Four of a Kind

Robin has very cleverly come up with a finishing  idea that allows her to put four identically sized canvases into a little box.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NeedlepointNation/permalink/4227436780666781/

All Robin's canvases are from Gayla Elliott (now distributed by Alice Peterson) but you don't have to choose canvases from the same designer.  All you need is a theme (Christmas, four seasons, four animals, etc.) and four canvases of identical size that are not too small or large to make a box.  You could even pair two identical rectangles with two identical squares to make a rectangular box.  They just need to be the same height.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright August 12, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Needle Pointers Profiles Jill A. Vendituoli

ANG's magazine, Needle Pointers, highlights the stitching art of Jill A. Vendituoli.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=231259629003695&set=pcb.231264125669912

You can use the right side arrow to see the rest of the article.  If you want to see more, visit Jill's website.  It's a wonderful browse!  Pour your favorite beverage and wander around her Portfolio, enjoying Jill's work.

https://www.jillavendituoli.com

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright August 12, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Lobster for Lunch

Carolyn Hedge Baird shows off her recent lobster trap piece. It's fabulous.  The creative finishing is from StitchStash in Delaware and the canvas is a CBK.  I don't know if Carolyn is doing a stitch guide for this but you can ask her through her Facebook page, Needlepointing in Your Nest.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10220923330577044&set=a.1574898296402

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright August 11, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Choosing a Background: The Movie

Melissa of The Wool and The Floss and Megan of The Needlepoint Clubhouse talk backgrounds on their Pointing It Out podcast on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEr9kC4enFU

Everything you stitch has a background.  You need to take into consideration how you will finish it first, to help you figure out how much background you need, what shape it will have, etc.  Sometimes you won't do an open stitch (a belt, a purse) because it wouldn't wear well.  Sometimes you will want to use an open stitch to show the subtle background shading or to make the background recede.  Sometimes you will want to use an open stitch because it's going to be faster to stitch than a full coverage background.  Occasionally you want to use a different color thread than the background to get fun effects.  Sometimes you want to change the background color so you'll need to have a full coverage stitch to hide the original paint job.

If you have a background broken into a lot of different discrete areas, it's easier to do the background (or at least a few rows) first than to try and count across stitched areas.  (I personally almost always do my background first, but that's just me.)

Megan and Melissa also recommend stitches, good books for background stitches, the scale of your background, etc.  

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright  August 10, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Threadaholic Alert: Anchor!

People are starting to report that the big box craft stores are carrying Anchor again.  Donna found Anchor tapestry wool and cotton floss (now on spools, not skeins) at her local Michael's.  Also try Joann's Fabrics, Hobby Lobby, etc.

http://majtravaux.blogspot.com/2021/08/threads.html

Folks say that Anchor is only turning up at the largest stores.  I've also heard people think the Anchor floss packaged on spools is a bit thinner than the skeins version.  Here's much more from the Sun City Stitcher.

https://www.suncitystitcher.com/2021/08/anchor-floss-on-spools-as-seen-at-joanns.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

© Copyright August 10, 2021 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.