Do You Love a Good Mystery?

The reason I asked is that ANG's website has posted the line drawing for the 2009 Stitch of the Month project. It's a stylized patchwork kimono and obi sash with mandarin collar! You are supposed to print out the line drawing to transfer to your canvas, and then pick an overdye with three colors for the project without knowing really what it will look like in the end as none of the stitches that go in each area have been revealed yet. That is the mystery.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2009/jan.php

Note that you need to click on the line drawing and numbered diagram to get larger images to print out, then enlarge the line drawing 200% on a copy machine to get a line drawing that is 8 ¾ inches wide by 10 ½ tall at the tallest/widest points. You may have to enlarge the drawing a bit more than 200% to get the right sized line drawing to put on a 14x14 inch piece of 18 count canvas. Printers can print slightly larger/smaller depending on the printer's settings.

If the idea of transferring a line drawing onto NP canvas has you breaking out into a cold sweat, visit my Yahoo 360 blog and see how I do it. Easy as loosing your favorite scissors!
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-7rjKEjEyc6.dskPWsp8S8mzUleA-?cq=1&tag=tracing-outline

Why do you want to do this? Well, the designer is the fabulously talented teacher Tony Minieri. Joey explains--with illustrations--why you want to study under the man known as The Headmaster.
http://journeywithjoeyb.blogspot.com/2008/04/tony-minieri.html

Janet Perry has blogged a bit about Tony himself and also done two blog entries that discuss choosing colors from your stash and choosing colors based on an overdyed thread to help you get started.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/?p=1558

http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/?p=1560

http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/?p=1563

I've heard that ANG's Cyberpointers online chapter is considering stitching this together. You will have to join the chapter to participate, assuming they actually vote to do this project together, but anyone who already belongs can vote for doing the project and participate in the discussion.

I'll probably be stitching this myself on Blog, using congress cloth. So if you want to tackle this mystery project, you are going to have plenty of help in cyberspace.

Time to pick an overdye with three separate colors, find a piece of 14 inch square eighteen-count NP canvas that coordinates with your colors, start looking for a variety of threads in those colors, and print out that line drawing!

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

In Stump's Honor

You may not be into dogs or know that the Westminster dog show was this week and the winner was a ten year old Sussex spaniel. You may enjoy the story, however.

1=39002">http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/9205684/'Stump'-wins-Westminster-show-as-oldest-dog?MSNHPHCP>1=39002


To keep this on-topic, the photo above is a stitched Sussex spaniel from Pegasus, which specializes in dog charts.

http://www.pegasusor.com/detail.cfm?ID=656

I also particularly like this stitched pillow of a spaniel. It's probably a cocker spaniel but it does look a bit like Stump's pretty reddish brown coat.

http://www.richardrothstein.com/spaniel-pumpkins-needlepoint-pillow-pilct2205.html

Many, many folks do painted canvas dog portraits. Here's a small sample of painted canvases and kits. Google any designer name with "dogs" and "needlepoint" and see if you can find your favorites.

http://www.needlepointheaven.com/dog-needlepoint.html


Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Anchor Update

I posted a message to the ANG list about Anchor discontinuing some colors in their line of pearl cottons and received some information from various folks there I should mention. Elizabeth from Dames of the Needle mentioned that "Presencia will be coming out with pearl cottons in their line that will match the colors being discontinued. While there may be dye lot differences these colors will be around, but produced by another company. They were announcing the addition to the pearl cotton line at the San Diego TNNA show."

Here is the Presencia website. This is a Spanish thread under the brand name Finca, but it's available in the U.S. and you can order directly from their website.
http://www.presenciausa.com/

Eileen from Ridgewood Needlepoint mentioned Anchor is basically dropping their #3 pearl weight threads, which is the fattest perle cotton. Some colors from the other sizes of their perle cottons are being discontinued but the real impact is on those who need the #3 Anchor perle cottons. So check your stash and any projects you plan on stitching in the future to see if this impacts you.

Many thanks to Eileen, Elizabeth and of course Denise for bringing this up in the first place. Our shop owners and designers are THE BEST!

Denise owns Threadneedle Street.
http://www.threadneedlestreet.com/

Eileen owns Ridgewood Needlepoint.
http://www.ridgewoodneedlepoint.com/

Elizabeth owns Dames of the Needle. Visit them all and have fun browsing!
http://www.damesoftheneedle.com/

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Needlepoint News

I've got many tidbits of news for today. First (and most importantly), Denise at Threadneedle Street has posted a list of all the Anchor perle cotton threads with the colors which are being discontinued on her website. If you need any of the Anchor perle cottons, check Denise's list and buy the ones that will disappear ASAP. Denise says she has many customers who are just realizing that Medici has been discontinued and can't find the colors they need. Don't let this happen to you with Anchor perle cottons! Again, none of the Anchor floss colors are being discontinued. This just applies to some of the perle cotton colors which they will no longer make. Here is the website page, which links to a PDF file. Thanks for looking out for us stitchers, Denise!
http://www.threadneedlestreet.com/AnchorPearl.html

Chaparral's e-newsletter announced that they have three new clubs joining the current Merry Christmas series which spells out the words in sparkly letters. They are going to do the Kelly Clark Nativity series of thirteen canvases (there are three other pieces in the series which are optional), a set of Staffordshire houses (based on the Staffordshire china houses I suppose) finished with velvet roofs, and a mini-series of Melissa Shirley's Valentine postcard kids similar to the old fashioned Halloween and Christmas series from the last two years. None of this is shown on their website yet but if you live in Texas close to the shop, you can see some models on display. Watch this area of their website for more information late this month--
http://www.ndlpt.com/html/series.html

Nordic Needle has posted wonderful information about SuZy Murphy's newest book, SuZy's Mini Stitches. I've been wondering just what was in this book so I was delighted to see a photo of the cover and read a description of the contents.
http://www.nordicneedle.com/PROD/1385.html

Finally, the American Needlepoint Guild has started their 2009 Stitch of the Month program. This year the design is from Tony Minieri. You can see Glittering Kimono on the ANG website. The design is posted now along with the list of threads you will need. You are to trace the line drawing on your canvas and then starting at the end of this month, the stitches that go in each section will be revealed. It's a fun departure of the more usual way this has worked, with the design not appearing until December after you've had a chance to master the eleven monthly stitches shown before the unveiling of the design.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2009/jan.php

On a more personal note, I'm still stitching away on my Baroque Fish from the Household Pet Guardian Angel series but I'm pretty busy in my real life so I'm not getting much done. Of course, you aren't too interested in seeing my background basketweave progress anyway! I will post a photo when everything is finished up.

So stay tuned. Lots of fun stuff going on in cyberspace, even if the most excitement in my house these days is getting the taxes done.

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Introducing Sharon Quick

Today's posting has as guest blogger Sharon Quick, or Sharon QuickStitcher as you may know her from the ANG email list. I recently saw photos of some of Sharon's stitching on our guild website and asked her if she had time to tell us a bit about her work. Sharon graciously replied in the Q&A session below we did via email. My questions are in black and Sharon's answers italicized in blue.

Sharon, I know you only started needlepointing in 1998 and that you picked Susan Portra's classic Spirit of the Southwest as your first piece. This isn't exactly a beginner's design. Had you done other forms or needle work that helped you conquer this lovely design with no experience? Or was ignorance your friend as you didn't know it was supposed to be an advanced design?

My mother taught me embroidery when I was about 10 years old (many moons ago). I put it aside for several years. One day in about 1992 I stitched a cross stitch piece on Aida cloth, but I was disappointed in the results, so I set it aside. In 1996 I went to Iowa to visit my parents, and I saw a cross stitch on the wall that Mom had stitched - an Indian with a dream catcher in the background. I looked at it and said, "Mom, that is beautiful. Since I know you won't give it to me, I guess I'll have to stitch it myself." The next day off we went to Amana, Iowa, to the needlework shop, of course. As we went up the steps into the shop, there was Susan Portra's Spirit of the Southwest hanging above the cash register. I said, "That's what I'm going to stitch!" Mom said, "You're not going to spend $25 for a pattern!" And I replied, "Yes, I am." I purchased the pattern, along with the pattern for the Indian I had admired so much, and away we went.

When I returned to California, I began looking for the threads I would need, and wished I had purchased the kit that had been offered to me for a mere $50. I wouldn't have dared spend that much money in front of my mother. It was a blessing and a curse that I had to find out where the needlework shops were in the Los Angeles area. Silly me, I went directly to the Rainbow Gallery warehouse. A kind person there gave me one card of thread and directed me to a couple of shops in the area. I'm sure I spent more than $50. Since that fateful day, I have found nearly every needlework shop in the Los Angeles area, as well as many others.

Immediately I began stitching, following Susan's instructions to the letter. I could hardly put it down. Each new stitch and/or thread was like turning the pages of a great book. I didn't want to do anything else. I had no idea that this was supposed to be an advanced piece. I just read the directions and followed them (ignorance can be bliss!) Before I had even completed the piece (it took me three months), I was looking for my next pattern. And, yes, I did stitch that Indian with the dream catcher. I stitched lots of counted pieces before discovering hand painted canvases. I believe that counted experience gave me the knowledge of how to stitch with different threads and what the stitches would look like in different fibers.

Your Corn Kachina design won third place at the Indian Wells ANG Seminar of 2008 in the painted canvases with stitch guide class (the kachina stitch guide was by David McCaskill). I was even more taken with your Walking to the Moon piece from Sundance Designs, which shows a woman wrapped in a clock walking toward the full moon. It won Honorable Mention in the Painted Canvas without a Stitch Guide area. I stitched a similar design and found it fascinating but I had instructions because it was a free class through the Caron website. How did you choose the fabulous stitches for each section of this piece?

I studied the canvas Walking to the Moon thoroughly before beginning to stitch. I wanted to have movement in the sky and her cloak. I saw the background sky as clouds; the prominent moon is even overshadowed by clouds. The focal point was the woman wrapped in a cloak, with lots of movement of the cloak and skirt. I chose stitches that would move the eye left and right. I thumbed through stitch books for hours before settling on the stitches. The moon is stitched with a combination of Soie d'alger and Accentuate. The change in colors comes from the paint showing through the lighter stitches. I decided that for the skirt I wanted cotton, as this was not a person of great means. I selected floss, and picked stitches that would emphasize the folds of the skirt. For the cloak I chose Impressions for its blanket-like finish. The cloak has several "stripes" of color, I chose one stitch for the stripe and changed only the colors, mixing colors within a section of the stripe if I could not find the right color in that thread. I have had requests for my stitch guide, and it is available for purchase.

Have you taken lots of classes? Or do you just stitch constantly to reach this level of achievement?

Yes, I have taken a LOT of classes. I am President of the San Bernardino Chapter of ANG, and our chapter has been blessed with Pat Correz, who knows all the teachers and schedules classes almost monthly with a nationally known teacher. I try to take classes in a variety of techniques from different teachers so I can learn different ways of doing things. I've been to three ANG Seminars, and also take classes from David McCaskill every other month, Susan Portra four times a year, and Brenda Hart once a year. In addition, I am the CyberWorkshop Committee Chairman for ANG, so I have a part in selecting the CyberWorkshops, and learn from the classes by reading the lessons as they are given. I also stitch some of their projects as part of the class. I stitch every day, at least 4 hours/day.

Are you from a family talented with needle arts?

My mother did all kinds of needlework, cross stitch, crochet, knitting, sewing, crafts, etc. I've tried most of them, but needlepoint is my favorite. My sister is a full time quilter. Actually, the three of us even have collaborated on a project. In 1998 my mother came to California to visit, and I taught her some basic Brazilian embroidery stitches. She loved this so much that she started taking lessons when she returned to Iowa. Over the next five years she stitched each lesson on a muslin quilt block. When I visited her in 2003, she showed me a box stuffed with 72 blocks - each more beautiful than the last. She wanted to make a quilt, but did not feel she was up to doing it herself (she now 84). I had just finished taking some beginning quilt classes, so I volunteered to sew the pieces into six window pane style quilts - one for Mom and one for each of us five children. I then sent the quilt tops off to my sister in Iowa. She is completing the quilting. I have received mine back from Mom all quilted, and I just love it.

Why did you start finishing needlepoint? Obviously your sewing machine is your friend. I've seen two of your finished pillows. They are beautifully done with subtle finishing details, not flashy trims. Do you have a finishing philosophy? {Readers, note that Sharon sent me several examples of finishing for you to enjoy. In most cases the stitching was done by other people.]

My dear mother also taught me to sew on a treadle sewing machine. At first I just drew lines on a piece of paper and followed the lines with no thread in the needle. When I mastered that, we moved on to sewing clothes for school. By the time I entered 7^th grade I had already made a lined wool suit and all my clothes for school that year. That's how I spent the lazy days of that summer. I've sewn many things since then, including new covers for the pull out bed/couch that was in the studio apartment where my husband and I lived when he was in the Navy.

I began finishing needlepoint because I was stitching so many pieces that I could not afford to have them finished professionally, and I knew I could do it myself. I started out slowly, and after I had done a few of my own, I offered to do some for a friend. I now am finishing for my local LNS. I am not trying to compete with the big finishers, as I keep my finishing simple, yet elegant, and try to work to achieve the look that the individual wants in their piece. I do not have the room, nor access to all the fabrics and finishing accessories that big shops devoted to finishing are able to obtain. I spend mornings on the computer creating stitch guides for myself and designers. I do finishing in the afternoons, and stitch in the evenings.

Which guides do you have for sale and where does one buy them?

I have stitch guides for several pieces that I stitched for myself. I am particularly proud of Walking to the Moon (or also called Going to the Magic Place). Other guides are the 12 Vases by JP (C-566); Sprinkler Flowers by Shelly Tribbey (FL20); Kaylene by Ewe and Eye (EW-1007); Louise by Ewe and Eye (EWE-98); Stitching Club by Melissa Shirley; Dreidel Girl by Ruth Schmuff(1284); Night Ride by Shelly Tribbey; Desire by Lani; and Chef on a Bike by Alice Peterson. These stitch guides can be obtained directly from me.

You will soon be seeing my name on stitch guides from Needle Deeva, Trubey, and Dede Ogden.

What is your favorite designer? And what is your favorite book about needlepoint? What's your very favorite finished piece of needlepoint?

My favorite designer - boy that's a tough one! David McCaskill always marvels that my canvases come from such a wide range of designers and styles. I own canvases for many levels of difficulty. The ones that I take to teachers are always demanding - something unusual that has some motif in it that I really don't know how to approach. That's how I learn - by asking questions. Sometimes I pick out a very simple canvas just to enjoy without having to think too much while I work on it.

I have several shelves of needlework books. The ones that I keep handy when writing my stitch guides are Stitches To Go, Suzy's Portable Stitches, and the Amazing Stitches series, as well as all Brenda Hart's books. When I want to dig deeper I go to the book shelf and pull one of those dealing with a specific technique. If I'm ever too tired to stitch, I pull a book I haven't looked at for a while and read through it again. I find all kinds of new things in there, or things that I've forgotten.

My favorite piece of needlepoint is Susan Portra's Spirit of the Southwest. I loved stitching it, and it is a wonderful reminder of where my journey into needlepoint began.

What are you stitching right now?

Today, I am stitching on a Mindy design. Actually, several of us at our LNS, Queen Anne Stitches in Santa Clarita, CA, are stitching it. We picked this piece as a "Hoo Haa" group project. We select a canvas, and we collaborate on what we might do with it. Then we each choose threads and stitches. We just started this piece 2 weeks ago, and we are going off in all different directions. It is great fun to see how this will turn out. This is our third group project.

I'm also stitching on a Christmas Tree by Trubey that would make a great class for beginners. I plan to present it as a class at my second LNS, Enchanted Unicorn, in Redlands, CA.

I have several pieces that I work on a little at a time to include: Gay Ann Rogers' Hollyhock House, Scotch 'Ya, the Menagerie online class, the Mystery Stitchalong with CyberPointers chapter, Rebecca's Nativity which is another Hoo Haa class, and several others.

I have a huge number of UFO's. I'll get back to them some day. I just can't resist that next wonderful project/design coming out.

Blog readers will remember the Stitching Whimsies ladies and their Hoo Haa projects that customers of Queen Anne Stitches do as a group, ordering multiple copies of a painted canvas and each stitching it in their own way. You guys have done the Stitching Ladies and the Funky Forest if I remember correctly. It must be a great deal of fun to stitch together.

Thanks so much for agreeing to an interview and sharing lovely photos of all your beautiful work.

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow