Nuts about Needlepoint » accessories

Lee Tote with Removable inserts – Product Review

Janet Perry — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:13:59 +0000

This HUGE tote from Lee Needle Arts came out over the summer and I had to have it. There are several features that make it a great bag, especially if you carry lots of stuff (in fact, it’s with me on this trip).

There are many features that make this bag great, even without any needlepoint.

heavy-duty nylon fabric in several colors
almost 18″ wide and 9″ deep, so if you are using it as a project tote, it will hold larger stretcher bars
three compartments, with the center compartment opening to almost flat
three interior pockets, one zipped, in the center, and one interior zippered pocket in a aside compartment
sturdy nylon web handles (I had tabs added for a shoulder strap)

The lack of a shoulder strap is the only fault I found in this bag. If I saw it at a store I’d buy it in a sec.

Even better than all of this it has an opening for your needlepoint. But it’s not permanent, it’s removable. Instead of the two-sided adhesive being on the bag itself, it’s on a piece of letter,with a dot that makes it easy for the paper cover to be removed.

To finish, you just cut your needlepoint to the size of the leather, remove the paper, center the needlepoint and press down.

The bag comes with two of these.

To add the finished needlepoint to the bag, just insert it into the opening. The margins are generous and the bag is flexible, so this is easy to do.

I have made lots of LNA self-finished items and this is by far the easiest I have done. I’m excited about the possibility that removable inserts will be made available for some of their other products.

I love this bag, go get one for yourself.

P. S. The needelpoint is the finished Adler-inspired Bargello I posted a few weeks ago.

Make your own Needlepoint Key Fob

Janet Perry — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:27:02 +0000

An assortment of ready-made needlepoint key fobs from the E.A. Davis Department Store in Wellesley from post on Let the TIde Pull your Dreams Ashore blog (click to go to post)

Needlepoint Ket Fobs are really cool and while there are great kits including painted canvases out there, you might want to make your own.

Typically the fob hardware is about the width of a belt, but measure it to be sure. You’ll want to trace a rectangle on your canvas about 6″-8″ inches long and two threads more than this width. Here’s a link to a Google Shopping search for key fob hardware.

Once you have stitched your design, here’s how to finish it.

I haven’t done this yet myself. but here’s how you would do it.

Make the key fob needlepoint the correct width for your hardware and block if needed.

Trim canvas to five threads beyond the edges of the needlepoint and turn down the long sides.

Find a grosgrain ribbon or piece of ultrasuede (so it won’t ravel) the width of the stitched needlepoint. Sew it to the back of the fob along the edged, being sure to catch the turned under margins and catching a bit of the back of the stitching.

Fold the stitching into a loop and fit the fob hardware to the unstitched ends. If needed trim those ends so no unstitched canvas will show before attaching the fob hardware.

Make Yourself a Portable ORT Box

Janet Perry — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:58:03 +0000

Originally posted 2009-06-27 06:31:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

If you often stitch away from home, finding places to put your ORTs (end of threads) is always a problem.

What you need is something small and something which either fits in your project bag or folds flat. Or something you were going to throw out anyhow.

At my ANG chapter meetings, I often use the Starbucks cup I carry in. Once I’m done drinking the tea, it’s there and I’m throwing it out at the end of the meeting.

But what do you do if you don’t have something like that — throw the ends on the floor?

Here are some ideas for portable ORT containers:

cardboard gift card boxes – they fold flat and are pretty
small gift paper bags – I bought a tiny one with ribbon handles, probably made for a gift card this week
those clear plastic containers (pictured above)
a plastic salt or pepper shaker – I used one of these at Maker Faire
a collapsable origami box
AAA battery storage case
acrylic bead storage jar

In every case, the item is small or can be stores flat, is unbreakable and is easy to empty.

What could be better than that?

DIY Needlepoint – Adler-inspired Bargello

Janet Perry — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 14:01:20 +0000

When I saw these charming Jonathon-Adler needlepointed flask in the December Allure, I know I had to use it as the basis of Bargello. Not only do I love the colors and it’s masculine feel, but I can’t afford the $98 price tag.

So bargello it is, and I’ve put the pattern below (click picture for full-size chart).

On to the colors. Depending on how you’ll be finishing it, go for a single type of thread in these colors: grey, brown, navy, light blue, white, aqua, olive, and yellow. If you like the rose one better, get rid of grey, aqua, and olive, and add taupe, light pink, pink, hot pink, and red. Follow the sequence of colors in the original.

I’m planning mine from wool and putting it into my new Lee’s tote. And, of course, I’m using the pink version using threads from my stash including High Cotton, Vineyard Merino, and three kinds of Ty-Di threads. All of these should wear well. I’m stitching it up right now and it will go into my Lee Needle Arts tote that has a removable area for needlepoint.

If you are looking for more Bargello (and Bargello-ish) inspiration, check out this post on Style Beat (the flask picture came from there).

Make your own Stitchy Cell Phone Case

Janet Perry — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:29:40 +0000

Wee Little Stitches shows you how to make your own stitched cell phone case

Did you like the cool stitchable iPhone case, but are without an iPhone?

WeeLittleStitches has this amazing and very easy illustrated tutorial for making your own stitched cell phone case.

I just love it, but for people like me who are challenged by small pieces of fabric and canvas, I would mark the outline of the template lightly on the canvas (use either interlock, perforated paper, or some kind of evenweave fabric). Even better would be to use a large mesh silk gauze (Kreinik has 18 and 20 mesh silk gauze) because it is an interlock weave and very, very thin.

Once the design is stitched you can the cut it out.

You don’t want to use mono canvas because it is a bit thick for this and your phone might not fit nicely into the case.

Great Finishing Idea – Bargello Tin Toppers

Janet Perry — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 13:50:06 +0000

Originally posted 2010-02-12 07:08:44. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

from Colorado Stitcher

Are you looking for a quick gift, that is a. needlepoint, b. inexpensive, and c. easy to finish? I am crazy mad in love with these tin toppers. Take a bit of Bargello, or other needlepoint, an empty mints tin and some paper, thread, and glue and you have a wonderful project.

Colorado Stitcher made these and has detailed instructions for making them on her blog. You could expend this idea to cover other metal items as well. I like the Dean and Dulucca metal round tins for storing things and this idea would be perfect for them.

A big shout out to Althea at Bargello Needlepoint for finding and blogging about these. Now off to buy some mints.

Superbowl Stitching

Janet Perry — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:09:34 +0000

Originally posted 2007-02-04 07:26:45. Republished by Blog Post PromoterI suppose you could say I’m clearly a child of the 70′s. I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA when the Steelers were great. As a result, I love football. I got married in 1980 in the SF Bay Area and so I got to watch a second great football dynasty (the 49er’s) in the 80′s. These days I don’t follow football all that much, but I do look forward to the SuperBowl and to the opportunity to stitch. It being Sunday, I’m going to start working on these amazing needlepoint pendants from FAS-stitch. They are new and have an elegant, modern brushed aluminum frame. You buy the kit, or the finishing service at your LNS, stitch and send it back. The one I’m doing is based on a Mondrian painting and is 1.5″ square. I’ll post a picture of it tomorrow and there will be a review of the entire process in the next issue of the newsletter. In the mean time, ask at your LNS about it. Related posts: SuperBowl Stitching Finished Superbowl Stitching Sunday Stitching – Project Done Blog Stitching – Making the Initial Decisions Stitching with Raffia Related posts:

Last Day for Early Bird Price on Stash Club

Janet Perry — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:54:17 +0000

Today is the last day to sign up for my stash busting club — the Easiest Needlepoint Club Ever.

The special price of $30 for a whole year of delightful projects designed to help you use your stash of threads ends at midnight Pacific.

The first stash busters project

Each month, beginning tomorrow, you’ll get emailed to you a PDF of a great stash-busting project, usually including finishing instructions, so you can create unique projects such as the two shown here.

Even better, participants will have a chance to order finishing items, threads for backgrounds, and selections of scrap bag threads at special prices.

If you live outside the US, this club is great because all projects are sent to you electronically — no long waits for the mail, no customs hassling, no extra payments for international shipping.

I love using up my stash and I think you will too. Click on the button below to pay with PayPal or a credit card, or contact me (using the link in the masthead above) to arrange for payment via check.

Remember, the price goes up to $45 for the year tomorrow, so don’t delay!

Eye Candy for Some Quick to Make Needlepointed Gifts

Janet Perry — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:07:33 +0000

Over at the blog Pin Pals you can find some great quick to make (and finish) ideas for Christmas 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.

Scrap Bag Diamonds – Free Stash Buster Needlepoint Pattern

Janet Perry — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:26:29 +0000

Originally posted 2010-04-13 12:44:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Lee's Leather Wallet with Scrap Bag Needlepoint pattern

Brimming with Scotch Stitch diamonds in two sizes, the Scrap Bag Needlepoint pattern is a good one for medium and large projects.

Two colors appear in all the motifs. the background color and an accent color. This gives great consistency to the design and allows you to use a variety of bright colors. The smaller diamonds have a center to match the background surrounded by the accent color. The larger diamonds have centers in an accent color, surrounded by the background color.

click on image for link to full-size chart

The chart (click on it for as full-size picture) uses one symbol for each stitch. This makes the chart very versatile. For a small project, stitch each symbol as a single Tent or Cross Stitch. For the slightly larger project, stitch each symbol as a Mosaic Stitch. The symbols could also be stitched as any other square stitch the same size as a Mosaic Stitch; for example, you could create a pattern in Smyrna Crosses. For the wallet (which is the largest accessory) stitch each stitch as a Scotch Stitch, going over three threads. In this way, you can make a set of accessories, which will be coordinated, but with patterns in a scale to match the stitching area. You could also use bigger Scotch Stitches to make a tote bag insert, creating a matched set of accessories.

The accent color in the pattern, brown in the model, should be a medium to dark neutral color. If you use a neutral color, any scrap bag thread will work in the motifs. The background color is less important and can be an off-white, like the pale pink pictured, or a stronger color. You must be careful to select a color which contrasts sharply with the accent color. Choose a background or accent color that is a solid color or that has only a little variation in shade. Both colors should appear as a solid color because they tie the design together, creating a consistent design element throughout.

Measure out the area to be stitched and mark it with a permanent marker. Find the center and begin stitching one of the motifs in the centering it. Park the ends of background and accent thread in the margins of the canvas so that they can be used again without ending the thread. Once the first motif is stitched, follow the chart below to place additional motifs. One good way to do this is to stitch enough background to place the next motif and then stitch that motif. The remainder of the background can be stitched later.