Review: Amy Bunger's "Barely There" DVD

Over the last week I've been watching a review copy of Amy Bunger's newest DVD in the How'd You Do That? series sent to me by Amy's webmistress and film editor, Robin King. Robin sent this on a no strings attached basis so that I could watch it and report on what these are like for you. Since I have never seen one of the videos for sale locally (they must sell out as soon as they arrive) it fills a hole in my needlepoint experience. So thanks, Robin! Blog's readers and I greatly appreciate your doing this.

The video I've watched twice now (once on my laptop and once on the TV using its DVD player) is number six in the series--"Barely There" which has just come out. It is all about light coverage stitches. You know how I love those! So this was exciting to receive in the mail. I have to admit I don't associate Amy Bunger with light coverage stitches. I think of designs with many patterns, a lot of color and fancy stitches, not the light coverage stitch hint of pattern I like to attempt on my canvases. I think of something like this--something over the top and fun, but not subtle.
http://www.amybunger.com/albums/album_image/6262614/3783960.htm

So I popped the DVD into my laptop prejudiced against how much I'd enjoy the program already. I admit that.

The DVD comes in a plastic case with a paper jacket just like the ones in the movie rental store. Heck, it is just like any other DVD. You can play it on your television or in any computer that has a DVD player. The opening title page allows you to either play the entire show or to choose just a chapter on a certain topic. This will make it easier to replay a section later when you want to review what Amy said. (Note: CDs and DVDs are two different animals. Make sure your computer or TV can play DVDs before investing in any of Amy's DVD series.)

"Barely There" starts out with an introduction by Amy herself. She seemed to speak very slowly to me, but after a bit I realized that this is a deliberate speech pattern from a very experienced teacher who knows that folks can't always follow what she says when they are concentrating hard on seeing new things at the same time. My feeling quickly vanished when Amy introduced the canvas stitched to demonstrate the techniques she explains in the video, the long Julia's Needleworks vase canvas shown in the link below. I became so interested in the types of stitches Amy uses for each vase that I forgot she was not running at the mouth like us hyper Southerners do.
http://www.juliasneedleworks.com/gallery2/gallery2embedded.php?g2_itemId=2390&g2_imageViewsIndex=1

As she talked about various types of light coverage stitches (shadow stitching, darning stitches, blackwork, etc.), I quickly realized that I was wrong Amy rarely used these techniques in her stitching. It is just hard to tell in photos that the patterns you see show the beautiful painted canvas below them and incorporating the shading into the design. This daffodils piece stitched by Robin with Amy's suggestions uses a great many light coverage stitches on the flower petals. You just don't notice them because of the intense dark background and the ribbon details of the flower centers. After all, light threads on light background colors don't photograph in good detail.
http://www.amybunger.com/albums/album_image/6262614/4792628.htm

I have to say I was really impressed by "Barely There." Amy clearly understands the major issues that confront anyone who uses light coverage stitches on painted canvases -- how to anchor threads securely without the tails showing, how to handle the transition at the margins between different light coverage stitches, and how to camouflage the threads on the back of your design when there isn't enough thread on the front to hide the threads connecting various areas. She demonstrates each problem and how to deal with it as she walks the listener through the various techniques she describes. There are lots of completed projects illustrating Amy's points, and at the end of the program ("Barely There" is 55 minutes long) there are credits that tell you which designer created the canvas so you can order if you fall in love. There are also credits for the stitcher and/or stitch guide writer, which is a nice touch. I enjoyed the music in "Barely There" which was pleasant but not intrusive. Robin tells me the music is original, created with GarageBand. Amy does promote her Cookbook series a bit in the DVD when she credits folks like dede Odgen who uses shadow stitching a lot and even has a book out about it. But the self-promotion is subtle and I was so impressed Amy gives credit where credit is due that it didn't bother me. Not every person in the industry is so scrupulous, you know.

I learned several new things from the DVD even though I have used light coverage stitches quite often in the last five years. Amy obviously knows needlepoint inside and out. However, I can't unreservedly recommend "Barely There" or any other DVDs in the series because of the cost. $38 will buy you a copy of most of the nice stitch books available today and I personally will flip through a book many more times, noticing something new each time, than I will watch a DVD. You can easily find something you want to see again in the DVD by using the chapter selector at the beginning of the program, but how many times will we do this?

Of course, if you learn better by watching, you will definitely find Amy's How'd You Do That? series worth your money. I also think if you go in with friends and buy a DVD to share, it will be worth the money to buy any of the series that particularly interest your group. The DVDs will make fantastic guild programs, particularly if there is a follow-up program where members bring in painted canvases from their stash and talk about whether light coverages stitches will work on their designs, where and why, and why not. My ANG chapter has almost all the series and checks them out to members which is a fabulous idea. I'm going to get on the waiting list right away.

You can see all the How'd You Do That? videos on Amy's website. They cost $38 plus shipping there, and are in the $38-40 range at many other online shops. I'm sending you to Amy's website because naturally you can see all the videos available there. Not all shops will have all of them in stock.
http://www.amybunger.com/DVDs.html

If you want to view before you buy, there is a snippet from "Mop Tops and Buzz Cuts" DVD#3 available for watching at the link below. It is very representative of what I saw watching "Barely There"--an introduction by Amy herself and then an excellent close-up of her stitching an eyebrow and explaining what she is doing and why, along with alternative threads you might use depending on the look you want and what is available in your local shops. There are also nice close-ups of finished pieces that show off the various techniques for stitching hair, beards and eyebrows covered in this DVD.
http://www.amybunger.com/YouTube.html

To sum up, Amy Bunger's DVDs are a fantastic resource from someone who knows her subject inside and out. They aren't inexpensive and may not be something you'll watch over and over, but they are perfect for group viewing and discussion. And I guarantee you'll want to buy a second DVD once you watch one of these.

Jane, now pondering whether to buy Fur or Hair here in CH while I watch "Barely There" for a third time, just for fun

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow