The Wig Maker

O'jishi from Leigh Designs' 

Needle Works has a lovely pair of stitches diagrammed on their blog as part of their Share a Stitch Sunday program.  First they've diagrammed Cashmere Blocks, which is the same stitch I used on O'jishi's background (photo above).  It's a lovely lovely stitch that I associate with Wendy Harwood's designs as she used it for backgrounds quite often.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2013/09/share-a-stitch-sunday-september-22.html

Secondly, Colleen has beautifully diagrammed what she calls the Wigmaker's Stitch, which is exactly how I was taught to make fringe.  This stitch makes wonderful hair and beards, as you can see in this recently finished auction for Tony Minieri's "Ancient One."
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-Anthony-Tony-Minieri-Ancient-One-Canvas-Threads-Stitch-Guide-1999-/271295300285?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f2a75c2bd

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.

The Tool Caddy

Mary Corbet reviews the JR Crafter's tool caddy in this new article. If it catches your fancy, Mary is running a contest to give one away. The details are at the end of the article.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2013/11/needlework-tool-caddy.html

If you'd like to see the rest of JR Crafter's items, here is their website.  It has a section that links to their Etsy store where you can buy as well.
http://jrcrafter.com

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.

Finishing Friday

My friend Betty and I are talking about finishing one of her lovely Edie and Ginger pieces as a serving tray so I was very glad to see this nice oak tray from Patches n Planks.   It comes in a dark oak finish or in cherry as well as in a rectangular shape.  Click on Cross Stitch Products to see more.
http://yarntree.typepad.com/needlework_news/2013/10/square-tray-for-your-cross-stitch-needlepoint-or-embroidery.html 

More Halloween finishing, but this time it is the preppy pink and green pumpkin series from Barbara Bergsten.  No more orange Halloween for the non-traditional decorators!
http://createneedlepoint.typepad.com/create_needlepoint/2013/10/halloween-needlepoint.html

There is still more non-traditional color over at Ada Hayden's blog where she is showing off customer finishing of her various Eye Candy pumpkin and candy corn designs.
http://eyecandyneedleart.blogspot.com/2013/11/fresh-crop-picked-from-pumpkin-patch.html

It's a week after the last World Series but Sheena's got her baseball finishing back.  Isn't this wonderful?
http://www.sheenasstitches.com/halloween-adventures-a-baseball/

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.

Silk Comparisons for the Reproduction Embroidererr

Right now reproduction embroiderers in the United States are most interested in 17th Century (think Queen Elizabeth I) embroidery, mostly due to the influence of Tricia Nguyen whose class on stumpwork caskets and now stumpwork mirrors and her work reproducing older styles of threads have been very influential.  However, in my experience European stitchers are more interested in the Medieval period.  I thought everyone would enjoy reading Isis's article on which type of silk is most like what Medieval embroiderers used.  I think at that period the silks they stitched with would have originated in China.  Can you imagine the journey those silks would have made to end up in a great European house?
http://m-silkwork.blogspot.com/2013/10/silk-yarns-comparison.html

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.

Hey, There's RANDI!!

Oh, look! There's a profile of Randi of The World in Stitches in the Littleton online newspaper.  What fun!  Sadly, the interviewer doesn't understand how technology enhances our stitching but still, it is a nice profile of Randi and the challenges that all shop owners face in the 21st Century.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/littleton/newsnow/x1745249772/The-World-in-Stitches-in-Littleton-competing-with-technology

Many thanks to the Needle Retailer for pointing this out on Facebook.

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.