to make a pincushion (pictured above). As you can see she used fabric for the top, but needlepoint would work just as nicely. The critical thing here is the size of the needlepoint (a 9.5″ circle), including 1/2″ of unstitched canvas. Put your gathering stitches 1/4″ inch from the edge and use a REALLY strong thread like heavy linen or perle cotton. Otherwise the instructions should be followed. You could also do this with smaller cans, like small cat food cans to make a group of dainty pieces. They will also make great gifts for sewing friends!

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I love small needlepoint pieces but I am constantly frustrated by finding ways to finish them. That’s why I love this clever idea from Gingerbread Snowflakes. You can create charming pressed tin frames using tooling foil, tacky glue and tools you have around the house. Designed for ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), this will work for any small piece of needlepoint. You can make each one unique and hang your work in small groups or make them into nicely finished ornaments. If you are doing this with a piece on interlock canvas, just cut the canvas close to the edge of the stitching. If you are using mono canvas, you could cut about three canvas threads from the edge if the piece will get light use. If it will have heavier use, finish the edges. These frames are so clever & so distinctive, you’ll want to make dozens. Get the illustrated

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Originally posted 2010-03-30 08:41:57. Republished by Blog Post Promoter William Morris had a famous saying about not having anything in your life that you did not know to be useful or thought was beautiful. I have also long thought that there is plenty of room in life for the useful things to be beautiful as well. That’s why I want to point out to you several great ways to add beauty (in the form of needlepoint to your life. First off, and pictured above is this lovely laser-cut alder wood heart pictured here, available on Etsy. One thing I love about this is that the wood is so lovely, it becomes the background to the needlepoint. I learned about it from Denise over at Craft Gossip. But there are so many other wonderful products that have punched grids to embellish with your stitching. AMH Designs has several stupendous items with

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Wouldn’t you love to have a couple of easy, unique needlepoint projects in your back pocket that you could make as special gifts? Wouldn’t it make you happy if you could finish them yourself and make each one perfect for the receiver? You can with these two delightful Initial Needlepoint Gifts. In this two-lesson mini-class you’ll learn everything you need to create both the Initial Ornament and the Big Initial Boxtop, including how to finish them. This email class will teach you: how to enlarge a letter for needlepoint how to transfer it to canvas how to create a great design and background how to pick an alphabet suitable for needlepoint how to finish an ornament and boxtop This class is an email class beginning May 5, 2013. Because it arrives in your mail, you can take it at your own pace. Because you pick the threads and colors, it’s

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I saw the vintage pincushion base from Sudberry House and I thought pincushion. Cheryl Schaeffer saw this same piece and thought “Chair!” The chair you see is just one of five delightful miniature needlepoint chairs she’s making. This one is the Beach Chair. There is also a Halloween Chair, a Pink & Blue Chair, Santa’s Chair, and, yet-to-be-completed, The Wild Chair. Each of the chairs uses Sudberry’s pincushion as the base and all can be used as pincushions. In the current issue of Needlepoint Now you can get the stitch guide for Santa’s Chair

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Originally posted 2011-03-12 07:21:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter Susan Thompson has done a wonderful job of finishing many items for me over the years. Her lovely blog, Sukylady’s Studio, has instructions on her method to finish small ornaments. There are lots of photos showing the steps to take to finish a small two-sided needlepoint ornament. The Attic Window ornament pictured above is only one-sided (the back is Ultrasuede) and was finished by Susan. It’s lovely. These instructions are wonderful and would work for many small flat-sided items. It’s so rare to find finishing instructions that use needlepoint for the example, this is GREATLY appreciated

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Originally posted 2011-03-06 07:16:06. Republished by Blog Post PromoterMany people find lacing the back of needlework essential to keep the stitching taut when framed. But finding good information on how to do it has always been a struggle for me. This outstanding lavishly illustrated lacing tutorial from Plays with Needles shows you how to lace step-by-step. Although she is lacing fabric, the process is the same for needlepoint. Thanks to Denise at Craft Gossip for pointing this out

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Even if you have never tried your own design before you will learn how easy it is to create lovely personalized gifts in this Initial Needlepoint Mini-Class. In this two-lesson class you’ll create two gifts: the initial ornament and the super-size initial boxtop. You’ll learn: how to enlarge a letter for needlepoint how to transfer a design to needlepoint canvas how to pick an alphabet that works for monograms using Bargello needlepoint as a background using metallic effectively as a background self-finishing for boxtop or ornament Because the class is on-line, you don’t ned to travel to learn or even learn at the time the class is held. Nothing could be easier. The class begins May 5, 2013 and is only $20. This is an early bird discount. On April 4, 2013, the price goes up to $25. Use the PayPal button below to enroll now. If you would prefer

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