Stitch of the Month 2017 (Deborah Forney)

ANG's Stitch of the Month program is up on their website. This year is a color and pattern study by Deborah Forney.  The introduction and January 2017 lesson are here.  A new lesson is posted around the first of each month.  Just click and enjoy!
http://www.needlepoint.org/Stitch.php

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 2, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tips on Stitching Hair from Anne Marie UPDATED

Anne Marie takes time out of her busy schedule to show off the hair on her "Gone With the Wind" themed canvas.  AND she explains how she stitches hair.  If you've been dithering over hair on a painted canvas, this article will help you a lot.  Thanks, Anne Marie!
http://thebfgoodstitch.blogspot.com/2016/11/well-i-do-declare-its-been-terribly.html

UPDATE:  Here's more hair!
http://thebfgoodstitch.blogspot.com/2017/07/dont-get-bull-about-bullions.html

Her canvas is by Labors of Love.  You can see the entire thing at the bottom of this page from their website.
http://www.laborsofloveneedlepoint.com/people.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright November 30, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

A New Retreat for January 2018

The Needle Bug has revealed the classes and teachers for their January 2018 retreat.
https://leigh-miller-yr9s.squarespace.com/classes/

You can see more on their Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/canvasaneedlepointadventure/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 2, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Facing Down Failure

I always try to choose something special for important days, something to inspire Blog's readers or make them think. For the first day of 2017 I've chosen this article by Tricia Nguyen, written for the people in her Casket of Curiosities class.  
http://thistle-threads.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-fear-of-failure.html

It may not seem relevant to those of us who mostly do needlepoint,  but think about it--how many times have you not started (or even purchased) a canvas or chart because you think it's too hard or you have no clue how to get started?  Tricia is teaching a class for those who want to design and then stitch a reproduction 17th Century stumpwork piece for a casket or mirror.  Her students are taking on a huge challenge.  

Tricia knows a lot about failure.  A little background here--she's a materials engineer who is dyslexic.  Between helping understand how 17th Century threads and stitches and stumpwork were made so that she can teach them, she brings reproduction techniques and materials back into production for her classes, and works with kids on the First Lego League robotics challenges and contests.  Failure is just another daily occurrence for her, on par with getting meals on the table, dealing with the day job and of course stitching her brains out.  Moms learn quite early to take failure in stride and move on to the next challenge.  

Please read Tricia's article carefully and think about how it applies to your personal stitching. Then take on a challenge despite the fact that you are going to fail.  That's not such a bad thing, you know.  You are going to learn from the things that aren't perfect the first time.  You are going to learn A LOT.

So promise me you will fail in 2017, ok?  It'll make me happy to know you are learning.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 4, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Another Smart Cookie: Needle Threader

Obviously all this Christmas fun is bringing out the smarts in stitchers.  Check out what Lisa did to keep track of her needle threader--she stuck a magnet on it!  Very clever!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153956674076333&set=gm.1228370163906806&type=3&theater

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright December 11, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.