My Personal Favorites from TNNA Winter 2015 Part One

The Phoenix show is over and everyone has headed home happy but exhausted.   Now the shops are waiting until the orders placed at the show start to be filled.  What were your favorites?  Below are mine, listed in the order I saw them.

Dressing as a Skeleton for the Day of the Dead

I absolutely adore Tapestry Fair's newest Day of the Dead canvas.   This is "La Hermosa Sandra."   The design features a calaca, a person dressed as a skeleton for the Mexican celebration in honor of those who have passed on.   I have so many ideas on how to stitch this that I'd give up sleeping if I could pull it off, just to have the time to work this piece!  This is adapted from artwork by Manuel Salas

Tapestry Fair's Other New Manuel Salas Canvas

If this piece has too much going on, how about the other new Manuel Salas piece from Tapestry Fair?  This design is called "Chara."  The calaca is more elegant, particularly with the lace background and her amazing hat.

Barbara Elmore's Mermaid for Sundance Designs

I admire Barbara Elmore's Botticelli-style mermaid, more for the fabulous things Barbara will do with this design than anything else.  She's already started stitching on this and I can't wait to see more.

Ewe and Eye's Daffodils Still Life

I am not usually wild about Ewe and Eye and Friends' primitive style but this charming daffodils still life with birds appeals to me.  I think of spring's pleasures when I look at it, don't you?

Siamese from Labors of Love

I am charmed by the cat portraits introduced by Labors of Love this month.  They are similar to last summer's dog portraits on patterned backgrounds.  This was my favorite of the set.  Here are the dog portraits, so you can compare.
http://www.laborsofloveneedlepoint.com/see-whats-new.html

Needle Deeva's Christmas House Stitched by Mary Waldsmith

Needle Deeva does wonderful houses, so I think her latest --complete with a stitch guide by Mary Waldsmith of Owl Stitchery-- is going to be a big hit.  There is a stocking with this house and a snowman, by the way.  Mary is doing a guide for it, too.

Associate Talents' Rabbits with Patterns

Speaking of cute, Associated Talent's small patterned rabbits are too cute to be legal in all fifty states!

Pajamas and Choclate's Patchwork Cat Witch

When it comes to Halloween designs, my favorite for January 2015 is the Pajamas and Chocolate Halloween patchwork witch cat in the pumpkin patch.  (This is Patt and Lee's painted canvas line.)

Raymond Crawford's Owl

Speaking of Halloween, owl canvases continue to be popular.  My favorite at Market this time is Raymond Crawford's white owl.  Small and simple, yet elegant!  I think I could have a lot of fun with this design.

Vicki Sawyer's Snowy Owl from Melissa Shirley

Well,  the Vicki Sawyer Snowy Owl from Melissa Shirley Designs is a runner up.  It is elegant in a different style.

Peace on Earth Angel by Juli Poitras

"Elegant" seems to be what I'm looking for this Market.  This JP Needlepoint angel fits the bill, don't you think?  JP has a huge variety of lovely things but the angel caught my attention.

I'm going to continue this tomorrow as Blogger is starting to complain about all the photographs!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 3, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Choose Who You Patronize Carefully

I'm starting the morning off with another copyright warning. 
http://needleworkcopyright.blogspot.com/2014/12/choose-where-to-spend-your-hard-earned.html

The site I linked to above is really geared towards cross stitch and other counted types of embroidery that are worked from charts but it brings up a good point--know the seller.  Many legitimate shops sell needlepoint via eBay and Etsy.  I know many sellers on eBay and Etsy personally who like the ease of use to reach a new audience for their designs, to get established, or to sell excess stock from their brick-and-mortar shop.  There are many many legitimate sellers.  There are a ton of crooks, too.

So use a little common sense.  Is the seller brand new or established?  Do you recognize the seller name?  Is there a real shop or designer behind the sale? Is this a design based on copyrighted material (Disney, Harry Potter, etc.) that isn't normally available?   Look carefully at the design.  Is something off about it which might indicate a copy instead of an original painted canvas?  If something is on offer for a really really really low price, why?  If it is an older design, that makes sense, but a brand new canvas offered at half the normal price--well, that doesn't seem right, does it?

If something seems off to you, don't buy.  Trust your instincts and walk away from a bargain that sends up alarm bells.  There will always be something else wonderful to add to your stash later.  For me it's not worth patronizing crooks to get a good deal that ends up costing the designers we admire.  In the long run that hurts the world of needlepoint more than getting a good deal helps the individual stitcher.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 31, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.