Monday, November 30, 2020

NJNA Do Stitch of the Month UPDATED AGAIN AND AGAIN

ANG's New Jersey Needle Artists Chapter has been working the current Stitch of the Month project as a group.  Now that they are nearly done, you can really see how the various colors change the design.

Some people have changed the background stitches slightly.  Which do you like, the original or the changed background?  And what color combos speak to you?

UPDATE:  A change in the background.

UPDATE #2:  Brenda is stitching this also using a red, white and blue color scheme.  It's really lovely.

UPDATE #3:  Here are all the chapter members finished projects.

UPDATE #4:  Here is Melita's version.

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2021/07/12/background-completed-star-of-stitches-ang-stitch-of-the-month-2020/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 25, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Great Tool Shopping Sites

Needlepoint Nation members highly recommend these two websites for stitching tools:


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

Saturday, November 28, 2020

The French Knot Has a New Website

The French Knot in Fort Worth, Texas, has a new website.  All the old favorites are there but now you can shop online.  Of particular interest is the Shop New Arrivals link on the home page.

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

Friday, November 27, 2020

The Acorn Harvest at SM Wollman Designs

The tiny acorns made from vintage needlepoint canvases are on sale at the Wollman website right now.  New acorns will be added the Friday (that's today, folks!) after Thanksgiving until December 31st and the "harvest" added to as more are made available.  

If you want to add to (or start) a collection of these, get ready!  

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

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Finishing Firecrackers: A Tutorial

Brenda has been stitching three firecracker canvases by Toni Gerdes for several months.  Now that they are done, she is busy making them up for display.  Her blog has a tutorial for how to finish a tube stand up shape, which is what her firecrackers are, but often nutcrackers are also the same shape.  The tutorial works for either.
https://brendasneedlepointstudio.blogspot.com/2020/11/firecrackers-updated-11232020.html

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

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Pointing It Out Interviews JP Sligh of Labors of Love

Megan interviews JP Sligh of Labors of Love, which is both a design house and a shop in Atlanta.  Learn how Mark got JP into designing and more!

JP is an awesome designer.   If you want to explore more, here is the wholesale design website.

And here's the shop website.  Have fun!

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

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Chandail Now Offers Online Shopping

Chandail Needlepoint has updated their website to allow online shopping!

It's great fun to browse their canvases, kits, clubs and projects.

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

Monday, November 23, 2020

Trapunto and the Stork




I've been working on a Christmas ornament called "The Stork and The Baby" by the late Boots Bailey this month.  This piece had a lot of similar colors which meant all the elements of the design melted together, so I used various techniques to separate the elements  Above is the original unstitched canvas.  




The first thing I did was to change the heart shape in the middle of the canvas.  As you can see, the heart originally had a blue top half and a brown bottom.  I made it all blue to help keep the background in the background.  

Then I did a ton of outline stitch on the blankets, around and on top of the stork's wings, etc. to delineate the various sections.   (I use one ply of cotton floss for this with a beading needle to make it easier to get through the areas which have already been stitched.)  The final touch was to use trapunto on the stork so that it would loom over Baby Jesus.  What is trapunto, you ask?  It's a very simple padding technique.  Let me explain.



First I cut a small piece of muslin a bit larger than the bird's head, neck and body and put it on the back side of my stitching, held in place behind the stork's head and neck with magnets.  Then I turned the canvas over to the front again and started outlining the bird's head and neck (still with one ply of cotton floss and a beading needle to get through the layers of tent stitch from the front).  



I went around the bird's head and neck twice, making sure that I had a dark line. In the photo above, all the top stitching is done. I added ray stitches on the wing to make feathers on the wing, too.



I trimmed the muslin on the back side before I did some of the wing outline and the feathers, though. That way I cut the bulk away some. In the photo above you can see the bird's head on the upper left and the neck on the lower right.

Then I stuffed the neck from the open bottom of the neck area with quilt batting using my big plastic needle. You wrap a bit of batting around the eye end of the needle and push it inside untll the area is puffy. I ended up using the point of my scissors occasionally to stuff but you don't want to do that much. It's too easy to rip through the canvas or the muslin if you push the batting into the muslin pocket with something sharp.



To stuff the head you cut a slit in the muslin which you can see in the photo above on the right side showing the puffy neck. Stuff as before, then sew the slit closed once you are happy with how it looks on the front.  



How do you know when it is done?  It will look good to you, smooth and raised on the front—and a mess on the back!


Here is the finished trapunto dimension.  See the shadow along the back of the stork's head, neck and body?  That's what we are aiming for.

Now to assemble the ornament.  I hate finishing, so wish me luck!

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

An Interview with Patricia Sone

Fiber Talk interviews the designer Patrica Sone.

Fiber Talk also did a YouTube Stitch Hour with Patricia.  Join the fun and see Patricia's designs and how she developed and finished them.

By the way, here's Patricia's website for further browsing.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 16, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Introducing Prairie Designs

Thanks to Pocket Full of Stitches, I discovered a new designer—Prairie Designs!

Her website is wholesale only but if you visit the PFOS blog, you can see some of the new designs from Prairie.

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

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Melissa Interviews Painted Pony

The Pointing It Out Podcast interviews Debbie Woodward of Painted Pony Designs.

Learn about how Debbie started as a needlepoint designer, distributor and one of the people behind Destination Dallas.

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

Friday, November 20, 2020

A Bit of Paternayan History

One of the best places to find Paternayan wool these days is Fiorilgium.  They've posted a nice history of Paternayan and made recommendations as to other brands if you can't find exactly what you need in tapestry wools.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 16, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Making Berries: A Tutorial

Anna Scott has posted a tutorial on making berries by covering large beads with silk.

Aren't sure how these are used?  You can see Anna's latest projects, two Christmas ornaments, one with holly berries and one with mistletoe berries, here.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 16, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

A New Jeff Kulick Design for ANG

Sara Leigh has been busy doing a model for the American Needlepoint Guild.  Now that the design has been published in their latest Needle Pointers magazine, you can see how SL spent her summer vacation.

It's Jeff Kulick's "Asymmetrical Copper" and it is absolutely gorgeous.  Jeff's very good with color and pattern, so if you are lucky enough to have access to the ANG digital magazine, you'll have great fun with this chart.

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

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Breaking News from Kreinik

Kreinik has announced that for the rest of 2020 they are going to concentrate on making only their most popular colors in sizes 4, 8 and 12.  

They will continue to make other items as usual but for these three sizes, they are going to limit what they make to only the most popular colors to try and catch up on their orders.  Hopefully once they catch up with their back orders, they can then return to normal production.  Cross your fingers that this helps Kreinik catch up on their back orders without too much disruption.

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

Monday, November 16, 2020

A Blocking Board

Melita talks about a blocking board and how it is used.  If you are interested in doing your own finishing you might want to look into buying one.  Lacis also sells stainless steel T pins.

https://lacis.com/catalog/

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

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Pincushions and Needle Books

I love wool felt needle books, so I was very interested when Lorraine at Colour Complements highlighted those that Fiberluscious makes and sells on Etsy. 
https://colourcomplements.com/2020/08/wool-needle-case-with-hand-dyed-threads.html

Right now Jill's Etsy store only has pincushions for sale, but they come in five different styles and they are all charming—and all filled with emery to keep your needles sharp and rust free.
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/fiberluscious?sort_order=date_desc

I hope by the time this publishes there will be needle books for sale again.  I just love needle books with pages of real wool felt to keep your needles in!

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

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Winter Morn: The Winter 2021 Mystery Class from Ruth Schmuff Updated

Ruth Schmuff has revealed the Winter 2021 mystery class—a new design called "Winter Morn" from Brenda Stofft.

As always, I'll update this article as Ruth posts progress reports.  If you are interested in the class, the link above tells you how to sign up to participate.

UPDATES:  Ruth creates a blanket of snow that looks like a quilt or lace pattern.

And the trees have snow!  (Don't miss Ruth's video on how she created the trees with Buttonhole Stitch.)


Now the house is finished and the roof is covered in snow.

Ruth promises big things for the border.

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

Friday, November 13, 2020

For the Equestrian

If you ride, love horses, or just live in a horse-mad area like I do, you'll enjoy browsing the Horse Country Chic's current crop of horse needlepoint finds.

You might also enjoy Three Thimble Designs' horse items.

My Needlepoint Corner has a darling printed horse canvas that would be perfect in tent stitches using threads from your stash.

Froopy has a stylized horse in preppy colors that is great fun.

There are many beautiful horse canvases by more established designers but I thought maybe today I'd focus on new designers with things you might not have seen before.  Have fun browsing!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright  October 28, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Books with Stitch Diagrams AND Photographed Examples UPDATED

A lot of people would like books of stitch diagrams to have accompanying photos of the stitches.  Because of the cost, this is rare, but I've assembled a list of books and sites that do have photos and found links to show the covers and titles to help you find a copy.  Do a careful search.  Copies are available at a variety of price points.  Be very careful of Amazon offerings as sellers there often charge a premium price for needlepoint books.  You'll almost always find them cheaper at a needlepoint shop.

Jo I. Christensen's The Needlepoint Book - all three editions have small black and white photos. 

All of Gone Stitching's books have color photos of their stitches.


Instagram's "Needlepoint Notebook" is all colored photos of stitches with a note as to the book and page number where it was found. There are NO diagrams.  You have to look them up in the book where they were found.

Sherri Lantz's Pageant of Pattern - now out of print, has black and white stitched examples of many (but not all I don't think) of the stitches in the book

SuZy Murphy's books (now out of print) have stitched examples in the back, some in color, some in black and white.

Whimsical Stitch's blog posts a stitch diagram each week (sometimes more often) with a colored photo of the stitch.  Mary Legellet also has now written a book called Mary's Whimsical Stitches that includes the blog stitches and others that have not appeared on her blog but no photos. Stitches that came from her blog have a URL for her Instagram account however, so you can type that out in your browser to see an example of those.  


If you know of stitch diagram books with photos of the stitches worked, please let me know so I can add them to the list.  Email me at chilly hollow at hot mail dot com.  Thanks.

UPDATE:  Another book with diagrams and stitch photos is Susan Sturgeon Roberts' Complete Guide to Needlepoint Stitches.  There are 400 stitches included.  It is out of print but a newer book is called the Needlepoint Dictionary of Stitches.  It has 250 stitches and photos and is available as a Kindle ebook (second link below).


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

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

An Interview with Sandy Higgins, The Queen of Finishing

Fiber Talk has a fun interview with Sandy Higgins up.

You can order Sandy's book on finishing through her website.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 25, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Micro Chenille Colors Discontinued

Kreinik just announced they are out of the gold and red Micro Chenille and don't anticipate being able to make more. 

The regular chenille is still available, of course, but if you are using this size, make sure you have plenty.

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

Monday, November 9, 2020

The Stitcher's Best Friend Movie

Needlepoint.com's latest video is a tutorial on using the Stitchers Best Friend.

The Stitchers Best Friend is a double-ended wooden tool used to fix stitches.  It comes in either a size 20,  22 or a size 24 needle.  You can use it to remove a stitch, tuck loose ends under other stitches, use it as a laying tool, or to poke a stitch that's pulled out of position into place again.

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

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Corraling Beads

With the Tacky Bob bead box being discontinued, my friends and I have been talking about the various gadgets one can use to hold beads as you work a canvas.

Beadsmith's Sticky Bead Mat is a favorite.  It comes in gray or clear and in various sizes.  You peel off a plastic cover and the beads stick to the mat.  If you peel off the plastic cover off the back it will also stick to your canvas.  (Keep the plastic covers to cover the mat when not in use.)  The nice thing about the Sticky Bead Mat is that when it gets pet fur and thread bits on it, you can wash it off and let it dry and it'll be as sticky as when new.

Accoutrement Designs has a metal box for beads and needles that has both the sticky pad and a magnet to hold your beading needles and the beads.  These come in various designs.  You can attach them to your canvas by using a magnet on the back, too.


The Meredith Collection has the Bead Buddies, which is an inch and a half long by one inch wide plastic box with a magnet on the back.  The inside has a sticky paper strip that holds the beads.  If you want something very small, this is probably the right choice.  


There are people who make their own sticky bead holder using masking tape that is rolled into a little loop and stuck into the beads and then onto the canvas, or who use a small container they have around the house.  Whatever works for you is the right choice.  

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

Saturday, November 7, 2020

An Interview with Jill Likes

The Pointing It Out podcast interviews Jill Likes of The Needlepointer.  Learn all about how she got into store ownership, dyeing Silk Straw, her friendship with the designer of Pippin, and more!

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

Friday, November 6, 2020

The Smart Cookie's Stocking

The Smart Cookie Award for this month goes to a customer of Eye Candy's who took their rectangular fairy tale collage and made it into a stocking topper!

Here is the original design, 8x9 inches on 18 count.  Very clever!

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

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Bohin Has a New Needle Threader

Bohin has released a new wire needle threader with an intricate rose gold base that allows for tassels to be added.

If you like wire threaders (they are my favorite type) you'll want to check these out.  I suspect they'd make a great gift for a stitching friend, too, especially if you made a tassel in their favorite colors.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 15, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

The Bookmark Tutorial

Jan likes making bookmarks using scrap canvas and leftover threads from her projects.  Here's how she does it—

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 15, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Melita Knocks It Out of the Park

Melita just passed step three in her EGA Canvas Master Craftsman program!

Congratulations!

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

Local Needlepoint Shop Day

The 2020 version of Local Needlepoint Shop Day is going to be a bit different with the pandemic, but it is still happening.   Mark November 7th on your calendars and check to see what your favorite shop has planned!

Events are to be posted here.  Let's celebrate the shops that have done so much for us this year!
http://www.localneedlepointshopday.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 15, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, November 2, 2020

Whats That Thing For

Have you been looking for the perfect needlepoint gift?  How about David's lichen clutch purses?

The colors are amazing.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 14, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Pepper Pot Silk: The Movie UPDATED

Needlepoint.com describes Pepper Pot from Planet Earth.  The thread comes in 30 yard skeins and also on 10 yard cards when you just need a touch of Pepper Pot.

KC Needlepoint explains how to decide whether you need a skein or a card of Pepper Pot.

Needlepoint.com's also done a video is about opening a skein of Pepper Pot Silk.

I don't recommend cutting skeins into stitchable lengths ahead of time.  You never know when you'll need a longer length.  But if this is how you always stitch, you might want to follow these instructions.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 14, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.