Katie's Rugs

The Needlepointer is having a truck show from Shorebird Studio, so their latest e-newsletter shows off some of Katie Molineux's rugs. They are amazing and not on her website, so I thought you'd like a little art show this morning. Enjoy!
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2b1a4dafdf1ba6e29e773aa79&id=bcae16e4cc&e=73961ee0ea

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 29, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Who Was Looking for This?

Katie Molineaux's Limited Edition Foo Dog Canvas

The photo above is a limited edition design from Shorebirds Studio.  I believe there were only ten of these painted since the obi fabric that comes with the canvas for finishing was in short supply.  They are sold out and no longer listed on her website.
http://shorebirdstudio.com/

A lot of folks were looking for this design and I helped track down at least six of the ten.  I've found another ($339) on a website.  I haven't inquired if this canvas is still available, but if you are one of the folks still looking for this piece, email me at chilly hollow at hot maildotcom and I'll give you the URL.  They have the rhododendron obi piece at the same price.

Rhododendron Obi Canvas

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

Needlepoint Classes Inspire Stitch Envy

Nothing turns me greener for St. Patrick's Day than hearing all about the wonderful needlepoint classes folks have taken.  Melita just took a SharonG class and is exploring Sharon's use of open stitches and gorgeous borders on a wonderful Katie Molineaux/Shorebird Designs dragonfly.
http://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2012/03/17/dragon-fly/

Melody's been to a Brenda Hart class where she took a pair of Dan Di Paolo witches (reproduced by Kelly Clark).  What can I say?  Wish I was there, too!
http://wooley-thoughts.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-stitchers-celebrate-st-pats.html

If like me you are unable to make it to a needlepoint class, you can always study long distance using things like Tony Minieri's new three DVD set about stitching basics.  Melinda is doing a Amy Bunger Home Study piece while listening to the new DVDs.
http://melindaslivingthegoodlife.blogspot.com/2012/03/lessons-learned.html

Your local shop can get the DVDs for you but if --again like me-- you don't have a shop close by you can mail order.  Nimble Needle has a nice price for the set and will sell you just one if you don't want to invest in all of them until you've tried them out.
http://thenimbleneedle.blogspot.com/2012/03/back-to-basics-dvd-set.html

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

Bow Wow

Cape Cod Dogs they don't chase cars they like to pick up girls in bars!

Lewmew mentioned in the Comments section that she loves dog canvases and is looking for a blogger who talks about their dogs and dog designs both. I don't know of anyone who shows off a lot of dog canvases, but several bloggers I know have dogs and mention them occasionally, just not as often as Lewmew would like.  Sorry!  I can tell you about dog canvases and designers who have some spectacular ones, however.  If you like realistic dog canvases, Barbara Russell and Tapestry Tent are the places to start.  Here is Barbara's website.  Click on any thumbnail to see the entire canvas.
http://barbararusselldesigns.com/browse.html

I found the most Tapestry Tent dog canvases on The Needlepointer's website, but it takes a little work to get to them.  Go to the link below and choose Tapestry Tent from the list on the left side of the page.  Then use the pull down menu in the middle right under Tapestry Tent's name to choose Dogs.  You'll get two pages of delightful canvases.
http://www.theneedlepointer.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=71

Amanda Lawford also has some great detailed realistic dog pieces from Constance Coleman, just not as many as the first two designers.   Here's where you can see them.  Just put your mouse on top of a thumbnail and the entire design will appear.
http://www.amandalawford.com/products/coleman1.html


There are other designers with an occasional wonderful dog canvas here and there.  Top Drawer has a page of dog and cat designs that gives a wide range of styles.
http://www.topdrawer-needlepoint.com/canvases/index.cgi?Field=category&Key=Cats-and-Dogs&Sort=title&disp=thumbs&ptitle=Cats%20and%20Dogs

If humorous canine canvases are what you want, Maggie is the place to start.  Her dog canvases are in two locations.  Choose "Cats and Dogs" from the Category pull down menu.  Once you are done there, return to this page and click on "Our Faithful Friends" at the bottom of the page.
http://www.maggieco.com/html/main_table.html

If you want stylized dog canvases, I love the Paper Russells ones that DJ Designs distributes.
http://www.designsdj.com/paperrussells.html

I have to admit my very favorite dog canvases are from Shorebird Studio.  They are not totally realistic but they are all elegance.  Click on "New in 2012" on the left side of the page to see the new poodle design, then click on "Pet Portraits" to see both custom pieces and Katie Molineux's terrific dog ornaments.
http://shorebirdstudio.com/

By the way, my Cape Cod Dogs purse above is an Elizabeth Mumford painting translated into needlepoint by Needlepoint of Back Bay.
http://www.needlepointofbackbay.com/product_pages/Elizabeth-Mumford.htm

I know I've forgotten great canvases, so why not help me out by mentioning your favorite dog canvas in the Comments below?


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

Scarab Rings, Kreinik and a Fancy Terry Background

Terry Christopher's Snow Wave Stitch

With space limitations in the jewelry box lid where I plan to insert my Egyptian scarab jewelry canvas, I had to figure out just how to make the design shine without the use of beads or fancy stitches.  So I turned to Kreinik.  Their metallic threads were perfect for gold jewelry.  I pulled golds, blues, red, and brown from my stash, looking for shades that go well together but trying to use as much holographic Kreinik as possible.  I really wanted the scarab rings to shine and holographic Kreinik does just that.

After I had the threads chosen, I simply tent stitched the design.  I did have to be careful to keep tied off ends of thread well away from the edges of the scarab rings since holographic Kreinik frays a bit and those ends will poke up through the lightly stitched background if I am not careful.

Once the scarab rings were stitched, I turned my attention to the background.  I needed a subtle but pretty background stitch. I played around a little with the idea of stitching Egyptian hieroglyphics in the background but the complexity of the letters defeated me.  So I turned to one of Terry Christopher's stitches which you see in the background in the photograph above.  I saw this piece on Facebook and diagramed the stitch Terry created for a student at 2 the Point (Terry's shop).  This is a Shorebird Studio design, by the way.  You can see it on Shorebirds' website by searching for canvas M424.  The second link is to Terry's online store.
http://shorebirdstudio.com/

http://www.topoint.com/terry_bio.htm

You can see the original photo that Terry posted on 2 the Point's Facebook page.  I'm not sure if those without a Facebook account can see this, but here's the link.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=188567564508578&set=a.188566801175321.42855.157438187621516&type=3&theater

What you see in the photo above is my diagram which was done on a page from Ruth Schmuff's Stitches CD Volume One.  Ruth's bargello stitch is very similar to the stitch Terry used but it isn't quite the same stitch. In Terry's version, each stitch unit moves up a thread in Terry's snow wave stitch.  In the diagram you see two stitch units drawn in pencil.  The X shows where the third unit moves up a thread to start.  Each unit moves up one thread.  The photo of Terry's original design and my charting of her original stitch are posted with Terry's permission.

Isn't she just the greatest?!


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

Shorebird Trunk Show

i'm a big fan of Katie Molineaux's Shorebird Studio designs so I was thrilled to hear Thistle Needleworks/AP Needle Arts is having a trunk show of her work from October 8-22nd with 20 percent off the canvases. You can either go to Thistle in person or shop at the Alex Paras Needle Arts website
http://store.apneedlearts.com/shsttrshoc8o.html


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

Studying the Eye Candy

I like to bookmark wonderful stitching for inspiration later.  I thought you'd like to see some fabulous stitching that is full of ideas if you have a similar item in your To Do pile of needlepoint canvases.  Do you have buildings or straw on a canvas?  Then you must look at Amy Bunger's Nativity stable in the June newsletter from her shop.  It is an amazing piece of work.  (The whole newsletter is fun and includes photos of many of the styles of the new Sundance sequins but not the black ones.  Trust me, the black ones are FABULOUS-O!  You know, those purple ones look pretty durn good, too....)  The newsletter also shows the brand new Fairy Tale Witch series from Melissa Shirley which Amy has promised to write stitch guides for.
http://www.amybunger.com/f/Amy_s_e-newsletter_June_2011.pdf

Peggi's stitching a Day of the Dead character that she took to a Tony Minieri embellishment class.  You may not have a skeleton in your stitching future but you've got to see this hat!
http://tapestryfair.blogspot.com/2011/06/lupes-progress-thanks-tony.html

Do you need a large heart on your canvas?  ANG's Stitch of the Month released today is a Fleur De Lis heart that is beautifully charted.  (This is for my counted canvaswork friends who must be bored silly by all this talk of painted canvases.)
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2011/jun.php

Want to see a spectacular glitzy canvas mixed with a light coverage background?  MaryLu Leger is teaching this in a class.  Man, wish I was there to see it in person as this is the most beautiful interpretation of Klimt on NP canvas I've ever seen.
http://tapestryfair.blogspot.com/2011/05/kleo-embellishment.html

Do you love birds? Then you will want to see this trio of small Shorebirds canvases which are beautifully stitched and framed together.
http://needlenicely.blogspot.com/2011/05/katie-molyneaux-small-canvases.html

Are you a fan of all tent stitched pieces?  Check out this Tapestry Tent stocking topped by mink!
http://phoenixneedlepointnews.blogspot.com/2011/05/tapestry-tent-stocking.html

So much to see, so much to learn!

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

Wanted: One Shorebirds Panda

A friend of a friend is trying to find Katie Molineaux's panda canvas (shown above).  If you have it in your stash or in your shop and are willing to sell it, would you please email me at chillyhollow at hotmail dot com?  I'll put you in touch with the person who is lusting after this lovely design.  Thanks!

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

Monthly Clubs and Big January Sales

A great many needlepoint shops have a January sale going on now.  Here are the ones I know about:

Needlepoint in the 21st Century has painted and printed canvases on sale.  Check out the home page and also the Clearance page for some big bargains.  I don't think any of their great book collection is on sale, however.
http://www.newneedlepoint.com/

Old World Designs will sell in-stock painted canvases at 25% off from January 15-29.  Books, some threads and accessories are also on sale but the newsletter didn't spell out what or how much off.  They have a Shorebird Studio trunk show until January 12 if you are a fan of Kate Molineux's designs like I am.
http://www.oldworlddesigns.com/

http://shorebirdstudio.com/

The French Knot in Texas has a one day sale on 1/8/11 with in stock painted canvases between 30-85% off and some threads a dollar a skein.  They also will special order canvases at a 20% discount.  Remember, this is a one day only sale.
http://www.thefrenchknot.com/

Chaparral Needlepoint in Texas is putting almost everything in the shop on sale at 20% off from January 10-15.
http://www.ndlpt.com/

Needlepoint.com has added to their 50% off sale canvases page.  Note the sale runs until Jan. 15.
http://www.needlepoint.com/index.php/sale-items.html

When it comes to monthly clubs, ads in the needlepoint magazines are full of new items.  The Needlepointer hasn't updated their monthly club page yet, but they plan a ribbon candy canvas club, a club featuring Melissa Shirley's tiny fancy pumpkins that spell out Thanksgiving, and a peppermint patty club of double sided canvases that make sweet treats for all stitchers.  All these start this month, so hopefully the website will have this information soon.
http://www.theneedlepointer.com/monthly_clubs.php

Do you love Christmas and train sets?  Then the Toy Express series from Needleworks in Birmingham, Alabama is for you.
http://web.me.com/gritsnp/Site/Toy_Express_Train.html

Nordic Needle is jumping into the monthly club business with their counted canvaswork Seasonal Snowflakes.
http://www.nordicneedle.com/PROD/CLUB03.html

Chandail is working with Melissa Shirley to create Santa Bells, a series of her classic Santa designs in "snow globe bell" form.  Each bell is 5 inches high so these can be made up into ornaments or finished as a series of stand up designs.  You can see the first three Santa bells on their home page.  Follow the links for nice big photos.  My favorite is the red Santa holding the bird tree but you may prefer one of the more over-the-top designs that still manage to be elegant in true Chandail style.
http://www.chandailneedlework.com/

A Stitch in Time is offering Raymond Crawford flowers of the month in a cheerful club that will bring spring to you any month of the year.
http://www.needlepoint-knitting.com/stitch-clubs.htm

Finally, Old Town Needlework in Arizona is doing a kimono club.  The designs are darling but sadly only the details are on their website. No pictures!  The 3 x 3 1/2 inch kimonos are all from Lee or Patt and Lee Designs.
http://www.oldtownneedlework.com/KimonoClub.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Managing Transitions Part Two

Because I've been thinking so much lately about managing transitions between various stitches on the Rabbit Geisha, I pulled out photographs of a project I stitched several years ago that had the same transitional issues but for a different reason.

The image above is my version of Shorebird Designs' small peacock M274.  This is a 5x7 design on 18 count canvas.  You can find it on Katie Molineaux's website by using the Katie's Search function on the left side of the page.  By the way, I urge you to look at the Stitched By Customers' Section. Amazing stitching there!
http://shorebirdstudio.com/

The reason I'm using this design to talk about transitions is that it was all done in light coverage stitches.  The background and leaves are one ply of silk.  I stitched those first and then was faced with the issue of choosing stitches for the bird that didn't look too heavy next to the almost not there background.

Here is a close-up of the design to help you understand what I did.  First, I decided to use plyable threads so I could cut down on bulk when I stitched the bird.  The tent stitches on the bird's face are two plies of either silk or overdyed cotton flosses.  The tiny bullions on the top of his head were done with one ply of overdyed or solid colored silks.  The French knots on the peacock's topknot were all in two plies.  I think I mixed in the thin metallic thread Accentuate occasionally here to add a bit of shine.  The upright brick stitches on the body were all carefully laid silks using two plies, with one strand of Accentuate laid on top in places to add sparkle.

Overall, reducing the number of plies on this piece worked well to integrate the bird with its background.  Of course this piece used either slanting or straight stitches, which made the blending of background and image easier.  I would have had more trouble is this piece included compound stitches made up of many layers like the fancy stitches on the Rabbit Geisha's kimono top.

I hope this gives you some strategies for managing the transitions between the foreground and background stitches on your painted canvases. I'd love to hear other strategies folks use in the Comments!  I am certain I don't know all the ways to get around this problem.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Managing Transitions

While stitching the endless background on the Rabbit Geisha, I've been thinking about managing transitions. Sounds like a management phrase, doesn't it?  "Managing transitions...."

What I mean by this is how to make the background meet the central figure in such a way as it all looks good.  The first hint that this is important on this canvas came when the background stitch between the Rabbit Geisha's ears looked odd.  Above is how I managed this area by turning the odd space between the ears into all tent stitches in the background thread.  If you look carefully at the left side of her neck, you will see a few tent stitches there, too.
You'll also see a few unstitched areas on the right beside her nose.  I'm still thinking over what to do there.  I'll probably stitch longer horizontal stitches right over the shorter ones.

There are other transitional areas on this canvas.  In the photo above, there is a small space between two pink ribbons just under the sleeve, a larger space between the ribbons and the side of her robe, and another space between the pink ribbons a bit further toward the bottom of the canvas.  In these areas I was able to compensate my split pavilion stitches and they looked good.  I am not sure why compensation here looks fine and between the rabbit ears doesn't, but it may be because the space between the ears is angled, not a straight vertical area.

It is more difficult to pick out, but there are transitional spaces all along the bottom of the hem where the navy tent stitches meet the background stitches.  There is actually a channel left blank between the split pavilion stitches in the background and the navy tent stitch outline of the hem but you can't see it well.  In these cases you have to experiment to see whether to leave an unstitched area.  Look at the pavilion stitch between the two tassels.  In that one area I put a stitch in the blank space.  See how crowded it looks and how it bleeds over into the navy tent stitch?  I will pull this out before I go any further but I wanted you to see the difference between leaving an empty space and filling it.

So what do you do in these areas to make the place where the background meets other stitches look good? There are always ways around the problem and the Rabbit Geisha shows several:  compensate, leave a blank space, use tent stitches instead.  I recommend you just try out a variety of strategies and rip out the ones that don't work.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Asian Purses

I stumbled across a series of lovely purses with oriental themes this morning. What you see above is one of them, a Mindy design. I love Mindy's pieces, especially the Japanese quilt patterns, one of which this is adapted from.

Start your journey here. Click on Go Shopping on the left , then click on Painted Canvas in the middle of the page. Now click on Mindy and prepare to enjoy! There are seven purse canvases on the first page, including a Christmas one and one from her sheet music pattern.
http://www.homesteadneedlearts.com/

I also found clutch purses from Shorebird Studio/Katie Molineaux at The Needlepointer. Start here by clicking on Canvas Gallery on the left side of the page. Then scroll down to the Ks to find Katie's pieces. There are two sections. I found the clutch purses with a carved closure bead and obi fabric for finishing on pages 4 and 5 of Section I.
http://www.theneedlepointer.com/

Have fun dreaming of where you might carry such a purse!

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

New Treats to See

I have plenty of treats for you to see today. First, Amy Bunger's March shop newsletter is up on her website. There's a new stitch, plenty of photos of fun canvasas and news about her Nativity series. If you missed any earlier newsletters, links for them are further down the page.
http://www.amybunger.com/current_enewsletters.html

Shorebird Studio has their 2009 new items up. Click on New for 2009 in the left hand column and enjoy the beautiful designs.
http://www.shorebirdstudio.com/

Finally, Alex Paras Needlearts has updated their online shop. There are too many interesting things to list, so do a little exploring and see what treats you can find.
http://store.apneedlearts.com/

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow