A Baby Owl For Christmas

A. Bradley's Christmas Owlet

My stitching these days is mostly models and stitch guides, but I collect small canvases to stitch for presents when I run across one I just can't resist.  These little projects are great fun since I pick up things that are not my usual style and try out new techniques I am interested in on them.  Better to experiment on a gift for a friend or family member than on a custom stitch guide, right?

My newest purchase is a darling Christmas mini sock from A. Bradley Needle Arts.  It is on 18 count canvas and is about four inches high by a bit more than three inches wide at the widest point.  It is perfect for needle felting, don't you think? [Ideas start to percolate....]  I might collect some of Watson's dense white fur he is shedding right now and use that for the white fur trim.....

I love Ashley Bradley's designs.  They are very well done and always charming.  The baby Christmas owl is from her animal mini sock series.  There are a great many dog and cat breeds already designed so Ashley is filling in the series with many other animals so that there should be a critter for every taste.  Click on "Mini Socks" and on "Munchkin Mini Socks" on Ashley's website to see them.
http://www.abradleyneedlearts.com

This one is just right for me.  Sadly, it has to go into the stash of other small mini socks to await further inspiration, a collection of enough white Watson dog fur for felting, and the need for just the right present.  Stay tuned!

Many thanks to Carolyn Hedge Baird who tempted me with this via Facebook and to her shop Chaparral which ordered it for me.  And of course many many thanks to Ashley for painting this right away!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tips on Stitching with Filament Silk

Anyone who finds silk threads difficult to stitch with needs to read Mary Corbet's article on how she stitches with filament silk. That's the stuff that is straight from the silk worm that catches on air and misbehaves any time you give it a chance.  Mary is thorough, explaining how she organizes her threads, how she threads her needle and holds it when stitching, and even how a stitcher's attitude toward their thread can make all the difference.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2013/05/working-with-soie-de-paris-other-filament-silk.html

My one tip working with silk besides the ones Mary mentions is to add humidity to the mix when it gets too unruly.  Spritz a cut length with a mist of distilled water and let the strand dry a bit. Works for me!

You will have to be certain that your thread is colorfast but if you are used to a brand and not using the notorious-for-bleeding reds, spritz away and see if it helps you.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

AmyBear to Close

Leigh S. posted on the ANG list this morning the sad news that AmyBear will be closing next December.  I checked the AmyBear website and found the following information--
http://www.berks.com/amybear/page55.html

Everybody deserves to retire, don't they?  I hope Amy has a blast in her new career and I am grateful that she is giving notice so that all her many fans can pick up that last chart and stitch one of her 3-D animals or maybe one of the stained glass designs or even the very popular Rhapsody/Romance/Rendezvous series.

Thanks for the heads up, Leigh!  (And thanks for permission to republish your news here.)

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Does It Hurt?

If it hurts when you stitch, you are doing something wrong, right?  I know all too well how a block of time all to yourself can tempt a stitcher to hurt themselves by not taking proper precautions.  Ruth's guild just had a program about ergonomics and posted a link to a summary of the program.  There are plenty of great tips included, so please read this carefully.  I will add a link directly to the right hand side of Blog where there are other ergonomic articles saved.  They are located just under the koi pond.  Read them periodically and use these tips to keep yourself pain free, please!
http://ruthsneedlework.blogspot.com/2013/05/avoiding-injuries-while-stitching.html

http://baldyviewega.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-meeting_31.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

New Light, New Thread UPDATED

There are lots of new products that probably won't be at the Columbus trade show so I thought I'd dedicate a posting to new things I've heard of that some from the world of quilting or machine embroidery.  The first is a brand new thread from Sulky.  Sulky creates threads on spools for sewing machines but many of their threads work quite well on needlepoint canvas.  I always browse the limited selection of Sulky threads carried at my local JoAnn's Fabrics, looking for an elusive color that I don't have at home.  Needlework Retailer says Sulky has a new cotton thread that is the same diameter of two plies of cotton floss.  It's marketed as a way to stitch without stripping floss.
http://yarntree.typepad.com/needlework_news/2013/05/hate-to-separate-floss.html

In this larger photo it looks like a lightly twisted perle cotton.  It's not something I'd spend a lot of money on but it might be just the thing for a specialty project.  If your local shops carry machine embroidery thread, this might be worth looking for.
http://www.sulky.com/thread/thread_petites.php

The other new product I have today is a three way LED lamp from Stella Lighting.  It comes in a floor or table version and the thing about it is that you can switch among three different types of light, each suitable for a different task.  Here are the details in case this is just up your alley.
http://needlestack.typepad.com/whats_new/2013/05/stella-sky-coming-to-niah.html

http://stellalighting.com/the-stella/features/

UPDATE:  NIAH has posted a review of this new lamp.
http://needlestack.typepad.com/whats_new/2013/06/review-of-stella-sky.html

So has Mary Corbet.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2013/08/lighting-for-embroidery-stella-lamp-review.html

UPDATE #2:  Needle Nook of La Jolla is introducing the lamps and has a video of all three styles (table, floor and clamp on).
http://store.needlenook.com/Stella-Lighting-p36975.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.