I have very good news for fans of Laura Perin's charts--she has the latest seasonal long panel design finished and also has an oldie but goodie chart still available. First up, Sara Leigh has photos of the finished Long Autumn panel on her shop website. It's a gorgeous mix of purples and oranges, tempered with ecru and perhaps a touch of blue.
http://stitchything.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-laura-j-perin-design-long-autumn.html
Laura herself shows off an old design on her personal blog. It's not one I'd seen before as it is not on her website. It is subtle colors with black for emphasis and done all in tent stitches. Perfect for those long winter evenings in front of the fire (or TV).
http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2010/11/oldie-but-goodie.html
For folks who haven't visited Laura's website before, here it is. There are free charts, along with lots of lots of stitching goodness.
http://laurajperindesigns.tripod.com/index.htm
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
I Need a Volunteer From the Audience
Labels:
ladies of the night,
Leigh,
LOTN,
Luna,
stitch guides
Finishing Luna's gown took a very long time, especially since I've not had much time to work on it recently. I'm getting ready to leave CH to stay with my mother who is ill. So Luna is about to be put away. While I am gone, I will have computer access but no way to upload photographs, so I am taking another piece to stitch. I won't be posting about my stitching while I'm away since that's not going to be possible.
This is where you come in. I need volunteers who have painted canvases hidden away that they love but haven't a clue how to start. I will feature one of these a week (or so) and we'll talk about it publicly to come up with ideas of how to stitch each canvas.
To be featured here on Blog, you will need to send me either a link to a good online photo or you will have to email me a good photograph of your canvas that I can post. I think (but I am not certain) I will be able to download photo attachments from emails and then upload them to Blog while I'm away. (Since I don't know this for certain, we'll start with someone who sends me a URL of their problem piece.) Remember, whether you send a photo or a URL, you will have to answer emailed questions from me promptly as to your preferences when it comes to threads and stitches, any ideas you have already, and your reactions to what I tell you on Blog. I won't away give your name, however. Only you and I will know you are volunteering. You can choose any pseudonym you like.
Anyone who participates will need to be able to answer emails about their problem canvas right away and will see their answers (probably edited for length) here on Blog.
Do we have volunteers from the audience? Please raise your hand by emailing me at chillyhollow at hotmail dot com.
Those who don't send in problem canvases can contribute by posting comments here with your ideas about the featured designs. Sometimes it is easier to come up with ideas for someone else's canvas than your own.
Thanks everyone. I think this is the best way for me to continue to talk about painted canvases without being able to show what I am currently stitching while I am away from home.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
This is where you come in. I need volunteers who have painted canvases hidden away that they love but haven't a clue how to start. I will feature one of these a week (or so) and we'll talk about it publicly to come up with ideas of how to stitch each canvas.
To be featured here on Blog, you will need to send me either a link to a good online photo or you will have to email me a good photograph of your canvas that I can post. I think (but I am not certain) I will be able to download photo attachments from emails and then upload them to Blog while I'm away. (Since I don't know this for certain, we'll start with someone who sends me a URL of their problem piece.) Remember, whether you send a photo or a URL, you will have to answer emailed questions from me promptly as to your preferences when it comes to threads and stitches, any ideas you have already, and your reactions to what I tell you on Blog. I won't away give your name, however. Only you and I will know you are volunteering. You can choose any pseudonym you like.
Anyone who participates will need to be able to answer emails about their problem canvas right away and will see their answers (probably edited for length) here on Blog.
Do we have volunteers from the audience? Please raise your hand by emailing me at chillyhollow at hotmail dot com.
Those who don't send in problem canvases can contribute by posting comments here with your ideas about the featured designs. Sometimes it is easier to come up with ideas for someone else's canvas than your own.
Thanks everyone. I think this is the best way for me to continue to talk about painted canvases without being able to show what I am currently stitching while I am away from home.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Calling All Thread Detectives
Labels:
High Cotton,
Hyla Hurley,
threads
Remember when I talked about the new High Cotton five-ply floss from Hyla Hurley? I did a review on Blog here.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2010/10/thread-review-high-cotton.html
Two different sources have told me they think the thread is rather matte (like Needle Necessities' Madras was) but I thought it had more sheen to it than regular DMC cotton floss, both in the skeins and especially when stitched in long stitches. In tent stitches it does look matte, or at least not any different than using DMC or Anchor floss in tent stitches.
I'm wondering if it was just the color I used (pale lavender), or if I am losing my mind. (There is heavy betting action on the latter. LOL) I am going to test stitch with other colors when I have time but for now, I'd love to hear from folks who have stitched with this thread about what they think.
I'll update the earlier review with a note about the matte/shiny decisions we all came to once I have more input. So, what's your opinion?
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2010/10/thread-review-high-cotton.html
Two different sources have told me they think the thread is rather matte (like Needle Necessities' Madras was) but I thought it had more sheen to it than regular DMC cotton floss, both in the skeins and especially when stitched in long stitches. In tent stitches it does look matte, or at least not any different than using DMC or Anchor floss in tent stitches.
I'm wondering if it was just the color I used (pale lavender), or if I am losing my mind. (There is heavy betting action on the latter. LOL) I am going to test stitch with other colors when I have time but for now, I'd love to hear from folks who have stitched with this thread about what they think.
I'll update the earlier review with a note about the matte/shiny decisions we all came to once I have more input. So, what's your opinion?
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
Monday, November 15, 2010
Luna's Gown
Labels:
ladies of the night,
Leigh,
LOTN,
Luna
After much work, Luna's couture gown is finished.
The beads are gunmetal gray, crystal lined with silver, and black.
Some beads appear gold in the photos because light is bouncing off the crystal beads.
It was a lot of work but worth it.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
Sunday, November 14, 2010
UPDATED: Testing Needles (or, The Mad Scientist Speaks)
Labels:
Bohin needles,
needles,
Piecemaker needles,
reviews
You may remember that the last LNS visit I made I picked up two packets of Bohin tapestry needles to test. I started using some of the needles (I bought size 22 and 24, the sizes I use on 18 canvas the most) when I started Luna. Now that I've been working on her for a while, it's time to review the needles.
http://www.creweljewels.com/Bohin-Tapestry-Needles-p/73001.htm
The link below talks a bit about Bohin. Their needles are made in France and are very smooth to the touch. The packets I bought had six needles to a pack . I believe that Bohin sells tapestry needles in sizes 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28. I forgot to make a note of all the sizes available when I bought these at Waste Knot, however.
http://www.creweljewels.com/Bohin-France-s/59.htm
As long time members of Blog know, I have very acidic hands. It only took me about three hours of stitching to start to wear away the metal coating on my Kreink gold needles. The John James platinum needles showed wear after maybe 5-6 days of stitching. So far the Bohin needles show no sign of wear under my magnifier although they don't feel quite as slick as they did when I started using them.
They are not pretty like the gold needles are, however. There are no burrs in the eye and the coating of the surface stands up to my hands. Are they my favorite needles? Well, no.
I prefer Piecemaker needles when I have a choice because they last as well as Bohin needles plus they are very smooth and silky to the touch. I prefer how they feel in my hands. However, Piecemakers
are made for quilting and as far as I know, you can't buy size 18 or 20 tapestry needles from them. Here is the Piecemaker website.
http://www.piecemakers.com/products.html/Piecemakers_Needles?zenid=a2181e883db046f97e4778395ae97b93
If you are curious about Bohin needles and your local shop doesn't have them, I know you can get them at Waste Knot. They are around $2 a packet, which is what Piecemaker needles cost me.
http://www.wasteknotneedlepoint.com/
Whatever brand necdle you like, remember to discard needles after each project or two. Amy Bunger wrote in a Needlepoint Plus article long ago that stitchers use their needles too long. They are not expensive but if you have hands like mine, it is essential that you switch to new needles frequently. If you don't have acid hands, you should still be using new needles periodically.
Save the used needles. We'll do a Festival of Broken Needles ceremony next February again to honor them before we get rid of them.
UPDATE: A friend told me she doesn't like the feel of the needles. She thinks they feel ridged instead of rounded and after a while, they hurt her fingers. The eye is very smooth and great for silk and cotton flosses, though.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
http://www.creweljewels.com/Bohin-Tapestry-Needles-p/73001.htm
The link below talks a bit about Bohin. Their needles are made in France and are very smooth to the touch. The packets I bought had six needles to a pack . I believe that Bohin sells tapestry needles in sizes 18, 20, 22, 24, 26 and 28. I forgot to make a note of all the sizes available when I bought these at Waste Knot, however.
http://www.creweljewels.com/Bohin-France-s/59.htm
As long time members of Blog know, I have very acidic hands. It only took me about three hours of stitching to start to wear away the metal coating on my Kreink gold needles. The John James platinum needles showed wear after maybe 5-6 days of stitching. So far the Bohin needles show no sign of wear under my magnifier although they don't feel quite as slick as they did when I started using them.
They are not pretty like the gold needles are, however. There are no burrs in the eye and the coating of the surface stands up to my hands. Are they my favorite needles? Well, no.
I prefer Piecemaker needles when I have a choice because they last as well as Bohin needles plus they are very smooth and silky to the touch. I prefer how they feel in my hands. However, Piecemakers
are made for quilting and as far as I know, you can't buy size 18 or 20 tapestry needles from them. Here is the Piecemaker website.
http://www.piecemakers.com/products.html/Piecemakers_Needles?zenid=a2181e883db046f97e4778395ae97b93
I expect I will buy size 18 and 20 Bohin needles and sizes 22, 24, 26 and 28 Piecemakers from now on due to how well both brands hold up to my acid fingers.
If you are curious about Bohin needles and your local shop doesn't have them, I know you can get them at Waste Knot. They are around $2 a packet, which is what Piecemaker needles cost me.
http://www.wasteknotneedlepoint.com/
Whatever brand necdle you like, remember to discard needles after each project or two. Amy Bunger wrote in a Needlepoint Plus article long ago that stitchers use their needles too long. They are not expensive but if you have hands like mine, it is essential that you switch to new needles frequently. If you don't have acid hands, you should still be using new needles periodically.
Save the used needles. We'll do a Festival of Broken Needles ceremony next February again to honor them before we get rid of them.
UPDATE: A friend told me she doesn't like the feel of the needles. She thinks they feel ridged instead of rounded and after a while, they hurt her fingers. The eye is very smooth and great for silk and cotton flosses, though.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)