Thursday, March 31, 2022

How Many Strands?

Thanks to Needlepoint Nation, I know that Old World Designs has posted a chart on their website to help folks decide how many strands or plies of various thread brands to use on their canvas.

Note that I don't agree with some of their ideas (I almost always use Accentuate alone, for example) and how many plies depends on not only the brand of thread and the canvas count, but your thread tension, the color, and the stitch you want to use.  I always suggest some test stitches in the margins to find out what will work for you.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 5, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Horse Country Chic's Finished Projects

Horse Country Chic is stitching up a storm!

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

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

More Delay for Whimsical Stitches Three

Theresa at Homestead Needle Arts reports that the third volume of Mary Legallet's Whimsical Stitch series is still delayed due to a lack of paper.

You can see more about the latest volume as well as see a bit about the first and second book on Mary's website.

UPDATE:  Mary's still waiting as of April 21, 2022.

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

Monday, March 28, 2022

Interviewing Claire Vickery of Oz Needle and Thread

Mackenzie and Kathryn of Third Coast Stitches in Chicago interview Claire Vickery of Oz Needle and Thread.

You can have fun browsing Claire's work on her website.  (Love those Regency canvases!)

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

Sunday, March 27, 2022

Team Colors

Needlepoint.com is enjoying March Madness' basketball a lot.  It's inspired them to list colors that map to their favorite college teams.

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

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Ada's Favorite Blogs

Ada of Eye Candy wrote about her four favorite blogs and I am thrilled to be on the list!

Her recommendation to read the blogs that Ruth, Jan and the folks at the NJ Needle Artists chapter of ANG write is something you should follow.  They are all fabulous fun.

Thanks for including Blog, Ada.  It's appreciated.  

If you love blogs, there's a list on the right column if you scroll down a bit.  Many are no longer updated but there's still great information there.  Hopefully very few are missing. 

Jane, waving from Chilly Hollow

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

Friday, March 25, 2022

NEIGHdlepoint UPDATED

Mike Cooper and Donna Eds are covering a horse statue with needlepoint for Lexington, KY's Horsemania 2022.

They need stitchers if you want to help.

Here is their brand new website with more information.

Donna's finished hers and it is darling!

UPDATE:  Mike gives us an update on the oldest stitcher working on jockey squares.

Sadly, they have all the stitchers they'll need at this point, but stay tuned to see how it turns out.

And here is one of the horses finished.

Here's another.

The horse is hanging out at the courthouse currently.

Here is the horse posing with some of its stitchers.

Another photo of the finished horse.

And it's up for auction!

Gasp!  The horse went for $8500.00!

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

Thursday, March 24, 2022

Breaking News: Dale Lenci Is Retiring in June

Dale Lenci, owner of Luv 2 Stitch in San Mateo, CA and the designer behind DJ Designs, is going to retire the end of June, 2022!


His fun shop newsletters and his elegant designs will be much missed, but we hope he has a wonderful retirement.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 24, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunflowers (and more) for Ukraine

I'm starting to see sunflowers all over, and realized this is because they are Ukraine's flower.  As I write this, the invasion of Ukraine is still stalled.  Hopefully diplomacy (or common decency) will prevail and the Russian army will retreat.  To take this back to needlepoint, Carol Curtis Needlepoint Design has a lovely realistic sunflower.

Suzi of VNG has a sunflower fund raiser for Ukraine.

So does Pepperberry.

Judy Ann has added several small sunflower pieces to her Etsy store.

If you are fond of traditional needlepoint pillows, Beth Russell's pillow kit is gorgeous.  It's also available with a green or paprika red background but we'll show the blue since yellow and blue are the Ukrainian flag colors.

Are you a fan of abstract art?  Then this Zecca canvas of four sunflowers is going to be right up your alley.

The Meredith Collection has at least two sunflowers.

Mary Lake Thompson has a gorgeous sunflower boot for the Southwestern fans.

Want something smaller? This Abigail Cecile version is for you.

JP has a lovely little peace ornament and...

...a darling sunflower egg design.

The queen of floral needlepoint design is Jean Smith.  This beauty is on 13 count.

Jean also has a very elegant sunflower topiary.

Patt of Patt and Lee has a large sunflower that's gorgeous.  Change the teal background to blue and there you go.

Jody Valentine has several small sunflower ornaments.

If you are a fan of counted canvaswork, Laura Perin's "Ukrainian Eggs" is a fabulous design from a chart.

Laura has taken one of the eggs from "Ukrainian Eggs" and charted it for a free project.  Thanks, Laura!

JP Needlepoint is painting an Ukrainian egg design.  It's not finished yet but you can see how it is developing here.

JP Needlepoint now has individual Ukrainian eggs available.

If you have more canvases than time, how about this charming heart magnet from Kirkland Design Studio?


Rebecca Wood has a charming reindeer ornament for Ukraine.

We stitch our hopes and dreams, don't we?  We dream of peace in Ukraine.  By the way, Tilli Thomas of Planet Earth has a new Ukrainian flag ornament that is a fund raiser for the brave soils there.

UPDATES:  Jolly Red has a subtle bow to Ukraine in their Brighter Days Daffodils kit.

Kathy Brandt has added a lovely heart flag to her line.

Hedgehog has a Kyiv Vintage Luggage tag needle magnet now.

Hannah Bass has a traditional needlepoint kit.

Laura Love Designs has a new charted sunflower chart fund raiser.  It'll be available as a painted canvas later this year.

Laura Love's painted version of the pretty Ukrainian embroidery with sunflower is ready.

Elizabeth Bradley has redone their small sunflower kit with a Ukrainian blue background.  All profits go to charities to help the Ukrainian refugees.

CanvasWorks has a great kit with the Ukrainian symbol.  Available this summer.

BeauVerre Art has Ukrainian needle minders.  The Labors of Love shop has them in stock.

Painted Pony has an angel that is a fund raiser for Ukrainian displaced children.

Anne Fisher is distributing two needlepoint canvases from Julia Krasnik, an Ukrainian artist.


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

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Merry L's Laying Tool

Sue has a new laying tool with a point protector from Merry L Needlework Accessories.


Merry L has a Facebook page where you can see their line.  Your favorite shop can help you acquire some of their tools.

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

What Kimberly's Up To

If you are a fan of Kimberly Design, you'll love seeing what she's creating and teaching.  If you aren't a fan you will be when you see how inventive she is in creating dimension and interest in her designs.

If you want to see more of Kimberly's painted canvases and guides, here's a good starting point.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 10, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Pointing It Out Has the Kate Dickerson Preview

Pointing It Out interviews Kate Dickerson, learns about her company history, the impact COVID has had on her and Melissa's shop, and learns what is coming out from the design house for the Spring 2022 trade show in Atlanta.

More about the Atlanta show.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 27, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, March 21, 2022

Giggle for the Day

The latest report from ANG's New Jersey Needle Artists chapter includes a listing of potential needlepoint projects.

A typewriter cover?!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 27, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 20, 2022

A Mini Review of Ann Strite-Kurz Books

Melita's been using several of Ann Strite-Kurz's books to help her finish various projects.

Here;s Ann's website if you want to buy a book or two.

Don't miss Razzle-Dazzle.  It's spectacular.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.co
© Copyright February 25, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, March 19, 2022

New Shop in Winston Salem, North Carolina

EyeCandy just announced there's a new shop in Winston-Salem, NC.  It's called Time to Stitch.

Their website is just getting built out.  Hope you get to visit.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 25, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, March 18, 2022

Criss Cross Hungarian in Many Variations

Ada Hayden of Eye Candy loves Criss Cross Hungarian and so do I.  It is a very pretty and versatile stitch and it works in small areas, too.  You just need to have enough space for 2-3 repeats of the larger motif that makes up the stitch.

Ada loves it so much she's diagrammed the stitch plus a bunch of interesting variations on her blog.  It's a fun read with a lot of great stitches you can try that are relatives of Criss Cross Hungarian for times when you want something similar but not too similar.

Ada promises more variations later.  I'll update this article when she posts more.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 10, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 17, 2022

Yummy Needle Minders from the UK

Mary Corbet just showed off a needle minder from the UK that's darling!   Mary's was a gift.  (She has the cake and biscuit needle minder.)

These are really yummy since most of them are both darling and food-oriented.  I love the gingerbread houses and the chocolate heart, don't you?  The gnome is pretty cute, too.  The shop also sells stitch markers which I think might be useable as scissor fobs for those who like that sort of thing.  You can also pick up a pair of chocolate cake earrings here, too!

Chapel View Crafts sells to the USA.  Just scroll down to the bottom of the page and select the correct currency from the drop down menu.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 23, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, March 16, 2022

Kreinik Transitioning to Standard Spool Size

Just noticed that Kreinik announced on Instagram that they are transitioning to a larger spool size for all their braids.

I think you need to have an Instagram account to see the photo of the larger spool and read their note, but what it says is:

"MOVING TOWARD NEW AND IMPROVED: As part of our efforts to get threads made and shipped much more quickly, we are streamlining the manufacturing process in a few major ways. The end result is going to be good for all of us but change is sometimes bumpy. You may notice that all of our spools are now on the larger Kreinik black spool, not the smaller. Eventually there will be a new, better spool—one spool size for all. The label will show the thread type, color number, amount on the spool, and a UPC code (better for shops). Thank you for sticking with us. We are working hard at getting back up to speed."

I'm sure having one size spool will be easier for manufacturing and probably easier to source than the current two sizes.  It'll be extra important to not lose the label on your spools now for us consumers.  

Later on this was posted to Facebook.  It's identical to the Instagram posting.  Here's the link if you have a FB account.

Even further details are provided by Theresa at Homestead Needle Arts.

Here is what the new labels look like.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 22, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

Pointing It Out Interviews Kangaroo Paw Designs

The Pointing It Out podcast just interviewed Carrie Kuska of Kangaroo Paw Designs.  You can to get to know her here, learn about licensing fraternity and sorority symbols, etc.

Want to explore more about Carrie's work?  Here is the Kangaroo Paw Designs website.

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.

Monday, March 14, 2022

Making a Pretty Silk Ribbon Bow

Ruth Schmuff of Bedecked and Beadazzled has created a video tutorial on making a lovely bow on needlepoint canvas.  Note she is using silk ribbon that's 13 mm wide.  

If you want to see the finished bow on her current mystery class, check the first and fourth photos here.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 20, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 13, 2022

There's Not One Right Choice

Needlepoint.com's blog has posted an interesting article about the threads they choose for customers when the customer tells them Pick Your Favorites.

It really shows how we gravitate to threads we like, doesn't it?  I would almost always choose perle cotton,  Caron's Impressions (a silk/wood blend), silk floss and cotton floss for a project if I have the colors needed in those threads.  I like to add a little bling (but not too much) and I avoid wool in the summer as it makes my hands itch when it is hot and humid outside.  I never use Neon Rays, either, just because I don't have much in my stash of threads.  

So what do you gravitate towards?  And what do you want to try next time?

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.

Saturday, March 12, 2022

A New Manhattan Shop

Just heard on Needlepoint Nation there's a new knitting-needlepoint shop in the West Village off 10th Street in NYC.  If you are local and can check it out, let us know what they carry.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 18, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, March 11, 2022

Why You Should Stitch a Rug

Hunt Country Yarns puts forth compelling reasons for stitching yourself a needlepoint rug.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 14, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Vintage Deux Amis

Thanks to Horse Country Chic, I know that Deux Amis is selling vintage canvases online.  

They are obviously cleaning house and letting leftover canvases that have been discontinued go.  The prices are good and the designs charming but if you see something, hurry to get it since these are very limited.  Once they are sold, they are not going to be available again.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 13, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Top Five Finishing Questions Answered

Needlepoint.com does lots of finishing for customers so they wrote about the top five questions they get about finishing.

Note that how the shop does things may not be how the shop or finisher you are using does things.  It always pays to ask a lot of questions up front so you know what you are getting and when and the finisher knows exactly what you want.  Remember, communication is hard so spell everything out you can think of.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 12, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

One Kurdy Biggs Ornament Done, A Second Started UPDATED

Brenda is working on a ANG Workshop by Mail, two charted ornaments on perforated paper designed by Kurdy Biggs.  The first is finished and lovely.

Of course these could be done on needlepoint canvas.  Now we wait to see the second!

By the way, Melita is stitching a second Kurdy Biggs design from the 2021 ANG Seminar.

It's looking very pretty but I highly recommend you work from the center out on these geometric pieces as Brenda recommends.  It's just easier to count and re-count.

UPDATE:  Brenda is stitching both ornaments twice and changing the thread and background color each time.  It's amazing how that changes the emphasis of the design.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright Gebruary 11, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, March 7, 2022

A Substitute for Appleton Crewel Wool

Gary and Beth found a nice substitute for Appleton crewel wool--it's called Heathway Merino and is a very fine wool from Wales that's sold in 10 yard skeins.  This shop in Denver carries it.

It is fine enough to stitch on 40 count linen, per Gary, and each skein is subtly shaded.  Tristan Brooks of Memphis, Tennessee has a lovely display of the colors available.

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.

Sunday, March 6, 2022

Visiting EGA's Seminar Exhibit

Somehow I missed the fact that Fiber Talk did videos of the needlework exhibited at EGA's 2021 Seminar.  I didn't realize it until Natalia Frank mentioned them on her blog.

Pour yourself a beverage and enjoy all the magnificent work in these nine films!  If you don't have a lot of time, watch the top video which is a longer summary of the others.

Many thanks to Gary and Beth for the filming and to Natalia to drawing my attention to them.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 10, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, March 4, 2022

Silk Gauze Class.

Brenda is taking a class on silk gauze from Natalia Frank.

Silk gauze is one of my very favorite things to stitch on and Natalia is a fantastic designer of rug charts.  You can explore her work here and sign up for a class, too.  But explore her home page and take a look at her magnificent Tree of Life design before you start exploring.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 10, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 3, 2022

Cabbage Row Purchased by Needlepoint.com

Charleston's iconic Cabbage Row needlepoint store has changed hands.  

The shop is now owned by Needlepoint.com and reopened last Monday, Feb. 28th.  If you are in Charleston, make sure you visit.  Of course if you are in North Caroline, instead of South Carolina, you can visit Needlepoint.com at their store in Raleigh.

UPDATE: Here's a bit about the Needlepoint.com Charleston shop under Needlepoint.com's ownership.

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

Wednesday, March 2, 2022

Woodlawn Exhibit Opens Today

The Woodlawn Plantation Needlework Exhibit opens today, March 2, and is available daily (except they are closed Tuesdays) from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. until March 31st.  Details here.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 25, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Asymmetrical Copper in Pinks

Colour Complements shows off one of Jeff Kulick's little designs in some of their pink overdyed threads.

"Asymmetrical Copper" was published in ANG's magazine, NeedlePointers, in the November/December 2021 issue.  If you are a fan of Jeff's work and are a member of ANG, it's a great way to use up stash threads and create a fun little color study.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 9, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.