Showing posts with label magnifiers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label magnifiers. Show all posts

Friday, January 2, 2026

Dome Magnifiers and Missed Stitches

KC Needlepoint has a short article about magnifier domes, which are used to check for missed stitches.  The shop carries two sizes.  Over the years I've seen a lot of these in various configurations.  Check with your favorite shop to see what they carry.

Lori at Waste Knot demonstrates how to use the magnifier domes, with tips on other ways to find missed stitches in this Instagram video.

If you don't want to invest in a new tool, try taking a photo or a scan of your piece.  The camera will sometimes reveal things you don't see using your eyes only.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 15, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, July 5, 2025

Stitching Outdoors

Now that the weather is nice outside (at least here in the USA) it's tempting to stitch outdoors.  Mary Corbet reminds us that stitching outside has its own challenges.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 10, 2025 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, April 6, 2024

Tips on Finding Missed Stitches

Lori from Waste Knot* has posted a video on Instagram with tips on finding missed stitches.  As a shop owner, Lori checks finished items for missed stitches before handing them over to the finisher.  She likes to hold items up to the sunshine to look for an empty spot where a stitch was missed.  She also uses magnifiers to look over finished pieces.  Lori says that most missed stitches are in an area where there's a color change.

Personally, I like to take a photo of a finished piece to study.  The camera sees things I don't, no matter how many times I look over a piece.

Bug Eye magnifiers come in two sizes.  I think there are several manufacturers of these tools but they appear to be the same except perhaps for price.  Some may be heavy glass, others acrylic.  Some are set in a metal collar.


*Waste Knot is my "local" shop.  I just adore it!

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.

Saturday, December 24, 2022

BigEye Lamps with Magnification UPDATED

Needlework Retailer shows off a photo fo the BigEye lamp, which has magnification and comes in floor and table models.

These are now owned by Mattingly Low vision which sells wholesale only.  You can find these on many lamp websites, however.

UPDATE:  The floor lamps now have a new rolling base available.  Check with the manufacturer to make sure it works with your lamp if you have one already.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 13, 2022 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Tips for the Visually Impaired Stitcher

Barbara Elmore is posting tips for stitchers with vision problems on her Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/barbaraelmoredesigns/

Barbara's having problems with her eyes right now but she's using her disability to come up with ways for stitchers who also have vision trouble to keep stitching.  Kudos to you, Barbara!

(If you are late to the party, look for postings that start around October 8, 2019.)

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 9, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, February 2, 2019

A New Brand of Light Magnifier

Brighttech is a new brand of light/magnifier on the market.  They sell floor and table models and light/magnifiers that clamp onto a desk or table.  There is a five year warranty on the ones I looked at, but these are LED lights.  I don't think if they burn out the lights can be replaced.
https://brightechshop.com/collections/magnifier-lamps

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 11, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

A History Lesson—and a Warning

Anna Pearson's latest blog posting is about how much we love stitching flowers, but it has a warning at the end we should all pay attention to.
https://anna-pearson-needlepoint.blogspot.com/2018/06/flowers-in-needlework-burn-incident.html

All is not lost if you forget and set fire to your needlepoint, though.  Here is how I repaired deliberate vandalism on a canvas.
https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2009/09/vandals-in-chilly-hollow.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 18, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, February 3, 2018

The Ott Light/Magnifer: A Review

My New Ott Light-Magnifier

Before Thanksgiving (where does the time go?!) I bought an Ott light on sale at Joann's Fabrics.  Now that I've used it for a while, it's time to post a short review of how it works so that folks looking for a light-magnifier combination can see if this might work for them.  As you can see in the photograph, this is a clip on light with a bendable arm, LED lights and an acrylic magnifier with an insert for extra magnification.  It also has a removable heavy base if you want it to sit on a table instead of clipping it to a table or your stretcher bars.  Here's more information about the light-magnifier.  Note that the magnifier lens is five inches in diameter and it runs on four button batteries which are included in the box.
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/ottlite-3-5-inch-battery-operated-led-magnifier-clip-and-stand/1046553959?Keyword=ottlite




I've never used the heavy base as I either clip the light-magnifier to my stretcher bars or my desk.  The clamp will open up enough to hold onto my desk that is nearly an inch thick so I think it will work on Evertites.  The light is not particularly bright, however, and of course if the LEDs go bad they cannot be replaced.  I also don't use the little extra magnification area much as it is so small.  I also find the magnifier head quite heavy.  It will tip over when it is clamped to the stretcher bars or make the stretcher bars a little unwieldy to hold, so I normally clamp it to my desk instead.  The flexible neck isn't very flexible, either.  It only bends a little to each side.  I would prefer a longer, more flexible neck myself.  The canvas above (Barbara Elmore's "Fuchsa" from Sundance) is around 16 inches high, to give you a sense of scale.

To sum up, this is a useful tool with some limits.  It's a little too heavy to put on regular stretcher bars and the extra spot of magnification in the lens is small.  The neck isn't very long or flexible.  The light isn't awfully bright, either.  But it is useful when you need a little extra help to see and since it is fairly small and light weight, it would work well as a travel tool, especially in combination with a lap or table stand.  If you need a boost, this might work well, particularly if you can find it on sale like I did.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 8, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Picking the Right Light/Magnifer

Lynn highly recommended this article by the manufacturers of Dazor light/magnifiers on Facebook and when I read it, I see why. It explains the terms used in describing these things very very well.
https://www.dazor.com/choosing-a-lighted-magnifier.html

Thanks, Lynn!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 26, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Mag Eyes

Brenda's started using Mag Eyes to enlarge her needlework. She posted a bit about them on her blog and I thought you'd be curious to see what Mag Eyes are like.
http://brendasneedlepointstudio.blogspot.com/2016/04/mageyes-magnifier-42316_23.html

The Mag Eyes company offers a variety of magnifiers.  Here is their website.
http://www.mageyes.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright April 23, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Portable Swivel Light with Magnifier

Janet Granger got an interesting new portable light/magnifier for Christmas. I thought you'd like to see what she says about it.
https://janetgranger.wordpress.com/2016/01/07/what-i-got-for-christmas-this-year/

Of course Janet's in the UK so this isn't something easily available in the United States but there's always mail order.
http://www.siestaframes.com/index.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 7, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Christmas Shopping at DMC

I haven't paid a lot of attention to DMC's new Common Threads site but it does have some fabulous gifts for stitchers. They have two styles of wooden sewing boxes, although I have no idea why they are only offered in washed-out blue-gray.
http://commonthread.us/large-wood-sewing-box-antique-gray-plus-floss.html

http://commonthread.us/gondola-wood-sewing-box-antique-gray-plus-floss.html

If you want stocking stuffers, they have a finger tip magnifier...
http://commonthread.us/finger-magnifying-glass-red-2.html

...and cute DMC-themed pins, either the skeins shown or two card spools shown at the bottom of the page.
http://commonthread.us/mercerie-brooch-rwb.html?utm_source=Commonthread+Website+Signup&utm_campaign=ea5b2b8e4a-Stocking_Stuffers_12_10_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_946d6b91ed-ea5b2b8e4a-82345393

If you want something to stitch fast, there are mini stockings, although they really are geared towards cross stitchers.  Regardless, it's fun to browse all the styles.
http://commonthread.us/dmc-products/stitchables/stockings.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 10, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Jewelers Eye Loop

Red Owl Stash has a jewelers loop style magnifier to use for help seeing your canvas. I don't believe I've seen this style of magnifier before. It may not work for everyone but it sure looks cool! 
http://www.redowlstash.com/shop/OTHER-STITCHING-ACCESSORIES/MAGNIFIERS-/p/Jewelers-Eye-Loop-to-Clip-on-Glasses-Frame.htm

They also have several styles of hand held magnifiers, useful if you want to search a canvas for missed stitches or are channeling Sherlock Holmes.  Just choose from the list on the left side of the page.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 1, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Clip On Magnifers

Ridgewood shows off a set of clip on magnifiers that come in four magnification strengths. This might be the perfect solution to your stitching needs, depending on whether you wear glasses and like different magnification strengths for different tasks. 
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2015/07/clip-on-spectacle-magnifer.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 18, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Kreinik Reviews the Beam N Read

The nice folks at Kreinik ran into the Beam N Read system at a trade show and were kind enough to review it for those of us who could use extra light or perhaps magnification when we stitch at night.
http://kreinikthread.blogspot.com/2014/09/make-it-easier-to-see-your-stitching.html

If you want to know more, here is the ASF Lightwear Solutions website.
http://www.readinglight.com/cgi-exec/store/commerce.cgi

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 15, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Important Safety Tip

When I noticed that Diane just bought a cover for her magnifier, it reminded me that a friend just had her magnifier burn a hole in a cushion.   Diane's new cover is from Carol Eix Designs (second link), but you can make one yourself fairly easily or just drape a large handkerchief over the glass when your magnifier isn't in use.  
http://www.dianestakingtimeouttoneedlepoint.com/2014/07/new-purchases.html

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carol-Eix-Design/290003741061652

Safety first!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 21, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Need a Little Vision Boost?

If your eyes need a little power boost to see better, you might want to try the drug store magnifiers. They come in various magnification powers but style is lacking. Fortunately, Pocket Full of Stitches has amazing styles available for the fashionable far-sighted person.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2014/06/readers.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 3, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Great Ideas

This morning I have several great ideas for our stitching. The first tip comes from Renee at Pepita/Gone Stitching.  She has a great idea for stitching a challah cover without spending a ton of time with your needle.
http://needlepointofview.com/2014/05/07/save-time-when-stitching-a-challah-cover/

Rachel is busy using light and dark shades of red to highlight certain areas of her canvas.  (She tried out a fellow student's Daylight Magnifying Glasses and loves them, by the way.)
http://www.theunbrokenthread.com/blog/2014/05/08/rsn-canvaswork-bristol-day-2/

Speaking of color, Ruth is custom blending the colors she wants.  For those of you not interested in color, she also shows off some of her stitching that was in the Shoreline Stitchers Exhibit in April.
http://ruthsneedlework.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-piece-for-shane.html

Great ideas from great stitchers!  Thanks.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 11, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, April 29, 2013

CraftOptics: Light Magnifier Clipons

If you are interested in a light and/or magnifier that clips onto your glasses, then this review of CraftOptics' lens systems is something you need to read. It shows you exactly what the system is like and how it works.  This is very valuable information for those who are hesitant to spend that kind of money on clip on lights/magnifiers that might not work well for you.  It's also interesting to see other options than large light/magnifier systems which don't work well for everyone's stitching nest.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2013/04/craftoptics-so-you-can-see-the-details.html

Here's the direct link to CraftOptics' website.

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.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

Look What Joyce Found

The folks in Gay Ann Rogers' online classroom came up with a winner today--at least Joyce did. Check out this ripping tool with light AND magnifier!
http://www.mightybright.com/Craft-Lights/Lighted-Seam-Ripper-with-Magnifier/

Another student of Gay Ann's says these come in various colors but I haven't found any online photos of other colors.  I thought to myself that it might be too heavy to use for a long period but this review says not.
http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2010/12/lighted-seam-ripper-magnifier-by-mighty.html

It seems to be on the more expensive side as seam rippers go but that's not saying much.  Seam rippers are cheap.  Not having to use them is priceless!  
http://www.joann.com/sewing/sewing-tools/seam-rippers/

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.