Originally posted 2008-01-16 18:15:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Printer’s ornaments (those little graphics you sometimes find at the end of chapters) are a superb source of ideas for needlepoint. They work great as the basis for needlepoint because they generally have simple lines and large areas which look good in stitches.
The little piece above is a great example. It’s a classic Arts & Crafts motif of three gingko leaves. I made it for a friend who is from Korea and loves this tree. In the Fall gingkos have brilliant yellow leaves, which I reflected in the yellow color. The background is a simple T Stitch.
But enough about this piece — how can you do something like it yourself.
First find an ornament. Dover Books’ Pictorial Archive series has tons of books with small designs which will work (the ginklos came from one of these). Use a photocopier to enlarge the design to the size you like for your project.
Place your needlepoint canvas over the copy and trace only the outline of the design. Use a permanent non-Xylene or dye-based marker to trace. Some good possibilities include:
- Pigma Micron markers (find them in quilt shops)
- SCA-UF (find them in art supply stores)
- FabricMate Dye Pens (Michael’s)
Once you have traced the outline, pick the threads and stitches for your piece. Since the design is simple, pick some overdyed and hand-dyed threads. Choose stitches which have lots of texture to enhance the design. On the gingko leaves I use Criss-cross Hungarian, Offset Mosaic and Diagonal Cashmere.
Pick a background which is subtle. I like to use T Stitch making the design look like hand-made paper.
Stitch the background to make the design fit into a ready-made frame and you have a quick and unique gift.
And it’s another of my President’s Challenge pieces (that’s three so far).
Now I’m off to make another one.
Related posts:
[...] Creating a Simple Design [...]
[...] Creating a Simple Design [...]
[...] Creating a Simple Design [...]