Monday, February 28, 2022

Threads Create a Focal Point

Needlepoint for Fun's latest essay is all about using threads to create a focal point on your canvas.

Basically they advocate using a thicker thread (or more plies if you are using a floss) for areas you want to stand out and thinner threads for backgrounds or less important details.  The article discusses thread types they use and show how their technique is used on a candy cane from Danji.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 8, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Virtuosew's Latest Adventures Begin

Rachel at Virtuosew stitched an original design a while back that she tucked away in a drawer until her sister begged for it and turned it into a fabulous pillow. 

Her sister wants a similar design so Rachel's starting to mull over the possibilities.  I'll update this as she starts to create something new, perhaps in greens....


And we are done!  I'm so glad this has a good home.

Rachel's also starting to stitch an old kit she found.  She plans to use the scale differences possible in penelope canvas to her advantage.



Rachel's take on the dog and horse having a conversation is fabulous!










Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 8, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Stitch Ripper: The Movie

The Needlepointer has a little video demonstrating how to use their stitch ripper.  This is what it looks like.

And this is how to use it safely.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 7, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, February 25, 2022

Sources for Paternayan

Are you a fan of Paternayan wool?  A Stitch Above in Mason, Ohio says they stock it.

They also do finishing and appear to sell painted canvases, especially those from Charley Harer.  Call them if you are interested.

Another source is Florilegium, which is in Weston, Missouri.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 6, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Melita's Entries for Woodlawn 2022

Melita has shipped her entries off to Woodlawn Plantation for their exhibit of needlework in March.  You can see what she entered on her blog.

It's fun that all the Kathy Rees designs exhibited are going to be in a scavenger hunt for kids.  Sounds like Woodlawn has really streamlined the check in process, too.

Hope everyone gets to see the exhibit in person.  Photos are great but they are no substitute for seeing something in person.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 6, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Sequins Galore!

Do you love adding sequins to your needlepoint?  I just found some great new sources, courtesy of Sue Dulle.  This is the London Embroidery School's.  They have a lot of flat back jewels, too.

The Embroidery Den is a great Australian shop to browse.  I'd never heard of Colour Steams sequins but they are very pretty.  They also carry a wide range of Mill Hill beads.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 4, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

The ANG Auction is Here!

It's time for the ANG Auction again and I nearly missed it!

The auction is totally online and runs from February 20 through February 27.  You do have to register to bid (see "Register" at the top of the page) but you can browse for free.  This year shipping is free, so take a look at the bargains by clicking on the yellow View Auction button on the right side of the page.  There are canvases, books, charted designs, accessories and even finished items for your viewing pleasure.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 21, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, February 21, 2022

Suzanne's Furry Boots

Suzanne over at the Hugs and Stitches blog has posted a Christmas ornament she stitched from her stash.  I love those fur-topped boots!

She also omitted stitching the border but the design looks great without a border.  The moral is raid your stash and suit yourself!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 4, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Two Identical Heart Boxes

Stitch by Stitch in Larchmont has two customers who stitched the identical little Tiffany blue heart box.    The boxes are stitched differently but they are both adorable. 

I think the boxes and hardware are from Kate Dickerson, but I'm not certain.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 4, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, February 19, 2022

Breaking News: Wellesley Needlepoint is Sold

Cindy Matthews of Wellesley Needlepoint in Wellesley, Massachusetts has just announced the sale of the shop to Kim Walton of the Stitch Boutique of Boston.

Cindy will continue to work at the shop during the transition.   You can of course still visit Wellesley Needlepoint online...

...as well as visit the two Stitch Boutique locations, one in Boston and one in Winchester, Massachusetts.

Please join me in wishing Cindy a lovely retirement and Kim a fun time managing three shops!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 19, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Perfect Mat

New Creations Picture Framing's cut a wonderful mat to complement Pam's stitching.

I think the design is from Shelly Tribby but that's just a guess.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 4, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, February 18, 2022

Unique Finishing from Un Chiffon Fon Fon

This little cookie box was finished in a totally unique way.  Un Chiffon Fon Fon did a great job.  I adore those button wheels and the handle.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 4, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, February 17, 2022

A Replacement for the Tacky Bob

Remember the Tacky Bob, the little acrylic box with colorful covers and a small magnet and sticky beads to hold your beads?  The company has folded but now Yarn Tree has a similar little box they call the Tacky Bill.

Doesn't appear the Tacky Bill has a magnetic strip for your needle but otherwise it sounds identical.  

Shop around.  Prices vary a lot.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 3, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Rachel's Glasses Case

Rachel at Virtusew Adventures has made herself a fun glasses case out of random patterns.  I love the idea of the drawstring bag being tucked inside to keep the sunglasses where they belong.  



Doesen't this make you want to play around with something similar?

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 1, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Robin Shares a Stitch

The wildly talented Robin King shares a stitch for a guide she is writing for class here-

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 2, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, February 14, 2022

Stitches with Hart UPDATED

Brenda Hart has published a fourth book, and I am thrilled.  I am a big fan of her books and use them more than any of the others in my collection.  
But is this a book you'll love as much as I do?  Let's see, shall we?

The cover is on the left.  This is a 92 page book, plus three pages of introductory information and a three page index. As you can see from the photo, it is spiral bound with light cardboard covers.  Your local copy shop can remove, laminate and rebind the covers for you to help preserve them.

The cover itself shows what Brenda's diagrams are like--all in black and white with shades of gray.  The diagrams are not numbered, although Brenda sometimes tells you the proper order for multiple steps to execute the stitch.  In other words, this book is likely to be more helpful for the experienced needlepointer or someone who is willing to do a lot of test stitching on scrap canvas to figure out how to execute a stitch.

Brenda has written three other books in the same format.  None of her books repeat stitches, although you may find variations on a stitch you saw in an earlier book.  Most of these stitches are Brenda's creations she has dreamed up during her long teaching career so you won't see them repeated elsewhere often.  Most pages have 3-4 stitches diagrammed on them although some of the larger stitches are on a page by themselves.  I did a quick count to see how many stitches are included and came up with 341 diagrams.  I counted complicated stitches with three diagrams as one and didn't include the two diagrams Brenda added showing how to bead on needlepoint canvas, so this is only a rough estimate, but clearly you get a lot of stitches for your money.




I chose a page at random to show how the diagrams work.  Brenda occasionally adds suggestions for the working order as you can see above.  Most diagrams don't have such notes, however.  

The book doesn't have chapters although Brenda clusters like stitches together (borders, for example, or darning stitches).  The index in the back talks about shapes (diamonds, ovals) or sometimes gives the stitch name (t-stitch).  You can get a general idea if the stitch is what you want from that.

Brenda Hart is a master of light-coverage stitches so most of the stitches in this book are designed for this type of needlepoint.  Many can be adapted to full coverage by using thicker threads or by adding little tent stitches, cross stitches, or beads in the empty areas.  Most will make elegant and subtle backgrounds or complicated borders or scattered motifs.

I plan to use this book a lot!

Happy Valentine's Day to Brenda and of course all of you wonderful blog visitors.  

UPDATE:  Good news for shop owners:  Ruth Schmuff of Bedecked and Beadazzled is now the distributor of Brenda's books.  If you need stock for your customers, check with Ruth.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 29, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Randy's Shaped Needlepoint

Randy has made some impressive cubes and a triangle using stash and simple patterns.  I think these would look great on a table or piled in a pretty glass bowl.

His best tips if you want to try this with your leftovers is to add a row of tent stitch around all outside edges, brace the inner walls with acid free mat board.  Then he folds under a canvas edge on each side and glues it.  Afterwards the four sides are glued together.  Right now Randy leaves the bottom open.  

Very clever!  Thanks for sharing your unique original shapes.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 2, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, February 12, 2022

Brenda Talks iPads and iPens

Brenda's Needlepoint Studio has a neat idea about using her iPad and iPen to photograph a chart then mark up sections that are done.  She has discovered the iPen works great as a laying too, too!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 28, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, February 11, 2022

A Free Heart Pattern from Tanja Berlin

With Valentine's Day rapidly approaching, I was thrilled to see Tanja Berlin has posted a free blackwork heart pattern on her website.  It is a PDF file.  Add it to your shopping cart (it costs nothing), check out and enjoy.

The pattern would make a lovely background, too!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 2, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Mystery Class: Penelope and Her Imaginarium

Ruth Schmuff has announced her late winter-early spring mystery class project:  Sandra Vargas' "Penelope and Her Imaginarium."  Details here--

It's a whimsical piece with a little French clown and her menagerie.  I'll update this as Ruth posts about the lessons on this cutie.  

Ruth likes to start with the background.  She explains why here--

Penelope has a face--and what a face it is.

Penelope has diamonds!

And now she has curls and a darling baby elephant.

Here's the link to the video explaining how to make these curls.

The argyle background is wonderful!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 31, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

New System Four Carry Case

System Four just posted a video to Needlepoint Nation about their brand new carry case for their Travel Mate stand.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 31, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Colorful Mittens! UPDATED

Colour Complements is starting a mittens series, with a free download of the pattern and diagrams of the stitches used.  Here is the download for the mitten outline.

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/01/needlepoint-mitten-series.html


Lorraine's website has a section where all the mitten designs will live eventually.

https://colourcomplements.com/category/needlepoint/mittens


There will be a mitten (or two) each month.  You can use the overdyed threads that Colour Complements sells or just raid your stash.  Regardless, this is going to create a fun quick ornament for your Christmas tree or just to brighten your house all winter.  I'll update this with the new mitten patterns as they appear.


UPDATES:  These Bargello pattern mittens are really darling.  The pattern download is at the very end of the article.

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/02/colourful-mittens-12-months-of-mittens.html


The green mitten looks so soft!  I didn't realize perle cotton could look this way with the right stitch.

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/03/green-mitten-design-12-months-of-mittens.html


The star mitten is darling.

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/04/a-look-at-our-star-mitten-12-months-of-mittens.html


The two diagonal patterns on this one look fabulous.  The small scale of diagonal brick at the cuff looks very fuzzy, just perfect to offset the Byzantine stitch on the body of the mitten.

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/05/colourful-mitten-pattern-12-months-of-mittens-series.html


This one looks like winter to me and as a bonus, both stitches used are easy to do.

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/06/using-an-alternating-mosaic-stitch-for-needlepoint.html


I am a big fan of PINK so I love this month's pink and yellow mitten.

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/07/pink-mitten-12-months-of-mittens-series.html


If you love bright, bold color, this charmer is right up your alley.

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/08/colourful-mitten-design.html


Who knew a  hexagon pattern would look so good on mittens?!

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/09/mosaic-hexagon-mitten-patterns.html


This one shows how an overdye really jazzes up a stitch.

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/10/how-to-create-this-fall-themed-mitten-pattern.html


The snowflake mittens are adorable.

https://colourcomplements.com/2022/11/how-to-create-a-snowflake-stitch-pattern.html


The icy blues of this mitten are wonderful.  I normally use size 8 perle cotton on 18 count but I can see that the larger size 5 would make these mittens very plush and warm-looking.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/01/creating-this-blue-mitten-pattern-needlepoint-mittens.html


This fun mitten was done using one of Colour Complements' thread kits.  It's random Rhodes rounds and very cute.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/02/custom-mitten-thread-kit.html


I like the checkerboard cuff.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/03/creating-a-mitten-using-a-bold-colour-palette.html


This is a Bargello mitten.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/04/stitching-a-bargello-needlepoint-mitten.html


It's Winter in June with this cool blue mitten.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/06/using-a-cool-colour-combination-to-create-a-wintery-mitten.html


July 2023 has the "Candyland" mitten, full of happy colors.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/07/using-a-bold-palette-of-colour-for-our-12-months-of-mittens.html


The August mitten has an unusual color and stitch combination.  It looks fabulous!

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/08/using-unusual-stitch-combinations-to-create-a-mitten-design.html


This one's a reminder that colorful samplers can come shaped like mittens!

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/09/geometric-mitten-pattern-12-months-of-mittens.html


Since it's October, this is a Halloween mitten in purples and lavenders.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/10/creating-a-halloween-themed-mitten-12-months-of-mittens.html


The November mitten is in icy blues and wintergreens.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/11/using-ocean-inspired-colours-12-months-of-mittens.html


December brings the finale of the mittens, each wonderful in their own way, and all lessons in color.  It's nice to know that Colour Complements will be selling three new mitten PDF designs with thread kits in 2024 in case you need more mittens in your life.

https://colourcomplements.com/2023/12/easy-stitching-projects-with-our-12-months-of-mittens.html


For 2024, Colour Complements is going to do Mitten Kits, complete with downloadable PDF file charting the stitches and all the threads you need to do two mittens or maybe use the excess from one mitten in finishing.

https://colourcomplements.com/2024/01/introducing-circus-a-new-colourful-mitten-pattern.html#


https://colourcomplements.com/product-category/custom-thread-kits


https://colourcomplements.com/product/cozy-autumn-needlepoint-mitten-kit


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 31, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, February 7, 2022

Compensation Tip from Melita UPDATED

Melita is working a lovely Asian piece with compensation needed because of the oriental symbols that float on top of some of the background.  She takes photos of each area and figures out the correct background compensation from that, which is very clever!

UPDATE:  Melita continues this piece, still using photos to work out how to compensate.


And the two JP Needlepoint designs are done!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 31, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, February 6, 2022

Krreinik's Inventory Sheet and Much More

The latest posting by ANG's NJ Needle Artists Chapter is full of interesting information.   There's so much I'm not going to summarize.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 30, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, February 5, 2022

Recycling Vintage Needlepoint

Terry saw this on Home Town, which is an HGTV program.  If you don't have a Facebook account, a lady bought a house with a needlepoint kitchen backsplash which she saved during renovation, cleaned, made into a pillow and gave it to a lady who grew up in the house.  That takes recycling vintge needlepoint to a new level!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, February 4, 2022

A Needlepoint Car Headrest Cover

This needlepoint kit is intended to be made up as a car head rest cover.

That's totally unique!

The kit comes with wool and a 13 count printed canvas, as well as instructions as to how to make it up.  If you are a DIY person, this one's for you.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 29, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, February 3, 2022

Vintage Needlepoint

Horse Country Chic is doing a little window shopping for vintage needlepoint.

These are kits with wool but you can easily substitute some or all of the threads in the kit for suitiable colors in that nice stash you have been collecting. I think most of these are from Etsy, although I haven't checked.  I'm avoiding temptation!  

These are one-of-a-kind now, so if you see something that calls to you, better snap it up.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 29, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Do You Find Faces Hard?

Do you find faces difficult to render on needlepoint canvas?  If so, you'll want to follow the discussion of faces that Gay Ann Rogers is doing on the home page and the "News Views" section of her website.

Yesterday she explained why too many details won't work and why she prefers wide set eyes with the edges turned up, a rosebud mouth, high forehead, and narrow chin.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 1, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Ruth Talks Jessicas

Dots (and Jessicas) are everywhere!   This is Kelly Clark's "Cookies and Cocoa Nutcracker," Ruth Schmuff's current mystery class at Bedecked and Bedazzled.  And bcause she is a nice lady, Ruth has included links to help you make a lovely Jessica.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January, 26, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.