Evertites: A Review UPDATED

As I wait for the silk ribbon I need to finish up my mother's Cameo Ornament present, I have started my next project.  Since I splurged on Evertite stretcher bars last summer at the Xmas in July sale at my LNS, I thought I would take photos as I put them together to use on the New Project so you could see what the big deal is about these expensive stretcher bars that are all the rage these days.

The first photo shows my two sets of 14 inch Evertites.  Like all stretcher bars, you buy two sets for a project.  One pair is the length of the top and bottom of your canvas; one pair is the length of the side dimensions of your project.  Like regular stretcher bars, the two sets slot together at the ends.  But this is where the similarities end.  In the photo one pair has been opened and laid down on top of the instructions that come with every pair.

See the large nut visible through the slot at the corner?  See the tiny black hole in the stretcher bar itself above the slot?  These gadgets are where Evertites differ from regular stretcher bars--they enable you to tighten the canvas after it has been on stretcher bars a while and is getting slack.  You use the tool with the yellow handle visible on top of the instructions in the background.  (Note that this is just a 3/32" hex key wrench.  If you have a well-stocked tool box you don't need to buy the Evertite version.  But I like the handle and not having to borrow my husband's tools, so I indulged in my own hex key.)  In this photo the teeth of the stretcher bars are not pushed into position fully--I wanted you to be able to see the hardware that faces inside the bars.

The third photo shows my Evertites slotting together at the ends.  Unlike regular stretcher bars, the little teeth don't interlock close together.  You just push them as close as you can, making sure the tiny hole faces out and the screw is inside. Hopefully you can enlarge the photo and see the correct position of the hole and the screw in each side.  The instructions will help you however.

This photo also shows one of the nice additional features of the Evertites.  Each side is marked with a line in the exact center to help you line up a design for counted thread.  The ends of each side also have the size stamped on them.  You can see "14" clearly in the second photo from the top.  You'll never wonder what size you have again.

Once the bars are together correctly (Always check your instructions to make sure!) you attach your canvas.  However, you DO NOT attach the canvas at the corner.  The last photo shows my canvas properly attached.  The corners are loose because they must be to tighten the canvas.  I'm sorry the close up photo is blurry but if you squint you'll see that the teeth of the Evertites don't slot totally closed like regular stretcher bars do.  You can also see the tiny black hole where the hex key wrench is inserted to tighten/loosen the canvas.  If the canvas corner was tacked down,  you might tear it if you tightened it a lot.

So, are Evertites worth the money?  Yes and no.  For a big project that will be on stretcher bars a while,  buying Evertites will mean you can easily tighten a canvas before working it and loosen it before putting it away over the Christmas holidays.  If you like a drum tight canvas for stitching, Evertites will do this without the trouble of using a laced slate frame.

However, they cost a great deal more than regular stretcher bars.   So for me Evertites are an indulgence.  I pick them up on sale at my LNS when I have a very special project.  However, stitchers whose opinion I trust say that their stitching using Evertites is better than their stitching when they don't use them.  So these are a Buy if you have the money or really need to be able to easily tighten or loosen your canvas on stretcher bars.  They are heavier than normal stretcher bars.  My floor stand holds them easier but if you hold your stretcher bars in your hand, the weight might make them uncomfortable after a while.

Bottom line: I love these but the weight doesn't bother me.  I can't afford them for every project but for large projects with specialty stitches, they are a Godsend.

Want more photos of Evertites?  Stitcher's Paradise has great images on their site and also carries many sizes.  Evan Burroughs will custom craft a size for you, if the standard ones are not what you need.  Ask your shop to get in touch with him as he only works wholesale. He'll be able to give your shop a cost and time frame for anything out of the ordinary.  If you are interested, email me at chilly hollowat hotmaildot com and I'll send you Evan's contact information.  Remember, you have to work through a shop to buy.  If you don't have a local shop, Needle Nook of La Jolla will act for you and probably Stitcher's Paradise will as well.
http://www.stitchers-paradise.com/Tools/EvertitesS.html

UPDATE:  Janet Perry has mentioned a few other things to consider before you splurge on Evertites on her blog.  Here's the link.  Thanks, Janet!  And don't forget to read the commentts below this blog entry.  Several folks made interesting comments on how/where to work with Evertites.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/evertite-bars

UPDATE #2:  I forgot to mention how to take Evertites apart once your project is over.  You simply loosen each end by inserting the hex key in the black dots and unscrewing.  Then they will come apart like regular stretcher bars.  Note that Amanda says if you try to take the Evertites apart after extending them very far, you may ruin them. The screw can catch on the wood of its right angle pair and be pulled right out.  So do remember to return each screw to the retracted position before you disassemble the Evertites after stitching!


UPDATE #3:  Here is the Evertite website.
evertitestitchery.com

UPDATE #4:  Evertites come in several thicknesses now.  Here's which sizes work together and which don't.
https://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2017/10/mixing-evertite-sizes.html

UPDATE #5:  If you ever split the little interlocking fingers, Evan suggests gluing them back together with Titebond (and formulation), clamp them together, and leave them several days to dry. 

UPDATE #6:  As Melita notes, any 3/32 inch hex key will work to replace the tool that comes with Evertites.

https://melitastitches4fun.com/2023/09/14/hex-key-a-needlepoint-tool-for-evertite-stretcher-bars/

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

More Needlepoint News

Holiday Handbags Club at Chandail Needlework features Raymond Crawford canvases and Emily Pannier's special touch with embellished painted canvases. Six of the canvases are stitched. Click on "Larger Size" to see all the amazing details.
http://www.chandailneedlework.com/series/Holiday%20Handbags.php

Ruth Schmuff has announced her next stitch-a-mystery-canvas piece, a Valentine heart from Melissa Shirley. This won't start until the current mystery piece, a Raymond Crawford Christmas piece, is finished. The way Ruth runs her mystery canvas class is that her students (including mail order ones) know the canvas they will stitch but have no idea what the end product looks like. Each month Ruth does another section for them.
http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/classesEvents.php#mysteryclasses

If you are curious about how Ruth's classes work, check out progress photos of her second lesson of the current class, the Merry Christmas canvas.
http://www.tistheseason.org/blog/2009/11/merry-christmas-lesson-2.html

By the way, Ruth announced a Leigh Designs truck show (with 20% off the retail price) in her shop in November.
http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/products.php?catid=180

Are you intrigued by silk gauze?  Do you need a Christmas stocking that is almost an inch and a half high?  Janet Granger has new miniature stitching kits available that are darling.
http://needlework.craftgossip.com/new-patterns-tiny-needlepoint-stockings/2009/10/22/


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

Back to the Cameo Ornament

The cameo ornament I'm stitching is working up very quickly.  This photo shows the front (left) and back.  I have changed the thread used on the front slightly.  The outside borders should be perle cotton on the outside, metallic, and the perle cotton again but I wanted a bit more Bling so I used Kreinik where the instructions said perle cotton.

In this photo you see that I've cut out the front flap after attaching the cameo bead.  (It has shifted to the side a bit in the scanning but is straight in person.)  You can see in this photo that the front (on the right this time) has the foundations for the ribbon roses in all around the perimeter.  The back (on the left) also has the foundations in.  I discovered after taking this photo I needed to trim the small flap a bit closer to the stitching and did that this morning once it was bright enough to clearly see where the threads were to avoid cutting them.

I have one ribbon rose done but have put this aside for a bit until the ecru silk ribbon I need arrives.  The original model used an ecru overdyed ribbon with hints of pink.  I'm going to mix ecru ribbon with the pink shades I have here.  I should get more done on this tomorrow night.  I have cut out the boards for stiffening inside and could make my twisted cord and tassels for finishing but I ran out of time and energy to get that done today.

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

Canvas of the Month by Jane (Snow Cat)

My Canvas of the Day postings with stitch ideas have been very popular but they take more time than I have to write except occasionally. Blog readers love them, however, so I have recruited a guest writer to help me come up with ideas for a painted canvas occasionally.

Please welcome Bonnie, who is going to do a Canvas of the Month entry periodically with me. The way this will work is that Bonnie and I will take turns choosing a painted canvas, then both of us will write up ideas for stitching it. Each set of ideas will be a separate blog entry so you can see different approaches to the same piece. We hope to do this once a month but with the holidays approaching like a runaway train, don't be surprised if we can't meet that schedule.

The first canvas is Bonnie's choice: Snow Cat from Brenda Stofft. This is an 18 count canvas that is 9 inches high and 6 wide. There is a Snow Bunny canvas that is very similar also in Brenda Stofft's line of canvas although it is narrower, only 4 1/2 inches wide. http://www.brendastofftdesigns.com/PC120048.JPG

You've just read Bonnie's thoughts about stitching this canvas. Mine are below. I should add that Bonnie and I wrote up our thoughts separately without having read the other person's approach first. I hope that you'll find our similarities and differences interesting.   Note that she thought that the lighter blue on the ground was more snow and I thought it was water but Bonnie's daughter thinks it is ice.  All ideas are ones that would lead a stitcher to try a slightly different stitch and/or thread, and all are "right" although perhaps not what the designer intended.

I think the first thing I would do is make a color copy of the canvas so that I could stitch right over the snowflakes all over the canvas areas, then add them back in at the end.  Now remove the gold snowflake charms and put them in a safe place. They will be reattached at the very end. 

This design is unusual in that there is so much fur in the piece. The cat is furry, of course, and wears a jacket and hat trimmed in fur. The eyes should be stitched first in something a bit wet looking like Flair or a metallic. Do the black outline and pupil in the same type of thread. I would stitch the face, ears, paws, tail and legs in tent stitch using shades of ivory and gray, charcoal and black in silk/wool blends like Impressions or in Vineyard Silks.

Once the cat body is finished, stitch the blue stocking cap and the jacket in Interlocking Goblein. I would use a wool or wool/silk thread that matches the lovely light blue shades. When the blue jacket and cap areas are finished, stitch the white fur trim in a thread that is stark white, using Double Stitch, which is made up of a large cross stitch four threads high but only one wide that alternates with a small cross stitch over just one thread intersection. I would use something like perle cotton as the thread for this as it would contrast with the fur on the cat's body and the jacket and hat. It is also a stitch easy to compensate, which is important when you are stitching a round or curved section. 

For the dark blue sky, use navy blue Kreinik (or any metallic you prefer) and stitch the entire area in Diagonal Triple Parisian Stitch. Remember, you will stitch right over the snowflakes. When the dark blue sky is done, use Diagonal Triple Parisian stitch to stitch the light blue water area behind the cat, in a matching metallic thread. When you choose the dark blue and light blue metallic threads, use a lighter weight thread for the dark blue than the light blue water. You will want the light blue area to be slightly heavier than the dark blue sky. 

For the snow, try Criss Cross Hungarian in Caron's Snow, which is a metallic chainette-type thread. It comes in various colors, including white and blue, so you will be able to switch colors as necesary as you work each row. When you are finished, put a small white or blue bead (or French knot using your Snow if you don't like beads) in the empty spots between the slanting groups of lines. You could also do a tiny cross stitch in metallic thread. Silver might look very pretty with the blue and the white Snow. 

Now it is time to work on the staff. I like to use ribbon floss for barber pole stripes. Work other from the top of the staff, alternating the ribbon floss colors, and lay long diagonal lines. Tent stitch the snowman in the same white thread you used for the fur trim, then add black stitches for the eyes and mouth. These can be either French knots or small tent stitches. Stitch the carrot nose in a bright orange thread, using long stitches laid in a triangle shape to the point of the nose. It probably will be easiest to use cotton floss for the orange nose. Once the snowman and his features are done, add two beads for the buttons on his front. Using a pink wool or wool/silk blend,put a few short horizontal stitches in the brim area, making sure to stay well inside the painted area. Now stitch the pink hat brim using long slanted stitches right over the padding. This will give the hat brim some dimension. Do a few turkeywork stitches in the round pink area at the tip of the snowman's hat. Leave the loops uncut until the end. You may decide that you want to not cut them at all, or you may want to cut the loops and then trim the loose ends to make a more furry ball. Using a wool or wool/silk blend in green and the same pink thread you have been using, lay long diagonal stitches again, following the painted area. You may use the green to do a few straight horizontal stitches at the base of the fuzzy ball at the tip of the stocking cap. 

To do the long strings that hang off the staff and the handle and trim of the purse, you need to couch gold Kreink (probably #8 or #12 size) along the right areas. Refer to the color copy to see exactly where to place things. Once all the strings are on, attach red beads to the purse dangles. 

Stitch the snowman purse itself entirely in tent stitches, using the same threads you have used on the snowman that tops the staff.  I would also stitch the blue and white snowballs in tent stitches, using cotton floss as well. If you want to be really fancy, try using blue and white metallics for the snowballs, but not the blue and white Snow which I think a bit thick for the tiny area. 

Once everything is stitched, now you can add the white snowflakes. Pull out your color copy and put white beads everywhere there is a small snowflake. Once they are done, do the large snowflakes using a fuzzy thread like Cashmere in a very loose stitch. Come up through the background and then lay the stitch in any direction that you need. You will have a very fluffy large flake here and there on the canvas. Note that you don't have to use as many snowflakes as on the original canvas. With everything stitched over, no one will know that your Snow Cat is supposed to be standing in a blizzard. 

The final step is to attach the gold snowflake charms at the end of the staff dangles. Note that Bonnie didn't think the gold snowflakes were charms--she thought they were painted on. Neither of us have seen this canvas in person so we don't know whether the gold snowflakes can be attached later but for the purposes of coming up with stitch ideas, it really doesn't matter. 

Stay tuned next month (if Christmas doesn't kill all our free time) for my Canvas of the Month choice.

Again, many, many thanks to Bonnie for being my guest blogger for this monthly canvas ideas series!

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

Canvas of the Month By Bonnie (Snow Cat)

My Canvas of the Day postings with stitch ideas have been very popular but they take more time than I have to write except occasionally. Blog readers love them, however, so I have recruited a guest writer to help me come up with ideas for a painted canvas occasionally. 

Please welcome Bonnie, who is going to do a Canvas of the Month entry periodically with me. The way this will work is that Bonnie and I will take turns choosing a painted canvas, then both of us will write up ideas for stitching it. Each set of ideas will be a separate blog entry so you can see different approaches to the same piece. We hope to do this once a month but with the holidays approaching like a runaway train, don't be surprised if we can't meet that schedule. 

The first canvas is Bonnie's choice: Snow Cat from Brenda Stofft. This is an 18 count canvas that is 9 inches high and 6 wide. There is a Snow Bunny canvas that is very similar also in Brenda Stofft's line of canvas although it is narrower, only 4 1/2 inches wide. http://www.brendastofftdesigns.com/PC120048.JPG 

Below is what Bonnie says about this canvas. My thoughts on stitching it will be the next blog entry. 

Bonnie:  "Being a cat person, I love this canvas. The trick is going to be that since the canvas is a lot of the same colors – making each part slightly different that the rest based on texture and stitches. My thoughts on the canvas… 

Eyes – All done in a strandable silk like Splendor, using tent stitch and choosing a direction that fits the eye shape best. White dot in center of eye add a strand or two of blending filament for sparkle. Outlined with in a stem stitch to get the perfect shape. 

Fur – All done in long and short stitch follwing the direction of the fur with multiple shades of something fuzzy I could brush when done to get fur effect - like Faux fur, Designer Dream, Whisper. Pad the muzzle area first and then put on lots of layers to get depth there. Black outlines on face and paws stem stitches in black floss. Insides of ear – something shiny like neon rays or a silk perle in a satin stitch. 

Fur on Coat – All fur trim done in looped tent stitch with something like Burmalana so slightly furry yet a different look than the cat. Need to make sure the coat doesn’t blend with the cat. What I mean by looped tent stitch is a tent stitch where you take something like a laying tool and put it under each stitch so it doesn’t lay flat to the canvas when done, but looks like lots of loops. Make pom-pom bigger loops than rest. Small loops around ears so don’t lose them! Could also do turkey tufting and sculpt the areas. 

Blue on coat – Find a cotton overdye that matches some of the blue colors and has some variation but subtle. Use a stitch that doesn’t have an obvious diagonal direction but more of a vertical orientation, but can also be turned on its side for the hat - alternating oblong cross, Hungarian, or pavilion diamonds are some possibilities.

Staff – red and white out of ribbon or neon rays in simple long diagonal stitches. Ribbons done in a couched cord or braid when all done with ends done in same fiber maybe with a lazy daisy or something to give some depth. 

Snowman – tent stitch and cross stitch in a floss with some blending filament mixed in for shimmer. 

Hat consider looped tent for fur and tassel to ‘match’ coat. 

Basket – all done in tent and satin stitches with Smyrna crosses for eyes and mouth. Something with sheen to contrast with cat like silk or maybe some perle cotton for parts.  Snow inside with a 032 Kreinik braid or flair to match snow in front. Handle and fly-aways in couched metallic with French knots at red ends.

Sky – darning pattern in a cotton solid or overdye (few strands of floss or maybe a small perle cotton) or my old stand by a t-stitch – very light coverage so fades away in the background.

Snow in front – Nobuko in flair, some sheer fiber, some finer braid that would allow shading to show through or maybe a white/blue oeverdye with something added for a slight sparkle. Want to make sure it looks heavier than ‘middle’ snow, but still allows some shading to happen. Snow in back – Stitch something like the medieval mosaic (horizontal stitches) in same fibers as snowman but lighter coverage – lighten up the blue to a very pale blue tending towards white. 

Snowflakes – beads or sequins"

Thanks for the great ideas, Bonnie!

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