Making Flowers Using a Sewing Machine Bobbin: The Movie

The ever inventive Ruth Schmuff shows us how to use a sewing machine bobbin to make a perfectly round fluffy flower on her YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYE_1tGR1pA

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright December 27, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Ai Fraud Comes for Handwork

I stumbled across this article about Ai-generated craft books today.

https://www.404media.co/bobbin-tatting-lace-ai-generated-books/

The focus of the article is on bobbin lace but I've heard there are stumpwork books that are Ai rip-offs now.  It's only a matter of time before this hits needlepoint.

Why is this a problem?  It's two-fold.  Most of these books are geared toward beginners who are given bad information.  And the people selling these books are unscrupulous; they are pretending to have knowledge they do not have.  They are using Ai to throw together books that often violate copyright to make cash without any thought for the person buying a book that's a fraud.

These Ai-generated books do a disservice to us all.  Keep an eye out for them and warn your stitching buddies when you stumble across one. Use social media and needlepoint websites and your favorite shop to find good books through personal recommendations from actual needlepointers.

Together we can keep this sort of thing at a minimum.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow 

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright December 27, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Key Needlepoint Tips and Techniques

Melita Glavin gave a lecture on important tips and techniques for needlepoint to a local needlework guild and summarized it for us all on her blog.  She plans to update this as things occur to her, too, making this a nice learning tool.

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2024/09/19/key-needlepoint-tips-and-technique-issues/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright September 20, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Playing Cards and Business Cards

Melita has created several self-finishing items for cards in 2024.  First, she stitched this Stitch and Zip case from Alice Peterson to hold a friend's business cards.

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2024/12/20/stitch-zip-sewing-card-case/

Then she stitched this charming Lee/Colonial Needle case to hold playing cards for her husband's magic tricks using a chart that looks like playing card suits. 

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2024/12/21/ang-2024-seminar-in-kansas-city-mo-and-grab-n-go-lee-credit-card-case/

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2024/12/27/lee-credit-card-case-a-magical-finish/

Very clever use of self-finishing items!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright December 22, 2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Poppy Monk Talks Balloon Stitch

Poppy Monk Needlepoint's latest blog post is all about the balloon stitch, a very useful background stitch.

https://poppymonkneedlepointkits.com/blogs/the-5-minute-needlepoint-blog/spotlight-on-the-needlepoint-balloon-stitch

It's one of my favorites but I use a smaller scale version from Brenda Hart.  You can omit the horizontal stitches under each balloon stitch element but it's very pretty if you do the main stitch in silk and the horizontals in a coordinating metallic.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright July 13,  2024 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.