And Now For Something None of Us Own—Yet

Mindy has something new and totally different—needlepoint socks!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/permalink/2064814273595720/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 10, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tips for Stitching on the Go

Recently Mary Corbet's mother had a health scare. So Mary's been stressed and sitting in a hospital, trying to stitch. She shares some of her tips for stitching on the go with us here.  Her tips are good ones, even if you aren't stitching something as tiny as she is.
https://www.needlenthread.com/2019/01/tapestry-small-a-grinning-deer-stitching-on-the-go.html

Hope your mom feels better soon, Mary!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 9, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Since We Are Talking Belts….

Since we are talking belts, you'll want to see how Jennifer stores the belts she makes each year for her son's birthday.  Genius!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1825930180850730&set=gm.2089796224430858&type=3&theater&ifg=1

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 28, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Speaking of Plastic Canvas Boxes….

Bobbin and Fred have been longing for a needlepoint belt, but since Shannan's in the UK, belt finishers are hard to find. What does a needlewoman do? Make one from plastic canvas!
https://www.sewingwithbobbinandfred.co.uk/2019/01/buckle-up-this-ones-belter.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 28, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Speaking of Boxes….

Gears of War/Wii Box Made for a Game Programmer

Speaking of boxes, Sue over at the Tortoise Loft blog likes to stitch boxes on plastic canvas.   They are really lovely and a good stash-busting idea, not to mention perfect gifts.
https://suetortoise.wordpress.com/embroidery-and-crafts/embroidery-stitched-boxes/

Follow her link to instructions for two styles of box.
https://suetortoise.wordpress.com/embroidery-and-crafts/embroidery-stitched-boxes/embroidery-stitched-box-instructions/

In my experience, plastic canvas is available in various colors on 10 count and 14 count is available in clear only.  I've made a box (see photo above) which was a huge hit.  Next time I will use cardboard inside to stiffen the box.

If you are intrigued by the box idea but need to see more, Sue's starting a new box here—
https://suetortoise.wordpress.com/2019/01/08/a-box-panel/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 8, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Not all Q-Tip Boxes are Alike UPDATED

Mary Corbet shares a great organizational tip for your little tubes of Tulip needles.
https://www.needlenthread.com/2019/01/got-tulip-needles-or-bead-tubes-organizational-tip.html

UPDATE:  Sheena is repurposing chewing gum boxes to hold Kreinik spools and bead tubes.
https://www.sheenasstitches.com/fun-borders/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 4, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Six Stitches for Mountains and Hills UPDATED

The newest Needlepoint for Fun newsletter has an article about stitches for various sizes of hills and mountains. It's an interesting read with some useful stitches to consider the next time there's a mountain in your design.
https://www.needlepoint-for-fun.com/four-needlepoint-stitches-for-mountains-and-hills.htm

UPDATE:  Jinny has two more mountain stitches in her blog about living in Colorado and celebrating that with a cute Pewter and Pine ornament.
http://stitchstyleblog.com/2019/02/colorado-living/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 4, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Restored Needlepoint at Crane Hill

Needlepoint Now found this article in Architectural Digest about the restoration of Castle Hill, an estate belonging to the Crane family in Massachusetts.  If you scroll down about half way, you'll see the vanity bench with a reproduction piece of needlepoint done to match the original which is hidden underneath.
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/family-heirlooms-return-to-the-legendary-crane-estate-in-massachusetts?fbclid=IwAR2-RErTgzHH-dBsXIRD_8b2nCpTBo4Vs2BoKBtTjU5rr3Dj3rQIJQfYBJc

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 3, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Debbie's New Year's Resolution UPDATED

In an odd alignment of the stars, Debbie Rowley's New Year's Resolution to stitch every day is the same as mine.  By the way, Debbie, that new color way of Symphony is fabulous!
https://debbeesdesigns.com/2019/01/02/new-year-new-goals/

UPDATE:  
https://debbeesdesigns.com/2019/01/24/progress-toward-goals/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 2, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Ever Wonder How Stitch Painted Canvases Are Done?

Ever wonder how stitch painted canvases are created?  Kimberly Ann posted a video of herself creating a stitch painted design on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/permalink/2047564381987376/

There's another video of hers on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywspv8PpYzA

The next time you are tempted to complain about the cost of hand painted canvases, think of the work involved.  And Kimberly does small items, with few colors.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 28, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Jinny Interviews Joanne

Jinny of Needlepoint.com interviews Joanna of Plum Stitchery on her blog. It's a fun read about how Joanna got into needlepoint designing and there's a giveaway, too!
http://stitchstyleblog.com/2019/01/meet-the-plum-stitchery/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 21, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Threataholic Alert: Melita Explores Chainettes

Melita's local ANG chapter is doing a program on threads, so she has been comparing chainette-type threads.  She has looked at 24 Karets, Alabaster, Antica, Cresta d'Or, Gold Rush, Nordic Gold, Snow and Winter.  I'm not familiar with all these metallic threads (although I know all the names) so I enjoyed reading about them and will keep her tips on sewing with them in mind.  Thanks for sharing your research, Melita!
https://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2018/11/14/chainettes-explored/

By the way, Winter is NOT discontinued.  Rainbow Gallery says it is made in England and the suggested retail price for a 10 yard card is $3.10, making it a good buy.  I have a card myself that I'm going to be testing shortly.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 15, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

A Tour of Kaffe Fassett's Studio

Even though this was filmed as a Christmas treat, I thought the wonderful colors and patterns of Kaffe Fassett best viewed in the dreary month of January!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGLqWHbCxpk&feature=youtu.be

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 11, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Fun with Names

NeedlePaint.com shows off the latest custom design they created for a customer—two canvases covered with names of grandkids that the stitcher made up into a tote bag.  This was her first needlepoint project, by the way, but she's a very experienced needleworker.
https://www.needlepaint.com/blog/2018/12/19/needlepaint-perfection-a-beginner-shares-her-creation/

This looks fabulous and is unique and probably wasn't that difficult for a new stitcher to do.  Kudos to NeedlePaint for their clever printed canvas that helped the stitcher make something useful that is all about family.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 20, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

How to Make and Use Silk Wrapped Purls

Thistle Threads' blog has a short article on how silk wrapped purls are made.  
http://thistle-threads.blogspot.com/2018/11/how-are-silk-wrapped-purls-made.html

It is a fascinating process, but labor intensive.  Here is what you end up with—threads that are perfect for creating stumpwork in the 17th Century style.  And much more!  Only your imagination's the limit when it comes to using this stuff.
https://thistle-threads.myshopify.com/collections/silk-purls

Here is now silk purls were used in the 17th Century.
http://thistle-threads.blogspot.com/2018/11/how-are-silk-purls-used.html

By the way, this Thistle Threads article shows the sizes of silk wrapped purls available, plus is shows the new silk check that Tricia had made from leftovers.
http://thistle-threads.blogspot.com/2018/11/new-sizes-of-silk-wrapped-purls-and.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 14, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

(Fill in The Blanks) Scares Me to Death

At various places online people tell me that doing _______ (fill in the blank) scares them silly.  Not to worry, my dears!  We have help for the frightened stitcher!

Is beading your bete noire?  Just wander over here and browse the online help for those facing beading their needlepoint canvases for the first time. (Or the millionth—we don't judge)
https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/p/basketweave-beading-aka-don-beading.html

Is your bugbear needle felting with all the sharp needles?  Fear not, I have a tutorial with plenty of tips.  (Tip #1:  Don't poke yourself with the needle! Otherwise it is really easy.)
https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/p/needle-felting-needlepoint-canvas.html

What else drives you to drink?  Post a message below in Comments if you have a Google account or email me at chilly hollow at hot mail dot com and I'll try to help.  Needlepoint should be fun, not frightening.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 16, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Color Magic with Colour Complements

Lorraine of Colour Complements has posted a series of articles about various designs stitched with one of her overdyes.  It's great fun to see how everything works up.
https://colourcomplements.com/2018/12/needlepoint-59.html

https://colourcomplements.com/2018/12/needlepoint-60.html

https://colourcomplements.com/2018/12/needlepoint-61.html

If you are tempted, click on "Shop" to see the currently available color combos and thread types.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 14, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tools for Travel

Needlepoint for Fun has a great little article about tools you'll need if you travel with your stitching.
https://www.needlepoint-for-fun.com/needlepoint-tools-and-accessories-for-travel.htm

I highly recommend you pack needles in your purse or wallet when you travel with needlepoint.  You can stitch if you lose scissors but if you lose your needles, finding replacements can be very difficult.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 14, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

From Molehill to Mountain (with Color) UPDATED

Arlene Cohen writes about the color education she got from Pamela Gardner's "From Molehill to Mountain."
https://worksbyabc.com/2018/11/20/an-education-in-color-theory-and-stitch-variation-part-i/

https://worksbyabc.com/2018/11/28/color-theory-and-stitch-variation-education-part-ii/

https://worksbyabc.com/2018/12/01/color-theory-and-stitch-variation-part-iii-the-last/

Pam Gardner's book is out of print now.  I think eBay, the stash sales sites, and some of the shops that have a large stock of charts for the counted crowd are your only option to find this book.

UPDATE:  I understand Pam Gardner will sell her Molehill to Mountain directly.  If you are interested, email Pam at fmtmneedleworks@gmail.com. Thanks!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 20, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Shenandoah Valley Tapestry plus John Water's Needlepoint Pillow

The local paper just profiled the Shenandoah Valley Tapestry which has just been finished.  It's actually an embroidery on heavy linen. not a woven tapestry or needlepoint.
http://www.winchesterstar.com/winchester_star/community-created-tapestry-on-display-at-handley-library/article_6d1064fd-87a3-59e5-af77-11335fabbd81.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR0A-u8-wfiTOoD8xRs_pxqe3zfMaRGOVFPfMrq0b-_xy5TFHqpBFJzr4RU

There are a lot of closeups on the tapestry's Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/valleytapestry/

Speaking of art, Doug Kreinik went to the John Waters exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art and came away with this photo of a needlepoint pillow.  LOL
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156653052949277&set=pcb.10156653058169277&type=3&theater

The John Waters exhibit will be at the Baltimore Museum of Art until January 6, 2019.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 13, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Lycette Designs Interview: Kathleen Madden

The latest interview by Lycette Designs is Kathleen Madden, whom Jessica ran into on Nantucket.  It's fun to hear how folks start to needlepoint and what they love to stitch.
https://lycettedesigns.com/on-point-kathleen-madden/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 13, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Threadaholic Alert: Vineyard Jewels

Vineyard Silks has a new thread called Vineyard Jewels. It apparently is a partly metallic thread larger than size 8 but smaller than size 12 Kreinik. There are lots of colors but it is so new, there's nothing on their website about it yet.
https://www.facebook.com/stitchdashstash/photos/a.1384376981612933/2221360044581285/?type=3&theater

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 10, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

EGA's 2018 Seminar

Recently the Sun City Stitcher attending the Embroidery Guild of America's 2018 national seminar in Kentucky.   She had a blast and was kind enough to take photos and report back to us stay-at-home types.  It looks like such fun!
http://www.suncitystitcher.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 6, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Frog and Its Orts

Lorraine of Colour Complements heard from a customer about frogs made to fit on the top of Mason jars.  Warning:  I don't think the frog fits tightly into the top of the jar so if you (or the dog or kids) bump the jar, the frog may jump down and break on the floor.
https://colourcomplements.com/2018/12/frogs.html

Frogs are glass or ceramic pieces with holes in them, made originally to be put in the bottom of flat vases or dishes to hold flower stems.  They work beautifully for scissors and laying tools, too.   They are generally made these days by pottery folk.  This is the first listing I found but there are plenty more on Etsy.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/652799245/ceramic-flower-frog?ref=shop_home_active_1

Of course one of the original frogs will do nicely if you don't collect orts.  This one is stunning!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/624263304/antique-flower-frog-made-by-wallace?ga_search_query=silver&ref=shop_items_search_9

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 3, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Stash and Store Your Beads

Vicki is using this storage gadget to organize her beads.  It works nicely for Kreinik spools, your scissors and laying tools, etc.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215750098059763&set=gm.2006677139409434&type=3&theater

It's call the Stash and Store and you can get them from Needlepoint Tool Time or a fabric store.
http://www.needlepointtooltime.com/product/STASH%20%20STITCH?fbclid=IwAR1omolM6U7W5LNbs5DqZPQ5klNzjRp1UfLkQ49vBNCWDyGwAelr2Y6hFq4

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 29, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

New from Mrs. Blandings

Mrs. Blandings has new canvases on the way!  Her designs are modern traditional, if there is such a thing.  They are usually on 13 count and often have a sweet (or funny) meaning hidden in the subject.
https://www.mrsblandings.com/2018/11/shop-mrs-blandings/

She is doing posters, too, but it's the needlepoint canvases we are most interested in.  You can buy directly from her…
https://shop.mrsblandings.com/needlepoint/

…or you can shop at KC Needlepoint.  Have fun browsing!

https://www.kcneedlepoint.com/collections/needlepoint-canvas/mrs-blandings

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 29, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Turkish Jewels Scissors Case, Fob and Needle Book

Bobbin and Fred has published the instructions for their needle book on their website.  The instructions for the scissors case and fob were in Needlepoint Now's November-December 2018 issue.
https://www.sewingwithbobbinandfred.co.uk/2018/11/new-pattern-turkish-jewel-scissor-pouch.html

All of the pieces of the set were sewn on 14 count plastic canvas so you can easily substitute 13 count needlepoint canvas if you prefer.  Plastic canvas is stiffer, of course, and the cut edges won't unravel.  Here's how to join pieces of plastic canvas together.
https://www.sewingwithbobbinandfred.co.uk/2018/12/how-to-join-two-pieces-of-plastic.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 16, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Colour Complements #186

Lorraine at Colour Complements has been having fun with her color 186 overdyed cotton floss. You can see it on her website—teal, purple and navy.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/252737693/cotton-embroidery-floss-186

Her local Embroiders Guild chapter have been using the color in various projects.  It's fun to see how it looks stitched.
https://colourcomplements.com/2018/11/needlepoint-57.html

Color magic is amazing!
https://colourcomplements.com/2018/11/needlepoint-58.html


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 28, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Copyright Violations Strike Again

Counterfeit Trish Burr Embroidery kits are apparently a big problem.  This impacts the creator of the designs since it is costing Trish sales.
https://trishburr.com/2018/11/04/counterfeit-kits/

It also impacts us, the stitchers.  What if Trish was so hurt and upset that she stopping creating new designs?  This happens more than you would think.  I was told the author of Creating Contemporary Bargello was so upset by the plagiarism of her book that she refuses to have it reprinted and will not write another.
https://trishburr.com/2018/11/05/copyright/

So think before you copy a stitch guide or chart for your friends.  You may be doing them a favor but you are stabbing all the creators out there in the back (or to the heart) with your action.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 5, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Lycette Profiles Rudy Saunders

We needlepointers tend to forget that this isn't just a female art—there are plenty of guys who stitch even though they usually keep a low profile.  Lycette Designs managed an interview with one of them—Rudy Saunders who hails from a family of needlepointers and who likes to add monograms or change colors to make a design feel fresh and young.
https://lycettedesigns.com/on-point-rudy-saunders/?fbclid=IwAR2NM_NCpYjxpQy3DiTP0vzWK4otOE7msb-t-BUgdH-3XfOoDtreEqfx3MQ

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 11, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Opening the Bunny Box UPDATED

And More has a new style of rabbit canvas, one that is made to fold into a box. The new Labors of Love shop in Atlanta just posted a video of the unstitched canvases and a finished box. It's very interesting!
https://www.facebook.com/laborsofloveshop/videos/1482894978522126/

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who pointed out the link above was wrong. I've corrected it now.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 23, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Repousse Stitch Tutorial

The newest newsletter from Needlepoint for Fun has a tutorial for repousse stitch.  This is a raised wrapping technique perfect for a snake, a cat's tail, a rope, raised edge of a mirror, anything narrow and long on your canvas that you want to have a 3-D effect.
https://www.needlepoint-for-fun.com/how-to-do-a-repousse-stitch-in-needlepoint-and-the-best-places-to-use-it.htm

There are other explanations of the technique in the Techniques and Tips tab at the top of the page under the title.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 24, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.