Temari Book Review

Here is Mary Corbet's book review covering a new temari techniques book, which she say is good for both beginners and more advanced students of this Japanese art.  Having tried to understand temari myself from a book, I know how difficult it is to teach oneself to make these lovely decorative balls.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2012/06/temari-techniques-book-review.html

If you aren't familiar with temari, here is a site full of information and eye candy.
http://www.temari.com/


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

Introducing Owlcutus of Borg

Owlcutus

Any Star Trek: The New Generation fan will remember Locutus of Borg.  The rest of Blog's readers will have to look at this link to appreciate the joke when a friend of mine christened my owl from the Belleza Day of the Dead canvas Owlcutus of Borg.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Locutus_of_Borg

What you see to the left of the bird is a flat steel washer.  I planned to use two size 8 washers as the owl's eyes.  What you see above is one washer in position, covered in satin stitches, and the second washer before it was put in place.  However, once I covered the first washer, I realized how out of proportion the eyes were to the rest of the owl's head and body.  Remember, this is a big canvas with a lot going on.  I decided washer eyes that were this big and prominent were a mistake, and removed the washer I'd covered.  Instead, I used stacked sequins for the eyes and a stopper bead for the pupil.

Owlcutus is no longer Borg.  He's just a little owl again.  The moral is proportion is everything on a needlepoint canvas--unless of course you are aiming to create cyborg owls!

The Scanner makes the eyes look different but they really are identical.

P.S. Can you see the slobber mark on the right any more?
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/06/watson-and-pencils-and-other-problems.html


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

Consider the Needlepoint Mirror

In her ongoing series of unusual ways to finish and display needlepoint, Carolyn Hedge Baird looks at needlepoint mirrors.
http://www.livingwithneedlepoint.com/2012/06/26/mirrormirror-needlepoint-mirror/

I did a wonderful little canvas that read

"Mirror Mirror on the Wall
 I'm My Mother After All"

for the ANG Auction one year.   It was beautifully framed in a gold frame with a similar pattern as the Scotch stitches I used, and was a colorful and happy piece.  I just wish I had a photo of the finished item to show you.  It opened my eyes to the magic a good framer and a mirror can add to your stitching.


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

Felting for the Needlepointer

One of the reasons we are going to miss the late Wendy Harwood of Aristeia is her creative use of things like wool roving on her canvases.  Check out this Melissa Shirley canvas in progress using Wendy's stitch guide.  The squirrel is wool roving that was "needle felted" into shape.  The wool berries are made from wool roving using the "wet felting" technique that is explained here briefly.
http://thenimbleneedle.blogspot.com/2012/06/diy-berries.html

Making round berry shapes by wet felting wool roving (or pet hair) looks incredibly easy.
http://www.lilblueboo.com/2012/02/how-to-make-felt-balls-wet-felting-101.html


Needle felting looks a bit harder but I won't know how hard until I experiment.  There's a video on this felting website that shows how it is done.
http://www.livingfelt.com/

Needles, mats and wool roving in colors that are amazingly ugly are available at the big box craft stores.  Etsy.com also has assorted color packs available from quite a few sellers if you want to support the little guy by purchasing several natural shades to play with for animals for your canvases.

I'm going to see if I can make a few felting balls from dog hair.  Watson, come here!  [time passes]

Wet Felting "Beads" From Dog Hair

What you see above are felting balls made from Watson (left) and Suki (right) and a tuft of Watson's fur.  His is longer and finer than Suki's and it made denser balls.  The trick is to use hot, soapy water and to keep working the mess into shape.  Watson's fur immediately made a flat disk, so I squeezed the disk into a ball shape with my fingers, then rolled it between my palms, pushing hard.  The two balls above took less than 10 minutes each.  I'll let them dry for a day or two and see how they look.  Each ball needs a little trimming to cut off bits sticking out.  Watson's fluff is longer and more like raw cotton, so it is definitely the better to make felted beads with.  You will have to experiment to see if your dog or cat or sheep or goat fuzz works well in wet felting.

I've not tried needle felting yet.

I've heard that you should use pet shampoo to deodorize the fur but I was experimenting.  By the way, the little balls are dry now and there is no dog smell to them.


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

A New Jean Hilton Chart

Jean Hilton's "Teals of Laughter" has now been released in chart form. This was a class Jean taught a few years before she died and to my knowledge, the chart hasn't been available since.  Stitches From the Heart has released it as a shop exclusive.  They've promised to take copies to the ANG Seminar in Philadelphia this fall but if you aren't going or can't wait, here is their website with a photo of Jean's finished design.
http://stitches-heart.com/jean-hiltons-teals-of-laughter/

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