Needlepoint Nation Turns Ten

Yesterday Needlepoint Nation (the big Facebook group of needlepointers) turned ten.  Where does the time go?!

Over ten years ago my nieces and cousins started badgering me to set up a Facebook account so we could trade family photos and news.  I'm not big on social media and was hesitant, but what harm could it do, right?  [Famous Last Words]  So I set up an account.  Then I started to explore the software to see how it works.  

I found that you could set up Facebook Groups to more easily trade information among a circle of friends and family, so I set up a test Group to see how it all worked.  I called the group "Needlepoint" because I planned to delete it when I was done playing around and I didn't want to use and then remove our family name.  (Silly me, I didn't realize that Facebook deals with tons of people with the same name all the time and doesn't care how many John Smiths have accounts.)

Also silly me, I didn't realize you could make a Group secret while you fiddled with it.  I plowed ahead with Needlepoint, testing the various features.  Suddenly, people started showing up.  And they started showing up in droves!  Within a month there were 300 people signed up for Needlepoint.  I was both appalled and amazed.  I was tempted to delete the group but decided to watch and see what happened.

Well, you know what happened.  People kept showing up.  (When I wrote this there were 16,063 members.  By now there will be nearly 16,200 as we add around 30 new people each week.)  The group acquired the nickname of Needlepoint Nation, and after five years. Facebook changed the rules so that I could change the group name from Needlepoint to the name everyone uses.  My family  think it is hilarious that Miss I-Don't-Like-Social-Media is now the leader of the largest needlepoint group on Facebook.  Of course I have help:  Tara Roberts, Carole Lake, Don Lynch, Pat Miller and Gail Ettinger are or have been administrators of the group.  It wouldn't be nearly as good without their help.

But it is now time for me to walk away.  

Tara's already resigned as her life has gotten busier with her work for EGA.  We are very lucky Gail stepped up to help out.  You see, it takes at least 2 hours a day to read all the messages (currently there are 300-350 messages posted each week), respond to those who didn't get their questions answered, or just post a short encouraging comment to those messages which for some reason didn't draw much attention, and monitor all the comments (which run to around 7,000 per week as usually at least 12-13K of the 16K members say or do something in the group weekly).   I read all the new messages and all the comments, you see.  Keeping copyright and trademark violations off the site is also a lot of work.  Plus keeping over 16,000 people happy, engaged and feeling welcome is even more work.  

I am worn out from the workload.  So today I am walking away, leaving Needlepoint Nation in the hands of the remaining administrators and the membership.  It's up to you guys now.  Make everyone feel welcome, answer the questions that come up to the best of your ability, and don't ever forget to Be Kind.

Hugs to you all!

Jane

Chilly Hollow

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright January 12, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Stitching Table (Rock-A-Way Custom Wood Products)

Sara's finding it hard to keep stitching without organizing her work table better to avoid neck pain. Luckily, she found someone to build the perfect table for her stitching items.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/permalink/3632684323475366/

Here is Rock-a-Way Custom Wood Products' Facebook page, in case you need something similar.

https://www.facebook.com/Rock-A-Way-Custom-Wood-Products-100161195350451

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright January 12, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Great Ideas for Smoke

Maria asked the members of NP Nation on Facebook for ideas for the smoke on her Christmas stocking. She got many great ideas, many illustrated with photos. Have fun browsing!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/permalink/2790380107705796/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 22, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

A Needlepoint Cowgirl at the Hall of Fame

Nancy stumbled across this needlepoint standup of a cowgirl at the Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas.  We think this is a Boots Baily design and that it was stitched by Fern Sawyer, a member of the Hall of Fame and a needlepointer.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156157441519151&set=gm.1990725311004617&type=3&theater&ifg=1

Many thanks to Nancy for spotting this and for all the members of Needlepoint Nation who worked to identify the stitcher and designer.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 17, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Secrets to Using Facebook

These days Facebook is where the action is when it comes to needlepoint.  There are groups on Facebook dedicated to needlepoint, to counted canvas, to buying or selling unwanted needlepoint items, to needlepoint finishing, and to even complaining about various needlepoint-related things.  Shops and designers have Facebook pages where they show off their latest designs, talk about trunk shows, changes in their hours and anything else a customer might want to know.  Some shops don't even have a website but use their Facebook page as a defacto website.

Of course Facebook is in the news for allowing all sorts of folks to harvest data about us to use in various ways.  They even use our photos for their facial recognition programs.  Basically Facebook is selling us to anyone willing to pay.  That offends a lot of people.  Facebook also is not really secure, which also offends folks.  It's very difficult to control who sees what you post.  Even secret groups are not secure.  We've even had people who are not members of my group able to comment on postings from members because the members shared their message on their personal page where non-group members who are friended with the person can see and comment on them.

Facebook is also very buggy.  I get messages all the time from folks who want to know why I deleted their message posted to Needlepoint Nation (a group I accidentally founded*).  Nine times out of ten no one running the group deleted their message.  It just isn't there because of a glitch or is buried in a flurry of newer messages.  Facebook's search engine is laughable.  Last week I wasn't able to edit any message I posted, then mysteriously I was able to again.  The constant updates to the software cause a lot of issues to mysteriously happen—then mysteriously disappear again.

So what do you do to keep yourself secure if you want to set up a Facebook account to be part of the needlepoint things going on?  First, accept that everything you post is going to be public.  My group, Needlepoint Nation, is a public group, which means anyone with a Facebook account will be able to see what is said there.  Non-members can't comment (with the exception listed above) but everyone can see messages.  And remember, even secret groups are only as secret as the members keep it.  I get screen shots or verbal descriptions of what is going on in secret groups all the time.

Secondly, when you set up a Facebook page for yourself, limit what you put there.  No birthdates, no schools attended, don't say where you live or work, anything like that.  I personally don't even post photographs of myself or other people.

Thirdly, once you have that page set up with absolutely the minimum required, set your permissions so that they are as restricted as possible.  This section from Facebook will help.
https://www.facebook.com/help/238318146535333?helpref=hc_global_nav

Fourth, don't "friend" anyone unless you must.  They can see what you post and all their friends can, too.  Post about an upcoming birthday party and all your friends can share that information with their friends.  Most of the time, folks do this without thinking.  So keep those friends list as small as you can.

Fifth, don't use your Facebook account to sign into anything else.  If you use your Facebook account to log into things like Skype, Gmail, games, etc., you are just giving the company more access to your information.  It's wise not to play any Facebook games, either.  Or use your Facebook account to  log into a game you play on your phone or tablet.

If you follow the items above, you should be relatively safe.  There are no guarantees, though!

Just head to Facebook.com, set up an account (don't use a fake name—Facebook really really REALLY hates that and will close the account when they catch it if you can't produce ID with "Joe Needlepoint" on it), then use the search bar at the top of the page to find needlepoint groups.  Mine is called https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/

But there are plenty of others, like Counted Canvas Needlepoint for those who do a lot of charted work, Needlepoint Covered Christmas Trees, even Needlepoint Complaints (really).  Just poke around a little and find a group that looks interesting.  Read the Description.  That will tell you a lot about the group and alert you to any rules they may have.  Be cautious and have fun!

*Needlepoint Nation is proof God has a real sense of humor.  How else can you explain my accidentally founding the largest needlepoint group in Facebook when I really don't like using it?

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 15, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Meredith Invents Bubble Technique

Meredith Willett of M's Canvashouse, Meredith Collection canvases, Big Buddies needle minder magnets and more has another invention to her name—how to create bubbles.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/permalink/1659354074141744/

Elizabeth took an embellishment class from Meredith to help her with this Labors of Love Halloween figure and got the tip there.  You can see the untouched googly eye front and back in the picture and see how bubbles look with the eye positioned over them.  This is what the package looks like in a big box craft store.  Basically you peel off the back to create a clear bubble shape and put those on the canvas.
http://www.michaels.com/creatology-wiggle-eyes-flat-back/M10043499.html?dwvar_M10043499_count=118

Elizabeth is going to try to pierce holes in them to stitch them in place, but I am pretty sure you will need to glue these into position.  Just FYI.

Thanks, Meredith!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 21, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

So You Want To Open A Needlepoint Shop

If this is a dream of yours, listen to Mary Agnes.  Running a small business is a lot of hard work.
http://needlenicely.blogspot.com/2016/02/items-to-consider-before-opening.html

Talking to a shop owner about the pitfalls and pleasures of your own needlepoint shop is the smartest thing you can do.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 13, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Let's Do Facebook, Part One

I'm sure you've noticed how much needlepoint information is ending up on Facebook these days.  Many shops announce sales and trunk shows there and post photographs of customer's stitching on their shop FB page.   Some shops don't even have a website, just a FB page.  Designers are showing off their latest goods via Facebook now instead of updating their website.  Many of the updates I post about the newest items that will be available at the upcoming trade shows are on Facebook these days.

I try my best to find a FB link that will be visible to those without a FB account but that's often not possible.  Not everyone wants to bother with FB, but if you do, I've listed the steps you need to take to sign up for an account.  Be warned:  these steps only work for desktops and laptops.  Facebook is set up totally differently on mobile devices like smart phones and tablets and the steps you take to set up and secure an account are much harder to do with these devices in my opinion.  If you plan to use FB on a mobile device, I suggest you set up your account on your desktop or laptop, then once things are going, use the mobile device to check in.

1)  Go to Facebook.com and fill out the Sign Up information on the page.  You'll need to provide a name and email address but you can set up a free email account via Google or Hotmail or Yahoo just for this purpose if you prefer.  They also ask for a phone number.  I didn't provide this information and I didn't give them my real birth date either.  I just don't like letting Facebook have information about myself.  I'm a throwback in that I don't like the constant tracking online these companies like to do.  I was never fond of Big Brother.  What you do here is up to you but I recommend handing over the minimum of information.

You will be asked for a password. DO NOT use a password you have used elsewhere or in the past.  I suggest you use a password generator like the one below and that you change it every month.  This keeps folks from guessing your password (which is easy if you use your birthday or family and pet names, etc.) and hijacking your account.
http://passwordsgenerator.net

 If you don't like the randomness of password generators, look around the room where you normally sit while going online and use something there, mixed with numbers and symbols, as your password. You might use Barca-lounger8, for example.  Or maybe cherrid3sk for the cherry roll top desk in your office.  You get the idea.

Now that you have your account, Facebook will walk you through a little series of steps to add information about yourself to the account.  You can ignore all this and I did.  This is getting a little long so next I'll talk about how Facebook works and then help you lock down the account so it is secure and as private as possible.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 5, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Needlepoint Nation Saga (and Magnet)

Once Upon a Time I set up a Facebook account so I could keep up with my family.   My nieces and cousins were posting photos there, so I had to have an account.  I don't much like Facebook, especially its emphasis on sharing everything, but you have to keep up with the times. (And the family!)   Once I had my Facebook page, I started exploring how it worked and discovered Groups.  Was it possible I could set up a group for my family and make our photos a little more private?  I set up a test group I called --for lack of imagination-- Needlepoint.   This was in 2011.

Fast forward to 2014.  As of this morning, Needlepoint has 5877 members.  They just all showed up!  I didn't invite anyone, although I think I did mention it on Blog once after people started arriving uninvited.  I now know what Internet billionaires feel like when their ship comes in (minus the cash of course).

Now there is a magnet designed by Rogue Needlepoint in conjunction with the online shop Needle Little More using the nickname of the group (Cynthia Baldwin's husband came up with it and it stuck).  Stitchers who belong to the group are starting to add it to their collection.
http://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/needlepoint-nation-shield/

http://brendasneedlepointstudio.blogspot.com/2014/08/needlepoint-nation-pin-82314.html

Here's where you can pick up your own Needlepoint Nation magnet if you are interested.  Say hi to Jill for me, ok?
http://www.needlelittlemore.com/store/p471/The_Needlepoint_Nation_Magnet.html

I should add that I have no affiliation with the companies that designed and sell this magnet and I do not profit from it.  Neither do the other admins I conned into helping asked to help run the group--Hi, Tara and Carole!--although Needle Little More did sent us and Cynthia Baldwin each a magnet, which was kind.   I expect there will be other merchandise eventually (two shops are considering designing NP Nation canvases), but I have no plans to be involved in their development and I won't make any money off merchandise based on the group.

I should also add my nieces and cousins have moved on and rarely use Facebook any more.  I am terrified of asking what social media they use now....

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 16, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tantalizing Glimpses

Yesterday in the tantalizing way all us stitch guide writers have of showing off just a bit of our work, I posted two photos on Needlepoint Nation (the Facebook group of needlepoint fanatics) showing some of my two latest stitch guides.   Both are from Leigh Designs.   Can you guess what these two photos are?

The top photograph shows the maple tree from Leigh's Japanese Tea House.  This design was originally intended to be used in Lee's nylon tote bags but I think Leigh Designs plans to frame the model when it reaches them later this week.  Here's the original canvas.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Sgl7610.html

By the way, the little geisha magnet was from Mag Friends and I think they are sold out, but you might find one in a shop if you look around. I bought it nearly two years ago.

Leigh's Japanese Tea House Finished

Here is the finished tea house.  I used a layering technique to make the maple leaves more realistic and adapted Or Nue' for the painted and gilded eaves of the tea house itself.  The sage green background is unstitched to help provide contest with the Japanese maple leaves, but I listed the perfect thread to use in case you hate unstitched areas on your designs.  This piece was stitched with the new Silken Straw in three places, but I listed substitutes that will give a similar look for each area if you want to shop your stash instead of ordering a completely new thread.  

The second photo is a close up of one of Leigh's Water Babies.  This is Fantine, who has peacock eyes on her mermaid's tail.  (I've also written guides for Alta and Mimsy but there are no photos of them yet.)
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Grp441x.html

Everyone asks about the curls.  These were Sue Parson's idea.  They are made of ribbon floss.   Sue had seen this used somewhere and asked me how to create curls from this thread and with a little experimentation I was able to figure out the technique.   Sue did a lovely job creating the model.  Here is her finished and framed piece.  If your shop is going to the January TNNA show, I think they'll be able to see this in person at the Leigh Designs booth.  Sue is very kindly loaning it to Leigh.

Fantine All Stitched But Not Framed Yet

Your shop can order the guide and canvas of either of these for you directly from Leigh Deisgns, but you can visit the CH Stitch Guides blog and order the stitch guide only straight from me if you happen to have the canvas already.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/p/want-to-buy-chilly-hollow-stitch-guides.html

Hope you enjoyed the full disclosure!

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.