Monday, November 5, 2012

Stitch and Zip eBook Reader Project

My Stitch and Zip eBook Project

I was amazed to see this little Stitch and Zip cosmetic bag on the Needleart Nut's blog tonight because I have just started a Stitch and Zip project myself.  Here is what Pat's done on hers.
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2012/11/cosmetic-bag.html

I wanted something to stitch on Election Day as I anticipate that there will be lulls in voting while I am helping at the polls as an election official for my county.  Belleza is way too large to take with me although I expect she would draw a LOT of attention!  Instead, I am taking an eBook Reader case with me.  I bought the coffee themed one on sale at the local big box crafts emporium last summer.
http://www.stitchandzipkits.com/kindle-cases/

The person I want to give this to doesn't drink coffee, so I decided I would use a charted pattern on the cover instead.  I choose SharonG's gorgeous Brocade Variation stitch from her 2005 Stitch of the Month project for ANG.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2005/nov.php

I have recently been given some of Planet Earth Fiber's new wool so I choose a skein of that in dark green (Juniper #062) to set up the grid that is the basis for this stitch.  That's what you see being done in the photo above.
http://www.annieandco.com/collections/planet-earth-wool/?view=5000

I left the case unzipped in the photo so you can see the Stitch and Zip front and back.  The back fabric is a sturdy thin velveteen.  I will probably put padding beneath my needlepoint and then slip stitch a piece of Ultrasuede over the back side to give extra padding and protection for the front of the eBook reader itself when the case is zipped close.

I have to say the Planet Earth wool is quite nice stuff.  You can see the strand of green in the photo plus an unopened skein of tan in the photo.   It is 90 percent wool and 10 percent nylon so it doesn't feel scratchy.  If I didn't know better I would think it was a silk/wool blend with just a little less shine than these threads normally have.   I am allergic to wool and never stitch with it in the summer when it is hot.  But I haven't felt the itch with this wool.  Still, it has been unseasonably cold and this might be less easy to stitch with next July.  It covers well on the 14 count interlock canvas used by Stitch and Zip cases.  Interlock does occasionally rub off a tiny bit of wool if I am using too long a length but I think that is just because interlock abrades threads more than regular canvas does.  I am using a size 20 needle and trying to remember to cut smaller lengths and haven't had a problem very often, only when I pick out and restitch an area because I can't count properly.

I'll post a photograph of the finished piece once it is done.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

The Floozy's Necklace and Betsy's Stars

If you have been curious about Wonder Ribbon in action, Needleart Nut has used some for the necklace on her Leigh canvas from Leigh Design's Floozie series.
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2012/10/lets-do-jewelry.html

Stephanie's stars on her Betsy Ross canvas (one of the Wild Women series by Melissa Shirley) have been diagrammed by Needle Works in Austin who graciously allowed Stephanie to post the diagram for us all to use.
http://stephsstitching.blogspot.com/2012/10/happy-halloween-treats-included.html

Whoops!  Almost forgot.  Here's more about Wonder Ribbon courtesy of Quail Run's blog...
http://sonorandesertstitching.blogspot.com/2012/07/wonder-ribbon-by-collection.html

,,,and Annie and Company in NYC.
http://www.annieandco.com/products/the-collection-503-wonder-ribbon-gold

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

If Clothes Make the Man....

...then finishing makes the needlepoint. Nothing illustrates this better than Robin King's posting that shows up a zillion ways of finishing her Needle Deeva Creeps series.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2012/10/happy-halloween-from-creeps.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

How To Dye Threads

I think everyone who has stitched more than one or two projects has run into problems with thread dye lots being different, with not being able to find just the color of thread you need, or had a thread you like discontinued (usually within days of finishing a stitch guide for a project that uses a LOT of that particular thread).   The life of a thread manufacturer is full of these problems, many of which are out of their control.

I ran across an article on Opus Anglicanum about dyeing one's own threads that I thought you'd enjoy because it illustrates the complexity of dyeing threads.  Tanya is creating a large series of panels of reproduction 14th Century Icelandic embroidery and ran out of the red wool that frames each panel.  Hence the dye lecture since she hand dyed all the 2 ply wool for the project originally and now has to make more of the red.   I found it fascinating, and I think you will, too.  I appreciate the commercial thread companies a lot more after reading this, even though their processes are much different than the small batch of hand dyeing Tanya is doing.
http://opusanglicanum.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/dye/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com