Breaking News: Hill Top Leather's 2026 Finishing Deadline

If you are planning to send anything to Hill Top Leather for finishing this year, note that their cut off for accepting items is July 31, there is no Christmas deadline, and they are not guaranteeing any delivery will arrive before Christmas.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVEolBVCYi1/

Like everyone else in the needlepoint business, they have been overwhelmed by the surge in orders.  Right now they are 25 weeks behind.  Small family companies can't keep up with the demand.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright February 23, 2026 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

How to End and Restart Binding Stitch

Ever starting binding stitch on the edge of your belt only to run out of thread a third of the way done the long length of belt?  Sure you have.  Fire and Iris shows how to end off the thread and restart the binding stitch with a new length in this short video tutorial.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2X_oU1vXsz/

Not sure what the binding stitch is?  There are plenty of video tutorials on YouTube but I like Tink Boord-Dill's.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6kenW41SbQ

Note that not all belt finishing requires a binding stitch.  Check with the finisher before you do all that work.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright January 26, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

New Belt Finisher in Atlanta

Recently there was a discussion on Needlepoint Nation about belt finishing, specifically which belt finishers glue the leather backing on and which stitch it.  If you are a member of the FB group, you can read the discussion here which includes mention of a new belt finisher to me--House of Fleming.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/permalink/6079390622138045/

If you aren't a member, folks say Sign of the Arrow (which does a LOT of belt finishing) uses a finisher that uses glue but their belts stay glued even after years of use.  Hilltop Leather, Chuck Pinnell and House of Fleming all stitch their belts.  Wool and the Floss belt finishing is apparently stitched and right now they are offering a week or two turnaround time.  (Remember, pricing and turn around times will vary so ask ahead to know exactly what you need to do in terms of extra rows at the top/bottom, how much of your stitching will be covered by the buckle leather, whether it will be glued or stitched, etc.)

I'd never heard of House of Fleming so I looked at their website.  It's an Atlanta company that offers a variety of leathers and that folks say communicates well.  

https://houseoffleming.com/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright April 19, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Self-Finishing Belts

Fireside Stitchery carries something I've not seen before--self-finishing belts.

http://www.firesidestitchery.com/fs/boxesAndLeatherGoods/index.cfm?fuseaction=getSubBoxesAndLeatherGoods&CategoryId=138&uniqueProductId=56004326&goBackURL=%2Ffs%2FboxesAndLeatherGoods%2Findex%2Ecfm%3Ffuseaction%3DgetBoxesAndLeatherGoodsList%26CategoryId%3D138%26showStart%3D2%26groupNo%3D1&sCategoryName=Leather%20Goods

They come in red, black or white and have space for a design that is three inches in diameter.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright February 15, 2023 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Avoiding the Boyfriend Belt Curse

Morgan Julia Designs has a way around the dreaded boyfriend belt curse--stitch pet collars instead!

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=378882840906663&set=a.133456662115950

https://morganjuliadesigns.com/collections/in-stock/products/buoy-dog-collar

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright March 22, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Seaside Needlepoint Talks Belts

Thinking of stitching a belt?  Talk to the shop that will finish your belt first as what they want may vary. Here is what Seaside Needlepoint tells customers.

https://www.seasideneedlepoint.com/pages/belts

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright April 20, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

A Useful Tip For Stitching Belts on Scroll Frames

Steve's been stitching belts on a scroll frame and realized adding strips of quilt batting helps keep the rolled sections tight.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/permalink/3878784842198645/

Very clever, Steve!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright April 11, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

March's Smart Cookie Award Winner

Lynda wins the Smart Cookie Award for March with her belt canvas which she had turned into three small dresser trays with the help of finishers at Pocket Full of Stitches.  Cute!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/permalink/3764180390325758/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright March 2, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

How to Best Clean a Needlepoint Belt

When the Pointing It Out podcast talked belts, I decided to ask how they recommend a belt be cleaned.  Melissa of The Wool and The Floss kindly answered me by saying that a good quality dry cleaner was probably the best bet but there were no guarantees.  

I think if your belt is glued instead of sewn, you probably want to not try dry cleaning unless the dry cleaner you choose says what they use won't loosen the glue.

If you missed their very informative belt podcast, here's the link again.

https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2020/12/pointing-it-out-talks-belts.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright December 4, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Pointing It Out Talks BELTS!

Megan and Melissa talk about belts, how to stitch them and what to do with them in this podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s9_oHZ7PRY

You'll learn about buying a belt, how to size it, and to think about end result you want.  You'll learn what a keeper is, that Megan calls herself the belt psycho, how to measure the belt size,  the dude factor, the turn rows, colors, buckle types, standard widths, grommet belts, the million dollar belt story, making key fobs from leftover belts, how to lengthen a belt, D ring belts, dog collars and leashes, camera and guitar straps, trays, the stitches and threads to use, how to stitch a long belt, etc.

Who knew belts had so much!?  Of course Megan and Melissa are the Belt Queens!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright November 26, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Pointing It Out Interviews the Lynch Clan

This week's interview at the Pointing It Out is with another family in the needlepoint business—Don Lynch of Associated Talents and his daughters Preston and Grace Lynch of Two Sisters Needlepoint.  (Guess who owns 37 needlepoint belts—and stitched 36 of them…?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxkDvdnBL2I

If you want to have fun exploring, here is the Associated Talents' website, starting with stitched examples.
http://atneedlepoint.com/CanvasLookup.asp?Category=Stitched

And here is the Two Sisters website, also their stitched examples.
https://www.2sistersneedlepoint.com/finished-models

P.S.  Here are the Stitch in Time Designs' little foreign people mentioned in the interview.
http://www.needlepoint-knitting.com/shop/Canvas/A-Stitch-In-Time-Designs.htm

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 6, 2020 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Ok, Now That I've Stitched This, What Do I Do With It?

The traditional uses of needlepoint were wall hangings, table covers and upholstry. These days we mostly make pillows and pictures, but that's far from the only thing you can have needlepoint finished into.  Needlepoint Now magazine has some great ideas for using your finished needlepoint projects.
https://needlepoint.com/blogs/needlepoint-know-how/creative-finishing-ideas-to-make-your-project-your-own

If you have plenty of cash, how about a needlepoint purse or belt from Chuck Pinnell?  It will take a while but you'll have a heirloom to use for a very very long time.
https://www.pinnellcustomleather.com/needlepoint-accessories

Not made of money?  Hilltop Leather will do a fabulous belt or keychain for you that won't cost the earth.
https://hilltopleather.com

Want to do the finishing yourself?  This online store has a great variety of leather goods that are self finishing.  You can make a box, wallet, credit card holder, tissue box, purse, luggage tag, key chain, coasters, cosmetic bag, jewelry container, ornaments, and much much more.  Stitch your canvas, trim it close to the stitching and pop it into the item!
https://needlepoint.com/collections/leather-products-self-finishing

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 4, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Using the Binding Stitch on a Belt Canvas

I've finished all the basketweave on my belt canvas so now I need to finish the edge with binding stitch.  Not all belt finishers want a binding stitch, so check with your finisher or the shop that is arranging finishing for you first.  Some will want two extra rows of tent stitches instead.  I like the binding stitch, however, and the finisher I'm using does as well, so I have to master it before I can send my belt out.

I found several tutorials on doing the binding stitch on a belt.  Note that she counts holes, not threads, when figuring out where each part of the binding stitch goes.  You may prefer to count threads as I do, but it's easy to just count two threads instead of three holes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niT5P--H35U

Here's another video.  She folds the raw edge down, which might make it easier for you to count or stitch the binding stitch.  I find it a little too easy to get my thread twisted if I turn down the edge myself to work this way.  There's great information on starting/ending a thread here whether you use her turn over technique or not.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXFSMtRsAwU

M's Canvashouse also has a good video by Tink Boord-Dill.  I think this "back three, up one" technique is the fastest way to work binding stitch.  The video makes clear that you always work from the right towards the left and that you only bind the two long edges, not the ends of the belt canvas.  I used this technique to work my binding stitch.  But pick the technique that works best for you.  Like much in needlepoint, there isn't one right way to do binding stitch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6kenW41SbQ

If you prefer the written word in a tutorial, Serendipity has a nice write up.
https://www.serendipityneedleworks.com/needlepoint-binding-stitch/

Many thanks to Hingham Square Needlepoint, Serendipity Stitch, M's Canvashouse and Eye of the Needle for help with binding stitch.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 10, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Yes, Annie Oakley Was a Needlepointer UPDATED

Thanks to Needlepoint Now magazine, I now know Annie Oakley was a needlepointer.
http://fortworth.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/08-13-19-annie-oakley-belt-national-cowgirl-museum-hall-of-fame/?fbclid=IwAR0gYVd5d9WthuC9Cleq96dmAR1rmLgMr5WBxiKCOeOomNoydO_l80gHteU#slide=0

You can see the scroll patterned belt by clicking on the tiny thumbnail under the large photo of Annie herself.

UPDATE:  Margaret took a nice photo of the belt.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10219841413966627&set=pcb.2430028110407666&type=3&theater

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 14, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Confused About Ordering a Belt from Sign of the Arrow?

Belts can be confusing as some places need an edge finished with binding stitch, some don't because they want two extra tent stitches rows top and bottom.  Sign of the Arrow has a little graphic explaining how their belts work.  You can always call the shop for help as well.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10161929251700722&set=p.10161929251700722&type=3&theater

Remember, different companies have different needs for finishing belts.  Always check with the shop or belt finisher before you stitch your belt canvas to make sure you are doing what will work for them.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright April 26, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Needlepoint.com's How to Measure and Finish the Edge of a Belt

Needlepoint.com wants something totally different when it comes to measuring a belt length and how to work the edges than what Hill Top Leather wants. The moral is, always ask how to measure the length and the preferred edging technique before you start your belt.
https://needlepoint.com/blogs/needlepoint-know-how/everything-you-need-to-know-about-stitching-a-belt?utm_source=Needlepoint.Com&utm_campaign=ece01b8591-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_07_12_06_57&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6eed0b10d5-ece01b8591-579725333&goal=0_6eed0b10d5-ece01b8591-579725333&mc_cid=ece01b8591&mc_eid=3a360cb48b

Hope you enjoy their Everything You Need To Know About Stitching a Belt article and video.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 13, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

I Want to Stitch A Belt UPDATED

Let's Stitch a Belt!

I've noticed that many nights I am too tired to stitch anything complicated. but I still want to keep my hands busy. So I took a dive into The Stash and pulled out some narrow scrap canvas and all my colors of size 8 perle cotton to make myself a belt.  Then I borrowed a set of small scroll bars from a friend and put the canvas on the roller bars.  To do this, you need to first measure your belt size, cut the canvas the proper length to fit your waist, and make sure your canvas for the belt isn't wider than the scroll bars.  Then you sew each end of the plain canvas to the material stapled to the roller bars, using long basting stitches.  (See above.)  I also marked with a pencil the start line on my canvas.  The end line (I need 35 inches of belt length*) is also marked but of course you can't see that because it is rolled out of sight.  I will roll my end tighter when I start to stitch.  I just wanted you to see the basting stitches.  You'll need a sharp needle and a thin thread (like size 16 perle cotton or regular sewing thread) to baste the canvas to the stretcher bar fabric.

If you do a lot of belts, invest in K's belt frame.  You can see it below, mounted in a table stand.
http://kscreations.com/acc_belt.htm

You can also use regular scroll or roller frames in your floor stand.  I borrowed a small scroll frame (the dimensions are roughly seven inches for the side bars where the fabric is attached and eight inches for the bars that are normally at the top or bottom).
https://www.amysgoldenstrand.com/store/p1833/K%27s_Creations_Belt_Frame_12%22.html

Some folks also stitch belts in hand, rolling each end and clipping it shut with something like the giant paper clips available at office supply stores.

I'll be stitching this turned on end, with the side bars that have the nuts to tighten/loosen the canvas on the top and bottom.  Here's another view so you can see the two rows of basting I did.

I charted two vaguely Asian motifs (a flower and a paper lantern) for my belt.  I've decided to use dark navy blue for the background and will stitch the motifs in other contrasting colors.

My Size 8 Perle Cotton Threads

Stay tuned!

*As always, think about finishing before you start a project.  Since I plan to send my stitched belt to Hill Top Leather Shop to make up into a belt, I read over their belt information very carefully.  That's how I know my belt needs to be 35 inches long and that the first and last two inches of stitching will be covered by the leather and buckle of the finished belt.    The belt finisher you choose may use different finishing techniques, so always check with them first.
https://hilltopleather.com/belt-finishing

UPDATE:  Here is belt information from Needlepoint.com.  They want something totally different when it comes to measuring a belt length and how to work the edges.  The moral is, always ask how to measure the length and the preferred edging technique before you start your belt.
https://needlepoint.com/blogs/needlepoint-know-how/everything-you-need-to-know-about-stitching-a-belt?utm_source=Needlepoint.Com&utm_campaign=ece01b8591-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_07_12_06_57&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6eed0b10d5-ece01b8591-579725333&goal=0_6eed0b10d5-ece01b8591-579725333&mc_cid=ece01b8591&mc_eid=3a360cb48b

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 24, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

How to Do the Binding Stitch: A Video

M's Canvashouse does a lot of finishing and has created a video tutorial on the blinding stitch.  This stitch is used for the edges of belts before finishing.  However, not every belt finisher wants you to use the binding stitch as some finishing styles don't require it.  So ask before you add the binding stitch.  You may be ruling out the finisher and finishing style you are planning to use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6kenW41SbQ

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright March 20, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Belt Frames: F. A. Edmunds

Needle Paint shows off the F. A. Edmunds belt scroll frame and how a belt is stitched with it.
https://www.needlepaint.com/blog/2019/02/27/how-to-stitch-a-needlepoint-belt-canvas/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 27, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Since We Are Talking Belts….

Since we are talking belts, you'll want to see how Jennifer stores the belts she makes each year for her son's birthday.  Genius!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1825930180850730&set=gm.2089796224430858&type=3&theater&ifg=1

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 28, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.