French Knot Newsletter and Clubs Galore

The French Knot in Texas has their summer newsletter available on their website now. What fun!

http://thefrenchknot.com/newsletter.html

Of course the big news are the photos of their Petei Santa club canvases for the year but there are other clubs such as their ornament of the month canvas (all with Western themes) and the monthly little boot club and their Raymond Crawford Noel series. I chose two Petei Santas for your viewing pleasure but do follow the links and explore a bit to see more of their offerings.

If through some miracle you don't find something to tickle your fancy, not to worry. There are other new monthly NP clubs available all over. How about a series of Kathy Schenkel Santas?

http://www.whatsthepoint.biz/clubs.php

Or consider this amazing nine Santa banner from 2 the Point.

http://www.topoint.com/canvasclub_banner.htm

I've told you about the monthly California canvases from Old World Designs but the photos of the finished round ornaments are finally on their website.

http://www.oldworlddesigns.com/california.html

Finslly, how about Pawley Island Needlepoint's Witches Circle or their Christmas ornament extravaganza?

See? Something for everyone! Have fun exploring.

http://pineedlepoint.com/?task=ornaments&id=1

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Still More on Brown Shelves

Last night I rummaged around in my stash and came up with DMC cotton floss # 801 which is a dark cinnamon brown to use as the medium brown shade in the shelves. And it works! I have not done anything with the tweed mixing of my light and dark shades yet. I might do what Cleta suggested and stitch right on top of it with a ply or two of the 801, but I haven't decided yet. I'm concentrating on turning the framed item into a square bottle, which is what I hope to do tonight.

Then it'll be time to tackle the top of the wooden bar and the floor. But I'm getting tired of brown!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Brown Tweed?

Didn't get much done last night on the liquor bottle shelves as we were watching a good science fiction thriller (Push) which I needed to pay attention to. I am starting to think the contrast between the dark shadows and the lighter wood is too stark and I don't like the tweed look of blending my light and dark browns. It may be back to the drawing board on this but luckily it is just tent stitches. They are tedious to rip out but if one is careful they don't damage the canvas when removed....

I'll work on South Seas Fiji tonight while I mull this over.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Mermaids Instead of Vampires UPDATED

If you are rolling your eyes because your teenager is wild about books featuring vampires, or if you have noticed all the vampire movies and cable tv shows, then you might wonder why this phenomenon hasn't hit the world of needlepoint yet.

http://tvguide.sympatico.msn.ca/Bloody+addictive/Interviews/Features/Articles/090617_trendspotter_vampires_LY.htm?isfa=1

It has, except instead of vampires, we have canvases covered in mermaids. Leigh Designs has a new series of eight large (12x24 inches) canvases called Sirens. Her mermaids are elegant, graceful creatures with a slightly creepy edge. I can definitely see these babes luring sailors to their doom!

http://www.leighdesigns.com/Grp440x.html

Kelly Clark has a new pair of mermaids, a blonde and a redhead, who are more childish looking, but their names (Diva and Vanity) hint at a darker side.

http://www.kellyclarkneedlepoint.com/new

The redhaired Vanity is my personal favorite but you'll love seeing what this shop has done with Diva.

http://www.needlepoint.com/blog/?p=191

I could go on and on but I'm running out of time this morning. My point is that the mermaids above aren't just decorative designs--they illustrate dangerous allure or human failings like self-centeredness, etc. I think the popular vampire stories are really talking about what we are or wish we were. That's why these fanciful creatures are so popular.

Anyone else have a favorite mermaid canvas?

More mermaids--TS Designs doll

http://www.stitchers-paradise.com/Painted_Canvases/PC_Ladies.html

Dream House Ventures mermaid bookmark--

http://www.pineedlepoint.com/?task=productdetails&id=1298

The Point of It All mermaid belt--

http://www.thepointofitallonline.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=157

Cooper Oaks and Patti Mann mermaids--

http://www.threadneedlestreet.com/Ndptwhimsical.html

Karen Grant mermaid stocking cuff--

http://www.theneedleworks.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3210

UPDATE: Judy reminded me of the fabulous mermaid rollup she stitched. It's a Squiggee design and it is FABULOUS! Here are some of Judy's ideas for stitching her.

http://fairy-crafts.blogspot.com/2008/11/joy-of-painted-canvas.html

Barbara Bergsten has a wonderful mermaid sized to work as a purse insert or just a cute little framed piece to remind us of the beach.
http://www.barbarabergstendesigns.com/NPC14%20Mermaid%20Needlepoint.jpg

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Meaning Behind Cape Cod Dogs

Cape Cod Dogs they don't chase cars they like to pick up girls in bars!

I have been meaning to write a bit about the meaning behind this canvas for me. I've gotten several comments about this design really meaning men were dogs, but for me, this isn't the case. I chose the design originally because I knew it would make my husband laugh. He lived along the Massachusetts coast for around ten years and loved the place and the people, so this very typical local dive celebrates that time in his life.

The artist Elizabeth Mumford has many paintings similar to this one--featuring mermaids paired with other creatures and funny sayings in the border. If you browse a bit on her website you'll see many designs that are like Cape Cod Dogs. These are signature elements of her painting style.
http://www.elizabethmumford.com/

There are mermaids as nurses, mermaids decorating the Christmas tree on a cold winter night, or in the kitchen with a Golden Retriever cooking. You should know that there is a famous tavern on Nantucket called The Black Dog which is named after the founder's black lab mixed breed dog. Dogs are often symbols of the ocean-faring folks in Massachusetts.

Knowing that and that Ms. Mumford replaces women in her art with mermaids, the mermaids and dogs in Cape Cod Dogs are stand-ins for the regular people who live on the Cape. So this piece is a tribute to those folks who were my husband's friends, but symbolized by magical creatures. That's one reason I stitched all the liquor bottles in sparkling metallics. These are magic potions instead of beer and cheap hard liquor or wine, capable of turning the most normal bleached blonde into a mermaid or her suitor into a fabulous cuddly talking dog. Or in making the bar a home-away-from-home for people who are out for a drink and good conversation with their neighbors and friends.

Cape Cod Dogs is the friendly and comforting Cheers bar of the tv show brought to life by needle and thread and populated by fabulous creatures.

At least that is how the design is playing out in my head. That's the fantastic thing about painted canvases, you see. One takes the original artist's design and turns it into something personal and unique....

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow