Saturday, October 21, 2017

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Glue

Sandy Arthur noticed these series of charts on the Fire Mountain Gems website. They list every type of glue they sell, with descriptions of drying times, what the glue looks like dry, and other important tips.  Thanks for the heads up, Sandy!
http://www.firemountaingems.com/resources/encyclobeadia/charts/glues?SSAID=847889

This is so extensive I'm adding it to the Tips and Tricks tab, just so we can always find it again.

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

Friday, October 20, 2017

Need a Coffin? UPDATED

Thanks to Jane B. I have a source for the little wooden coffins that Shelly Tribbey had at Destination Dallas 2017.  The coffins were to use in finishing these darling little Halloween pieces—the witch, Dracula, Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein.  (Put your mouse cursor over the photos to see details.)
http://shellytribbey.webflow.io/#Halloween

But Shelly ran out of the coffins and apparently didn't plan to get more.  So Jane did a little digging and discovered them at American Science & Surplus, item #94459P1, for $2.95 each plus shipping and handling. They need to be painted as they are unfinished pine, but they've arrived and Jane B. says they are perfect!
https://www.sciplus.com/p/6-LONG-UNFINISHED-PINE-MINICOFFIN_50884

Thanks for the tip, Jane.

UPDATE:  Shelly Tribbey herself remarked on Needlepoint Nation that these little wooden coffins vary a bit in size.  She suggests you make a paper template to take to the store to check each coffin for the right one for your Halloween figure.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 16, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Mixing Evertite Sizes

Recently someone asked on Facebook's Needlepoint Nation if you could use several widths of Evertite bars together.   Linda Mosch had the definitive answer and kindly allowed me to quote her here.  Linda said,

"Evertite bars from 6" to 18" are 3/4" in width; those from 19" to 33" are 1" in width. They are all totally interchangeable. Bars over 33" are 1-1/4" in width and designated with an XX. They are NOT interchangeable with the others so you have to get two pairs of bars that are XX, even if one pair is smaller than 33". For example, I have a piece on 42" x 24" bars - both are XX. Hope that answers the question."

Thank you very much, Linda!

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

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Mary's Ten Favorite Needlepoint Stitches: The Movie

The mid-week podcast for Fiber Talk is very short because of a video that Gary made with Mary McGuire, talking about her favorite stitches—with examples from her stitching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3L9et96upc

If you like counted designs or Bargello, you'll see a lot of wonderful designs.  You'll also learn a lot about using a variety of threads in one stitch and see how the look changes with the thread.  Very neat video!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 29, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

The American Needlepoint Guild Hides SOTM Behind Paywall UPDATED

ANG's new website is being built out so I've been checking it periodically to see what has been added.  Yesterday I was stunned to see that the fabulous Stitch of the Month (SOTM) program which is a great way to introduce people to various needlepoint stitches for only the cost of the materials is going to be available only to members of ANG starting next January, except for one year, presumably the current year's project.
http://www.needlepoint.org/page/SOTM

I feel this is a terrible mistake.  I use it to help new stitchers all the time.  It is a great resource for the world of needlepoint, which includes many people who are not committed needlepointers.   When folks learn the resources available from ANG, they tend to join.  Why hide your light under a barrel (or in this case behind a paywall), ANG?

Please reconsider.

UPDATE:  As an update to the Stitch of the Month's changes on ANG's new website, I'd like to report that the 1999-2016 Stitch of the Month items are now uploaded to ANG's new website but they are only available to ANG members who are logged in. 1998's Stitch of the Month items presumably will be added shortly. The 2017 SOTM material is available to all, along with the statement, "As of January 31st 2018, all SOTM offerings will become Member Only. We plan to make one year's project available to the public."

To see the most recent changes, you have to log in as an ANG member, then click on Distance Learning.  Stitch of the Month is at the bottom of the options that appear.  Slide your cursor down to there, and you'll see Stitch of the Month: Archive.  Click on that to see the older SOTM material.

I know this is a slow process as ANG has Seminar registration to deal with right now. I hope ANG will restore access to all of the Stitch of the Month items, past and present, to anyone interested in needlepoint.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright October 15, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.