Showing posts with label A Collection of Designs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A Collection of Designs. Show all posts

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Breaking News: Janet Burnett Has Died

The rumor mill says Janet Burnett of A Collection of Designs has died.  She retired a few years back and sold the line to Needlepoint.com who renamed it Burnett and Bradley.  You can find her work online at Needlepoint.com.

Thanks to SL, I have a link to Janet's obit.  She sounds like quite a lady!

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

Monday, January 18, 2016

Market Favorites from Ginny

Ginny went to Market with the Needlepoint.com shop and distribution staff (they handle Elizabeth Bradley, Kirk and Bradley and A Collection of Designs, now renamed Burnett and Bradley) and posts about her favorites among all the wonderful things there.
http://stitchstyleblog.com/2016/01/san-diego-market/

It's great to have more pairs of eyes looking and showing off what their personal tastes draw them towards!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 16, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, September 18, 2015

Breaking News: A Collection of Designs Sold

Apparently Janet Burnett of A Collection of Designs has sold her company to the conglomerate that owns Needlepoint.com, Kirk and Hamilton, and Elizabeth Bradley Designs. I'm told the new entity is being referred to as Kirk and Bradley and Burnett in advertising, but on the ACOD website it is called Burnett and Bradley.
http://www.acollectionofdesigns.com/aboutus.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 18, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Help Stitching Hair

Almost every needlepoint face is framed by hair--straight, curly, wavy, spiky, wild, or controlled.  So how do you stitch hair?  Let's ask the experts.  Here's a compilation of hair resources in various books, blogs, and videos.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2011/05/hair-resources.html

Many folks have posted about how their created the specific hairstyle on their current project.  Maybe your hair puzzle can be solved by getting their help.  Want to try a wigmaker's knot?  Colleen has step-by-step instructions.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2013/09/share-a-stitch-sunday-september-22.html

How about really really REALLY curly hair?  Sandy shows how easy it is to create.
http://sandyarthur.blogspot.com/2015/05/stumped-for-hairdo-here-is-recent.html

Do you need flowing but curly locks?  This stumpwork tutorial by Anna is a lot easier than you would think hearing the word "stumpwork."
http://annascottembroidery.blogspot.com/2014/06/curly-wild-hair.html

How about stylized wavy hair?  It's easier than you think if you use ideas from the great Amy Bunger like Steph did.
http://stephsstitching.blogspot.com/2014/08/straight-from-stephs-beauty-shop.html

Four years ago (My!  How time flies!) I posted about hair on Blog and asked folks for their ideas based on a series of portraits from A Collection of Designs.  Here is the collective wisdom of many stitches.  Make sure you read the Comments section below the main article.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2011/05/brainstorming-hair.html

Ok, now we have hair, eye and skin ideas.  Now let's talk about stitches for faces next.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 12, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Needle House Newsletter News

The Winter edition of Needle House's shop newsletter is now available. It's full of interesting news, including a new club of butterfly canvases created by A Collection of Designs exclusive to the shop that starts next March.  The big news is that the shop's "From Russia With Love" monthly club that features Fabrege style eggs (also from ACOD) is now available as individual kits.  These are gorgeous pieces.
http://theneedlehouse.com/jm/images/newsletters/Winter_2015_WEB_PDF.pdf

This link shows off the finished models.  Told you they were gorgeous!
http://www.theneedlehouse.com/jm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106&Itemid=102

By the way, the newsletter has coupons good for December at the bottom.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 26, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Sandy Arthur's Classes for TNNA Winter 2014

We regular stitchers aren't the only ones who take classes. Your shop owner does, too. They want to learn interesting techniques and play with the newest threads just as much as you do and they are always trying to keep up with things to help their customers, so TNNA offers classes at the trade shows. Here are all the fun things that Sandy Arthur is going to teach this winter in San Diego.
http://sandyarthur.blogspot.com/2013/10/to-market-to-market.html

There is a huge variety of designs to choose from and you know the best part?  Sandy is probably willing to teach these at a shop near you.
http://www.sandyarthur.blogspot.com/2013/11/popularclasses-for-2014-looking-for.html

http://www.sandyarthur.blogspot.com/2013/11/more-new-to-consider-after-market-leigh.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, June 24, 2013

More Fabulous Finishing

Thought you'd like to see a fabulous Halloween stand up all finished and ready for October. Check out them feet! (The pillow back isn't bad either.)  This is Broom Parking from Ruth Schmuff's mystery class of that name last year.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2013/06/broom-parking-another-finish.html

Linda has three Collection of Designs Fabrege style eggs back from the finisher.  These are from a monthly club designed by Nancy Laux of Needle House.
http://nystitchingsisters.blogspot.com/2013/06/eggs-are-back.html

Ridgewood is showing off customer stitching.  Each piece has something wonderful.
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2013/06/blog-post_10.html

Finally, Ada Hayden of Eye Candy is taking a nostalgic trip with her models.  Each piece is finished differently but they are all charming, aren't they?
http://eyecandyneedleart.blogspot.com/2013/06/homecoming.html

I love good finishing, don't you?  Hope this gives you some ideas for your next project.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

How to Torture Flair

No, we aren't setting up a torture chamber here in Chilly Hollow. (Although if Mother Nature doesn't cut back on the snowflakes--it is snowing this morning and as I type this it is March 8th!--I may reconsider.)  Suzanne used "tortured" Flair to create smoke for the test tube her Mad Scientist figure is holding.
http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2013/02/dr-no-mad-scientist.html

This character is from A Collection of Designs and is part of an older monthly club called Monster's Ball from a Pocket Full of Stitches.
http://www.pfos.com/OtherClubs/MonstersBall/pg1.HTM

This isn't the only way to use Flair in a manner the manufacturers never intended, by the way.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-to-use-wired-flair.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

The Bride UPDATED

...The Bride of Frankenstein, that is!  Here is what Suzanne has done with one of her Monster's Ball canvases.  This is an older club from Pocket Full of Stitches.  The second link shows the entire set.  This is from Janet Burnett/A Collection of Designs.  Very very cute!
http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-bride-of-frankenstein.html

http://www.pfos.com/OtherClubs/MonstersBall/pg1.HTM

Suzanne is stitching the club this year and will update her blog with photos of each as she finishes them.  She's already added It to the collection, which makes me smile broadly.  Actually, I don't know which one I like best.  They are all cuter than monsters have a right to be.
http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2013/02/it.html

http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2013/02/weird-willy-werewolf.html

http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2013/02/freaky-frankie.html

http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2013/02/elvira-voluptuous-vamp.html

http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2013/02/magical-merlin.html

http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2013/02/dr-no-mad-scientist.html

UPDATE:  More monsters!
http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2013/03/mr-bones.html

http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2013/03/vlad-vampire.html

By the way, if you are a fan of larger Halloween pieces, Enriched Stitch is planning classes for Melissa Shirley's new Four Witches.  Here is the first one, skulls and all.
http://astheneedleturns.com/helowise-by-beckih/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Monthly Club News

Recently I've been putting monthly club news on the Monthly Club tab so that everything is in one place for those who are interested in browsing the huge range of clubs that area available. But since two shops just posted about new clubs, I was tempted to announce them here as a reminder to check the monthly club news occasionally.  Even if you are not in the market for a club, it is fun to see the varied ways they are stitched.

Pocket Full of Stitches is the shop I credit with the monthly club craze.  They offered a variety of clubs before any other shop as far as I know.  The newest club is Blessings, a series of fancy crosses from A Collection of Designs, perfect for meditative stitching.  It starts next January.  Here are the models for almost all the series.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2012/11/blessings-stitched.html

Needle Works just posted the last Labors of Love elephant model (it's a humdinger!) from their current and announced that the new club for next year is a Nativity set by Brenda Stofft.  The Nativity set club will also start up next January.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2012/11/new-nativty.html

What fun!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Saturday, May 26, 2012

For Those Who Can't Visit Woodlawn

Not everyone can be in the Mount Vernon area in time to visit Woodlawn Plantation's needlework show. So I have a special treat for you stay-at-home types--an exhibition of the Christmas stitching of Janice G. Huseth.  There are the big Amanda Lawford stand up Santas, slightly smaller Napier Santas, small Santa ornaments from Petei, double-sided Melissa Shirley Santas, and a wonderful three dimensional Christmas house from A Collection of Designs.  So pour yourself your favorite beverage, settle down in a comfortable chair, and enjoy your own private show by choosing a category, waiting for the images to load, and then pushing the Next arrow when you are ready.
http://www.richardhuseth.com/Santas/Santas.htm


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Monthly Clubs Update

Needle House has updated their monthly clubs page with new models for their Fabrege Eggs club. These beauties are from A Collection of Designs.
http://www.theneedlehouse.com/jm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106&Itemid=102

Also from A Collection of Designs is this Halloween tree, complete with spooked snowman tree topper and plenty of spooky ornaments.  This club is being offered by The French Knot.
http://www.thefrenchknot.com/z-halloween.htm

Chandail is adding a witch hat series from Kelly Clark to their clubs.
http://www.chandailneedlework.com/series/WitchHatsSeries.php

Ada si showing off the Seasonal Owls series that Eye Candy is doing for a lot of shops.
http://eyecandyneedleart.blogspot.com/2012/03/winters-snowy-owl-from-hoot-owl-series.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Replacements for Petei?

Recently Stitcherie members started talking about designers who have small Santas similar to Petei's, in case the Petei canvases become unavailable with her retirement at the end of this year.  The first name that comes to mind is Designing Women. Start browsing with page 13 to see their Royals. The Santas are on the last two pages. I know some of them are on 13 count and others on 18 but the website doesn't always make clear which is which. http://www.canvasconnection.us/Needlepoint_by_Canvas_Connection/Angels.html 

NP Clubhouse has a darling series of Santas available from a local designer. My spies say that these are wonderful but at around 6x9, they are not as tiny as Petei's pieces.
http://theneedlepointclubhouse.com/Gallery.aspx 

Joan Thomasson is better known for her small angels but she has a wonderful Santa series.  These are usually sold as kits with the painted canvas, threads and stitch guide included.  Of course you can customize them to suit yourself by substituting threads and using any stitches you like.
http://www.stitchinstuff.com/ProductCategories.aspx

Needle Deeva also has quite a few small Santas among their small Nativity figures and snowmen, although some of them at 5x7 are larger than the Petei small figures.
http://www.needledeeva.com/christmas.html

I've also been reminded that Brenda Stofft has some small Santas on 22 count canvas.  Beth's Needlepoint Nook is offering seven of them as a monthly club this year.  I wish they were on Brenda's website so we could see the other designs as these are darling.
http://www.bethsneedlepoint.com/Dot_ClubsExec.asp?idClubCategory=8

Carol Dupree has some small Santas that look like great fun.  Here are a few of them, but you can see even more on the Susan Roberts website (second link) that distributes Carol's work.
http://www.needlenookoflajolla.com/storedir/products.php?cat=186

http://www.susanrobertsneedlepoint.com/files/PDFfiles_CmasOrnaments/CO15_2011_Santa_wo_SR.pdf

Needle House has some wonderful stitch guides for the six inch high Santas A Collection of Designs did for them a few years ago. Here are the models.
http://www.theneedlehouse.com/jm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=96&Itemid=102

This link shows all the canvases ACOD created.
http://www.acollectionofdesigns.com/Christmas%20Collection%20Old%20World%20Santas.htm

Anyone who knows of a designer who does other small Santa canvases that we didn't mention, please add the name in the Comments or email me at chilly hollow athot mail dotcom and I'll add him or her for you.  Thanks!


If you are not familiar with Petei's canvases and are wondering what the fuss is about, here is her website.  Although we might find other small Santas that are easy and fun to stitch, no one will replace Petei in our hearts!
http://www.petei.com/line_list/line_contents.htm


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Monday, December 12, 2011

Monthly Club Updates

Since the monthly clubs that many shops run are so popular, I wanted to let everyone know about updates to the offerings. Ridgewood's Paper Doll Club has a new outfit available.  I think the doll and her outfits are by Maggie.
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2011/11/jammies.html

You can see the original canvases on the Ridgewood website.
http://www.ridgewoodneedlepoint.com/hand-painted-needlepoint-doll-canvas.htm

Beth's Needlepoint Nook has models of most of the Santa's Wild Ride canvases from Brenda Stofft up on their website.  I know a lot of people are interested in this club since Brenda Stofft has many fans.
http://www.bethsneedlepoint.com/Dot_ClubsExec.asp?idClubCategory=8

Finally, Pocket Full of Stitches has more Christmas tag canvases finished.  It's been great fun to see each model appear as the shop finished stitching them.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/11/frosty.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/12/another-tag.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/12/yummy.html

All of these Collection of Designs canvases are on their website but to see the stitched versions you'll have to check their blog (above).
http://www.pfos.com/ChristmasClubs/Kelly%20Clarks%2012%20Days/PocketFullofStitchesTagYoureIt.HTM


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Let's Go Clubbing UPDATED

It's been a very long time since I jumped in a limo and went from club to club in Manhattan, ending up at an after hours place at 3 a.m. followed by breakfast at 5.  (Actually, if I propose doing that at my age again, please just hit me over the head with a brick a couple of times so I can skip the alcohol and go straight to the hangover.  It'll be lots cheaper.  Limo drivers and champagne are expensive!)

However, there is a type of clubbing that I can still indulge in without any regret later--touring the monthly clubs available at your favorite needlepoint shop.  So jump in the limo with me and off we go!

First stop is at Ruth Schmuff's blog where she previews her latest club--a series of darling owls from Eye Candy.  (Ruth is the distributor for Eye Candy.)  The owls have been beautifully stitched by Ada Hayden, Eye Candy's resident designer and master stitcher.  Aren't they cute?
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2011/11/hoot-hoot.html

http://theneedlebug.com/2011/11/hoot-hoot-by-ruth-schmuff/

After a few virtual appletinis at Ruth's, let's head on over to Club PFOS where they are showing off some of their Christmas tags canvases.  They are really Christmasy, so we are going to have a nice Irish coffee here to warm our souls for the holiday season.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/11/tag-time.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/11/finished-tags.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/11/more-finished-tags.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/11/tags-again.html

Since some of us are sick of Christmas already, we piled back in the limousine and headed to Texas where The French Knot has the doorman ready and waiting to escort us in.  They have a nice little buffet laid out for us, with an assortment of local brews (mostly beers and Scotch varieties) for sampling along with crackers, French bread, cheeses and cold cuts with a nut assortment in bowls.  Speaking of nuts, they also have acorns--subtle and sophisticated acorns to fill a cut glass bowl on your holiday table next year.  Those who are thinking about their Thanksgiving menu will want to check out the little Thanksgiving sets and the Indian corn canvases on this same page.  I believe the acorns are from Associated Talents.  Anyone want to get Don Lynch (of AT) a beer?
http://www.thefrenchknot.com/z-thanksgiving.htm

The final stop is also in Texas, at Needle House where they are serving scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and Bloody Marys.  On display they have their very elegant jeweled Russian eggs.  Restful in their pastel colors, they are the perfect foil to the other clubs.  And if you are still feeling rowdy, how about them snowmen?  Renaissance Designs has a series of colorful and silly snowmen to dress up your house after the holidays when there is nothing to do but build snowmen because of the nasty weather.
http://www.theneedlehouse.com/jm/

Now that the limo is dropping us off at home, one by one, here's to a fabulous holiday season to each and every one.

Anyone have any aspirin?

P.S.  Elizabeth Turner has a new pink elephant Needle Buddy magnet.  As good as aspirin and a lot funnier!  (It's not on their website, sorry.)
http://www.elizabethturnercollection.com/Needle_Buddies.html

UPDATE:  I think the pink elephant magnet from Elizabeth Turner is pictured here.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/12/more-magnets.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

The Gold Fish Revisited

Carol's Gold Fish
Remember last Thanksgiving I asked for volunteers who wanted help and ideas with a painted canvas? One of the brave souls who volunteered was Carol. She was trying to come up with ways to stitch her Lillian Chermor Gold Fish.  To see the bare canvas (and explore more of Lillian Chermor's lovely pieces) go to her website, then click on Collections on the left side.  The Gold Fish canvas is under "Flora and Fauna and Friends."
http://needlepointbylilliandesign.com/

Carol's been rather busy with life, not to mention getting her EGA Master Craftsman status (congratulations!), but she has started to work her Gold Fish background. The color is absolutely perfect!  What you don't see in the photo above is that Carol's tent stitched over the seaweed strands in the background and over the fish before putting her fancy wave stitch on top of the background seaweed.  This helps keep the color from showing under the stitches.  Once Carol gets further along, she will put the seaweed back using ribbons and beads.  Which brings us to a question Carol has asked that I am hoping a Blog reader can answer.  Carol has absolutely perfect teardrop-shaped beads to use among the seaweed.  She'd like to use a mesh type ribbon to hold the beads in place.  Carol's thinking was to put the beads inside Flair so that they look like they are floating among the ribbon seaweed.  But her beads, which are perfect, are 14x10 mm and 11x9mm wide.  She doesn't think Flair will stretch enough to hold them.  Here are the beads.


She's looked at tubular mesh ribbons which come in two sizes:  6mm and 20mm. You can see the ribbons here.
http://www.beadedlily.com/shop/index.php?main_page=page&id=31&chapter=0

The 6mm size is smaller than her beads and the 20 mm size is a lot larger.  Anyone know of a tubular ribbon that is the width of her beads?  Anyone know how stretchy this type of tubular ribbon is?  If so, please post a comment or email me at chilly hollowat hotmaildotcom and I'll forward the information to Carol.

Carol's going to try stuffing beads inside Flair this weekend.  Flair stretches, so it might work.  She also is considering cutting strips of panty hose to hold the beads in place.  If you see someone in your local clothing store asking where they keep the purple and green panty hose, that'll be Carol.

Collection of Designs Package Ornament

Carol felt badly about not having more progress to show on her Gold Fish, so she also sent me a photo of A Collection of Designs Christmas present ornament she just finished. The pink body of the present is knitting yarn.  Yes, that's memory thread coiled under the ribbons on top.  The background is just perfect.  You can't tell from the photo but it's white with a touch of sparkle.

I think Carol's well on her way to mastering painted canvases, just like she has mastered so many other kinds of needlework.

I'm looking forward to seeing more progress photos of the Gold Fish, and especially how the seaweed works out.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

A Collection of Designs on Display

Pocket Full of Stitches is doing a trunk show for A Collection of Designs this week. Whether you are in the market for a canvas or not, this is a great chance to see many of their designs all at once. Check back as the week goes on to see more and more of their designs.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/10/collection-of-designs-trunk-show-1.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/10/collection-of-designs-trunk-show-2.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/10/collection-of-designs-trunk-show-3.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/10/collection-of-designs-trunk-show-4.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/10/collection-of-designs-trunk-show-5.html


http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/10/discontinued-acod.html


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Friday, September 23, 2011

Needle House Stocking Show

Fresh from running the ANG Seminar shop, Needle House has put out their Autumn newsletter.  Take note of the Christmas stocking trunk show.  This is a chance to pick up a stocking from a variety of designers to stitch for Christmas 2012. They also announce their monthly club for 2012, a series of Faberge eggs.
http://www.theneedlehouse.com/jm/images/newsletters/autumn_2011_web.pdf

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Brainstorming Hair

Now that we've seen some interesting hair techniques, how about we brainstorm how to do hair on various needlepoint canvases?


I'll start--here's a series of small canvases from A Collection of Designs, all women in hats.  Here is the website where I found them.
http://www.needlenookoflajolla.com/storedir/products.php?cat=26&pg=5

This slightly wavy hair might look good using Robin's twisted lazy daisy stitches in two shades of brown.


This hair is dead straight.  I might try couching rows of a brown silk perle in a #8 or #5 size, then use a smaller size cotton perle (#8 or 12, depending on the size of the brown hair thread) in black to make the shading lines.  The contrast between the thicker shiny brown silk and the thinner and duller black cotton would add interest to her hair style.


The blonde has slightly wavy hair and a lot of it.  I think I'd try using stem stitch for this sort of long hair.  Since the earring and necklace are the same yellow, I'd have to make sure the hair thread looked different than the jewelry thread by using beads and/or metallics for the jewelry.  Luckily the other ladies don't have the same issue with their hair color and jewelry but it can be an issue on some canvases.


This lady has especially fun hair.  I might use the same stem stitch technique but look for a thread with a slightly feathery texture such as Viola or Cashmere or even Angora.  Remember how Robin used twisted lazy daisy stitch with two different threads and got too very different looks?  I think the same thing would work well here although I'm not talking about using the stitch Robin did, just switching thread types.


Here's the final lady.  She's my favorite.  How would you stitch her hair?

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Easter Bunny (and Friends)

With today being Easter (and Passover just past) I thought you'd enjoy seeing some Easter themed pieces.  First, look at the darling Easter houses that Robin has stitched.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2011/04/where-does-easter-bunny-live-and-shop.html

Vicky has an Easter Egg house she's getting ready to stitch.  Look at those cute chicks! This canvas is by Needle Deeva and there is a matching bunny and basket house (second link).
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/04/14/easter-parade/

http://store.apneedlearts.com/fahath.html

Lastly, notice who shows up in the comments to give Vicky some really great pointers for stitching her house.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/04/17/looking-for-inspiration/

By the way, Vicky drops a hint about an article that will appear in Needlepoint Now (Vicky is the projects editor for the magazine) in the next few issues.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/04/15/almost-finished-with-that-pische-pocket/

Happy Easter, everyone.  Eat a chocolate bunny for me!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com