Kreinik's blog has a new article up, this one on how to use their kid leather on your needlepoint projects. I thought it was fascinating to read, plus there are photos of the varieties of kid leather available. I had no idea you could get copper! I also never would have though to attach leather to my stitching using archival quality double-sided tape. Very clever folks at Kreinik!
http://kreinikthread.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-to-use-leather-on-needlepoint.html
There are further links at the bottom of the page for those who want to explore Kreinik's range of leathers and get more information.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 23, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Goodbye to Melita's Needles
Melita has a bunch of old bent, broken or tarnished needles to dispose of.
http://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/disposing-of-needles-a-celebration/
Long ago I read an old article by Amy Bunger in which she said the most common mistake stitchers make is to stitch with a worn out needle. Ever since I put my old needles in a medicine bottle and collect them to dispose of every February when the Japanese festival of Harikuyo is celebrated. Of course the fact that I have acid hands and my needle start to tarnish fairly rapidly encourages me to do this. Recently I have heard several folks say that they treasure their needles (which were so precious to our stitching ancestors) and only discard them when they bend or break.
So there are many schools of thought about how often to dispose of your needles. Like so much else in needlepoint, there is no right or wrong answer. But if your hands tarnish your needles, I think it is common sense to get rid of them and start anew with each new project. Otherwise, how you feel about needles and how often to choose new ones is up to you.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 22, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
http://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/disposing-of-needles-a-celebration/
Long ago I read an old article by Amy Bunger in which she said the most common mistake stitchers make is to stitch with a worn out needle. Ever since I put my old needles in a medicine bottle and collect them to dispose of every February when the Japanese festival of Harikuyo is celebrated. Of course the fact that I have acid hands and my needle start to tarnish fairly rapidly encourages me to do this. Recently I have heard several folks say that they treasure their needles (which were so precious to our stitching ancestors) and only discard them when they bend or break.
So there are many schools of thought about how often to dispose of your needles. Like so much else in needlepoint, there is no right or wrong answer. But if your hands tarnish your needles, I think it is common sense to get rid of them and start anew with each new project. Otherwise, how you feel about needles and how often to choose new ones is up to you.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 22, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
Friday, August 15, 2014
The Bird Camera Strap
Labels:
belts,
camera straps,
cameras,
Lee Tougas,
original designs,
videos,
YouTube
One of the members of Facebook's Needlepoint Nation is the talented Lee Tougas, who designs and stitches custom guitar and camera straps. Recently Lee made a video showing a bird camera strap being created for those of us fascinated by his work. I was very interested to see how a line drawing becomes real with the addition of thread and asked Lee if I could post the link here so you could see it, too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ZkZQXNsbQ&feature=youtu.be
Lee said Yes! He also said, "Please encourage your readers to contact me if they have any questions. Lee.tougas@gmail.com. I tell my customers the best I can hope to do is bring their photograph to mind when they look at the stitched image. There is no way 21 x 34 stitches can capture the detail of a megapixel photograph. And, the first one I stitched was the worst one. I learn something new with every strap I stitch. I hope somebody else takes it up. It's a lot of fun, particularly when you hand the strap to the photographer. Wow!!!!"
This got me even more interested so I asked more questions and Lee was quite helpful in explaining his design process. The word "Fibonacci" was tossed around and I had to know more. Lee said:
"Fibonacci was a twelfth century Italian mathematician. Among other things, he is credited with introducing Arabic numerals to western civilization. Fibonacci numbers are numbers in the series 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc. Each number in the series is the sum of the previous two numbers. The ratio between two consecutive numbers is 1.618, the Golden Ratio, or Phi. Fibonacci believed this ratio defined the naturally pleasing proportion in things we humans find beautiful. If you Google Fibonacci, you will see pictures of George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, etc., with Fibonacci grids over their faces explaining why we find these people to be attractive. Fibonacci numbers also explain the number of spirals on a pine cone, a pineapple, an artichoke, a head of cauliflower or broccoli, the spiral of the nautilus sea animal, and the spiral of the Milky Way galaxy.
For a really entertaining explanation of Fibonacci numbers, go to YouTube and watch Doodling in Math Class.
What does this have to do with photography? The aspect ratio of your HD television set is based upon Fibonacci number, as is the aspect ratio of 35mm film strips. Since I stitch on 18-ct canvas, a 21 X 34 box, with two rows of stitches between images and six rows on each edge, allows me to design a strap based upon each image occupying 2” in length and a strap a bit wider than 1 1/2”.
Every good photograph has a focal point. It is the object within the photograph that your eye rests upon if you let it wander around the frame. In a portrait, it is always the subject’s eye. For a well-composed photograph, the focal point should be off center, about one-third from side to side and from top to bottom. In photography, this is referred to as the Rule of Thirds. It is actually an approximation of a Fibonacci grid - on a Nautilus shell, the origin of the spiral.
So when I get a bunch of photographs to be stitched onto a strap, I look at each image to find the focal point. Then I place the focal point 1/3 from side to side and top to bottom, and build out from the focal point to fill the frame."
WOW!
Here is Lee's latest, a quilt inspired guitar strap designed by Lee's wife.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=680708985356163&set=gm.709749662435528&type=1&theater
Thanks, Lee. Keep designing and stitching. I want more videos!
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 4, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ZkZQXNsbQ&feature=youtu.be
Lee said Yes! He also said, "Please encourage your readers to contact me if they have any questions. Lee.tougas@gmail.com. I tell my customers the best I can hope to do is bring their photograph to mind when they look at the stitched image. There is no way 21 x 34 stitches can capture the detail of a megapixel photograph. And, the first one I stitched was the worst one. I learn something new with every strap I stitch. I hope somebody else takes it up. It's a lot of fun, particularly when you hand the strap to the photographer. Wow!!!!"
This got me even more interested so I asked more questions and Lee was quite helpful in explaining his design process. The word "Fibonacci" was tossed around and I had to know more. Lee said:
"Fibonacci was a twelfth century Italian mathematician. Among other things, he is credited with introducing Arabic numerals to western civilization. Fibonacci numbers are numbers in the series 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc. Each number in the series is the sum of the previous two numbers. The ratio between two consecutive numbers is 1.618, the Golden Ratio, or Phi. Fibonacci believed this ratio defined the naturally pleasing proportion in things we humans find beautiful. If you Google Fibonacci, you will see pictures of George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, etc., with Fibonacci grids over their faces explaining why we find these people to be attractive. Fibonacci numbers also explain the number of spirals on a pine cone, a pineapple, an artichoke, a head of cauliflower or broccoli, the spiral of the nautilus sea animal, and the spiral of the Milky Way galaxy.
For a really entertaining explanation of Fibonacci numbers, go to YouTube and watch Doodling in Math Class.
What does this have to do with photography? The aspect ratio of your HD television set is based upon Fibonacci number, as is the aspect ratio of 35mm film strips. Since I stitch on 18-ct canvas, a 21 X 34 box, with two rows of stitches between images and six rows on each edge, allows me to design a strap based upon each image occupying 2” in length and a strap a bit wider than 1 1/2”.
Every good photograph has a focal point. It is the object within the photograph that your eye rests upon if you let it wander around the frame. In a portrait, it is always the subject’s eye. For a well-composed photograph, the focal point should be off center, about one-third from side to side and from top to bottom. In photography, this is referred to as the Rule of Thirds. It is actually an approximation of a Fibonacci grid - on a Nautilus shell, the origin of the spiral.
So when I get a bunch of photographs to be stitched onto a strap, I look at each image to find the focal point. Then I place the focal point 1/3 from side to side and top to bottom, and build out from the focal point to fill the frame."
WOW!
Here is Lee's latest, a quilt inspired guitar strap designed by Lee's wife.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=680708985356163&set=gm.709749662435528&type=1&theater
Thanks, Lee. Keep designing and stitching. I want more videos!
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 4, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
Finishing Friday: Hand Protectors
If you are stitching something likely to be handled by small children, you might want to use the clever finishing technique Terry's finisher came up with for her pirate ship and pirate standups--knobs on top! Terry's grandsons will likely use the knobs to lift and position their pirates as they battle each other's ships.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=733218026738410&set=gm.695370047206823&type=1&theater
If worry about wear and tear and dirt have kept you from stitching a purse, you should see the ones Mary Agnes has stitched. These are Elizabeth Turner customs. The first one is over thirty years old. True it is a shop model but I bet it has been handled a lot over the years by eager customers.
http://needlenicely.blogspot.com/2014/07/mary-bag-pocketbook.html
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 17, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=733218026738410&set=gm.695370047206823&type=1&theater
If worry about wear and tear and dirt have kept you from stitching a purse, you should see the ones Mary Agnes has stitched. These are Elizabeth Turner customs. The first one is over thirty years old. True it is a shop model but I bet it has been handled a lot over the years by eager customers.
http://needlenicely.blogspot.com/2014/07/mary-bag-pocketbook.html
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 17, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Barjello Magic (in Class)
Ruth shares the fun her customers had in a Bargello class with Julia Snyder. Folks picked a canvas from her And More line, then choose stitches from her iBargello book and stitched their brains out.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/07/the-brilliance-of-bargello.html
Here's the book they used. The second link is the only review I found.
http://store.apneedlearts.com/ibargello.html
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/ibargello-book-review/
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 21, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/07/the-brilliance-of-bargello.html
Here's the book they used. The second link is the only review I found.
http://store.apneedlearts.com/ibargello.html
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/ibargello-book-review/
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 21, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)