Nuts about Needlepoint

For so many of use we tend to stitch alone. Even if we stitch while we are with our families, we’re usually the only ones doing handwork. That’s why having a guild chapter or stitching group is so wonderful. Everyone there shares the same love — a love of stitching. We all understand the successes, joys, and difficulties. We all help each other. Best of all, we support each other. I’ve been a member of the WineCountry Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild for more than 15 years. Many of our members have been there much longer. Once a month we meet on a Saturday for our meetings. We may have a project, we may have a talk, we may even have a stitch-in. But whenever we meet two essential things happen. First we have Ta-Da!. It’s a time where people bring in their stitched projects, We put them on

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Many stitchers love the creative charted needlepoint designs of Amy Wolfson. At the end of 2013 she will be closing her needlepoint design business to focus on other things. Many of her designs, such as Romance and Rhapsody have been popular among needlepointers. She also has great projects to make 3-D needlepoint animals and to design your own original pieces. You can order her projects through her website. In the past I’ve written several posts on Amy & her products. These include: Designer Profile Observations on Romance & Rhapsody Tips from Rhapsody Stitchers Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2013Some Rights ReservedOriginal content here is published under these license terms: X License Type:Non-commercial, Attribution, no Derivative workLicense Summary:You may copy this content, and re-publish it in unmodified form for non-commercial purposes, provided you include an overt attribution to the author(s). You are not permitted to create derivative works.License URL:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd

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I actually have three different needlepoint spaces in my house. I’ve written about my studio which was originally the formal dining room in our house. Earlier this year we switched things so my desk faces the front window. I’m much happier. I’m keeping things neater (you can actually walk inside the room). My cats are so happy because they can sit behind the printer and watch the street or they can sleep on the daybed which is in a sunnier spot. My office is filled with cabinets and other containers for thread, three big bookshelves, plus more books on my desk’s hutch and a chest of drawers with mostly threads. I spend most of the day here. I have two other needlepoint spaces. The first is my “shipping table” in the garage. It’s an old desk that has shipping boxes, my inventory of books, long stretcher bars, models for trunk

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Originally posted 2004-01-17 08:37:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter I’ve been home almost a week and my brain is still spinning from all the wonderful things I saw at Market. Your shops are sure to be full of the most fun things to stitch. The vendors I spoke with all agree that this was one of their best markets in years and it was certainly one of the biggest Winter Markets TNNA has had. There were new vendors, with bigger booths and the attendance from shops had grown by over 40%. The space was large so it never seemed crowded and I was excited by what I saw. This issue will talk about painted canvases, threads, accessories, finishing ideas, and finally will have a section on trends. First a very short update on From Mountain to Molehill (last issue). I got a great email from Pamela Gardner, the author of

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Needlepaint has a wonderful new service. They can help you create a custom stitch-painted belt canvas. With their directory of belt design elements, you combine the items that suit the person or design best. Because they are all no more than 22 stitches high you can combine any you like. With hundreds of elements (and more being added), you can create a belt for anyone. The directory has small pictures of each of the elements. You can also have them create a custom belt for you. Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2013Some Rights ReservedOriginal content here is published under these license terms: X License Type:Non-commercial, Attribution, no Derivative workLicense Summary:You may copy this content, and re-publish it in unmodified form for non-commercial purposes, provided you include an overt attribution to the author(s). You are not permitted to create derivative works.License URL:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd

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Today’s Craft in June post is supposed to be about what makes us happy. Many things always make me happy. Even so we should celebrate the good things that happen every day. So here are things that are making me happy right now. 1. Donuts. Today is National Donut Day & my son just went out to get us some. 2. Much Ado about Nothing. The movie opening today has got me thinking about this my favorite Shakespeare play. I have doubts that this movie will portray the lovely things about love the play does, that would be hard to do in today’s sexually permissive society when an important point is about virginal love. But it got me thinking about how much I love this play. I’ll probably watch Branaugh’s version tonight. 3. Reading. I just finished a lovely book, The World’s Strongest Librarian. I recommend it highly. You’ll be

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Originally posted 2010-11-20 07:27:42. Republished by Blog Post Promoter The Needle Bug, a great shop in Montgomery, Alabama, posted great instructions on how to use Thread Heaven on their blog earlier this week. If you’re like me and using this little product is baffling check it out. There is also a link on the page to buy it

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As part of their new designs premiering at the Columbus Market later this month, JP is introducing these dramatic necklaces. The designs are 5 x 13 on 18-mesh canvas. Each of the six designs has a necklace with a pendant. Created for embellishing, think of how you could take advantage of the great new materials and threads out there! I’m already thinking about gold Sparkles with a length of Dollar Store beads inside it as the necklace. Couch it between the beads. Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2013Some Rights ReservedOriginal content here is published under these license terms: X License Type:Non-commercial, Attribution, no Derivative workLicense Summary:You may copy this content, and re-publish it in unmodified form for non-commercial purposes, provided you include an overt attribution to the author(s). You are not permitted to create derivative works.License URL:http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd

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Sometimes I try to figure out what things are in common about the things I like. I realized a few years ago how remarkably consistent I am. Many of the things that inspired me in my 20′s still inspire me. They are pretty varied I’ll admit but I’m influenced always by quilts, especially Amish, Japanese woodcuts, geometric shapes, and bungalow architecture. And color, always color. When it comes to color, I’m deeply influenced by colors with lots of clarity and by colors that are uncertain changing according to the light and their surroundings. It’s no wonder I love Whistler. Between the amazing teal of the Peacock Room and those uncertain colors and shapes in his nocturnes, he’s perfect. The other common thing about my influences is clarity of line. I far prefer illlustration to painting and only recently realized that in illustration, especially in modern works, the lines and shapes

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Originally posted 2009-04-17 05:43:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter Earlier this week Judy Harper had a marvelous post on FREEBIES, Etc! about creating your own needlepoint jeweled insect. She shows you, step by step, how to create a beetle and a ladybug. I’m starting some of my own this weekend. Some may think it a bit strange but I just adore bugs done in needlework. I have a ton of needlepoint bugs and butterflies painted by Mika Partridge which I stitched in the early 90′s and I still have one, a spider, in my stash. Some of her bugs were distributed by JB Needleworks and might be available from Julia’s Needleworks. If you’re looking for realistic beetle insect canvases, there are delightful ladybugs from Amanda Lawford, DMC, and many others. Dragonflies are also popular with great ones from JP Needlepoint, Amanda Lawford, and **. As are bees, with ones by

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I have so much fun teaching the Create Your Own Stitch Guide Class each year. Canvas Enhancement classes are so popular in shops these days, but why not get the tools to do it yourself? Why not learn on your schedule in your home and, if you like, wearing your pajamas? That’s what you get in this class — the tools to design your own stitch guide, learning from others, stitch guides prepared in the class for selected canvases, and great discussion — all at a bargain basement price of $35! I get lots of questions so I thought I’d take a minute to answer some of them. You can sign up with the button at the bottom of the post. Do I have to go someplace to attend this class? No, all the lessons are sent by email and all discussion is in a private Yahoo group. You can

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“All things work for the good of those who love God.” In college my roommate described me as a duck, looking graceful from the top but paddling madly underneath. It’s true, I work hard to make my life appear effortless. But the reality is something much different for me, as it probably is for you. I struggle. My illness keeps me and will forever keep me from doing things so many people take for granted. I often say that the hardest pat of every day is just getting dressed. Maybe I”m stupid or maybe I’m stubborn but I’m not going to give up on living as much of a life as I can every single day. And what gets me through? My faith. This quote expresses it so very well. Because I have faith I know that my difficulties mean something. Because of my faith I know God won’t give

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Originally posted 2008-07-17 08:04:16. Republished by Blog Post Promoter I just learned about and looked at Daphne Goodyear’s wonderful needlepoint in her Guest Gallery at Stitch Amaze, one of my absolute favorite needlepoint sites. I’m blown away by her stitching. Go through the gallery and be delighted by the wit of her Wild Women in History (link is to detail of Mata Hari, the piece as a whole is in the gallery). I love her needlepoint chair back, which has a Melissa Shirley design inserted into the back of a comfy chair. Typically I make mini-socks to try out new stitches and new Bargello patterns, but I love her patchwork throw and wall hanging (link is to a detail, the pieces as a whole are in the gallery) so much, I’m going to start to make squares. Just below that is another great idea for using needlepoint stash, a ZigZag

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Koigu is an amazing yarn. Sock weight and hand-dyed in Canada, it’s about the the only yarn I take up knitting again to use. The colors are amazing. Single-color or multi-color blends have the most lovely combinations. Even the solid colors have wonderful depth. It’s also amazing for needlepoint on 13- and 14-mesh canvases. The big problem is that they are knitting yarns not needlepoint threads and come in skeins of about 175 yards, making one skein almost a lifetime supply of a color. One option is to search eBay and Etsy for “mini-skeibs,” skeins of 10-20 yards that are used for projects such as the Beekeeper’s Quilt that use small bits of many yarns. These can be hard to find in my experience. Even so I adore this yarn because in addition to the great colors, it stitches like a dream. In the pictured project, Koigu is used for

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Today we are supposed to tell our favorite craft and explain why it floats our boats. It should come as no surprise that needlepoint floats my boat. I loved it from the moment I took my first stitch. The bigger question is why. Needlepoint is so many things to me as it is to other stitchers: a meditation, a comfort, a distraction, and a hobby. But I want to talk about something else that’s important to me. Needlepoint is a never-ending springboard to creativity. People who dismiss needlepoint often say it’s just like painting with numbers because, often, the design is already on the canvas. But it isn’t it’s more like a conversation between you and the artist. Think of the canvas as the equivalent of a book. How many times when you read a book do you find yourself arguing with the author, or agreeing with the book? How

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