Showing posts with label Planet Earth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Planet Earth. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Threadaholic Alert: Bisous

Tilli Thomas' newest thread--a silk/wool blend called Bisous--is appearing in the shops.  

This Planet Earth thread is a thin, single strand of half Merino wool, half silk.  KC Needlepoint says it is thinner than Essentials.  It comes in 30 yard skeins and Planet Earth describes it as "suitable for 18 and 16 mesh."  Rittenhouse recommends 2 strands on 18 count and 3 on 13 count for full coverage.

You can see photos of the colors at this link.

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

Saturday, September 20, 2025

Milan Now on Smaller Cards

Nimble Needle Atlanta says Milan now comes on smaller cards in case you just need a little of 1-2 colors.

In case you aren't familiar with Milan, it's a silk/wool mix for 13 count from Planet Earth.  These smaller quantities will be good if you just need a little of a few colors for a project or you want to try it out.  Originally it was in 30 yard skeins.  The little cards are 10 yards each.

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

Saturday, August 2, 2025

Three Inch Round Self Finishing Leather Magnets

Planet Earth has new self-finishing round magnets for 3 inch designs.  There appear to be 7 colors available. Put one on your fridge, your filing cabinet, or pair with a strong magnet to put on the pocket of your tote bag.

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

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Planet Earth 6 Ply Silk

Needlepoint.com's latest thread video is all about Planet Earth's 6 Ply Silk.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 22, 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.

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.

Lori goes over overdyed threads carried at Waste Knot:  Gloriana silk, Gentle Arts' Sampler and Shaker  cotton threads, ThreadworX cotton, Tilli Thomas Planet Earth Pepper Pot overdye, and Caron's three ply cotton Watercolours.

Lori now stocks the new Radiance metallic in size 18.

Lori talks very briefly about Au Ver a Soie's metallic, which she stocks in sizes 12 and 16.

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, August 18, 2024

Planet Earth Shares Clever Finishing

Here's a really clever idea to use a long needlepoint piece on overalls.

As you can see, those odd shapes can really be show-stoppers!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 5, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, August 1, 2024

Kewpie Dolls, Trolls, A Good Book and more

Misty Morrow and Tilli Tomas of Planet Earth are collaborating on a series of small painted canvases, most of which feature Kewpie dolls or those little troll dolls that were the rage when I was a kid.  There are other fun small designs, too.  

I decided to explore a bit and discovered two other new designers that Planet Earth is distributing.  Susan Sargent does some beautiful birds on elaborate backgrounds, some fun animals and other little pieces inspired by nature.

Alan Claude has a different style. He does landscapes, especially showcasing lighthouses and water views, and also has a line of graphics with punch for those who like various alphabets.   His "A Good Book" is a standout for me.

Tilli Tomas has a good eye for what will stitch up pretty, for sure!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 25, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, April 8, 2024

New Canvas Totes and Wristlets from Planet Earth

Planet Earth has two new canvas products:  a tote bag with removable shoulder strap and a wristlet.  You can see the five wristlet colors here-

You can see the two colors of the tote bag here and look at the removable strap and the inside fabric and pockets here--

These are brand new so your shop may not have them in stock yet.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 2, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

New Planet Earth Sling Purses

Stitch by Stitch has a new exclusive line of phone sling purses made by Planet Earth.   The little purses are self-finishing with room for a 3x3 inch square needlepoint design.  They have two sections, one with room for the large iPhone and glasses, the other with credit card slots and room for keys.  They come in black or blue --both with silver hardware- or tan with gold hardware.



Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 6, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, September 7, 2023

How to Finish Passport Covers: The Movie

Planet Earth shares how to insert a stitched canvas into their passport covers, using nail clippers to shove the corners into position.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 26, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, July 30, 2023

New Items from Planet Earth

Planet Earth Fiber has new flower and butterfly shaped fobs for self finishing.  

Planet Earth also has new lambskin Triangle Cases, meant to be folded into three for carrying tools, glasses and other summery essentials.  



Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 2, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, July 28, 2023

Self Finishing with Morgan Julia

Morgan Julia has a short article and video on how to self-finish a canvas into one of those Planet Earth self-finishing jewelry boxes.  She is using the jewelry box with the 3x3 inch opening for her demo but the larger boxes are finished the same way.

She's right--you can do the self-finishing in 10-15 minutes, depending on how many times you get interrupted and how nervous you are at doing it.  That's a ton better than waiting 7-12 months for the professional finisher to work on your project, right?

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 1, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Threadaholic Alert: Milan

The latest NJNA newsletter let me know Planet Earth Fibers has a new thread called Milan.

According to this article at KC Needlepoint, Milan is a single strand thread that is half silk and half merino wool (basically a thicker version of Essentials) meant to be used on 13 count canvas.

Currently KC Needlepoint has all the colors in stock if you want to try it.

UPDATE:  Nimble Needle Atlanta says Milan now comes on smaller cards in case you just need a little of 1-2 colors.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 4, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Bag Tags and Boxes

There are two new self-finishing items available:  the first are the rectangular pill boxes from Planet Earth.

I can't find dimensions for these but they seem to have a magnetic closure.



The pill boxes have a divider that you can buy to put inside.

The second item is called a bag tag.  They go over your luggage or purse handle and come with a small design already painted on them.  They are available from Julia's Needleworks.

Needlepoint Gallery has a selection, including one that is blank if you want to add your own monogram or other design.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 19, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Scottish Santa and Planet Earth's Self-Finishing Ornament

Melissa Shirley's "Scottish Santa"


I started stitching on Melissa Shirley's "Scottish Santa" at Christmas.  I think this series is discontinued but he was fun to work on.  Also at Christmas I bought one of Planet Earth's self-finishing ornament holders.  Scottish Santa is almost four inches around.  The Planet Earth ornaments come in two sizes: one to hold designs three inches in diameter and one that is for ornaments that are four inches in diameter.  Both sides are identical except for the dimensions.  They are well made of good quality leather.  The bow is removable-- if you aren't a bow person just slide it off the loop.  Here you can see the colors currently available.  

Because Scottish Santa wasn't quite four inches around, I had to add three rows of background all the way around.  It pays to copy both the ornament holder and the finished piece and compare them.  That's how I knew I needed to add three more rows along the outside edge to make Scottish Santa big enough to fit.  




Planet Earth includes a card of instructions with each ornament holder. You can see it in the photo below.  



You'll need scissors to cut out your design and to score the waxed paper that covers the sticky middle of the ornament holder so you can peel the paper away from the sticky center.  Tweezers come in handy to get all the paper from under the leather lip of the ornament holder.  I also use a butter knife to lift the leather edge, then help push the needlepoint under the lip.  I also use my fingernail to push the needlepoint down and under but you'll need something flat and blunt like a butter knife.




In the above photo you see my tools and the waxy paper that's been removed plus the bits around the perimeter I need to pull out with the tweezers.  You don't have to expose the sticky stuff--you can insert your ornament without sticking it down--but it'll be puffed up a bit and for anything that will be handled a lot you probably need the safety of the glue to hold it in position.  





Be careful about beads and sequins.  They can't be too close to the edge or you might damage them trying to pry the lip up with your blunt butterknife and shoving the outside edge of the needlepoint under the lip.  In the above photo, one sequin is really close to the edge.  My background was tent stitches, which are very sturdy.  I wouldn't use a tender thread or a stitch easily damaged for the background if you plan to insert the finished piece in a self-finishing item.





I really like how Scottish Santa looks.  Kudos to Planet Earth for a nice ornament holder!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 11, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, February 5, 2023

New Self-Finishing News

The January newsletter from New Jersey Needle Artists chapter of ANG is out and it's full of news and new products.

The new self-finishing wallets from Planet Earth and the retro travel tag's new swivel clip from Hedgehog caught my eye.  Self-finishing is where it's at these days, and designers are coming up with all sorts of goodies for us.

By the way, I've heard one of Evan Burrough's family members have retired from making Evertites so he's having trouble keeping up with orders.  They're still in business, just far behind.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 29, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Planet Earth's Key Fob Instructions

Key Fob, Canvas, Instructions, Paper Pattern

I received one of Planet Earth's key fobs as a present for Christmas, along with a tiny canvas and two cards of Planet Earth's Essentials.  Lucky me!  If you haven't seen them in person, the fob is made from heavy leather with a key ring and a clip to attach to your purse or tote bag. They come in a large selection of colors and are self-finishing.

All you need is a canvas that's about an inch in diameter and you are good to go.  My canvas is from Kristine Kingston and is a darling little Adirondack chair.  Check with your favorite shop.  They often kit the fob with a coordinating canvas and the threads needed to stitch it.

My canvas and fob came with two cards of Planet Earth Fibers' Essentials, which is a silk-wool blend sort of like Caron's Impressions but smaller in diameter.  Stitch the canvas (which will only take 2-3 hours) and follow these instructions:

An instruction card comes with the key fob.  I measured the canvas and the key fob area where it will go and discovered I should stitch up to, but not over, the gray line surrounding the canvas.  After I stitched the design I cut it out at the outside edge of the gray line so there's one unstitched thread left.  I recommend you stitch the canvas in basketweave for durability as you have to shove the canvas under the leather and it'll be tossed in your bag and bang against things.  

I suggest besides using a butter knife (some folks use leather burnishers or the blue tack remover that comes with a box of tacks for attaching canvas to your stretcher bars) that you use tweezers to help get all the waxed paper away from the sticky surface.  It will sometimes tear off unevenly and leave a bit under the leather edge.  A little doesn't matter but you want to get the bigger pieces up.  Tweezers help with that.




Center your canvas and push it down in the middle with your thumbs, then use your fingernail (or the butter knife or similar tool) to go around the inside edge, pushing the canvas down there.  You'll have the edges sticking up as you see on the paper pattern I made above.  That is what you want.  




Now you can take the blunt tool you've chosen to lift up the leather lip slightly.  Use the tool to push the outside edge of the canvas under the leather.  Continue around the canvas--lifting the leather, then pushing the canvas under it.  The canvas is stiff so go slowly and work it under gently.  If you have a thread start to come away, don't worry.  Cut it off if you can or shove it under the leather lip with the butter knife.  





Once the canvas is under the edge of the leather, press it down with your fingers well, just in case you didn't get it firmly stuck to the sticky layer earlier.  Add your keys and you are good to go!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 26, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, December 23, 2022

The Magnetic Everything Box

Here's something I've not seen before--Planet Earth's Magnetic Everything Box.

There is a space for a narrow 6 1/2 by 1 1/2 inch insert in the top and it appears that the inside divider is removable.  The boxes come in black, red, lime green or royal blue with a magnet closure.  


Some shops sell the insert separately.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 12, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, October 20, 2022

More Self-Finishing Options from Planet Earth

Thanks to the August NJNA newsletter, I know there are many more self-finishing options from Planet Earth than I ever imagined.  Click through all the photos.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 14, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.