Monday, March 31, 2025

Stitch Sloth Launches

Ilene just announced Stitch Sloth has gone live!  It is an interesting way to connect with other stitchers and use their inventory software.  Read the fine print, though.


Fiber Talk just interviewed Ilene, the founder.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 3, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Needlepoint Stitch Jewelry

Mary Frances Maker of MFM learned to needlepoint through Greystone Needlepoint, then turned stitches into jewelry in collaboration with Greystone.

You can see a bracelet and three charms here and there are two styles of necklace chains also available-




Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com 
© Copyright February 2, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, March 29, 2025

No Tariff on Canadian Needlepoint Supplies (NJNA)

The latest newsletter from the New Jersey Needle Artists chapter of ANG is out.  The really important news is that if you buy needle art supplies from Canada, as long as you spend less than $800, tariffs don't apply!

That's great news if you are stocking up on threads or kits from Colour Complements.

The newsletter has plenty of ANG news, classes, new products and more.   As always, it's a fun read and informative, too.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 10, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, March 28, 2025

Woodlawn 2025

Woodlawn Plantation's 2025 needlework exhibit is nearly over.  It's held (usually) each March and brings together a lot of needle art for people in the Washington, D.C. area to enjoy.  You can see photos of the major award winners and a list of everyone who got ribbons on the Woodlawn website.

Melita made it to the first day of the exhibit and was able to post lots of photos.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 4, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 27, 2025

Hit the Road!

Now that winter is (mostly) over for those of us in the USA, KC Needlepoint is posting tips for taking your needlepoint with you on a trip.  There are links to buy the items they mention, of course, but the advice is good.  


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 31, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Twisted Lazy Daisy for Flower Buds (and Hair)

The very talented Ruth Schmuff has posted a video on Bedecked and Beadazzled's Instagram page demonstrating using twisted lazy daisy stitch for flower buds.

This would make great fake bullions for hair, too.  Here is what the purple buds look like clusters on a design.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 31, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

NJNA Tidbits (with New Canvases)

The NJNA newsletter is out again and it's packed with local ANG chapter news, and news about ANG's national seminar.

As a bonus, there is lots of information about new designs that will be coming out the end of March, plus some fun tips about cleaning out stash, shop news, and more.  It's a great read, as always, so pour yourself a favorite beverage and settle down to catch up on needlepoint news via our stitching buddies in New Jersey.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 23, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, March 24, 2025

The Modern Needlework Stand: A Review

Mary Corbet has written a review of The Modern Needlework Stand, which is a table stand for your needlework, made by a Ukrainian company called Velke Potok, that's perfect for travel.   Mary's reviews are thorough.  She covers all the pros and cons of any item she reviews.

This stand isn't cheap at $360, so Mary wants to know if readers are interested in her stocking these and if so, what colors folks would like.  So check it out and let Mary know if you are interested.  If you are, what color grabs you?  Her email is mary (at) needlenthread (dot) com.

Thanks!  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 20, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 23, 2025

ANG Auction March 27-30, 2025

The American Needlepoint Guild's auction is March 27-30--that's next week!  

To bid you need to sign up to get an auction login.  Just follow the instructions.  But even if you don't plan to bid, it's fun to browse.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 23, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Learn about Thread Painting with Lisa: The Movie

Lisa Kessler of BeStitched has posted a video about thread painting on the shop's Instagram account.  She'll show you examples of canvases that would work will with thread painting techniques and how you can tell, show off stitched examples of the technique, and generally help you understand how she works animals and flowers in thread painting (also called needle painting).

In case the video disappears, Lisa says you can use overdyed thread in needle painting, it works on both 13 and 18 count canvas, if you use thinner threads (silk and cotton floss, Bella Lusso) it won't bulk up, you can come up at the outside edge or the inside edge--this usually doesn't matter, the thread length doesn't matter that much but you should not have all the threads the same length as that looks artificial, you can mix strand able and non-strandable threads, and more.  

BeStitched's "Wild About Animals" Club that Lisa mentioned is an easy way to dip your toe into thread painting.  You'll have to ask the shop if you can buy just one of the designs instead of choosing three, six or eight of them.

If you need more information on this topic, I've written a thread painting tutorial which you can find here-


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 26, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Tips for Transferring a Chart to Blank Canvas

The Wool and The Floss has posted a video showing how to transfer a charted design to blank canvas.  It's not that hard, really!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 26, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, March 21, 2025

Book-Themed Canvas Finishing Ideas

The Book Canvas shows off finishing ideas for book-themed canvases.

By the way, The Book Canvas designs are distributed by Mopsey, just in case you want to stitch for a reader....

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 25, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 20, 2025

March 20, 2008

While I was doing maintenance on Blog today I realized my first posting using Blogger was March 20, 2008.  That was seventeen years ago!  I was blogging for 2-3 years before that using Yahoo but when Yahoo decided to remove their blogging tool, I switched to Blogger and cross-posted both places for a year or so before the Yahoo blog went defunct.  

As I write this there are 9,667 postings here.  Talk a lot, don't I?  

Time flies.  Wonder if I'll make it to March 20, 2028?  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 16, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, March 19, 2025

The Wool and the Floss Has a New Location

The Wool and the Floss in Michigan has a new location.    This is the new shop video tour, before any remodeling has been done.  Stay tuned!

Their grand opening was March 15th.  Congratulations!  You can take a video tour here-

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 17, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Three Way Design

One thing I always find fascinating is seeing the same design finished differently, so I was thrilled when Ada Hayden of Eye Candy posted photos of her famous "Candy Land Christmas Trees" design finished as a pillow, framed, and as a standup.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com 
© Copyright January 25, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, March 17, 2025

Amy Speaks (and Designs and Finishes)

Amy Bunger just posted about two original designs she created and finished as presents on her Amy's Golden Strand Facebook page.  (Look for her January 21, 2025 postings.)

The finishing instructions are very clear so why not try this?  Amy's designs were six inches square.  I wouldn't go much smaller for your first try.  It's easier to finish big than little because your fingers get in the way of sewing or gluing things together when you are working with small items.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 23, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Vineyard Silk: The Movie

Needlepoint.com's latest video is about Vineyard Silk.

This wonderful silk is non-divisible.  It works best on 18 count canvas and comes in overdyes (called Tone on Tone) or solids (called Classic).  Like all silks, this thread has a lovely sheen when used in longer stitches.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 25, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Love MHB Studio's Favorite Background Stitches: The Movie

Love MHB Studio has posted a video of their favorite background stitches, complete with examples, on their Instagram account.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 21, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, March 14, 2025

More About Melita's Books

Melita Glavin shows off two books she got for Christmas:  New Twists on Needlework Embellishment (by Suzanne Howren and Beth Robertson) and Embellishments for Canvas (by Mary Lou Helgesen).

Melita found the sections on using silk ribbons especially interesting.  I own New Twists and found it interesting.  I've not seen the Mary Lou Helgesen book, but it was apparently a companion to her famous Nativity set.  Both are worth seeking out, especially if you are in Texas, which was Mary Lou's stomping ground.

The next set of books from Melita's library are all classics from June McKnight.  I find her Architectural Stitches especially helpful.  Plants and Animals is a good one, too.

Many shops carry June's books but if there's one you can't find, contact Old World Designs as June teaches there regularly.  They might be able to help.

Melita just purchased a copy of Mary's Whimsical Small Stitches, the latest book from Mary Legallet.  

Here's Mary's Instagram page so you can see what her diagrams look like.

Melita has added Dawn Donnelly's book Transformative Stitching:  Needlework on the Diagonal to her library.

Melita has two volumes of Custom House of Needle Art's books--Quick Stitch Variations and More Quick Stitch Reference.  These are very portable with good information and clear diagrams.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 19, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Threadaholic Alert: Tilli Thomas' Reflections.

The new thread line from Tilli Thomas/Planet Earth is called Reflections, a silk/nylon metallic blend that adds a little metallic sparkle to the silk. It comes on ten yard cards.  Apparently it works best on 18 count but can be used on 13 count depending on the stitch and how comfortable you are with less than complete coverage.



Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 16, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Theadaholic Alert! Dyeing for Cross Stitch Cotton and Silk Floss

Thanks to Cheryl over at NP Nation, I've learned of the hand dyed cotton and silk flosses from Dyeing for Cross Stitch.


The colors are very beautiful but heed the warning about one and done colors.  Make sure you buy enough, especially if you buy silk floss as all their silk colors are done only once.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 13, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

The 25 in 25 Serendipity Needleworks Challenge

Melita is doing the 25 new stitches in 25 days challenge from Serendpity Needleworks.    She shows off the first five stitch samples with her thoughts about where and how to use each.





Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 12, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, March 10, 2025

Thread Exploring at Waste Knot

Lori at Waste Knot* is Instagramming about the various threads the shop carries.  It's a great way to explore various threads that are available for needlepoint, especially if you don't have a shop of your own where you can see thread options in person.

First up, size 3 perle cotton--

Secondly, size 5 perle cotton--

The third thread is Planet Earth's Essentials, a strand of silk/wool perfect for 18 count that comes on 10 yard cards.

Now Lori shows you Vineyard Merino Wool.

Followed by Vineyard Silk.  Both are lovely threads, by the way.

Lori likes Pepper Pot for 18 count but I do find it a little thick for 18 count.  If you have tight tension, you will love it on 18.

Next is Kreinik.  Lori has all the sizes and explains how/where to use them here--

Silk Road Fiber's Straw Silk comes in a huge array of colors.


Planet Earth Silk is a thicker silk for 13 count.  Very pretty colors.

Lori's right, Gloriana's 12 ply silk has the prettiest colors available. 

Lori shows off Silk n Ivory, which isn't the most wearable silk/wool blend, but it's very pretty and perfect for 13 count.

Next up is Soie d'Alger, a French 7 ply silk in beautiful colors.

Lori carries a lot of Impressions, my favorite wool/silk blend.

Boucle is a fun thread for curls, bushes and more.

Next Lori shows off Glisten, a wool with a sparkle filament woven in. It's not as shiny as Silk Lame Braid but gives a very nice subtle gleam.  Lori uses one strand on 18 count.

Floche (from DMC) is the next thread Lori shows off.  It's cotton and comes on big skeins, making it perfect for backgrounds.  It's got a nice subtle sheen to it. 

Lori has tips for when you use Very Velvet and Petite Very Velvet.

Here are the two weights of Very Velvet.

Next up is Silk Lame Petite, one of my favorites.

Silk Lame comes in four sizes now.

Entice is similar to Silk Lame but is rayon for the base thread.

Lori has some good tips for dealing with the kinks in Neon Rays that appear after it's wound around the Rainbow Gallery card.

The next thread Waste Knot carries is Caron's Watercolours, a favorite of counted thread designers.  Lori doesn't mention the drastic color changes you can get between dye lots of these cotton overdyes; it's wise to buy plenty for your project if you are using it in a large area.

With the holidays coming, Lori goes fun with Fuzzy Stuff.

ThreadworX's overdyed cotton floss is a particular favorite of mine.

Bella Lusso wool is quite pretty and easy to stitch with.

Burmilana is another fav.  Great animal fur!

Gentle Arts' Sampler Threads have lovely muted colors.  This is an overdyed cotton floss that is popular with sampler repo stitches because of the faded look you get.  Perfect for animals!

River Silks silk ribbon is lovely to work with, comes in a variety of widths and colors, and is tough as nails!

Another ribbon-like thread is Rainbow Gallery's Sparkle Rays (also available in Petite Sparkle Rays).  You get a bit of sparkle and some pretty pastel colors, plus a really white white.

Like Lori, I think Alpaca 18 is too thick for 18 count but it has some fabulous animal coat colors and might make great hair for people.

Today Lori's talking Flair, aka Barbie's Panty Hose.  This versatile thread is a delight although you might not like how the cut end unravels.  This is why God invented the Thread Zapper, folks.

I like Frosty Rays.  The colors are like sugar coated candy!  Note that Lori only carries the Petite size.

Next is Fyre Werks.  This Rainbow Gallery 1/16 inch ribbon is a quite shiny metallic.  A laying tool will help it stay flat.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 16, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 9, 2025

All About Painters Threads

Stitch by Stitch in Larchmont, NY has written a lovely guide to most of the Painters Threads that Threadnuts imports to the USA.

In my experience, the colors are pretty consistent across the various types of Painters Threads but the texture is different, especially for the trims you couch into position.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 11, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Jan Stitches Safari (Terry Dryden)

Jan Sprague has started on Terry Dryden's "Safari," a delightful counted piece that celebrates Africa.


(You can buy Vicki Clayton's silk flosses here--)

If you aren't familiar with Terry's designs and classes, browse her website.  It's amazing!

You can buy kits, supplies and even cross stitch charts from Terry at her Etsy shop.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 11, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, March 7, 2025

Robotic Uprising: Bedecked and Beadazzled Spring-Summer 2025 Mystery Class

"Robotic Uprising" is going to be the Spring-Early Summer 2025 mystery class at Bedecked and Beadazzled.  This is a David Galchutt design that Ruth Schmuff will embellish with all sorts of magic.  As always, I'll update this article with Ruth's progress reports as she stitches something totally different.

The first lesson covers the blue rays and craters in the background, plus the border is underway and so is the tiny blue planet above the red robot's head.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 5, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 6, 2025

A New Mystery with a Twist: Zecca Triptych

Ruth Schmuff has chosen her next Mystery with a Twist class--Zecca's "Triptych."

These are very long classes, spread out over years.  This one will start in April 2025 if you are interested.  As always, I will post class progress photos here as Ruth releases them.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Become a Fiber Talk Patreon Member

The Fiber Talk podcast has expanded to offer both a Patreon experience...


...and a Needle Arts weekend.  

Further details about the weekend in St. Charles, Missouri (St. Louis area) are here--

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 28, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 2, 2025

A Special Mystery Class: Rebecca Wood's Halloween Cruise Mayhem

Ruth Schmuff is planning a special large mystery class for 2025 with classes in March, May, August and November.  The project is Rebecca Wood's huge--and hilarious--Halloween Cruise Mayhem.

As always, I'll update this article as Ruth posts progress reports.  (For those who are interested, Amy Bunger and Lisa Kessler have both done guides for this cutie.)

Ruth is varying thread weights on the background so it doesn't get too heavy back there.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 29, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, March 1, 2025

Great All Purpose Stitches from Ridgewood

Ridgewood Needlepoint's New Stitch Monday has some all around great stitches (and variations) that they use over and over again.  Today we're talking the Mosaic stitch family.  These stitches are usually easy to compensate and are great for texture in backgrounds or for architectural elements.

The next batch of good all-purpose stitches are Cashmere stitches and variations.

The third batch of stitches are another personal favorite--Hungarian Stitch.

Parisian is very similar to Hungarian and equally lovely and versatile.

This combination darning/oblique cross stitches pattern is very pretty for backgrounds and large areas.

This week Ridgewood celebrates Valentine's Day with a slew of pretty heart backgrounds.

To celebrate Valentine's Day, Stephanie shows off the heart she stitched with an original stitch (diagram included) she calls "Valentine Day's Flowers."  Very pretty!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 6, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.