Stitching People: Inspiration from the Masters

Chris Tirey Does Lani Ballgown

I don't know about you, but I love stitching people.  So when I noticed these photographs posted on Facebook last month, I wanted to share the fabulous hair and clothing that the masters of needlepoint embellishment are stitching these days.  Starting in alphabetical order, what you see above is Chris Tirey of Nimble Fingers in Houston stitching a Lani ball gown.  The light coverage background, the random placement of sequins for sparkle and the masterful bow all make this a wonderful piece.
http://nimblefingerstx.com/NimblefingersTx.com/Welcome.html

http://www.lanisneedlepoint.com/pd-5e-formal-gown-5.aspx

Lani Stitches her Leopard Evening Coat

Speaking of Lani, Lani herself is a masterful stitcher.  Check out this Leopard Evening Coast stitched by Lani herself with a touch of fur on the collar and hem.  Once again the light coverage background is terrific but what makes this special is the leopard coat's luxury and the fur trim, not to mention the two borders.  This design is new for Fall 2016, by the way.
http://www.lanisneedlepoint.com/ec-1b-leopard-evening-coat.aspx

Kathleen Stitching Santa Using Mark Young's Guide

Mark Young of Labors of Love is also a master of design and stitching.  In the photo above you see Kathleen's stitching Labors of Love's Red Stand Up Santa using Mark's stitch guide.  The beard is a masterpiece of shape and movement and contrasts nicely with Santa's clothing.  This piece is a four-sided tear drop that finishes into a Christmas standup.  You can see all the pieces on the Labors of Love website.
http://www.laborsofloveneedlepoint.com/santas-and-snowmen.html

Madame Pompadour, Stitched From Tony Minieri's Guide

Our last inspirational piece is also a Labors of Love design, stitched using a guide from Tony Minieri.  This is a limited edition canvas titled "Madame Pompadour."  It has magnificent greenery and a background pillar that work perfectly with the dress.  It is exceptionally hard to attach dimensional pieces to a canvas and achieve a balanced look but Tony's student did a terrific job with this.  Labors of Love designs a limited number of canvases with the china faces and hands to be attached when the stitching is finished.  This piece is sold out but you can see other limited edition figures on the Labors of Love website.
http://www.laborsofloveneedlepoint.com/limited-editions.html

By the way, this is the 2017 Limited Edition figure from Labors of Love.  There are only ten.  Place your order now.
https://www.facebook.com/236197349333/photos/a.477851644333.261602.236197349333/10154893875159334/?type=3&theater

Hope you enjoyed seeing what masters of embellished needlepoint canvas can do with the human figure.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 5, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Bookmark These Blogs UPDATED

I know a lot of folks use the Blog list below to keep up with various needlepoint blogs.   However, some shop blogs are invisible to Blog because the website software that operates them is apparently incompatible with RSS feeds.  Although these blogs are listed on Blog's list, they are never updated.

Please bookmark these two so you can visit them periodically.
http://astheneedleturns.com/happy-birthday-to-us/

http://www.theneedlebug.com/blog2/2013/03/i-need-a-t-shirt/

You may have read that Google's Reader software (which powers Blog's list) is being dropped in July. I have no idea how this will effect the list.  It may still work.  It may not.  We will have to wait and see.

UPDATE:  I found another website with an embedded blog.  Please bookmark this one, too.
http://www.nimblefingerstx.com/NimblefingersTx.com/Just_Arrived/Just_Arrived.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.

More Monthly Club News

It's time for another monthly club summary, a listing of all the goodies you can order to have a fun project appear in your mailbox along with all those ugly bills. The first on the list is the newest--a Halloween hearts club that combines Vicky DeAngelis' stitching skills with Needle Deeve's little hearts. It's called Beloved and Bewitched.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/beloved-and-bewitched.html

Combine carrots and reindeer and what do you get?  What's the Point's new Foodie for Rudie club, which is Associated Talent's carrot-shaped club that combines tiny Christmas reindeer with candy for a delicious amount of fun.
http://www.whatsthepoint.biz/clubs.php

Fireside Stitchery is opening up previous clubs for new members and adding some wonderful larger pieces for stitchers who want something larger but that can be broken down into manageable canvases like the New Orleans building, which is charm personified, designed by Kate's Path. (There are some pretty ghoulish canvases for Halloween lovers, too.)
http://www.firesidestitchery.com/fs/clubs/index.cfm?fuseaction=getClubList&CategoryId=3&clubState=future

Interested in something no one else in your sewing circle has?  Then visit Family Arts for their charming little Christmas squares. The Kathy Schenkel Halloween stars are fabulous, by the way!
http://familyartsneedlework.com/Clubs.html

Or you can stitch the Associated Talents harvest corn cobs.  Aren't they the prettiest Indian corn you've ever seen?
http://www.nimblefingerstx.com/NimblefingersTx.com/Series.html

Well, that's enough for now.  I still have plenty of links for monthly clubs but I'll put off mentioning those for another week or two.


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

Nimble Fingers Finishing

This week I stumbled across this fabulous shop website that showcases wonderful finished pieces.   Nimble Fingers is in Houston, so do stop by the next time you are in Texas so you can see some of these wonderful pieces in person before they go off to live at the homes of Nimble Fingers' customers.
http://www.nimblefingerstx.com/NimblefingersTx.com/Gallery.html

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