Originally posted 2007-12-12 07:39:38. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
It’s almost mid-December and, no matter what I do, panic sets in about Christmas gifts.
You’re probably like me and so I want to share with you some of my ideas for making quick needlepoint for gifts.
A small needlepoint box or picture frame is fun to do. One of my favorite sources for these are Raymond Crawford’ magnets. They are small (2″ square) and come in dozens of designs, so they work for anyone. I’ve made them as box tops for Romancing the Past’s boxes. You can also buy small frames for pictures and use them. Often you can’t find 2″ frames, only 2.5″. In that case add a border of Diagonal Gobelin around it to make the needlepoint fit.
Another fun idea is to make a needlepoint bookmark. You can buy charming blank or painted bookmarks already inset into Ultrasuede. The top is not sewn so you can get to the needlepoint. Then sew the edges to get a lovely finished piece.
Sometimes I have made glass paperweights as Christmas gifts. Yarn Tree makes a nice variety. You don’t need to stitch something fancy, even a geometric pattern or a Bargello design will look great.
The accessories from Lee’s Needle Arts and Needlepoint of Back Bay make lovely gifts (though more expensive). Why not stitch something for one fo their small items. I’ve given needlework coin purses often as gifts and now my thoughts have been going towards Needlepoint of Back Bay’s stunning Silk Dupionni jewel boxes. Sine these products have sticjy adhesive with them, you can finish them yourself.
Don’t overlook your local stores. With scrapbooking popular, you can often find albums which have openings in the front for photos. Often these can be used to hold needlepoint. But not every album works, you need to have certain characteristics. Look for an album which:
- has an accessible hole (i.e. not covered in paper)
- is thick enough to hold needlepoint
- has a back like a frame or one which could be covered with decorative paper once the needlepoint is inserted
If you can’t find an album which works, you could always scan your needlepoint, make a high res print and insert that.
In my house, Christmas ornaments are the big thing. Two of my favorite ornament finished work great for last-mimute gifts. I like to use the largest size of Dritz button forms (2.5″ or size 100) to make round ornaments. I usually use Congress Cloth, make the design, cover the button form with sparkly fabric and then put the needlepoint over it.
Another great finish was used for the Four-Way Bargello ornament. This works with any diamond-shaped needlepoint.
- Make a square around the diamond and cut it out about five canvas threads beyond it.
- Fold that margin and then fold the corners of the square to the back so that they meet in the center.
- Insert your hanger at one of the points.
- Sew the edges of the canvas together on the back.
- Glue on a pretty piece of Ultrasude to cover the unstitched canvas.
So happy stitching!
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Great suggestion for something quick – I like the finishing instructions too. I have this piece and several others ready to put up on my web page as e-patterns. Just another day or two.
My daughter is getting married on Oct 8th in the garden. The priest told me I’d need a kneeler the bride and groom.
I don’t needlepoint and know this would be a rush job. Is it possible to have a kneeler completed in two and half weeks?
Thanks for any help.
Kitty –
That would REALLY be a rush job and probably not possible. Kneelers, especially for prie-dieus or wedding kneelers are pretty large and they need to be done in either Tent Stitch (plain old needlepoint) or other small stitches so they will not snag.
Once stitched they need to be made up into the kneeler which can also take a bit of time.
If I was in this position, first I’d talk to the priest to see exactly what he wants. Does he want a kneeler, that is a box-edge pillow that would be put on the ground in this case, Or does he want a prie-dieu, a portable piece of furniture that has a kneeler at the bottom and something like an altar rail to rest your hands on top. Also does it need to be big enough for one (prie-dieus almost always are this size) or two (kneelers can be this big or bigger).
That will tell you more exactly what you need to find. If it’s a prie-dieu you might call local churches to see if they have one you can borrow. If you want to buy one, you would look at church furnishings shops or possibly on eBay. If I bought it on eBay, I’d have it blessed before using. You could possibly find a pice of needlepoint to fit and recover this, it shouldn’t be hard.
A kneeler will be much more difficult, I don’t think a church would loan one for this. So you would need to find a big piece of stitched needlepoint (try eBay) which could be very hard. Then you would need to find someone who could make this in a rush. Needlepoint, Inc in SF can do rush jobs, but you will have to figure mailing times into this.
I wish I could be of more help.
Keep Stitching,
Janet