The Finisher's Role

The finisher is responsible for elevating our stitching from the box under the bed or the back of the drawer to a showstopper on display.  In the link below, Anne shows off her little penguin stockings, one for a girl and one for a boy, that she designed for siblings.  Her local shop turned her designs into real Christmas treats that can be cherished for years.
http://thecapestitcher.blogspot.com/2013/05/from-start-to-finish.html

Diane's just gotten finishing back as well.  She has the fascinating earmuff ornaments from Linda Lahn, a Renaissance Designs puppies bookmark, and a cute Painted Pony angel to show off here.
http://www.dianestakingtimeouttoneedlepoint.com/2013/05/finishing-from-angela.html

Wait'll you see Patti's stitching!  The finishing is different on each design to match the use Patti planned for it.
http://us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=2b1a4dafdf1ba6e29e773aa79&id=b13bf99ee8&e=73961ee0ea

Associated Talents' Skeletor

Rear View

Remember Skeletor, the small Halloween ornament from Associated Talents?  I call him Bob.  Bob's a 2 1/2 inch square Halloween ornament from Associated Talents that I finished over a year ago and put away.  Now Skeletor has been at West Coast Finishing, becoming the ornament of my dreams!
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/04/so-what-has-jane-been-stitching.htmlhttp://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/04/serendipitous-bob.html

Boxed Sides with Pompoms

Many thanks to Sue Parsons at West Coast Finishing for coming up with a way to enhance Bob without overwhelming this small piece.  Finishers are the unsung heroes of the world of needlepoint!

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.

New and Fun

This morning I have a round-up of new or fun items I've seen while cruising the World Wide Web each morning.  Randi's stocking some fascinating new frame weight canvases for her shop.   Never heard of frame weights?  Randi explains why a stitcher might want one in their stitching nest very well. The second link is to Randi's shop website, in case you have more questions or want to order.
http://twisinc.blogspot.com/2013/03/more-new-canvases.html

http://www.twisinc.com

I've never seen a Hanukkah pillow before.  What a great idea!
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2013/03/ruth-is-all-set-for-hanukkah-with-this.html

Threadaholic alert!  Vicky's posted great photos of the new colors of thread from Rainbow Gallery.  There's Silk Lame Braid, Petite Silk Lame Braid, Fyre Werks, and Neon Rays Plus (including their new glow in the dark orange).
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/new-threads-from-rainbow-gallery/

I've never seen earmuff canvases before.  The finishing is superb!  Of course you can make a double sided ornament if you don't want earmuff style finishing, but this is a very different and fun way to make up ornaments.
http://astheneedleturns.com/mini-earmuffs/

By the way, the earmuff canvases are from Linda Lahm Designs.  Don't miss Rudolph in earmuffs!
http://www.whatsthepoint.biz/lindasearmuffpics.htm

On a slightly different topic, Orna Willis is proudly showing off finished projects from her students.  I have to say, things look great!  Nothing makes you see a charted piece with fresh eyes than seeing it stitched, often in different colors from the original.
http://ornadesign.blogspot.com/2013/03/bursting-with-pride.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.

Clever Ideas Shared

I've been collecting clever ideas this week from all the blogs I read. Ready to be amazed? First up, Brenda Hart taught Vicky how to cleverly create handles for What's the Point tote bag ornaments with rushed River Silks ribbon.  The second link has more information about the background stitches and shows off the inside of the totes better.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/its-all-about-the-finish/

http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/its-all-about-the-finish-part-2/

If you need some tote bag ornaments for your tree, here's the website.  These are from Linda Lahm, by the way.
http://www.whatsthepoint.biz/lindalahm.cfm

Anne has a very clever (and easy to compensate) stitch for the background behind her penguin.  I especially love that she used a white metallic to simulate sparkling snow!
http://thecapestitcher.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-background-for-pete.html

The penguin is one of Anne's designs.  The others from the Penguins on Parade series are on her website.
http://www.absdesignsonline.com/penguins.htm

Needle Nicely just repurposed a Christmas stocking by removing the name at the top and refinishing it so that it would work as a fundraiser.  Anyone who needs to remove a name on their stocking, take note that many finishers say this is a tricky business.
http://needlenicely.blogspot.com/2012/11/festival-of-trees-2012-donations.html

Want to see amazing chickens?  Or a great stocking top?  Needle Works is the place.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2012/11/girl-scouts-visit-the-needle-works.html

How about a Velvet Stitch beard?  Classic!
http://suzannehicks.blogspot.com/2012/11/velvet-stitch.html

Check out the clever open stitch on Santa's bag and the beautiful open gold metallic pattern on the striped border, all courtesy of Julia Snyder's class at Bedecked and Beadazzled!
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2012/11/can-we-bottle-her.html

There are enough great ideas here to keep us all stitching for a solid month!

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

The Candy Cane Addicts UPDATED

I have a friend who is addicted to the small Melissa Shirley cracker canvases (she stitches one a week during her long commute), and now it looks like there is another group of addicts: The Candy Cane Crew!  These are all from Carol Dupree.  I think her work is distributed by Susan Roberts.
http://stephsstitching.blogspot.com/2012/08/are-you-part-of-candy-cane-craze.html

http://dianestakingtimeouttoneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2012/08/they-are-addicting.html

http://bootsandbeads.blogspot.com/2012/08/how-about-this-one.html

http://stephsstitching.blogspot.com/2012/09/its-candy-cane-world.html

http://stephsstitching.blogspot.com/2012/09/stitching-like-gretchen.html

http://stephsstitching.blogspot.com/2012/09/mirror-mirror-on-wall.html

UPDATE:  Dale joins the Candy Cane Addicts.
http://www.canvasesbegone.com/blog/what-to-write-about/

And the Young Needlepointer is an addict, too.
http://theyoungneedlepointer.blogspot.com/2012/10/candy-cane-finish.html

I think some of these are Dupree custom designs but Needle Works carries them with various Texas college symbols.  Browse all her canvases to see what is in stock.
http://theneedleworks.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=19

I love the sweet faces of Carol Dupree's angels but I confess I never noticed the candy canes before.  Thanks for the tip, Candy Cane Crews!

P.S.  There is a tote bag ornament addict here, too!
http://bootsandbeads.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-break-from-leaves.html

The little beach bag totes are from Linda Lahm.  You can see the entire series here.
http://www.whatsthepoint.biz/exclusive.htm

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