A Monday Morning Treat

Are you interested in food?  Do you like reading about history?  Is period clothing your thing?  Are you a fan of British fiction?  Do you adore (and re-read annually) Jane Austen?  Whichever of these things caught your eye, this is the website for you!  Erudite without being dull, I find this site a great escape from the pressures of holiday prep.  Even reading the list of recently read books is a delight!  My only quarrel is that many of the TV program links don't work for those outside Britain and that's the fault of the BBC, not the author.
http://austenonly.com/

Jane, exiting to look at the boxes of Jello in the pantry in CH

UPDATE: Due to the kindness of a friend, I learned about this movie, which sounds interesting to a stitcher.
http://arttextstyle.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/stitching-on-the-silver-screen-bright-star/

My friend was charmed by a shrug in the movie (she says the costumes are fabulous) that resembles one Sophie Digard has created. This is for the crocheters out there. Isn't it lovely? I'd adore one of those myself!
http://www.selvedge-drygoods.org/pages/products.aspx?id=103&p=572

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

Curious About Metal Threads? UPDATED

We aren't exactly ignorant of the beauty of metal threads used in goldwork here in Chilly Hollow but we haven't taken a class ever so it is great fun to learn more about how these threads are used.  Kathy is making a sachet and using metal thread embroidery for the holly leaves at the base.  It's fun to watch her use a piece of check like a flexible bead to make the holly outline.  She gives us tips on working with Benton and Johnson's check, too.
http://www.theunbrokenthread.com/blog/2010/12/10/green-check-holly-how-to/

If you are curious about Benton and Johnson threads, here is their website.  Check is listed under Wire Threads, but don't skip Embroidery Threads.  That's where coloured twist lives and coloured twist is one of my favorite threads EVER!
http://www.bentonandjohnson.com/

One of the mysterious topics related to goldwork is the use of beeswax to condition the thread that is used to attach the metal threads (or beads for that matter).  I've never known exactly how to properly wax my threads but Mary Corbet Tells All right here.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2010/12/beeswax-for-needlework.html

On another topic altogether, the end of December marks the end of the tax year for Americans.  Whichever side of the debate on extending the Bush tax cuts you are on, most of us can reduce our tax burden by charitable donations.  These have to be done by the end of December to count toward the 2010 tax return we'll be filling out in early 2011.  If you want to make a charitable donation but have no idea where, Tricia Nguyen has an idea.  Give money, even a little money, to museums so they won't be placed in the position of having to sell off important parts of their collection to keep their doors open.  Let me turn Blog over to Tricia so she can explain this better than I ever could--
http://thistle-threads.com.mytempweb.com/blog/index.php/2010/12/sampler-sale/

UPDATE:  Here is a series of articles about the Benton and Johnson factory and how their metal threads are made.  Fascinating!
http://www.theunbrokenthread.com/blog/2010/10/25/benton-and-johnson/

http://www.theunbrokenthread.com/blog/2010/11/04/benton-and-johnson-2-drawing-the-wire/

http://www.theunbrokenthread.com/blog/2010/11/12/benton-and-johnson-3-purls-and-bullions/

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

The Dragon - Part Six

Leigh Designs' European Dragon

Once Sandy narrowed down the background choices and picked the major threads for her dragon, it is time to talk about the final touch to the background.  As a reminder, the European dragon is on 13 count canvas that is roughly 20x24 inches in the outside dimensions with a dragon that is about 15 inches wide and roughly 18 inches tall. Sandy bought Rainbow Gallery's Silk Lame for the wings and Plant Earth Fiber's Silk Opal for the body of the dragon, and is thinking about using Flair for the smoke and flame. Sandy likes full coverage on her designs and is stitching this for her son.

If you want to look at the background stitches Sandy considered, here's the link.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2010/12/dragon-part-five-last-of-background.html

Before we talk about possible stitches for the dragon itself, Sandy liked the idea of stitched a "frame" around the border.  In this blog entry I showed Sandy three different types of stitched frames.  Now that we know she is leaning toward using Sundance's Eye Wave stitch, we can look at the borders again.  Personally, I think I would use SharonG's Favorite Border for this piece.  That's the one with the black and gold colors with the diamond shape in each corner.  If Sandy switches the colors to use some of the green and browns that she bought to stitch the dragon, I think it would look beautiful. It's also fairly simple so it won't compete with the dragon for attention, just frame the piece.  She could also add a bead to the center of each diamond to further set it off.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-12-06T06%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=6

If Sandy chooses this border, she'll have to play with the threads she has to find the correct number of plies needed for the effect but SharonG lists the threads she used here, so it'll be easy to compare using 2 plies of Silk Lame Braid with using #16 or #12 Kreinik braid.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2005/oct.php

Ok, Sandy, now it is your turn to pick a border and play around with using the threads you already have for it.

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

Most Wanted

This week I mentioned the Nordic Santa piece by As You Like It that set off a stampede of stitchers who wanted that design for their very own.
http://www.needlepoint.org/WhatIs/1998/Legler.php

There are other designs that were equally popular which also set off a shopping frenzy.  I thought it would be fun to list the ones I remember and ask readers to post the ones they remember being wildly popular.  I'm curious just what these pieces have in common, if anything.

The first "Best Seller" I remember learning about was Marnie Ritter's plate series.  These designs were featured in the new defunct Needlepoint News/Needlepoint Plus magazine.  You can find these on eBay still and Marnie continues to publish new charted designs in Needlepoint Now magazine.  I love these designs and have the original Aurora Borealis kit in my stash.  You can see it as well as one of the other plate designs here.
http://www.needleart.org/LAA/Ritter.php

Here's Marnie's website, by the way.  Although the older plate designs aren't listed, I think you can probably still charm her into kitting some of them up for you.
http://www.mritter.com/

The other counted canvaswork designs that set up a buying frenzy every time a pattern shows up on eBay are the mystery designs by Loretta Spears.  Here is a prize winner from the 2001 ANG Seminar Exhibit.  I'm sorry, but I don't remember which mystery this was.
http://www.needlepoint.org/WhatIs/2001/fascination.php

Libby Sturdy's Wine Country Santa was also a big hit.  Libby's pieces are line drawn canvases that come with instructions.  You have to supply the threads.  To see Wine Country Santa (Libby says it put both her kids through college), click on Products on the left, and then browse the list of titles. Click and there you go!
http://www.justlibbydesigns.com/

SharonG set off a storm when she introduced her Tuscan landscape series several years back.  You can see them all by working your way through four pages of her Landscape and Abstract designs on her website.
http://www.sharong.com/catalog/landscape/index.html

The same thing happened when Melissa Shirley introduced her Wild Women designs.  She continues to add to the series. There are even some Wild Men included now!
http://melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?cat=64

Recently, Leigh Designs' Floozies (aided by stitch guides and thread packets from ThreadworX) have been wildly popular.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Grp489x.html

Ok, now your turn.  What designs do you remember taking the Needlepoint World by storm?

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

Tidbits From All Over

Many needlepointers are members of the Embroiders Guild of America and get the quarterly magazine from EGA.  Looks like EGA is going to start posting photos and information that they didn't have room for in Needle Arts online.  Here's the first tidbit, which adds to the December 2010 issue article on Agecroft Hall.
http://www.egausa.org/scripts/blog/?p=100


Need gift ideas for the counted canvasworker on your gift list?  Scarlet Thread has plenty of ideas for your friends, relatives and even yourself.
http://stitchything.blogspot.com/


Speaking of counted thread, Laura Perin has new ornaments based on her fabulous quilt patterns.  The second link is to correct a typo in the thread list.
http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2010/12/fast-and-festive.html


http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2010/12/ooops.html

Want to see a sweet Santa?  Ridgewood Needlepoint has a customer with a darling finished example ready to be made into a standup.
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2010/12/mandas-santa.html

We've all been trying to help Sandy pick a background for her dragon.  Janet Perry writes about picking background stitches for the Christmas tree she is finishing.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/trimming-the-tree-background-choice

Finally, Patt and Lee Designs talks about getting new stitch painted designs ready for the January trade show. I am always fascinated about glimpses of the businesses who create the wonderful things we need to stitch and I hope you find this fascinating, too.
http://pattandleedesigns.blogspot.com/2010/12/status-updates.html

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