WELCOME to the CHILLY HOLLOW NEEDLEPOINT ADVENTURE

Monday, June 30, 2025

KC Needlepoint Turns Ten

Labels: anniversary, designers, KC Needlepoint, news, shops

KC Needlepoint just turned ten! You can read a bit about the shop's history here.

https://www.kcneedlepoint.com/blogs/news/were-celebrating-ten-years-of-kc-needlepoint

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Sunday, June 29, 2025

What Is A Frame Weight? The Movie UPDATED

Labels: demonstrations, frame weights, instagram, The Wool and the Floss, videos, Waste Knot

Memories in Stitches on Instagram has a short video about frame weights, showing what they look like and how they are used.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGyTAQrvJa_/

In case the video disappears, a frame weight is a bean bag filled with heavy items (pennies, shot, etc.) that you put on one corner of needlepoint on stretcher bars to weigh it down.

https://brendasneedlepointstudio.blogspot.com/2013/06/frame-weight-bargello.html

Why would you do this? Maybe you are traveling and don't want to pack your needlepoint stand. Maybe you don't work large projects often and you don't want to invest in an expensive needlepoint stand? With a frame weight, you can put your stretcher bar project on a table with half sticking out over the edge. The frame weight holds it secure as you stitch with both hands on the part of the project sticking out away from the table.

Traditionally frame weights were frog shaped like this counted project from Amy Wolfson.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1842165903/vintage-1997-needlepoint-5th-project?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=frame+weight+needlepoint&ref=sr_gallery-1-6&pro=1&sts=1&content_source=9d515b4e1846eaa8fe5b03faffc04e1248614625%253A1842165903&organic_search_click=1&logging_key=9d515b4e1846eaa8fe5b03faffc04e1248614625%3A1842165903

Edie and Ginger created a lot of painted canvases of frogs meant to be made up as frame weights.

https://cbkneedlepoint.com/frogs/

When Beanie Babies were a thing, some folks opened up the seam and filled their Beanie Baby with heavy shot and sewed it back up to make a customized frame weight much quicker than needlepointing one. Of course if you have stitched something and don't know what to turn it in to, maybe a frame weight would be a good use of your beautiful stitching.

http://stitchinglotus.ca/2012/12/weighty-issue/

UPDATE: This short video from The Wool and The Floss shows a frame weight in action. There's a video from Waste Knot, too. Now, don't you need one of these?!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DM3N9qegyb-/

https://woolfloss.com/products/frame-weights?_pos=1&_sid=c184eb440&_ss=r

https://www.instagram.com/p/DOe1bKcjpMZ/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Saturday, June 28, 2025

The Quick Threading Needle

Labels: needle threaders, Quick Threading Needle, tools, videos

McClain Sewing has a tool to help you get your needle through thicker materials in just the right spot. I'm not 100% sure how it works but it looks worth exploring if you have trouble getting your needle in just the right place.

https://www.mcclainsewing.com/products/quick-threading-needle?st=

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com