Abigail Cecile Has a New Website

Abigail Cecile has a new website!  You can browse her designs and buy one, pick up a stitch guide, or read her blog which has a really neat way of finishing a small needlepoint design yourself that is quite easy.
https://www.abigailcecile.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 12, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Enchanted Forest, A Flat Topped Casket

Janet Brandt has finished her flat-topped 17th Century style box and posted a video on YouTube. Wait'll you see what's INSIDE the box!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ70b2lB8CI

Here's a silent film about making the trees.  Click on the sentence under the photo to start the film.
http://www.janetbrandt.com/2018/06/making-enchanted-forest-trees.html

If 17th Century reproduction embroidery interests you, visit Janet's website to see her other casket.  It's even more amazing, if that is possible.
http://www.janetbrandt.com 

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

New Tools

This week shops have highlighted new tools they sell and I thought you might be interested. The first item is a storage box that Homestead sells. It has little dividers that can be moved around to make room for whatever you want inside.  This is called the Poke-a-Dot Organizer and Homestead can special order black instead of clear plastic if you prefer a solid color.
https://www.homesteadneedlearts.com/catalog/uncategorized/poke-a-dot-organizer/

Silver Needle has two new styles of needle threader and they are both cute.  The lady bug needle threader has a small light to help you see the needle's eye as you thread up.  The bird is smaller and  has the wire threader which is covered with a plastic "beak" when not in use.  The bird also has a tiny thread cutter.  These are useful and fun and because they are inexpensive, they would make nice gifts for other stitchers you know.
https://www.thesilverneedle.com/gadgets3.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 3, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Moore Stitching Launches!

Laura Moore's new website for Moore Stitching is up and running!  Is there anything better than a new designer to cater to our whims as needlepointers?
https://moorestitching.com/blogs/news/launched

My personal favorites are the Yoga Girl collection.
https://moorestitching.com/collections/yoga-girl-canvases

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright September 10, 2018 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Creating a Shaggy Dog

Di Van Niekerk has written a wonderful tutorial on how to create a shaggy dog which she has shared here.
https://dicraft.co.za/blog/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2017/09/Dandy-Dog-A-Free-Tutorial.pdf

You should note that she is an embroiderer based in South Africa so she is using a thread most of us aren't familiar with.  Chameleon Threads can be purchased from this Australian website.
http://www.allthreads.com.au/threads-wools-1/chameleon-threads

You can also substitute cotton or silk perle and floss, of course.  The company's Facebook page might be helpful, as well.
https://www.facebook.com/Chameleon-Threads-379183118896758/

I would suggest that needlepointers use Di's tutorial as a jumping off point.  She has plenty of great ideas like using beads for the dog's nails and using turkeywork for the long shaggy look.  Experiment a bit to recreate the look of her grass.  Sadly she doesn't have stitch diagrams for the stitches she uses but I think with some experimentation you can come up with a similar look.

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.