Speaking of Elegance

Since we were speaking of how to create an elegant design yesterday, I thought you'd enjoy seeing this very elegant finishing from Ridgewood Needlepoint.
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2011/07/janes-pillow.html

http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2011/07/janes-exciting-week.html

It's outstanding finishing that enhances the calm beauty of the original design.

By the way, Orna Willis's newest design (a glimpse of which is on her blog) looks to be very elegant also.  I bet Hanging Gardens would be beyond elegant done in golds and ecru with touches of black or deepest navy....
http://ornadesign.blogspot.com/2011/07/leaving-very-soon.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

A Different Sort of Christmas in July

I've posted a lot of shop Christmas in July sales this month but this time I have something totally different--a Christmas in July design.  Laura Perin has a new design out--a Christmas tree!  I think it is darling and very cleverly done, too.  Looking at this new counted thread pattern, I do feel like I just opened a gift from Laura.  Thanks!
http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2011/07/oh-my-its-christmas-in-july.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Blasting Off Into Space

Thanks to Tisha I know there is embroidery in space.  
http://thistle-threads.com.mytempweb.com/blog/index.php/2011/07/embroidery-in-space/

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=49005

I have to say I am sad to see the space shuttle program go.  Our current leadership doesn't have the vision (or the money) to keep it going, which is a real shame.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Elegant Halloween

Smilin' Jack Started Out All Beads

When I introduced Smilin' Jack a few days back, I explained that this small piece (8 1/2 x 4 inches) is going to be a model for Leigh Designs and also will have a short stitch guide. So how do you create a flashy enough design for a model that can't have an elaborate stitch guide?  The answer is, well, beads.

Smilin' Jack himself has beads scattered throughout his stitches.  When it comes to high impact, only Swarkovski crystals and sequins give you more bang for the stitch than beads.  If you don't overdo it, you get an elegant effect.  Since Jacques (the beads have gone to his head and The Squash thinks he's French royalty) needs to be elegant --that's a hallmark of Leigh Designs-- I was relatively restrained with the beads.  Not that Smilin' Jack started out this way.  At first I started to totally bead him using Don Lynch's (Associated Talents) woven bead stitch.  That's what you see in the photo above.  But it was Too Much, so out all the beads came.  Instead I used the technique that Sundance Designs describes in their little Sundance Beads for Needlepoint pamphlet.  I substituted beads for some of the elements of my chosen stitch.

Beads can be substituted in any stitch that is made up in part by tent stitches.  Look at this stitch from the ANG Stitch of the Month pages--
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/1999/99-01.php

You can substitute beads for the two tent stitches that flank the longer middle stitch.  You could put a bead in the middle where four Mosaic Stitches meet.  You could even substitute a bead at random for a tent stitch here and there. Or substitute a string of beads for the longer stitch that the tent stitches flank.  There are a LOT of beading possibilities with just this one stitch.  Sundance's little book diagrams twenty-five stitches they mix beads into in the back of their book.  That's what got me thinking about substituting beads for the tiny basic tent stitch.

If you want more information about Sundance's booklet, here's the review I wrote in 2009 when it first came out and I got my hands on a copy.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2009/03/book-review-sundance-beads-for.html

A quick Google search this morning brought up two websites with Sundance's booklet in stock.  There are probably many more but I simply used the first two links that appeared in my search if you want a copy of the little book.
http://www.needlepointtooltime.com/product/SB

http://www.amybunger.com/catalog/item/6268582/6868467.htm

Happy beading!  Now I need to finish the first step of a leaf before working a bit more background.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Needles and Old Stitching

Kreinik's newest blog entry is all about needles:  specifically, which needle do you use for the various size of Kreinik metallics.  A lot depends on the ground fabric you are using.  The article has a chart for quilters and links to articles on the Kreinik website for cross stitch and needlepoint stitchers.  Good information!
http://kreinikthread.blogspot.com/2011/07/which-needle-should-i-use.html

Needlework Retailer just mentioned this article about how to update inherited cross stitch pieces.  The ideas in the Comments at the bottom of the page are great and will work for many needlepoint pieces as well.  Perhaps you'll take that old pillow you stitched in 1987 out of the closet and rework it....
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/boston/good-questions/how-to-update-inherited-cross-stitch-artwork-good-question-141461

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com