Lacquered Boxes

Remember the beautiful lacquered boxes that HP Designs used to sell? Amanda Lawford bought rights to some of the styles and now that her designs belong to Vallerie Needlepoint Gallery, the shop affiliated with VNG has managed to get more of them with a 5x5 opening for a design.  (Did you follow all that?  I might need to do a diagram.  LOL)  The boxes are fabulous and are $190 each regardless of color.   There are only a few of them so if you have a great canvas that will work ready and want a spectacular display for a birthday or Christmas gift, don't hesitate to buy.
http://astheneedleturns.com/september-newsletter/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 5, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Threadaholic Alert: Tonkin Floss

The French Needle is starting to import a new cotton thread with a bit of metallic woven in to the USA. They call it Tonkin Floss.  Click on the photos to get a better look at the thread and the various colors available.  Judging from the photos, this isn't a strandable thread but it's hard to be certain.
https://www.frenchneedle.com/collections/tonkin-floss

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 7, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Another Source for 2mm Silk Ribbon

Just stumbled across this source for silk ribbons, including the hard-to-find 2mm widths. It also appears you can order solid colors and collections of overdyes in varying sizes which is really nice if you want to do roses in the same colors but different sizes from fully blooming to tiny buds.
https://www.silkribbon.com/collections/hand-dyed-silk-ribbon

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 21, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Mackenzie Learns to Needlepoint

The Design Darling website has a charming article up about how Mackenzie learned to needlepoint, complete with photos of her projects and how she learned.  There are also links to Etsy shops she wants to shop at and tips in the Comments section of other places to buy fun canvases.
http://www.mackenziehoran.com/2018/07/02/how-i-started-needlepointing/

Enjoy the journey, Mackenzie!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 2, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The New Rage in Backgrounds

I've started to see backgrounds done in rows of stitches like Michaela's version on Facebook lately.  It's a new trend, I think, although Michaela's color changes along the edges are a new twist.  Normally the varying stitch rows are in ecru.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10106412014847937&set=gm.1825464527530697&type=3&theater

If you want to try this, you'll need a canvas with a lot of plain background and one central motif for best results.  Michaela also worked the top half and bottom half in identical rows, which helps unify the piece.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 24, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.