Friday, July 31, 2020

A Goldwork Book and Needle Painting Tips

Goldwork and needle painting are wonderful techniques when used entirely on their own but needlepointers also use them as accents on pieces.  So I was interested to learn that Mary Corbet loves the Alison Cole book entitled Goldwork Masterclass so much that's she's stocking it to sell.
https://www.needlenthread.com/2020/07/goldwork-masterclass-book-review-stock-for-you.html

I haven't seen this book but I adore Alison Cole's first book on goldwork.  She's a wildly talented Australian teacher and embroiderer.  Browse her website and see if you agree.
https://alisoncoleembroidery.com.au

Today I've also found a great blog entry from Margaret at The Sharp Needler.  Margaret has plenty of tips for doing needle painting, which is shaded needlepoint.  Her examples are flower petals and she shows how to handle setting up a petal, how to blend colors, and how to do shading correctly—and incorrectly.  It's invaluable information that I've not seen elsewhere.  If you have a needle painted area on your canvas to work, you'll want to read this.  Thanks, Margaret!  (As always, you might want to use a sharp needle like a crewel needle or one for beading if you are needle painting or shading on needlepoint canvas so you aren't limited to just stitching in the holes, but can put the stitch anywhere you need it, even though the needlepoint canvas threads.)
http://www.sharpneedler.com/2020/07/thread-painting-basics-flower-petals.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 22, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, July 30, 2020

Help and Corrections for the Royal Garden Stitch-a-Long UPDATED

If you are stitching Royal Garden, the Debbie Rowley/DebBee's Designs chart, with the Fiber Talk podcast, you might want to check the corrections and changes that Jessica has posted to her blog.
https://www.jessicagrimm.com/blog/sal-royal-garden

The designer will send updated information to you if you ask, but you can just follow what Jessica suggests to make changes yourself if necessary.  If you want to listen to the Stitch-a-Long Podcast #1, here is the link to the kickoff show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni9Lq4rZ-xE

UPDATE:  Fiber Talk has a new page on their website with helpful videos, including the Walneto Stitch demonstration video.
https://wetalkfiber.com/2020/08/14/help-for-royal-garden-stitchers/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 20, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, July 28, 2020

How to Avoid Blocking

Horse Country Chic has a great tip for stitchers who hate blockinguse your steamer to straight your needlepoint instead.
http://horsecountrychic.blogspot.com/2020/07/post-pandemic-self-reliance-that-would.html

I don't have a steamer but if I did, I'd try this and then put the canvas on a blocking board while it is still soft from the steam.  If you have even tension just steaming might be enough.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 18, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, July 27, 2020

A New Shop on the Jersey Shore

The NJNA stitchers have been on the move this summer, and Sue has found a new shop on the Jersey Shore.
https://blog.njneedleartists.org/2020/07/17/a-new-needlepoint-shop-in-new-jersey/

It's called Bay Head Needlepoint, and it is in Bay Head, New Jersey.  Aren't going to the beach this summer?  Not to worry!  You can still do a bit of browsing on their website.  They don't have online shopping yet (they just opened in June) but they have a lot of beach-themed items apparently and I spotted some great self finishing straw purses and the self finishing boxes in their photos.
https://bayheadneedlepoint.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 18, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, July 26, 2020

The Kelly Clark Interview

The Pointing It Out podcast interviews Kelly Clark in their latest outing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_G78fcZxew

If you aren't familiar with Kelly Clark, browse her work at the Colonial Needle website.
https://colonialneedle.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 17, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, July 25, 2020

The Pharaoh's Statue




Highlights on Basketweave

I've finished basketweaving the statue on my Pharaoh canvas!  It took a while to do because I had to do the black areas in stolen moments during the day when I could see to stitch black on black.  I am not sure you can see the final touch I added to the basketweave.  I added metallic highlights.  To do this, use a very fine metallic and a beading needle.  Then turn the canvas a quarter turn so that Pharaoh is lying down and do a few tent stitches over the tent stitch layer you've already done.

This is the thread I used—Sulky's overdyed #7027 which is a mix of gold, red and green.   Sulky is a machine embroidery thread that is very fine.
https://www.sulky.com/catalog/sub/thread/metallic/original/

I bought my spool at Joann's Fabrics.  I had a spool of copper Accentuate but I liked the color mix of the Sulky so that's what I used.  There are sparkles on his shoulder, around his eye and cheek and a few on his headdress.  They are hard to see but this is the best photo I could get.  In person the sparkle is more apparently.  I wanted the look of granite which has crystals in it.

Once the statue was done, it's time to stitch the feather fan.  I'll explain how I worked that next time.

By the way, I have listed all the postings about this design on the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog so you can easily follow along as I blog stitch this.
https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2020/08/pharoahs-fan-finished.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 4, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, July 24, 2020

Breaking News: Destination Dalls 2020 Cancelled

To absolutely no one's surprise, Destination Dallas 2020 has been cancelled.
https://destinationdallasmarket.com/index.html

See you there is 2021!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 24, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Kimberly and the Cardboard Box

Ever wonder how a designer comes up with ideas for those fabulous painted canvases?  Kimberly started with a cardboard box and her granddaughter and ended up with a new design for her line this fall.
https://www.akimberlydesign.com/2020/07/developing-doodles.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 17, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Darling Finishing!

The finishing of Pat's elephants is darling!
https://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2020/07/scott-churchs-elephant.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 12, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Peter Ashe News

Good news for all of Peter Ashe's fans! He's partnering with Twisted Stitches in Albuquerque to sell his canvases!  You can see Peter's amazing designs on his website.
https://www.peterasheoriginals.com

Twisted Stitches will sell Peter's work directly to customers and also represents him as wholesaler if you are a shop looking to add some of his designs to your inventory.  I'm told that he is also amenable to doing custom work, so contact Twisted Stitches if there's something you've always wanted in his lovely style.
https://www.twistedstitchesnp.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 12, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Interviewing Laura Taylor

The Pointing It Out Podcast features Melissa interviewing Laura Taylor. serial entrepreneur and needlepoint teacher!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcd6jnvGR5w

You can see more of Laura's work and check out her stitch guides and classes on her website.
https://needlepointwithlaurataylor.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 11, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, July 20, 2020

Christmas in July Sale of Patriotic Hearts

Gay Ann Roger's America the Beautiful Hearts

Gay Ann Rogers just announced on her website that she will sell her four new Patriotic Hearts on July 22nd.
http://www.gayannrogers.com/index.html

If you are on the fence, listen to what Gary and Beth have to say about Gay Ann Rogers' designs.
https://wetalkfiber.com/2020/07/08/fiber-talk-midweek-chat-7-8-20/

The website has instructions on how the sale will work.  Note that Gay Ann only sells a few times a year and there's no guarantee that these will ever be available again.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 7, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved

Sunday, July 19, 2020

Gayla Elliott Fan Alert UPDATED

I really like Gayla Elliott's designs.  You may not recognize her name but I bet you recognize her Stitching Girl series.  Here's one of the latest—Halloween Girl.
https://stitchtherapyneedlepoint.com/feature.php?id=68369&title=Halloween%20Girl&itemtype=hand%20painted%20canvases

Gayla often designs in series.  Her Queens series was quite fun.  I keep eyeing her Cleopatria from this series.
https://stitchtherapyneedlepoint.com/feature.php?id=61475&title=Cleopatra&itemtype=hand%20painted%20canvases

She has a new series that I think will be as popular as the Stitching Girls series.  It's called either Fairy Tales or Happy Stitching but both are overhead views of the legs and feet of someone.  There is a Cinderella,
https://stitchtherapyneedlepoint.com/feature.php?id=68267&title=Cinderella&itemtype=hand%20painted%20canvases

a Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz,
https://stitchtherapyneedlepoint.com/feature.php?id=68265&title=Dorothy%20of%20Oz&itemtype=hand%20painted%20canvases

a mermaid,
https://stitchtherapyneedlepoint.com/feature.php?id=68275&title=Happy%20Stitching%20Mermaid&itemtype=hand%20painted%20canvases

a lady in jeans,
https://stitchtherapyneedlepoint.com/feature.php?id=68274&title=Happy%20Stitching%20Jeans&itemtype=hand%20painted%20canvases

or a lady having a picnic.
https://stitchtherapyneedlepoint.com/feature.php?id=68272&title=Happy%20Stitching%20Picnic&itemtype=hand%20painted%20canvases

All are on 18 count but the fairy tale ones are slightly smaller than the Happy Stitching ones.

UPDATE:  There's a new Happy Stitching for New Year's, featuring a girl in a party dress.  I think there's a mask laying next to her if you like subtle nods to current events in your stitching.
https://stitchtherapyneedlepoint.com/feature.php?id=69040

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 11, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Wrestling with Pharaoh's Background

The last time I showed you Pharaoh, I was basketweaving the statue and trying to figure out how to stitch the cream and gold striped background.  The black areas on the statue took a long time as I had to stitch them during the day when I don't really have stitching time. I find black on black (and navy on navy) too difficult to do after dark, even with good lighting.  So I stitched a length of thread each day in the daytime, which is all I have time for.  But the statue is finally done.  More on him in a minute.  Let's talk about the background of the canvas now.


Background Auditions
I knew I wanted to use DMC's cotton floss in ecru but I had no idea what stitch would look best.  I needed something smooth and on a small scale that wouldn't outshine the statue or the fan.  I needed a background stitch that would stay in the background and not try to overshadow anything.  So I did some testing of various background stitch that are small and not overpowering.  That's the mess in the margins.

I ended up with two stitches that I liked and tested on the canvas itself.  The top stitch is Double Hungarian, stitched with three plies of the cotton floss.  It is in rows like the stripes are painted but the gold paint shows through and it seems a little too busy now that I've stitched a few rows.

The bottom stitch is Byzantine 2 which I found in Ruth Schmuff's iStitches Volume One.  It is a smaller version of regular Byzantine stitch which normally is over 3 or more threads.  You can see the stitch and other variations of Byzantine diagrammed on Susan Robert's Needlepoint Teacher website. She calls it Byzantine Variation 1.
https://www.needlepointteacher.com/stitches/numbered-a-b/byzantine-variations/

I ended up using Byzantine 2 (also called Byzantine Variation 1) with my three plies of DMC cotton floss in ecru.


Cream and Gold Area Done

As a finishing touch, I backstitched the "ditch" between the rows of the Byzantine stitch with gold Bijoux, which is a very thin gold metallic.  That adds a touch of subtle gold in keeping with the original cream and gold paint job.  Note that I ripped out the cream area at the top of the ornament and restitched it as lime.  I didn't think the compensation of the Byzantine stitch at the top would look good.


Original Unstitched Canvas

As a reminder, here is how the design was originally painted by Leigh Designs.  You can see I adjusted the cream areas to work with my vision of Pharaoh.

Next time I'll finish the statue and add a special touch, then tackle the feather fan.

By the way, I have listed all the postings about this design on the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog so you can easily follow along as I blog stitch this.
https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2020/08/pharoahs-fan-finished.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 4, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, July 17, 2020

Learn to Ruche Frosty Rays: The Movie

Jinny at Needlepoint.com has a short video explaining how to ruche Frosty Rays to create a flower, dress trim, clouds, or a really fun caterpillar.
https://needlepoint.com/blogs/needlepoint-know-how/all-about-working-with-frosty-rays

Bonus pro tip:  Thread a metallic in a contrasting color in a needle, then using the eye end, thread the metallic through Flair to create a custom thread with a fun look.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 11, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

A Brief History of Needlepoint (not tapestry)

The Mr. X Stitch website has a regular column by Ruth Singer that talks about various types of handwork.  If you are interested in how tapestry differs from needlepoint, her two-part article will be quite interesting.  Of course if you are English, you'll call needlepoint "tapestry" which adds to the confusion Ruth talks about in part one.
https://www.mrxstitch.com/tapestry/

Note that she's really talking about 16-17th Century European tapestries here.
https://www.mrxstitch.com/tapestry-2/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 10, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Turn Your Needlepoint into an Art Gallery

Needlepoint.com's latest blog posting is all about creating an art gallery wall with your framed needlepoint.  It is a fabulous idea.  I've seen collections of teacup canvases, someone who gathers food labels on a kitchen wall above their table, and another person who puts needlepoint portraits on two adjoining walls of her house.  The groupings are always fun and they are quite revealing when it comes to your artistic sense.
https://needlepoint.com/blogs/needlepoint-know-how/turn-your-needlepoint-into-a-gallery-wall

So put all your framed needlepoint on the bed and arrange them to your liking, take a photo, and then reproduce your favorite grouping on your own gallery wall.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 8, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Finishing with Betsy Morgan

Mary Corbet has reviewed Betsy Morgan's first book on her website.  It's called "Willing Hands," which is the name of Betsy's embroidery company.  It's published by Inspirations magazine out of Australia, so you know the illustrations are going to be absolutely beautiful.
https://www.needlenthread.com/2020/07/willing-hands-full-of-great-embroidery-finishes.html

Normally I don't talk about embroidery here, but Betsy's a very talented embroiderer and designer and a great teacher.  She used to live over the mountain from me so I have seen her work up close and personal.  Fabulous!  She's wildly talented.

So when Mary says her book, which is all about creating etuis and smalls, is a wonderful guide for finishing, I thought I'd mention it here.  Folks are always asking how to learn to do their own finishing.  I don't think Betsy's etuis are going to be easy to put together but the little needlebooks and other things that go into the etuis are not difficult.

If you love beautiful embroidery, admire etuis, and you want to learn how they are made, this is a good place to start.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 8, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, July 13, 2020

Horse County Chic Goes on a Buying Spree

Horse Country Chic is stocking up on painted canvases.  I suspect most of us are, both trying to keep our favorite shops afloat, and give us something nice to look forward to.
http://horsecountrychic.blogspot.com/2020/07/my-growing-needlepoint-stash.html

Even I bought something for the first time in about three years—my Pharaoh canvas from Leigh Designs!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 7, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, July 12, 2020

The Funniest Thing I've Seen All Day

This hilarious "Best Sellers" book canvas from Froopy Designs is the funniest thing I've seen all week.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/816661501/hand-painted-best-sellers-needlepoint?ref=shop_home_active_37&frs=1

("Not Today, Satan" is pretty hilarious, too.)

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 3, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Let's Create a Pharaoh Statue



Brick Stitch on Head

Last time I showed you my Leigh Designs Pharaoh Ramses II, I was stitching away on the statue.  I'd chosen to use brick stitch over two for the coronet on top of the Pharaoh's head, then tent stitches on the rest of him.  The photo above shows my progress.

I swear that the tent stitches on his face and the brick stitches on top of his head are the same color of DMC cotton.  They are even done from the same skein, so there are no dye lot color changes.  What you see is the play of light on the straight brick stitches versus less light bouncing off Pharaoh's face.   There is a darker terra-cotta color in DMC cotton but it was too red to use, so my only option is to rip out the brick stitches, even though I like the texture of them on his headpiece.



All Tent Stitches

I ended up with what you see above.  It's much better.  I still really like brick stitch, however, so I used it on the cream and gold stripes on the left side.  It's running in a horizontal fashion.  I just turned the canvas on its side so Pharaoh was lying down to stitch it smoothly.



More Brick Stitch—and More Ripping

And that's too much texture!  Sigh  I'm going to have to rip the brick stitches out and try for a smoother look that doesn't detract from the fan and statue.  Oh, well, on the bright side I managed to do basketweave on the cream section at the top under the ornament hardware and in the lime section of the fan.  I had originally planned something else for the lime sections of the fan but I don't have lime in the threads I plan to use.  Given the difficulty of shopping for it, I opted to use tent stitches for the lime. 

By the way, the lime area is done in size 8 perle cotton but I had to rip out the size 8 perle cotton section in ecru.  The ecru thread seemed thicker than the lime, even though they are both size 8.  The lime is from Prescencia and the ecru is from DMC, so probably the manufacturer of one makes a skinner version of size 8 than the other.  Not to worry, I used three plies of DMC cotton floss in ecru and that looks good.

Plans change all the time as I stitch.  Sometimes things don't work, sometimes I can't get threads or embellishments I want.  So needlepoint embellishment for me is always changing and evolving to meet my mental idea of what I want a painted canvas to be.  This involves a lot of ripping out but sometimes you don't know what it will look like until you try and sometimes the threads surprise you.  On Pharaoh the threads and stitches certainly threw me a lot of curve balls!

Stay tuned to see what surprises the threads and stitches have for me next time.  

By the way, I have listed all the postings about this design on the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog so you can easily follow along as I blog stitch this.

https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2020/08/pharoahs-fan-finished.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 26, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, July 10, 2020

Pointing It Out Interviews Madeleine Elizabeth UPDATED

The latest Pointing It Out Podcast is an interview with the new designer Madeline Elizabeth.  You'll hear about her inspiration and see some of the new Dallas trade show pieces for Fall 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm0V0S2yZSU

Here is the Madeline Elizabeth website, starting with the Spring 2020 needlepoint designs.
https://www.madeleineelizabeth.net/current-designs-copy

UPDATE:  Fiber Talk interviewed Madeline here.
https://wetalkfiber.com/2020/08/23/fiber-talk-with-madeleine-harwell/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 23, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, July 9, 2020

Anna's Thoughts on Lockdown

The English needlepoint designer and teacher Anna Pearson has some interesting thoughts about making the best of our quarantine time.
http://anna-pearson-needlepoint.blogspot.com/2020/07/stitching-in-lockdown.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 1, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Ruth's Tidbits and Techniques Videos

If you learn best by watching, I've got a great link for you! Ruth Schmuff has started to list all her tips and techniques videos in a place on her blog.
https://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/not-your-grandmothers-needlepoint/tidbits-and-techniques/

Want to learn how to do bullions?  Or ruche threads?  Want to know what a Twisted Lazy Daisy Stitch is like?  Want to learn needle weaving or explore goldwork techniques?  Ruth has a video for all this and for much more!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 30, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Jeff's Making Aficot-Laying Tool Sets

If you ever wanted an aficot to burnish your threads (particularly satin stitch) or you want a wooden laying tool that is lovely — or you want a matching aficot/laying tool set, Jeff can fix you up.  He's Boxwoodruler on Etsy.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Boxwoodruler?ref=nla_listing_details

"What's an aficot?" I heard someone say.  Mary Corbet explains all and shows off her two aficot-laying tool sets on her blog.
https://www.needlenthread.com/2020/06/tool-talk-aficots-laying-tools.html

They are absolutely gorgeous!

UPDATE:  Mary Corbet writes more about her Jeff Roberts' laying tool and aficot here.
https://www.needlenthread.com/2023/09/powerful-yet-beautiful-embroidery-tools.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 27, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, July 6, 2020

Twisted Chain Stitch Tutorial

Ever need a dimensional outline on your canvas that is not too wide but more than just an outline? Consider the twisted chair stitch.  Anna Scott has a wonderful tutorial on how to create it.  Just remember she's working on linen instead of needlepoint canvas, so you may need to use a sharp needle instead of a blunt tapestry needle to get the stitch exactly where you want it.  I suggest a little practice in the margins first.
https://annascottembroidery.blogspot.com/2020/06/stitch-chat-twisted-chain-stitch.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 26, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Pointing It Out Interviews Faison Anne Stitches

This time Melissa interviews Faison of Faison Anne Stitches for the Pointing It Out podcast.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbvAm6wH6so

Faison does a lifestyle blog and is bringing needlepoint to younger stitchers.  She's happy and bubbly and using needlepoint as relaxation and a calming sport.  She also has the Stitch Happy Cocktail Hour newsletter which lists shop sales and trunk shows, direct sales and also has a link to a twice-a-week Zoom virtual stitch-in.
http://www.faisonanne.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-needlepoint/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBB6FtLjpLJ/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 22, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Celebrate the Fourth with Bridget of Always in Stitches

Bridget Viehwig of Always in Stitches has the cutest quilt designs for Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10222404767731756&set=pcb.3098893096854494&type=3&theater&ifg=1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10222404768211768&set=pcb.3098893096854494&type=3&theater&ifg=1

Contact Bridget via her Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/bridget.roseviehweg

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 3, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Introducing Pharaoh Ramses II






I have chosen my next painted canvas, an Egyptian Dynasty ornament from Leigh Designs.  It is four inches in diameter (if you ignore the metal hanger for the ornament) and is on 18 count sandstone canvas.  This is called Ramses and it is one of a series of eight designs.  You can see all of the set here.
https://needlepointus.com/products.asp?cat=Leigh+Designs&pg=8






I suspect it was inspired by the photo of Pharaoh Ramses II in the British Museum.
https://sites.google.com/site/100objectsbritishmuseum/home/statue-of-ramesses-ii

This is going to be a challenge as the statue should look like solid granite and it cannot be overshadowed by the fancy feather fan on the left side.

Of course the pinkish clay color of the statute provided impossible to match in thread. The closest I've come is DMC cotton floss in 356. I wanted a metallic sheen to the statue—that's not only realistic as granite has some sparkle naturally from the crystals in it, but it will help to focus the eye on the statue, not the feather fan—but that's impossible. I studied the Kreinik online color card for a long time. They have a lot of pinks and a lot of siennas. It's possible that the new color 5006 Ore will work.
https://www.123stitch.com/item/Kreinik-Ore-5006-8-Braid/B85006

I thought about ordering Ore but I suspect it is more salmon than brick-clay in color, so I stuck with the DMC cotton floss. I have a plan that might work. Or it might not.  Fortunately I can always rip out.  I already have, in fact.  My first thought was to use the DMC 356 to attach clear beads. I tried that last night using both size 11 round clear beads and size 15 round clear beads with an iridescent finish. The smaller beads have too much sparkle that hides the color of the paint and the thread used to attach them. The size 11 round beads do let the color show better but it's not right. The beads detract from the statue. You see the round shape of the beads more than the detail of the statue, so Plan A is out!

On to Plan B. Here's what I got done last night. The circlet on top of his head is the circlet of uraei, according to the museum website above. That roughly means the sacred serpent. Egyptian art often used stylized cobra to signify sacred snakes. The statue is wearing a circle of them, sort of like a diadem. I used brick stitch over two (3 plies) there and I used my DMC 356 in basketweave on his neck (3 plies).  Plan B says to use the brick stitch in black DMC cotton floss (also 3 plies) for the shadow on the right of the face and the head cloth in shadow.  I'm not sure that will work. The head cloth might need to be in tent stitch, which is what I plan to use for the face, neck and shoulders using my DMC 356 with touches of black for the features.



Guess we'll have to see how this plays out.  I have an idea about how to add metallic sparkle and a gloss of hardness to the statue but that needs to wait until I have the whole thing stitched.  I'll come back with a progress report once I have something to report.

By the way, I have listed all the postings about this design on the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog so you can easily follow along as I blog stitch this.
https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2020/08/pharoahs-fan-finished.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 21, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, July 3, 2020

Adventures in Finishing a Pillow

Debbie Rowley is going to make her Spring Quilt Block into a pillow herself.  Debbie, I feel your pain!
https://debbeesdesigns.com/2020/06/20/finishing-friday-spring-quilt-block/

https://debbeesdesigns.com/2020/06/26/friday-finishing-spring-quilt-block/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 20, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, July 2, 2020

Top Five Best Needlepoint Accessories

Eva Howard's blog has a list of her top five best needlepoint tools for beginners.
https://evahoward.com/blogs/crafts-diy/the-top-5-best-accessories-for-beginner-needlepointers

Actually, these are very useful things for anyone who is needlepointing, no matter their skill level.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 19, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Martha Stewart Profiles Needlepoint Designers

This article from Martha Stewart online profiles needle artists, including Lycette Designs, Ulla Stina Wikander who puts vintage canvases on top of various objects, Aurelia Jaubert who does tapestries as art, and Eva Howard Designs.  Note that many of the people called needlepointers are actually embroiderers.  It annoys me when folks don't bother to get the terms right.  Am I just being cranky?
https://www.marthastewart.com/7840443/modern-needlepoint-artists?utm_campaign=marthastewartliving_marthastewart&utm_content=manual&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=5eebdea28fa5720001ae0c22&fbclid=IwAR1ZMHwGn2Dz2EYY8rkEcQn6sB5_j2Jv2FTFktmDfO3ZDPBTjlJWWb_3ZDQ

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 19, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.