Nuts about Needlepoint » finishing needlepoint

Needlepoint Purses Old & New

Janet Perry — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:38:07 +0000

Originally posted 2010-07-11 07:18:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Fendi needlepoint bag

Needlepoint tote inset by Janet Perry

purse from Needlepoint, Inc

You may be under the impression that needlepoint bags look like the very expensive Fendi bag pictured top. Or that they are leather or canvas bags with a needlepoint insert such as my Haida Feather bag, center. Or even that they are made entirely from needlepoint, similar to this bag from Needlepoint, Inc., bottom.

One thing they all have in common is that they are modern bags incorporating needlepoint. But needlepoint as a front for bags has been around a long time. Lovers of vintage fashion can often find needlepoint bags such as the one above because quite often they were kept for special occasions.

If you want to learn more about needlepoint purses, or buy one of your own, start with About.com page about needlepoint purses, written by Cheryl Fall, Needlepoint Guide.

Thanks to Jane from Chilly Hollow for pointing this out, I’m sending cool thoughts your way.

New ( and Inexpensive) Design from Orna Willis

Janet Perry — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:43:25 +0000

Originally posted 2011-01-16 07:22:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“Lovely” this small Bargello needlepoint heart is designed in four colorways.

Orna’s models are on brightly colored canvas and are perfect for cheering up a gray day. The design is small and simple, featuring Bargello in a heart.

Best of all the design is available as a PDF for only $1.

You can buy it in Orna’s Etsy shop.

You can also get it as a kit or in a set of all four designs. When you get the kit you also get the hoop for a quick finishing job.

What a great Valentine!

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.

Frames for Maggie Co and Ewe & Eye

Janet Perry — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:52:04 +0000

Deux Bijoux Bijoux makes amazing frames for Maggie Co and Ewe & Eye canvas. They are intricately painted and do a wonderful job of extending the design onto the frame.

There is plenty to see and plenty to love in the gallery of Maggie Co and Ewe & Eye frames.

What’s your Needlepoint Question? – Book Sneak Peek

Janet Perry — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:12:20 +0000

How do I replace a missing needlepoint chairseat?

Can I use a embroidery hoop to stitch needlepoint?

What is the American equivalent of 7 HPI canvas?

These are just three of the questions I’ve been asked recently, mostly through this site’s contact form.

I’m collecting these (and many, many others) into a Needlepoint Question & Answer Book that will come out later this year.

It will certainly be an ebook, PDF, and app ebook, and it may be available as a printed book and on CD as well.

You can help me as well by sending me your best needlepoint question. It can be something you’ve often wondered about, something you don’t know how to do, something you want to find, or anything else related to needlepoint.

Use the contact form, add a comment, or just email me. Be sure to let me know it’s for the book.

If your question is selected as one of the 200 in the book, you will get a free electronic copy (PDF).

IN the case of two or more people sending in the same question, the earliest one wins.

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.

Use Free Designs to Make Great Gifts

Janet Perry — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:30:23 +0000

Originally posted 2010-12-05 07:17:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Make a Needlepoint Pin for a Quick Gift!

There are some great free gifts that you can make using free patterns available on the Internet. Many of these designs use innovative finishing techniques.

My sister site, All about Needlepoint, has listings with links for many of these patterns. Today I’d like to highlight some of the categories.

One of my favorite ideas for a quick gift is a needlepoint pin. Amoung the highlights in these designs is a series of monthly pins by Mary Cosgrove, available through the Kreinik site. The Celtic pin pictured above, designed by Kandace Thomas is another one of the many small designs at Kreinik.

Bookmarks are another great idea. There aren’t many in the index, but one is a lovely design by Orna Willis that includes finishing instructions.

There are so many good ideas out there including a plastic canvas holder for “singles” of drink mixes, linked in the accessories for home list, a mesh bracelet from Orna in the accessories list wonderful sea creature magnets from ANG (listed under magnets), and lots of wonderful stitcher’s accessories, large and small.

Timeless Totes Self-finishing Clutch – Product Review

Janet Perry — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:34:37 +0000

Originally posted 2010-09-22 07:18:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Timeless Totes has come out with their first self-finishing product and it’s a real winner.

The clutch is made of high-quality leather or suede in several colors. It has a magnet clasp for the flap and a lovely double-ended brass zipper. Open the asymmetrical flap and inside there is an open pocket. The purse is lined in high-quality satin.

It’s just about the best made leather good for self-finishing I’ve seen.

And it is also the best for self-finishing as well. The area for needlework is sewn around with stitching about 1/4″ beyond the open area. This creates a firm border for the needlework and makes it easy to know if you have trimmed your needlework enough.

The adhesive film is covered with paper, thoughtfully cut into three pieces. This makes it easy to remove without tearing, a problem I often have with other products.

The adhesive is really strong, so place your needlework carefully on the exposed film. Then lift the sides and tuck in the edges.

With other self-finishing projects, I felt I could always remove the needlework easily and replace it with another piece, but this needlework isn’t going anywhere.

The Timeless Totes clutch is a wonderful product.

Downloadable Needlepoint Book – Needlepoint A Foundation Course

Janet Perry — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:22:56 +0000

Originally posted 2010-02-04 07:28:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

This book, Needlepoint A Foundation Course, is by Sandra Hardy and was originally published by England’s Guild of Master Craftsman in 1998. The complete book is now available as a download in Hotfiles or Depositfiles format (click on the link to go to the page).

This book is a good overview of needlepoint, with simple, clear explanations of basic stitches and techniques. While not all of her information is correct, there is lots of good stuff in this book. Some of the techniques, like shading, beadwork, and waste canvas are more advanced. Each technique has clear pictures illustrating it and a project to follow.

In general the 18 projects are traditional in design, calling on traditional and folks art for their inspiration. All of the projects have complete materials lists and working instructions. All are charted. This is my biggest problem with the book. The charts are in black and white with symbols and can be very hard to read. if possible, enlarge them before stitching.

For the more adventurous stitcher there is information about dying your own yarn and canvas as well as a chapter on design. The design chapter covers design, color, borders and the technical aspects of getting your design onto canvas.

Happiness Is Homemade – The Finished Product

Janet Perry — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:34:52 +0000

Because it was a gift I couldn’t show you, but here’s the finished vintage Petei canvas I made as a quick gift for my daughter.

REmember it probably an 80′s canvas (at least it’s 80′s colors). I brought the color palette up to date (post here) with berry colors for the dusty rose, a dark blue-green for the French Blue, and a very sparkly silver for the light blue edge of the jar.

Then I had major problems with finding the right background (post here). I finally settled on a simple darning pattern using a pale aqua Silk n’Colors.

The canvas was bought on eBay and all the threads came from my stash.

I centered the design to fit a standard 4 x 6 frame from the dollar store (post on using ready-made frames here).

Perfect little gift for my jam-making daughter.