Amy's Full of News

Amy's shop newsletter is out for August-September and it is full of news! Not only does Amy reveal her new Home Study of four canvases based on the story of Scheherazade and the 1001 Arabian Nights, she shows off two new stitch guides that are newly available and two new stitch guides that are underway.  Plus there are new magnets and a magnetic laying tool, and Amy announced her Amy's Book Club for 2015.  The first "book" in the series is the Mystery of Needlepoint.  No, I have no idea what this means, either,  Amy, you are SUCH a tease!
http://www.amybunger.com/f/0814.pdf

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 31, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Finishing Friday: The Shops Show Off

Nimble Needle has some colorful pillow models to show off from their Birds of a Feather trunk show.
http://thenimbleneedle.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-few-birds-finished-that-is-birds-of.html

The Needlepointer also has some 3-D models of Labors of Love's perfume bottles. Aren't they pretty?!
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2b1a4dafdf1ba6e29e773aa79&id=9b454cfd41&e=73961ee0ea

Chapel Hill Needlepoint has cute travel canvases finished as suitcases. Neat!
http://chapelhillneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2014/07/bon-voyage.html

Enriched Stitch has all sorts of finishing, much of it class projects, for you to admire.
http://astheneedleturns.com/back-from-the-finishers-3/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 7, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Let's See What is in the Tip Jar

My tip jar isn't full of money--it's full of cool ideas from across the Internet from my stitching friends.   Tip number one is from Pepita.  Renee tells us a neat shortcut that will save time if you are stitching a challah cover.  I think it'll work nicely for any sort of pillow, too, especially if your canvas is too narrow to cover the front of a pillow.
http://needlepointofview.com/2014/07/30/623/?utm_source=feedly&utm_reader=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=623

Sue has been researching ideas for needle-blended skies for her lighthouse project, using Anne Stradal's blog.  Anne specializes in beautiful skies for her needlepoint lighthouse designs.
http://sudukc.wordpress.com/2014/07/30/hiding-out-is-such-fun/

Finally, Robin King went into overdrive to find the perfect background ideas for this Charley Harper piece.  She already had the perfect stitcher in Penny B.  Don't you just love how it turned out?!
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2014/07/potluck-by-charley-harper-and-penny-b.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 30, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

In Honor of Ann Spiess Mills

In honor of the Ann Spiess Mills Exhibit and workshops in New Mexico in August, instead of posting Canvas of the Day items on Blog, I'm going to showcase a new Ann Spiess Mills canvas each day in August. Hope you enjoy the show! 

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright June 23, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Needle Felting the Imari Tiger: Tools and Sources

Tiger, Wool Roving and Tools

My small version of the Imari Timeless Tiger has arrived from Leigh Designs!  I put him on stretcher bars and pulled out all my wool roving colors to try and find the best match to his rust coat color.  What you see above are the best matches.  I unrolled the dark brown on the left so you could see what wool roving looks like better.   (Before I forget, the design itself is six inches in diameter on 18 count canvas.)

I am not sure you can tell from the photograph but the labels of the wool roving brands read Dimensions and FeltWorks.  Those two along with Artiste are the brands available at the big box crafts emporiums in my area.  The unlabeled baggies were a gift from a knitting friend (Hi, Marj!) who picked them up at a crafts fair, I think.  

Disclaimer:  I know nothing about any of the sites I am mentioning in this article (except for Dharma Trading which has a good reputation among those who dye their own threads, and Thread Gatherer which is well known as a source for wonderful threads), so buyer beware. 

I can't tell any difference in the wool roving sold under the various brand names, but the hand dyed wool my friend sent me is much nicer.  It is softer and the colors are better.  Etsy is a good source for good quality wool roving if you really get into needle felting in a big way or if you have to mail order your supplies anyway and want a less common color.  Here is the first Etsy shop I came across with a nice selection of wool roving but there are quite a few more.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/woolgatherings

The Thread Gatherer also sells packets of wool roving that are overdyed if you want a more subtle look without having to blend two or more colors on your own.
http://www.threadgatherer.com/Black%20Sheep%20Page.htm

This website seems to cater to the needle felting and spinning enthusiast.  It has an amazing range of fiber sources!
http://www.paradisefibers.com/spinning/wool-roving.html?gclid=CNbIpZf1078CFSdp7AodgG8AYw

I asked Sandy Arthur about the tool brand she prefers since she has a lot more needle felting experience than I do.  Sandy says she likes the Clover brand the best.  Clover tools come with a felting block (the thing you put under whatever you are going to felt to protect your table) that looks more like a brush than the styrofoam-looking thing I own.  They also come in single and multiple needle forms.  Here is the multi-needle tool. It comes with a "finger guard" to keep you from needle felting yourself.
http://feltingsupplies.livingfelt.com/Clover-Needle-Felting-Tool-8900_p_352.html

Here is the pen style with multiple needles.
http://feltingsupplies.livingfelt.com/Clover-Pen-Needle-Felting-Tool-8901_p_353.html

Here is the single needle tool.
http://www.the-quilt-rack.com/browse.cfm/clover-single-needle-felting/4,5884.html

Here is the Clover felting mat.
http://feltingsupplies.livingfelt.com/Clover-Small-Felting-Mat-_p_355.html

As you can see my needles are set into a plastic handle which helps grip it with less hand cramping while you poke and prod your wool roving.  Many needles are bare, though.  I think a handle of some sort is a good idea myself.  But be careful buying needles. You want the ones with a barbed point that will go through the holes in 18 count canvas.  Some felting needles are designed for needle felted 3-D animals and they have star shaped ends, not points.
http://feltingsupplies.livingfelt.com/-Felting-Needles-Variety-Pack_p_16.html

I think from my experience with the small single felting needle that the tools with multiple needles will make needle felting go faster but I will stick with my single needle because my tiger's tail is small--about five threads wide and six threads high.  That's about a third of an inch.  I don't want to keep punching the canvas on either side of the tail with the bare needles.  So if you are considering needle felting a piece with small detailed areas, you might want to use single needles.  If you are interested in speed and have a large area without much detail to needle felt, the multiple needle set will work well.

Remember, these needles are thin and barbed.  Not only are they dangerously sharp and barbed, they break easily.  If you are trying to choose between the brands of kits available to you,  a kit with spare needles is a good investment.
http://www.dharmatrading.com/tools/clover-felting-needle-tool.html

My thanks to Sandy and Marj for their help and advice and Ruth Schmuff for her tips on needle felting.  No stitcher can tackle something new without the help of their friends.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© July 20, Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.