Nuts about Needlepoint » pillows

Bargello Pillows eBook Now Available

Janet Perry — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:11:22 +0000

Originally posted 2010-07-18 07:25:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Althea at Bargello Needlepoint has a new book out, Flawless Bargello Throw Pillows. It gives you step-by-step instructions, including planning worksheets, for making pillows covered in Bargello.

You’ll even learn how to finish them easily.

The book is in ebook format and is on special through July for $19.99.

You can order it here.

What Can I Do with a Plaid?

Janet Perry — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:56:14 +0000

Originally posted 2010-06-12 07:43:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Why not use a birthday plaid as the background for a monogram?

One of the biggest challenges in needlepoint is the question of what do do with the finished stitching. While the stitching is the joy, sometimes it’s discouraging to look at the huge pile of needlepoint left stitched but waiting to be turned into something and loved. Maybe we should call it “The Island of Unloved Needlepoint.”

Birthday plaids and tartans are so much fun, it’s a shame not to make one just because you don’t know what to do with it. Some of my recent commissions give an idea of some of the wonderful things you can do with a stitched plaid.

The boxtop above uses a birthday plaid as the background for a simple monogram. The colors chosen match the room where it will live. Birthday plaids can be done in any colors and are great for this purpose.

You could use this idea for a great baby present. Do it in the nursery’s colors or in a traditional baby palette of pastels.

What about a belt?

This is the chart for a belt to be stitched in tartan. Tartan belts can often be seen and many (but not all) tartans work in this narrow space.

Stitch it in perle cotton and finish it as a belt for a unique gift.

The rage for tartan in the 1800′s made lots of tartan-embellished items to appear. Look at some of them for more ideas for stitched plaids. Then visit Needlepoint Plaids to order your tartan or birthday plaid. My experience in creating stitched plaids will create a wonderful result.

Make a Tuck Pillow for an Easy Needlepoint Finish

Janet Perry — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:17:17 +0000

Have you ever seen those “tuckable” pillows where you just tuck in the cross stitch and wished that they came in another fabric or were tought enough for needlepoint?

I know I have. One easy way to solve this problem is to make your own tuck pillow. Denise from Craft Gossip found this tutorial for making them. She points to the blog All about Me, which has links to PDF instructions of three different shapes: Diamond, Square, and Rectangle.

To have it work with needlepoint, you need to make only one modification and add one step.

First be sure to pick a heavier fabric than the light cottons shown in the directions. Needlepoint is a heavy, thick fabric, much heavier than cross stitch and requires a heavier fabric. Look for heavy weight clothing fabrics, heavy silks, and home decorating fabric.

Here’s the modification: You need a deeper pocket to keep the needlepoint tucked. The directions say to make the area for tucking 3/8″ I would make it 5/8″. I’ve put needlepoint into cross stitch pillows and 3/8″ is not wide enough to keep it in place.

Here’s the extra step: Tuck pillows are great for changing the design because the needlework isn’t permanently in place. I would however, secure needlepoint by blindstitching all around the edge to keep it in place. Although this secures it, it isn’t hard to pull out.

Sandy’s Finishing Touches – Book Review

Janet Perry — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:06:34 +0000

Sandy Higgins, self-published, ISBN 978-0-9663617-1-1, $25

I loved the earlier edition of this book and with the new, expanded, edition, there is even more to love.

Sandy is a great finisher and has often taught her techniques at national seminars. In this book she gives you step-by-step instructions for finishing pillows, ornaments, stockings, and lots of other commonly found pieces.

You won’t find explanations for really complex pieces, such as purses, but with this book, a sewing machine, some basic sewing knowledge, and some patience, you’ll be able to finish the vast majority of needlepoint you stitch.

In her introduction Sandy says “Good finishing starts before you begin your project. Careful pre-planning, a good set of instructions, a little practice, and a lot of patience will save you frustration and tears.” Sandy supplies the detailed and wonderful instructions, you supply the rest.

The foundation of finishing is properly blocked needlepoint and the entire first chapter is devoted to this. It begins with a question & answer section, covering many common subjects, such as colorfastness, cleaning, and stains. This is followed with a list of supplies and then step-by-step blocking instructions.

Then come step-by-step instructions for finishing the items, organized into three categories: pillows, Christmas items, and other items. The table of contents divides each chapter into section so you can go directly to the instructions for the item or technique you need.

In addition to the basic finishing instructions there are additional instructions on edge finishes (think ruffles or cording), inserting zippers into pillows, joining needlepoint pieces, and lots of other useful things to make your needlepoint work well.

I love the way Sandy uses simple, clear line drawings to illustrate the finishing process for each item. Today with so many instructions illustrated with photos, the clean abstraction of these little drawings is so helpful. I don’t fins myself distracted by the needlepoint or by not liking the fabric, or thinking the cording is too glitzy; I’m free to think about this finish in terms of my pieces waiting in boxes.

I love this book and it should be a part of any needlepointer’s library who wants to try finishing.

Step-by-step — Finish a Self-finishing Bag

Janet Perry — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 14:50:48 +0000

One of my favorite gifts to give is to put a great piece of needlepoint into a self-finishing bag, accessory or ornament.

It is so easy to do and is a great gift. That’s why I was so delighted when Robin King over at Needlepoint Study Hall put together this awesome tutorial on exactly how to do it.

The finished item is a Stirling tote, but the process is the same for any item that uses sticky film for inserting the needlepoint.

With these great pictures and insrtructions you can do the finishing yourself, even if you have been afraid to try in the past.

Punch Up your Metallic Canvas, Part 2

Janet Perry — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 14:02:50 +0000

snowbears needlepoint, stitch guide by janet perry

If you want to add sparkle to your metallic canvas, but want an even more subtle look, you can back your needlepoint with something sparkly (fabric or paper). This will give you some glitz, but it
s behind the needlepoint, so it will enhance whats there without being obvious.

The most important thing to decide is how you will be finishing the needlepoint. If you don’t know, use fabric. If it will be finished as a picture, boxtop, or something hard, you can use paper.

Look for a fabric or paper that has the same metallic as your canvas. Papers will be in the scrapbook section of most craft stores. You will want sheer metallic fabrics such as organza. Buy enough to cover then entire back of the canvas.

You are probably wondering why I specified sheer metallic fabrics. The easiest way to keep this kind of fabric smooth behind your needlepoint is to stitch through it. By using a light weight, sheer fabric you will be able to needlepoint through it just as you normally do.

Run a line of Fray Chek on your fabric about 1″ beyond the size of the needlepoint and let dry. Cut this out and baste it securely to the back of the needlepoint in the unworked margins of the canvas before you begin to stitch the canvas.

Your needlepoint will hold the fabric in place so when the basting is cut to finish the needlepoint the fabric will stay in place.

By the way, this is a great technique to use when you have open backgrounds on any canvas. It hides the travelling threads. The subtle result reinforces the metallic sparkle in the threads or canvas.

Dust off that old needlepoint & finish it – decorating trend

Janet Perry — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:42:53 +0000

According to this recent article in The Chicago Tribune, needlepoint, particularly pillows, is a new decorating trend.

And I couldn’t be happier.

Anyone who has been to my house knows that there are three things you can count on, besides good food — colorful walls, eclectic decorating, and needlepoint. While I’m not sure colorful walls are staging a big comeback, two hallmarks of the new decorating trends are eclectic style and needlepoint.

Take that modern chair and mix it up with a very traditional needlepoint pillow. Or, do as I have done in my living room, pictured above. This very traditional wing chairs has a needlepoint pillow on it. But it’s needlepoint with a difference. Instead of the traditional florals you might expect, the pillow is bright, modern, and geometric. Some have been designed by me, some by others. But what’s key is the mixture of styles.

Look around, how can you make your home look more modern by mixing styles and adding needlepoint?

I’m so excited I’m going to talk someone into finishing some more pillows for me.

Rescuing Old Needlepoint

Janet Perry — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 14:49:47 +0000

Vintage needlepoint pillows from August Morgan

I have often looked at stitched pieces of vintage needlepoint for sale at places like eBay and etsy and wished it could find a good home.

I always feel as if someone should snap it up, add a great back and turn it into a lovely pillow.

Humorous vintage Bargello and needlepoint pillow

An Austin Texas shop, August Morgan, is doing just that. They take vintage pieces of needlework (including crewel and bargello) and turn them into pillows.

Backs, and sometimes fabric borders, are added and each pillow is stuffed with down.

They are superb bits of vintage style, especially if you like mod colors and bold designs. The pillows pictured are typical of what they have to offer.

Best of all you can browse and buy these great pillows on-line.

Heck it’s almost like having a stitching and sewing grandmother of your own in your computer!

Parts of a Pillow — Needlepoint Finishing

Janet Perry — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 14:36:38 +0000

Unless you sew or are an interior designer or are related to one, the jargon of pillows might seem like Greek to you. In one way this can be nice, you can get pleasantly surprised by the things your finisher creates.

Box pillow diagram from Threads Magazine

But then again, you can be unpleasantly surprised as well. Let’s say you had been thinking about a box pillow, like the picture above. The needlepoint is prettily on top, and around the edges there are sides, separating the front from the back, like a box.

Knife-edge pillow

Instead you get a knife-edge pillow, where the front and back meet without any sides.

This isn’t a problem, both are fine ways to finish pillows, but you wanted one and got the other. To get started, visit Real Simple’s site for a good overview of basic pillow types, with clear pictures.

Knowing how to describe what you want in the terms finishers and interior designers use means that you know have the capability to ask for what you want. To tell your finisher, in exact terms, the kind of things that will inspire her to finish the needlepoint beautifully.

Cheryl’s Needlework Finishing has a marvelous little gallery of many of her finished pillows. Each pillow in the extensive slide show is labeled, telling you about the type of pillow, special treatments and trims type and style.

Look through it, learn about the different types of pillows and finishing and order your needlepoint pillows with confidence.

New Needlepoint Products – August 2010

Janet Perry — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 14:05:32 +0000

Although August is a month when most of us are consumed with vacations, staving off the heat, and getting the kids back to school or off to college, there are plenty of new needlepoint products out there.

Painted & Charted Canvas

DebBee’s Designs has added Turquiose and Kunzite (pale pink) to her Glitz & Glamor series. These projects are monochromatic in glorious shades inspired by gems. The charted projects use a variety of threads and stitches.

If you have ever wanted to try Or Nue (patterned couching over metallic), Brenda Kocher has a small beginner’s project available. The Or Nue butterfly is a perfect way to learn this technique with a small, stash-busting charted project.

dede Ogden has added a wonderful tropical blossom to her flowers series
dede also has some great new bags available. And (stash alert) Canvases Be Gone has a huge selection of dede’s designs that are being discontinued. It’s a great opportunity to buy these. I should know, I’ve gotten a bunch.

CBK Needlepoint Collections has added the charming artwork of Shari Beaubien to their line. These whimsical pieces (often of elephants on bright backgrounds) are on 13 mesh canvas. Canvas Candy has added a sub sandwich to their line, it comes with a blown glass sandwich, both including the pickle on top. They also have an adorable taco as well as many other items, all with ornaments.

Ashley Bradley has a wonderful New York City skyline sized to fit into a Lee’s Needle Arts bag. MAP Designs has a new line of frame weights, long and lean, the two I saw were and adorable striped cat and a cute dog with flowers. These could also be great stash busting projects. There are eight in all, including colorful hearts and funky flowers

Susan Roberts Designs had added a new shape to their 3-D ornaments — bells. There are 10 available and they join the domes and balls.

Threads, Finishing & Accessories

Fern Ridge Collections has a pre-finished purse flap that is inspired by puzzle pieces. It comes in a kit with Sullivan’s floss, specialty beads, and instructions. All you need to do is stitch. The finished purse fits Kindles, Nooks, or iPads.

Colonial Needle has added several new pieces to the Lee’s Needle Arts leather goods. There is a leather ebook reader, a gorgeous leather business tote (if I had that kind of life, I’d buy it in a second), a wonderful leather pillows.

Nordic Needle has mesh bags with mesh big enough for stitching. The mesh is white and is available in three sizes. You also have your choice of trim colors.