Basketweave Turkeywork

Michele at Bristly Thistle has a tip for those who hate turkeywork but need some on one of their canvases—stitch it the Susan Portra way.  Basically you just do basketweave but leave big loops on top of the canvas.  I suspect this works best in smaller areas as I can see holding a ton of loops out of the way would get difficult if you were doing this in a big space.  Of course you could use non-tacky tape to hold the loops out of the way.
https://www.bristlythistle.com/blog/2017/7/24/the-easiest-turkey-work-ever

If you loathe turkeywork, this is something to try.  Thanks, Susan, Sally and Michele!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 24, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Mandala Magnets

Fans of Eastern-themed designs will want to check out the Mandala magnets from Nancy Baha's Etsy shop.  The retro floral tile styles are lovely, but I can't take my eyes off the Mandalas!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/nancybaha?ref=l2-shop-info-name&section_id=21509286

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 23, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Computer Pixie Has a Frame

The Computer Pixie, Framed!

I finally got around to framing my Computer Pixie* by turning under the edges and adding a twisted cord I made from size 5 perle cotton, then attaching her with glue to the back of a shadow box frame I found on sale at Michael's.  She's off to the county fair to charm all the folks visiting the Needlework Exhibit.  She was a lot of fun, even though I went off the rails quite often when it came to following Sheena's fun stitch guide.  I do love stitching humorous canvases and people!

*Design by Ruth Schmuff, with a free Sheena James stitch guide.
https://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/product/computer-pixie/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 14, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Twist and Select Needle Case

I absolutely adore my Twister, which is a lipstick-style magnetic needle storage case made by Pym.
http://www.needlepointtooltime.com/product/Twister

It holds all my current needles and keeps them safe when not in use.  Thanks to Brenda's Needlepoint Studio, I've discovered that Dritz has two different needle cases that are similar in style.
https://brendasneedlepointstudio.blogspot.com/2017/07/needle-storage-tubes-72317.html

Here is what Brenda found and chose to use.  It appears to hold needles up to two and a quarter inches long, which means it might not hold the longest beading needles but it'll handle tapestry needles just fine.
https://www.createforless.com/Dritz-Needle-Storage-Tubes-3-pc/pid281784.aspx

After a little more hunting I found Dritz's larger lipstick-twist case.  It also is the same length.
https://www.createforless.com/Dritz-Needle-Case-Twist-N-Select-Storage-Tube/pid270102.aspx

Thanks, Brenda.  Options are always good as no one product suits every needlepointer.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 23, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

NAN's 2017 Winners

The National Academy of Needlearts has finally posted photographs of all the winners of their 2017 Exemplary on their website.  Click on each photo for a better look and a short summary of the piece.   If you have a Facebook account, you can see more photos at their NAN page.
https://needleart.org/assembly/2017-exemplary-ribbon-winners/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 18, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.