Halloween With Robin and Her Sisters

If you've ever watched an Amy Bunger DVD, visited her website, read Amy's e-newsletter, or taken a class in her store, you've probably seen Robin King's stitching.  Robin is the webmaster, DVD producer, and teacher in the shop.

If you've ever paid attention to Robin's designs posted on Amy's website, you might notice that they are almost all Halloween designs.  Robin, she loves Halloween!  And Robin loves her sisters. The photo above shows Midge on the left and Kathy on the right (and a stitched Robin pillow in the chair).  She loves them enough that she is about to finish a third witch pillow, one for each of the King Girls.  Robin clarifies that all the pillows live with her:   "The pillows are still in my possession.  I told them about how they were the inspiration for each pillow, but I don't think they saw the compliment.  Since I don't want to break up the Trio, I will be the Pillow Keeper."

Midge's witch is called Connie.  She has black and white ruffles around her pillow.  The design is from Mile High Princess from Artists Collection and the design is MHP-2209.

Here's a close up so you can see all the wonderful things Amy Bunger came up with for Robin to use on this design.  Note how the very diagonal background stitch looks great with this piece.  I've always avoided very diagonal backgrounds for most pieces but this one has me rethinking that policy.  Love the bat, by the way!

Kathy's witch is called Myrtle Boo Queen.  This Mile High Princess design (available from Artists Collection) is MHP-H13, and was the first witch in the series that Robin stitched.

Again, the diagonal background looks great.  I also love the green pointed shoes and the orange pumpkin and its dimensional stem.

Here's a close up so you can see just how much you envy Kathy.
















The very last pillow in the series is Robin's own witch portrait and she hasn't finished it yet but I talked her into showing it off for you as it is close to being done.

 Only the background and one of the bats remains unstitched.  This is Mile High Princess (Artists Collection) number MHP-2210.  Robin says this is from an Amy Bunger stitch guide she wrote in one of Amy's Cook Up classes.

I am sure you join me in thanking Robin for sharing these pieces for our Blog Halloween celebration today.  If you want to see more of Robin's stitching, browse the photos of finished pieces on Amy Bunger's website.  If anything Halloween comes up, it'll probably be Robin's!
http://www.amybunger.com/Finished_Gallery.html

If you are charmed enough to want to see more of the Mile High Princess witches, here is the website.
http://www.artistscollection.net/Artists_Collection/Halloween_Gallery.html

Have a stitching Halloween, everyone!


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Cameo Flap Done, Front and Back Started

The flap on the front of the cameo ornament is done!  Hurrah!

I did have some trouble with the mitered center as I failed to understand the mirror imaging at first but that was because I forgot the first rule of counted thread stitching:  Read the instructions several times and study the diagrams carefully.

Gay Ann Rogers uses hand drawn diagrams which are very precise and detailed and I just missed the direction of one of the sections which had to be ripped out.  My fault.

Anyway, this piece is attached at the top of its section to the front of the ornament so you can pin a cameo broach there.  Lift the flap and unpin the cameo to wear it.  I'm going to attach my cameo bead I got from Gay Ann but I want the flap liftable so the bead can be removed and a real cameo put on the ornament if my mother wishes.

I have the front and back of the ornament outlined.  They are identical at this point but after I do the second step of the outlining, they will begin to diverge.  By the way, if you look at the photos you'll see why I marked Top on my two canvases.  The flap, front and back are symmetrical, which means it is easy to get confused and forget which end is up.  Gay Ann's diagrams have the top marked and I think it is smart to mark the end of the canvas you are working as well.

My 24 count congress cloth is the sage green, a very pretty color when combined with the ecru-with-a-green-tint perle cotton.  I am using #12 perle cotton from Valdani in color 15.  I haven't used this thread before.  I've discovered that it is softer and less shiny than DMC perle cotton.  Like any perle cotton, it does become abraded going through the congress cloth.  I have found that it is best to use around a 12 inch length.  My cameo ornament is small enough that the longest length of thread I've needed is about 18 inches.  The thread does knot itself if you aren't careful, which is another reason to use shorter lengths.

I am using the John James needles I won at the Gone Stitching Radio podcast when they had a prize from Terry Collingham of the Colonial Needle Company.  I received a set of platinum needles and a set of gold needles plus one of their Pebble case assortments of tapestry needles.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Gone-Stitching

I am testing the gold needles on this project.  Gay Ann Rogers recommends using a size 24 needle so I pulled one out of the package.  The first thing you'll notice is the needles are gold in color, especially around the eye.
http://www.colonialneedle.com/cgi-bin/quikstore.cgi?search=yes&hits_seen=60&keywords=James

The second thing you'll notice is that they squeak going through the congress cloth!  I tried them out on the Rabbit Geisha also and if you are going through a hole with a thread already there or if you are using the needle on congress cloth with perle cotton, the needle will give a little squeaking sound as it pushes its way through the hole.  You soon get used to this and I only hear it occasionally anyway.  I suspect I am using a slightly large needle for the congress cloth but Gay Ann says to use a size 24 because you are stitching with #12 perle cotton.  Ordinarily I would be using a 26 size needle on congress cloth but I am stitching with a fat thread that needs a slightly larger needle eye.

So far I don't see any signs of wear on the needle.  I have acid hands which take the plating off many brands of needles.  I'll keep you informed about how well the gold needles hold up as I get further into the project.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Introducing Gay Ann Roger's Cameo Ornament

Although I mostly stitch painted canvases, I occasionally venture out into the world of Counted Thread, especially when there is a project I absolutely love that is charted.  On the right you see my next project, Gay Ann Roger's large cameo ornament.  She taught two versions of a cameo ornament at Callway.  I'm stitching the larger one which is seen on the right.  It is going to be my mother's Christmas present as she loves cameos. I know she will love this piece!  But I'm going to have to hurry as this needs to be finished and made up into an ornament by Thanksgiving.  By the way, the link below is to Gay Ann Roger's blog.  On it she posted photos of all the cameo designs she has taught.  Each year in October she has what she calls E-Week when she sells selected designs from her years of teaching.  I saw and purchased my cameo ornament instructions this year from her website (second link below).  Don't miss the techniques pages.  You can get great hints from The Queen of Bullions herself that will come in very handy whether you are a painted canvas person, an embroider, a counted thread lover, or just interested in hand work.
http://gayannrogers.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html

http://www.gayannrogers.com/site_2/Home_Page.html

The instructions arrived promptly and I immediately sat down and read through them twice.  In my experience, reading the instructions several times before you start really helps, especially when you are working from class instructions that were meant to be worked with the teacher present.  There are always a few little questions which Gay Ann answered via email promptly.

By the way, I also ordered the cameo bead separately from the instructions from Mrs. Rogers.  It really finishes off this piece beautifully, especially since I know my mother doesn't have a pin she would want to put on the ornament.

For this piece you use #12 perle cotton, #8 Kreinik braid, #8 perle cotton and silk ribbon on congress cloth.  The ornament is made up of three parts:  the front, the back and a flap on the front to attach your cameo.  The instructions include finishing tips and how to make the double tassel that finished the piece.  I choose sage green congress cloth, ecru perle cotton and Kreinik silver braid #102.  I am undecided about the silk ribbon.  I have a lot of shades of pink for the silk ribbon roses but may borrow ecru silk ribbon from a fellow threadaholic to use instead.  I am a bit worried that ecru flowers won't set off the ecru cameo button properly.  We'll see.

As I have a tight deadline, once I finished the squiggles on the Rabbit Geisha, I started the front flap piece.  Here is my progress so far.

Next time I'll talk about the perle cotton I'm using for this piece.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Presenting Brenda Stofft's Rabbit Geisha

Yes, the Rabbit Geisha is done!  I finished couching the squiggles that decorate her over tunic last night.  They are some of the pretty navy Snow couched down with one ply of the navy Splendor silk I've been using on this project.

My scanner bed isn't large enough to take a good close up of everything at once.  Sorry.  If the sun comes out this week I'll take a photograph of the whole thing with my digital camera for you, but I thought close ups of half of the Rabbit Geisha were better than nothing.  So here are the two halves, with overlap but at least you can see how she turned out.

She will stay on her stretcher bars for 2-3 months as I need to wait until the finisher's Christmas rush is over before she travels to be made into a tote bag applique.  I hope to have something fabulous to show you in early 2010.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Next Steps

Sorry, I didn't get the squiggles couched last night.  Too busy with other things!  I did get the instructions for my next project, the Gay Ann Rogers Cameo Ornament, have read through them twice, made a list of what I don't have here, and have cut and put my congress cloth on stretcher bars.  Hopefully I can get to the next largest town to pick up the one thing I don't have--#12 cotton perle---shortly.

I will finish the Rabbit Geisha tonight!  (Famous last words.)  And for those who asked, she will be appliqued on the front of a tote bag sometime after Christmas as I didn't finish this piece in time to meet the finishing deadline.  No problem, as this is a present for me.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Geisha's Tassels

Last night I finished the navy tassels. They are worked in a mix of gold 002 Kreinik (straight lines around the knots), Splendor navy #S872 and metallic navy Snow #17.  The long lengths are just straight or slanted stitches to fill the area and the tassels are stem stitch of both the Splendor silk and the Snow metallic.  You don't see the Snow well in the photo but in person it is a subtle and elegant touch.

The only thing I have to complete now are the squiggles on the trim of the tunic at the neckline under the shawl collar and at the hem.  Which is a good thing as the instructions for the cameo ornament I'm stitching for a Christmas present arrived yesterday.  I'll gather my stitching supplies for that tonight after I finish the Rabbit Geisha.  She will be put away for a while until after Christmas as my finisher is too busy to work on her right now.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Geisha's Fan

I meant to leave the fan the Rabbit Geisha carries until very last but I just couldn't resist!

The photo to the left shows the first steps in stitching the fan.  The middle rib is stem stitch using a strand of Silk Lame Braid (color #SL60) which is a mix of ecru and gold.  The bottom of the handle is some of my Kreinik gold 002, size #16 ribbon, stitched in herringbone stitch to show off the ribbed pattern.  The couched ecru stitches are long lengths using Rainbow Gallery's Subtlety (color Y904) which is a silk perle in size 12.  This is the same thread I used on the kimono over tunic.  I laid my stitches in the ecru ditches and couched the stitches down with shorter stitches in the same thread.  It makes a pattern on the two halves of the fan that looks different due to the different orientation of the painted lines.  If you look carefully at the bottom of the fan you will see that I've started outlining the edge of the fan in gold using Kreinik's 002 gold in size #8.

The second photo shows the finished fan.  After the gold edging was finished, I attached rows of Mill Hill's Antique Glass beads (color 05060) on top of the gold painted lines.  These beads are larger than the seed beads used for the sleeves and are a peach/ecru color.  After the beads were in place, I laid long lines of the Bijoux thin metallic down the ribs on top of my Subtlety silk perle.  This is the same bronze metallic thread that makes the boxes on the kimono tunic.  Adding a bit of color brings out the fan shape.
Finally, I laid a long line of the same beads used for the sleeve trim down on top of the Silk Lame Braid central rib.  This brings the fan to life since the ecru colors used to this point made the fan blend into the ecru kimono.

In person the fan sparkles, especially in artificial light.  This plus the gold edging, the blue line of beads and the dark bronze rib lines made it stand out from the similar colors of the kimono.

By the way, the line of blue beads is slightly crooked because I pushed down slightly on the canvas to make a good clear scan and this disturbed the beads.  I moved them back into position and put another two couching stitches in place to keep them in the right place.  If they'd been attached separately instead of a long thread of beads that was couched, they wouldn't move so much but I wanted a continuous line that I couldn't get if each bead went on separately.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

News from Various Places

I've been collecting news for about a week and have enough to post about several fun things now.  So -- here goes!

First, The Needlepointer has posted a listing of all their monthly clubs for 2010.  The newest club is the Chinese fortune cookies, which are small canvases stitched with fun threads and stitches.  Click on the link below, then choose a link to the club that appeals to you for details and photographs.
http://www.theneedlepointer.com/monthly_clubs.php

Needlenook of La Jolla has updated their home page with several new products and a new class.  You won't want to miss seeing the photographs of the two classes Cassie Prescott of Sundance Designs is going to teach at NN of LJ next month.  Have you been intrigued by the Lee Cox scissor fobs and magnets that were mentioned in the latest Needle Pointers magazine and frustrated because the Lee Cox website isn't up and running yet?  Head to the front door of NN of LJ for photos of her products.  Heck, look at all the goodies there!
http://www.needlenookoflajolla.com/

Finally, Needle Works of Austin, Texas has posted their newsletter. It's full of projects, classes and new canvases for you to enjoy.
http://www.theneedleworks.com/newsletter/2009%20newsletters/2009falll_m.pdf

I will award myself five enabling points but really, all the points should go to these great online shops.  By the way, the canvas photo of the purse is from Cooper Oaks.  It's on 13 count canvas.
http://www.needlenookoflajolla.com/storedir/proddetail.php?prod=cc713

I'd stitch the faux tortoiseshell handle in something soft like Vineyards silk (tent stitches) and also tent stitch the lettering using metallics for maximum shine (I prefer Coronet Braid when it comes to metallic bling).  Then you can have fun with a decorative laid stitch for the purse background.  Try using subtle neutral shades couching down something metallic, also in a neutral shade.  See the links below for various possibilities for that purse background stitch.

I'd rotate this stitch so that the long stitches covered by XS run horizontally but this would look great in two shades of tan with a metallic gold couched line and a second tan metallic for the dashes.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2004/aug.php

If that stitch is too busy, try this less directional one.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2004/june.php

If you want to be creative, test stitch these couched pavilion variations until you find a mix of stitches and threads you like.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2004/mar.php

Finally, if you want more rounded shapes in the background, this would be lovely.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2007/feb.php

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Green Ribbons, Pink Ribbons

The Rabbit Geisha's green ribbons are finished and the pink ribbons are underway.  I ended up not padding any more of the green ribbons than what you saw in the photo day before yesterday as it seemed that highly padded ribbons only belong in front of the kimono when they have a lot to compete with for our attention.  The pink ribbons are not padded at all.

I also decided to do something a little different with the pink ribbons than with the green--I used only one pink overdyed thread instead of three different shades of green in three threads.

I happened to have a skein of Needle Necessities' overdyed cotton floss "Cotton Candy" #157 which has all three shades of rose pink that were painted on the canvas I am working.  I cut 18 inch lengths, removed four plies (this is a six ply thread), and knotted the end most similar in shade to my starting point on the canvas.  Then I stitched letting the color changes happen regardless of what was painted.  Every time I needed a new length of thread, I started with the "right" color, i.e., the color that was painted, but after that the colors fell as the thread was dyed.

I was much more careful to match the correct shade of green on the green ribbons but it is hard to copy what is painted when you are using long stitches.  Tent stitches allow you to match the paint almost exactly but long stitches don't.

This doesn't really matter, though.  If you look at the photo above and compare it to the original unpainted canvas, it is hard to tell that I didn't match the original exactly.

I have a nice little cache of NN threads but if you don't, you can substitute ThreadworX overdyed floss for this discontinued thread. Needle in a Haystack has reference photos of all the NN overdyed floss colors here.
http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/Thread/NN_Floss.html

You can see that ThreadworX's "Sweet Innocence" #1099 is a very close match by looking at the photos Needle in a Haystack has posted here.
http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/Thread/TW_Floss.html

I have to stitch the gold edging of one last pink ribbon area before I can stitch the ribbon itself.  After that, I will finish the navy tassels and finally get to the part I've been looking forward to since I started this design--the feathery fan the Rabbit Geisha carries.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Missed You Yesterday

Yesterday I didn't have time to post the message I had planned. Some days are like that. But you didn't miss much. I had just intended to mention that I've run out of the #12 braid (Kreinik's gold 002) I was using to tent stitch the gold edge on the pink ribbon that the Rabbit Geisha wears.  I can't buy anything except #16 braid locally so I rummaged in my stash and found a nice full spool of #4 braid in the same color.  I will triple the amount and have the same thickness for my tent stitches.

However, I have discovered this isn't as straightforward as you would think.  When I tripled the #4 braid in my needle, the three strands twisted and knotted themselves and the tent stitch looked messy.  So I am stitching with a single strand of #4 braid and stitching three tent stitches per hole.  It takes a while and is annoying but it works and saves me from having to put this piece aside until I can obtain more #12 braid.  After all, I am rushing to get this done ASAP so that I can start on the project I plan to stitch for my mother for Christmas.

By the way, the photos are scenes from Chilly Hollow this week.  We had lovely weather all week (although today is blustery and raining like March weather) and I took some photos of the leaf color facing the Blue Ridge Mountains and of the two yearlings that are eating grass right outside the front door.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Ribbons, Padded and Not

I've started on the green ribbons tied around the Rabbit Geisha's waist.  In the photo above, you see the unstitched ribbons which are in three shades of spring green.

The next picture shows how I have started to pad the ribbons around her waist and down the front of her kimono and how I am not padding the green ribbons on the right side that flow out behind the Rabbit Geisha.

I decided that I wanted dimension in the first set of ribbons but none in the ribbons that are flowing toward the background.  I'm using four plies of Mandarin floss (#M817) for the darkest green and the lightest part of the overdyed Needle Necessities overdyed cotton floss (#199) for the lightest green.

I'm using gray Very Velvet (#V215) for the padding.  This color is one I bought for a specific project that needed just a little touch of velvety gray.  I have a lot of it left and have found (courtesy of someone who mentioned it was a great padding material on their blog, was that you, Pat?).  I would caution you not to use gray or other dark colors to pad under white or light colors such as pale yellow, but for my greens, it will work nicely.

Note how I have slanted the Very Velvet to lie opposite the direction of my green stitches.  Also note how I am trying to change the slants to indicate the different ways the ribbon lies.

If you can't see the gray Very Velvet well on the green, I put a length on top of one of the pink ribbons also so you could see it better.  Remember to keep the Very Velvet untwisted as you lay down your foundation.  It can turn on you if you aren't paying attention.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Bead Sizes for Needlepoint

Fireside Stitchery used to have a list of the recommended sizes of beads for various sizes of NP canvas.  Now that they have revamped their website, I can't find it any more.   I decided it might be useful to have such a list here so you can look it up to help you pick the correct size.  Please remember that the "right" size depends to a certain extent on your tastes and the effect you want, however.

Beads are sized in millimeters or in numbers that look like this--11/0 or 14/0.  As with needles, the larger the /0 number, the smaller the bead.

18 count canvas:  14/0 or 1.25mm
13-14 count canvas:  11/0 or 1.33mm
12 count canvas:  10/0 or 1.35mm
10 count canvas: 8/0 or 6/0;  3-3.5mm
7 count plastic canvas: 5/0 or 4mm

Many beads don't have sizes on them. Some are called "seed beads."  These are generally smaller than 14/0.
UPDATE:  Judy Harper says that seed beads come in many sizes, some quite large.  All of the seed beads I've seen are tiny but she says they can be of any size, so be careful when doing mail order.  Don't assume that seed beads are necessarily tiny.

Mill Hill beads are usually not sized on the package so I looked them up on the Mill Hill website.  Magnifica beads are sized 12/0.  They work beautifully on 18 count canvas.

Mill Hill's Frosted Beads are size 11/0, making them a good match for either 13 or 18 count canvas.  Mill Hill's Seed Beads and Antique Seed Beads are size 11/0 also.

Mill Hills Petite Seed Beads are size 15/0, making them the smallest beads in their line.

If the beads you have are smaler than the recommended size, it may not matter.  It all depends on your effect.  You can also cluster beads, attaching thee little beads in a group with a fourth bead attached on top to make up the size you want.

Many thanks to Fireside Stitchery for providing the basis of this information!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Beads Equal French Knots (And Vice Versa)

This morning's math lesson is how French Knots=Beads. Or vice versa.  The geisha in the original painting has nine little buttons (or possibly beaded decoration) along the edge of her kimono above her obi and at the hem of her over tunic.  In the original canvas these are red but I already knew I wanted to change the color to something else.  My Western sensibilities wanted repeats of the main colors.  So I pulled out my blue and gold beads and put a few of each shade on the canvas.  The best match (the same blue beads I used for the sleeves) were turned into a much lighter blue by the tan and gold background of the kimono.  Gold beads just disappeared as there is too much gold on the kimono already and the beads visually became more of the gold pattern.  They did not stand out.

You want Stand Out?  I'll give you STAND OUT!

Sorry, got carried away a bit there.  I have quite a few pink and green beads and those are the accent colors on this canvas, so I tried to match the pink and green ribbon colors and came up with size 11/0 pink beads by Gick in rose pink #4-136.   I don't know if you can see them well in the picture but in person they give a small shot of color to the decorative trim on the kimono over coat.  My green beads were not such a good color match to the ribbons but I'm happy with the accent the beads give.

I was a bit afraid that I would not have the right beads in my stash, so I also pulled out metallic threads in the right shades of pink and green.  If you need to do something that looks like buttons on a canvas, French knots and beads will give the same effect.  If you can't get the shade of metallic you want for French knots, substitute beads in the right color.  And vice versa.

I love metallic "buttons" on NP canvases.  You can obtain many sizes and colors in metallic threads to give you just the right sized button in a French knot.

If you hate making French knots, substitute beads.  If you have access to a good bead shop, or even a crafts emporium that sells a lot of items for making jewelry, you can pick up a nice selection of beads.  Many NP shops also carry beads.  I particularly like the hexagon-shaped beads from Sundance and the Magnifica line of beads from Mill Hill but you can substitute beads, or a mix of beads and French knots, on any canvas where you need a button.

By the way, ordinarily I would put the beads on after the squiggles that make up the trim, but I wanted the beads in place so I can properly position the squiggles that help make up the trim.  Therefore,  I added the beads now.

Sorry this is late showing up this morning, but the Internet connection was down briefly.  We have a fabulous wireless provider that gives us a solid and reasonably fast connection, but even they have problems occasionally.  At least it wasn't an owl sitting on the dish that caused a problem this time!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Let The Sales Begin!

Traditionally the late summer and early fall bring not only changing seasons (at least in the U.S.) but sales at the needlepoint shops.  I think the sales are starting.  I just found a sale on Kelmscott Designs' needle minder magnet cameos and was able to pick up the rest of my initials at a good price.  You may prefer other designs on the three pages of choices in the link below.  The newest Adam and Eve cameo design is not on sale but everything else seems to be.
https://www.stitchingbitsandbobs.com/cgi-bin/Store/pageread.cgi?KelmscottDesignsNeedleMinder&0

I also just received a note from Lani that her canvases and stitch guides are on sale.  Here are the canvases.  The guides are $50 instead of $75 each and the painted canvases are 20% off.
http://www.lanisneedlepoint.com/lanidesigns.aspx

If your shop or favorite designer is doing a sale, let us know in the comments section please.  By the way, the illustration for this blog entry is Shopping Cat by Ruth Schmuff.   This canvas is on sale at the link below (although it is special order and won't be immediately shipped out).
http://www.stitchtherapyneedlepoint.com/feature.php?id=11566&title=Shopping%20Cat&itemtype=hand%20painted%20canvases

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Rabbit Geisha on Background (with Tassels)

I'm happy to announce that I've finished the background!  All those split pavilions are done.  Now I can turn to the fun details to finish this Brenda Stofft canvas.

I've started the blue tassels.  You'll remember that they were painted to be dark green but I've switched to the navy I used on the sleeves and shawl collar.  I rummaged around my stash yesterday and picked out more shades of pink and green for the two ribbons, have selected some bead colors that might work, and I have a pretty good idea about what I will do for the fan the geisha holds.  So even though I feel as though I've not made much progress, I have. 

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Canvas of the Day: Snow Faerie

Today's Canvas of the Day is a Christmas ornament by Sandra Gilmore called Snow Faerie.  As you can see, this is a stitch painted piece that would be very easy to do in all tent stitches and you could use specialty threads for her very nicely.  So that's what I am going to recommend in my stitch ideas--all tent stitches!
http://store.apneedlearts.com/snowfaerie.html

I would do her face first in all silks, choosing a medium blue for her eyes and a deep red for her lips very carefully to match the canvas.  If you choose a floss type thread instead of a perle type, try using just four plies and make the stitches (either half cross, continental or basketweave) as smooth and even as you can.  Stitch her golden curls and the dark navy shadows after the face is done.  I recommend a beautiful silk/wool blend for the hair and shadows.  Those threads will contrast with the silk in the skin, eyes and lips yet give you a subtle shine.  I would use the same brand of thread for the little bit of blue background visible on the left side.

The rest of the canvas is either snowflakes or the girl's white hood.  Pick whatever soft and fuzzy wool that is available to you for the white hood.  I would use Cashmere myself.  The snowflakes should be pastel metallics.  I think that Silk Lame Braid would look nice if you can match the color but personally I would use Petite Treasure Braid for a slightly more metallic bling.  If you can't get either thread, browse the Kreinik line of metallics for a color match.

Once the entire piece is stitched, take a soft brush (a new toothbrush will do) and very carefully brush the white hood to make things a bit fuzzier.  Be very careful not to brush any other areas of the canvas, however!  The thread should plump up nicely. Don't worry if it covers the snowflakes or her face a bit.  You can always trim a bit of the fuzz with your scissors.

This canvas comes with a stitch guide and finishing ideas.  You are always free to follow what the professional says instead....

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Managing Transitions Part Three

The last thing I want to mention in this discussion on handling the transition between two very different stitches on a painted canvas is compensation.  Both Pat and I thought that I'd not stitched the compensating stitches just under the Rabbit Geisha's nose as we were going by the photograph.  In Real Life, the stitches are there, just very very small because of the compensation.  I solved this issue by overstitched the tiny compensatory stitch but I could have just made the regular stitch a tad longer.  I generally don't extend a stitch to cover one more thread as I find it breaks up the rhythm of the stitch and looks odd.  However, you may find extending a stitch a bit does work for you.

Compensation is a tough topic and a problem for many stitchers.  I almost always try to start a new stitch I'm unfamiliar with at the widest point on a canvas so that I have plenty of practice doing it before I get to the edge of the stitch area and have to compensate.

Tony Minieri wrote an article about compensation that was published in four parts in Needle Pointers magazine in the mid-1990s.  ANG has put this on their website and you can read it in the link below.  I would urge anyone who has trouble compensating to read it.  Tony breaks stitches down into various types (straight, diagonal, etc.) and then explains for each type how to compensate it on a diagonal, straight line, oblique line or curved line.  It's helpful information and once you understand the stitch you are working with, will tell you exactly how to compensate it to the best effect.
http://www.needlepoint.org/Archives.php

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Managing Transitions Part Two

Because I've been thinking so much lately about managing transitions between various stitches on the Rabbit Geisha, I pulled out photographs of a project I stitched several years ago that had the same transitional issues but for a different reason.

The image above is my version of Shorebird Designs' small peacock M274.  This is a 5x7 design on 18 count canvas.  You can find it on Katie Molineaux's website by using the Katie's Search function on the left side of the page.  By the way, I urge you to look at the Stitched By Customers' Section. Amazing stitching there!
http://shorebirdstudio.com/

The reason I'm using this design to talk about transitions is that it was all done in light coverage stitches.  The background and leaves are one ply of silk.  I stitched those first and then was faced with the issue of choosing stitches for the bird that didn't look too heavy next to the almost not there background.

Here is a close-up of the design to help you understand what I did.  First, I decided to use plyable threads so I could cut down on bulk when I stitched the bird.  The tent stitches on the bird's face are two plies of either silk or overdyed cotton flosses.  The tiny bullions on the top of his head were done with one ply of overdyed or solid colored silks.  The French knots on the peacock's topknot were all in two plies.  I think I mixed in the thin metallic thread Accentuate occasionally here to add a bit of shine.  The upright brick stitches on the body were all carefully laid silks using two plies, with one strand of Accentuate laid on top in places to add sparkle.

Overall, reducing the number of plies on this piece worked well to integrate the bird with its background.  Of course this piece used either slanting or straight stitches, which made the blending of background and image easier.  I would have had more trouble is this piece included compound stitches made up of many layers like the fancy stitches on the Rabbit Geisha's kimono top.

I hope this gives you some strategies for managing the transitions between the foreground and background stitches on your painted canvases. I'd love to hear other strategies folks use in the Comments!  I am certain I don't know all the ways to get around this problem.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Managing Transitions

While stitching the endless background on the Rabbit Geisha, I've been thinking about managing transitions. Sounds like a management phrase, doesn't it?  "Managing transitions...."

What I mean by this is how to make the background meet the central figure in such a way as it all looks good.  The first hint that this is important on this canvas came when the background stitch between the Rabbit Geisha's ears looked odd.  Above is how I managed this area by turning the odd space between the ears into all tent stitches in the background thread.  If you look carefully at the left side of her neck, you will see a few tent stitches there, too.
You'll also see a few unstitched areas on the right beside her nose.  I'm still thinking over what to do there.  I'll probably stitch longer horizontal stitches right over the shorter ones.

There are other transitional areas on this canvas.  In the photo above, there is a small space between two pink ribbons just under the sleeve, a larger space between the ribbons and the side of her robe, and another space between the pink ribbons a bit further toward the bottom of the canvas.  In these areas I was able to compensate my split pavilion stitches and they looked good.  I am not sure why compensation here looks fine and between the rabbit ears doesn't, but it may be because the space between the ears is angled, not a straight vertical area.

It is more difficult to pick out, but there are transitional spaces all along the bottom of the hem where the navy tent stitches meet the background stitches.  There is actually a channel left blank between the split pavilion stitches in the background and the navy tent stitch outline of the hem but you can't see it well.  In these cases you have to experiment to see whether to leave an unstitched area.  Look at the pavilion stitch between the two tassels.  In that one area I put a stitch in the blank space.  See how crowded it looks and how it bleeds over into the navy tent stitch?  I will pull this out before I go any further but I wanted you to see the difference between leaving an empty space and filling it.

So what do you do in these areas to make the place where the background meets other stitches look good? There are always ways around the problem and the Rabbit Geisha shows several:  compensate, leave a blank space, use tent stitches instead.  I recommend you just try out a variety of strategies and rip out the ones that don't work.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Planning Tassels and Ribbons

I've completed more of the split pavilion background of the Rabbit Geisha and started the tassels and the ribbons, although they are not that far along yet.  I decided to make the dark green tassels dark navy instead of green, using the same navy Caron Snow metallic and Splendor silk that were used on the obi and the inner sleeve trim.  I also have started tent stitching the gold edging on the pink ribbon using #12 Kreinik braid in 002 gold.  I ran out of the #12 braid so I thought I'd double up my #4 braid in 002 and see if that will substitute for the #12.  I was uncertain whether stitching the gold edging on the pink ribbon first was a good idea, so I'll probably try the inside of the pink ribbon on both the ribbons that have the edging stitched and those that don't to see which way seems to work best.  It can be difficult to stitch into holes that already have metallic thread in them and it can also be difficult to stitch with metallic thread into holes with another type of thread already there, so we'll see what seems to work here.

I want to get more background done if possible tonight so I may not have a report on the pink ribbon and the navy tassel for another day.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Beaded Sleeves

The photo above shows what I ended up doing with my sleeve trim.  As you know, the beads that matched the background color exactly didn't look very good on the sleeves.  So I pulled out any blue beads and blue metallics I could find in my stash and played around with them.  Most of the metallics I put away immediately as they were not the right shade of blue.  I had several choices of blue in the beads, but blue-gray seed beads I had picked up from the local bead store (they are not labeled since the bead store sells unlabeled colors of beads in various sizes so I can't tell you the brand or exact size but they appear to be size 14/0) looked like they might work.

I also had a medium blue skein of Accentuate that looked ok with the background color, so I first tried laying long lines across the sleeves with this thread.  The Accentuate when laid on the canvas was too bight a blue, so back into the stash it went and I tried attaching a few of my seed beads with one ply of my background DMC cotton floss.  It was a perfect match!

Well, the blue colors are different but the grayish blue of the slightly iridescent beads looks very nice with the rest of the canvas.  I spent last night adding beads to the sleeves.  In the photo above the left sleeve is finished and the right sleeve around 2/3 done.  I'll finish this sleeve today and try to get more rows of the background done.  I need to hurry and get as much finished on this piece as possible as I have the Gay Ann Rogers counted thread piece instructions coming shortly.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

October 2009 Chilly Hollow Newsletter Article

Fall is in the air here in Chilly Hollow, with deer and turkeys strolling through the yard and stink bugs trying to get inside to spend the winter. At least they are larger and slower than lady bugs that invaded five years ago!

It's a good time of the year to move the computer next to the kitchen door and settle down in a comfy chair to browse the Internet and wait for more deer to show up (including the darling little fawn we've watched lose his spots over the last three weeks) so I can pop out of the door like a Jack-in-the-Box and scare them away. Besides, there is a lot to see online.

The Embroiderers Guild of America has posted their 2010 Seminar classes online, and we can spend a lot of time browsing the photographs and enjoying the designs and skills of the teachers. Click on the first photo and a new window will open with navigation arrows to browse the designs in a better picture. Click on Events: National Seminar in the left hand column for more information.
http://www.egausa.org/html/sem10.html

Nordic Needle's newest newsletter is full of information about magnets. I thought I had seen every type of magnet available but it turns out those who stitch from charts have a huge variety of magnetic items to help them stitch that us painted canvas folks should browse. How about a darling little magnetic elephant on your stitching table to hold your needles until you are ready for them? Or magnetic sheets that roll up for portable chart holding on the go? Or magnet sets that are the front and back of cute animals? As an added bonus, many of the magnets they describe are on sale at the shop, plus some of Laura Perin's fabulous charted designs are on sale, too. This is a Don't Miss newsletter issue!
http://www.nordicneedle.com/newsletters/stash/36.shtml

If Mary Corbet's tutorials on long and short stitch I mentioned last month didn't interest you, how about learning how to stitch lettering on your designs? This is the first lesson. Mary will publish several that will give you the tools you need to monogram a piece or do a great name on that Christmas stocking.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2009/10/hand-embroidery-lettering-text-1.html

Hope everyone has a fun Halloween and a warm and cheerful fall!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Beads Storage System from Jolee

You may remember we learned about the bead storage system that has Tick Tack boxes inside larger boxes.  I discovered something similar at Michael's my local craft emporium when I went shopping with my 40% off coupon.  The Jolee's sets have inner boxes with removable lids. I'd prefer the Tick Tack box lids but I'd have to mail order those and wouldn't have a coupon, so I bought the Jolee ones instead and I'm happy with my choice.
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=bd0767

I bought two sets, one that is half the large size boxes and half the small ones, and one that includes half large sized boxes and half medium sized ones.  (I think there is a third set with all small boxes.)  In the photo above you see a pile of discarded Mill Hill and other brand boxes.  Everything in those boxes went into the Jolee box shown, so you see this is a very efficient way to store beads in a compact area. I can see the colors pretty well even if all the boxes are in the big box since all the boxes are clear.  This photo shows one large box and one of the medium sized boxes that stores up to three boxes of Mill Hill beads in one half the medium box.  I also put the label from one storage system in the photo, just for you to see.

The one drawback to this system is that once you remove your beads from the original packaging, you won't know what size/color/brand you have. I solved that problem by using stick on labels. I wrote down what was in a box, put the label on the clear new box, used an arrow to indicate that this was in the half box section on the right or left, and labeled the other half of the box with its color number, etc.  If you put all Mill Hill Magnifica beads in the halves of a box, you just have to write down "MH" and "Magnifica" once.  There's plenty of room for the color number and arrows for the two types of beads.  By the way, the photo above shows both of my Jolee boxes and the large and small boxes.  You can't see any of the labels I put on the outside as I turned those to the back so you could see how the boxes are constructed. I'm happy with this system, even though it isn't perfect, as my beads are easily visible yet stored in a small place.  The next time I have a 40% off coupon I'll pick up a third box and then all my beads will be put away with room to spare.  By the way, the original pricing on these boxes is $9.99 each at my local Michael's.

On a related topic, Needle Works of Austin has S-Lon beading thread sets in assorted colors on their What's New Page (if it disappears, try searching on S-Lon).  This is nice for those who like to use beading thread instead of regular thread to attach their beads and want an assortment of colors.
http://www.theneedleworks.com/catalog/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Mom's Perfect Christmas Gift

If there is one thing my mother likes, it is cameo jewelry.  So when I browsed Gay Ann Rogers' e-Week sale to see what charts she is selling this year, I was immediately smitten by the cameo ornaments.
http://www.gayannrogers.com/site_2/Home_Page.html

I don't like doing counted thread pieces much, and it'll have to be done by Thanksgiving as I want to take it to her then, but what the heck--she'll love it.  Thank you, Gay Ann!

Click on the URL above and browse the links (you can skip Mail Jail which is GAR's report on what she has shipped out) to see what's on sale but note, e-Week ends October 22.

Expect to learn lots of swear words as I work up Mom's present and finish it shortly.  And keep quiet--this is a surprise!

P.S.  The image above is from Preston Reuther's website.  You can go drool here.
http://www.cameojewelry.com/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Sleeve Thoughts and Test Stitching

Last night I did a lot of test stitching on the sleeves, trying out various thread colors to see which looked good with my beads that match the background color perfectly.  See the swatches done in skipped tent stitches on the left?  The top dark blue is a dark blue silk perle from Rainbow Gallery, the second down is a dark blue Silk Lame Braid, and the last is DMC cotton floss in a darker shade of blue than the background.  Each was stitched, then had the dark blue beads attached on top.  The beads go where there are no stitches so that you don't have to do each stitch as a bead.  I also slant the beads like a reverse tent stitch \ so that they seem to lay / like the skipped tent stitches.  Don't ask me to explain why beads done backwards look forwards but they do!

I finally decided that no color I tested looked better than the background color so I used the same DMC cotton floss (#794) for my sleeves as the background split pavilions.  Squint at the very bottom tip of the right sleeve and you'll see beads set on top of the skipped stitches.  It's very subtle and really doesn't look like what I wanted.  So I pulled out the beads, thinking that maybe another shade of blue would be better.

I still like the idea, though, and I went ahead last night and tent stitched every other thread intersection with my DMC #794 on the left sleeve.  This is how it looks.  In person I like the texture and look of this without beads!  I know it doesn't look as good in photographs.

I will rummage around my bead stash today and see if a slightly different color bead will do better.  I still like the idea of a beaded sleeve but using the exact color match does nothing for the canvas.

Yesterday's comments talked about using a thin metallic or perhaps rows of beads or perles.  We already have sparkly thread in the dark blue areas where the sleeve lining shows and a lot of sparkle in the gold lines on the sleeves.  Maybe that's why I like the skipped tent stitches so well--they are a contrast to all the metallic already on the sleeves....

Anyone have better ideas than my current left sleeve look?  I'll try another color of bead and a thin metallic thread like Accentuate and report back tomorrow.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Golden Sleeves

The Rabbit Geisha's sleeves were a puzzle to me when I first looked at them.  Are those fan shapes on the sleeves?  Can I do long stitches covered by couched gold lines?  What will make the sleeves harmonious with the rest of her outfit but not blend into the background?

I finally decided that the gold lines on the sleeves need to be tent stitched.  Couching and long laid stitches just seem to be too heavy a look for the sleeves when the body of the clothing is light coverage stitches.  In the photo you see that I've managed to get all the gold lines tent stitched (using Kreinik's braid #12 in Gold 02) on the sleeves and have also stitched the gold line around the hem of the tunic and the outlines around the sleeves.  It took me several nights to get it all done but now I am ready to tackle the problem of what to put inside the blue sleeve areas.  For the answer, you'll have to wait.  I want to do another few rows of background near both sleeves so it is easy to tell how what I choose for the inside of those gold lines will look with the background as the two areas are very close in color.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Canvas of the Day: Hula Cat

Today's canvas of the day is a Hawaiian cat from Patt and Lee Designs dancing the hula. This tickles me since none of the cats I'm familiar with would be caught dead in that getup. And they do NOT dance. LOL
http://www.busyneedle.com/Whatsnew/newnc2009Oct.htm

This canvas is 14 count but I think you can also buy it on 16 or 18 count canvas via the designer's website.
http://www.pattandleedesigns.com/cat_inspired_designs

This canvas comes with a stitch guide but that's not going to stop me from coming up with more ideas for her!  The first thing I'd do (after making a color copy of the unstitched canvas which I will use to place stitches on areas stitched over and then will destroy) is pick nice fuzzy black, white and gray threads for the fur and stitch the entire cat except for the pink inner ears, the eyes, the nose and the pink open mouth in tent stitches.  This includes the gray lines dividing areas of the body.  Once you are done, take a brush of some sort and brush-brush-brush the stitches to give the cat fur.  You'll want to do the fur first and then brush it before doing anything else as you wouldn't want to accidentally brush the eyes or other non-fuzzy parts.

Now go back and stitch the inner ears in silk perle (Trebizond, perhaps?), the green and black eyes in something with a bit of shine (maybe Flair? with a white stitch for the accent in a metallic thread), and the pink nose and inner mouth in pinks using something like Very Velvet that will give a velvety look.  All are in tent stitch, you understand.

Now using your white fur thread, stem stitch the whiskers on top of the black face fur.  Use your color copy to see exactly where to put them.

Now it is time to stitch the bra.  I think the bra is the perfect place for Burden Stitch.  Choose a green thread for the main vetical stitches and either a matching or contrasting metallic for the horizontal threads.  Feel free to change the color of the bra from green if you like as Burden Stitch will completely cover the canvas.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2004/jan.php

I suggest you consider Thread Gatherer's Sea Grass for the cat's grass skirt.  This thread looks like dried reeds for baskets.  I think it would look great here.  Mix several shades of greens and browns in stem stitch for the grass skirt.  The bottom rows could be attached on the back and come up and go back down in a big loop that could be secured on the back and then cut to give the skirt loose ends at the bottom.  Don't worry about matching the threads to the painted colors exactly.  They'll cover the background and it won't matter if you put brown where green is painted.
http://www.threadgatherer.com/sea%20grass%20page.htm

I think I'd run wild with silk ribbon embroidery flowers for her lei and do a large ribbon flower over her ear, but you could just do the silk ribbon flower for her hair and try turkeywork for the lei.  If turkeywork appeals to you, work it after all the other parts of the canvas are stitched and trim it slowly with your sharpest scissors.  It'll make a mess but you can cover the non-turkeywork parts of the design with paper to keep the mess from landing on them.  Here's an easy version of turkeywork from Kathy Fenchel.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2006/aug.php

Choose colors that coordinate with your bra and the flower behind one ear for the lei whether you are doing silk ribbon embroidery or turkeywork.  There are a lot of styles of flowers you can do with silk ribbon embroidery but I would try to do small orchids I think since this is Hawaii and the leis there are often made of small, fragrant orchids.

Now the background.  I would find a stitch that looks like a flower and do a wavy line in the background that runs roughly from the upper right toward the lower left so that the cat appears to have flowers following her swaying.  Do the flowers in a thread matching the background color.  Here is Brenda Hart's Medallions stitch.  Don't do this in rows, just scatter a few of the floral motifs in the background.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2007/sep.php

If leaving the rest of the background blank bothers you, consider using David McCaskill's water stitch.  If you use a metallic as one of the threads and work this stitch up to 2-3 threads of the background flower motifs, it will seem like blue ocean, which is something all of us would like to dance in front of on a summer's day.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2003/mar.php

This is a charming canvas and something that will put a lot of summer smiles into your fall and winter stitching.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

BREAKING NEWS: Society of Soie Surfine

And in the spirit of my last post, here is the announcement for the Society of Soie Surfine, which is a group of shops selling hand dyed Gloriana very fine silk perle thread and linens for extra small over one designs.  I know a lot of us are enthralled with counted thread and sampler designs.  Hopefully some of you will be interested.

http://needlestack.typepad.com/whats_new/2009/09/announcing-the-society-of-soie-surfine.html

The Society has a blog, also, which is full of lovely photos of the threads they are dyeing.

http://societyofsoiesurfine.blogspot.com/

As a lover of fine count NP canvas and silk gauze, not to mention silk threads, I wish the Society great success!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Needlepointers' World

I've been thinking recently about Blog's visitors and the huge variety of personalities and styles there are in the world of needlepointers.  You all know me--I am into painted canvases and like realistic designs, wonderful shading, and designs with Asian themes.  I am a threadaholic, and there's nothing I like better than using a huge variety of thread brands on my embellished painted canvases in as many stitches as I can dream up.

Folks like me are a small subset of Needlepointers' World, though.

I expect the vast majority of us like to do projects in all tent stitches and only occasionally use a thread other than wool.  Some of us have been stitching since we were children; some of us started yesterday.  A great many of us love charts and counted thread.  Some of us are into miniature stitching and over one on linen.  Some of us adore silk gauze, some of us stitch only rugs.  Some of us refuse to use stretcher bars and some of us hate roller bars.  Some of us only stitch in hand, some of us only stitch on painted canvases.  Some of us have one designer whose canvases or booklets we obsessively collect and stitch.  Some of us will stitch anything, at least once.  Some of us are stitching for posterity or at least our grandkids.  Some of us never think of the future.  Some of us buy old NP pieces at yard sales and refurbish them into fantastic pillows and upholstered chairs and footstools.  Some of us only want the most modern looking designs, some of us prefer the Victorian Berlin wool work look to our stitching.  Some of us love the English kits and pillows, some of us want only framed NP or pieces we can wear.

When you visit Blog, you get me and my own personal style.  But don't think I don't realize there is a whole world of needlepointers Out There who are different than me.  I know you are there and I try to take your tastes and styles into consideration and try to mention things I know are more to your taste than mine.  After all, we all use needles and thread and NP canvas to stitch our dreams.

Our dreams vary, that's all.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Tips for Better Backgrounds

I really should have titled this tips for better horizontal stitches but that doesn't sound as good, doesn't it?  Just remember that the tips below aren't just for background stitches, ok?

The photo on the left shows the split pavilion background stitches on each side of the Rabbit Geisha canvas and the basting thread I used to make sure that the two sides line up properly.

The best way to do a background stitch is to work from the middle out to each side so that you know the sides match up, but most painted canvases have things painted in the middle that make this impossible.  So I worked the background on the right side, then did a full row on the left and used basting to make sure that the two sides lined up.  You can also just drag your needle across a ditch to see if things match but I have trouble doing that so I baste a thread.

You'll notice that I turned the canvas on its side for the picture.  This is because when I am doing a fancy stitch made up of long straight horizontal stitches, I like to work these stitches vertically.  Turning the canvas on its side allows me to stitch vertically, which I think makes for smoother stitches.

I also use a laying tool for long straight stitches, whether they are horizontal or vertical.  Long lengths of thread will twist as you stitch them and a laying tool will deal with this tendency.  You'll end up with a smoother look to your background.

Here's a close up of the image above.  In it you can see the three rows of tent stitch that surround the perimeter.  See how I am working my current row one thread outside the blue paint of the background?  Always extend the background if necessary to make your stitch look good.  I could have compensated the background and shortened the split pavilion but it looks better if you don't.

My needle is stuck in the canvas so you can see that I like to work the stitches from the bottom of the row toward the top.  (Or from closer to me to further from me, however you want to think of it.)  Susan Portra says this ensures a smoother stitch.  She also advocates taking a pin stitch occasionally underneath a light coverage stitch to keep the threads snug.

I've noticed that if I tie a knot in the end of a new length of thread and start stitching, the first stitch will often be loose.  I have been careful to run my knotted length of thread under a few stitches on the back before stitching to keep the first stitch taut.

Once I finish the row I'm working in the close up photo, I will turn my canvas the other way so that I can do the other half of the split pavilion with my needle coming up in an empty hole and going down in a full hole.  This is often called the clean/dirty hole rule.  The general principal is to bring the needle up in a hole that hasn't been stitched into if possible and when you have a hole with a thread in it already, go down into that hole with your thread.  If you go down into a hole that has thread in it already (a "dirty" hole) you have less chance of disturbing the thread already in the hole.  Make sense?  Anyone who has stitched a metallic thread into a hole already stitched with silk who disturbed the silk threads will know why this is an important rule to follow whenever possible.

I hope these tips help you with your stitching.

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