Bunny Ornament

This delighful bunny came back from the finisher recently. So many of our customers have been working on their Easter decorations. Nancy brought in three finished carrots this week. We can get the carrots and small hanging eggs finished if we have them by March 24. So if you are almost finished, don't give up!

Irish Step Dancer

I happen to love this Irish Step Dancer. Although I didn't take Irish step dancing lessons as a kid, we did march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. At the end of the parade, we would go home to a corned beef dinner. Years later when my grandparents moved into Manhattan, we actually all went back to their house. My grandmother had cooked the corned beef all day. We would all be wearing some sort of green to celebrate the day.

So if you celebrate St. Patrick's Day, you could have it finished with an easel back. Obviously, all holidays call for something needlepointed.

(Actually, the hair is so great on this sample, it would be worth it just to have the stitch guide!)

Stitched with Love

This lovely tallis bag was stitched by our customer for her grandson. We were also able to embroider a message to the grandson on the inside of the tallis bag from his grandparents. The personalized embroidery adds a very nice touch to this already wonderful needlepoint gift.

Older Stitchers

In a needlepoint store, we are always excited when we see younger stitchers. We want the art to continue to the next generation! But recently, I was struck by the fabulous work done by some of our older stitchers. The Rockefeller Stocking was done by Bertha who is in her 90's. Yes, it is on #18 mesh. She has done an absolutely wonderful job and is almost finished with the stocking. It has taken her less than a year -- and she had her hip operated on in the meantime.

Ed is also an older stitcher. He does beautiful geometrics. He was kind enough to let us take his picture with his most recent canvas.

These people continue to get enormous pleasure from stitching. And we get to see their great work.

Needlepoint Designs with Color Choices

I do love classes where the project is done in different colors. Currently, I am doing Tony Minieri's Patterns of the Orient canvas. Today, it was so interesting to see how the different colorways change what takes prominence in the piece. For those of you who love red, the reds in colorway Gold 7 are just stunning!

I missed posting Peggy's and Nancy's canvases in my recent blog on the Coat Ladies . First, Peggy eliminated the tree on the left (you can see it in the canvas below.). Her colors are wonderful but the four central figures defintely demand your attention. I like the texture of ther trees -- and love the most forward one.

In a recent blog, Jane of Chilly Hollow  was discussing how to get definition when stitching with black (http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2011/03/creating-dimension-with-threads-and.html). Nancy has been challenged with maintaining stitch definition in the black areas. In the green lady (now painted black), she has combined black thread with different textures. This picture doesn't show the new results but it's coming outv very well.   There are different shades of  black and white; in addition, there are black and white threads of different weights, textures, shine etc. 

Of course, when changing colors on a needlepoint canvas, it's very important that you stay true to the color values. We often take a black and white xerox to help us identify the similar values. Another trick is to place the colors close together and squint. If the colors merge, they are of similar values.

Mary Pat's Pillow

Mary Pat finished this delightful needlepoint of a frog for her daugher. This frog has plenty of attitude and Mary Pat chose great velvets to highlight her work. The use of a welt in a contrasting color can give a needlepoint pillow just a bit more pizzazz.

Cappy's Pillow

Cappy is a wonderful needlepointer who is also very generous with her stitching. She has made this pillow several times now since her sons have attended the school. In addition to giving a pillow to the headmaster, I believe she has also donated ones to the fund-raising auction.

Because she has done it so much, we keep on changing the background stitch so it can remain interesting to her.

Good Night, Moon Ornaments

If you read my blog regularly, you probably know that one of my favorite canvases for a child is the Good Night Moon Canvas. When my children were little, we hung a Good Night Moon Poster up in the baby's room. When my husband was growing up, he played with Thatcher Hurd. His father was Clement Hurd, the illustrator of Good Night Moon. So when our first child came, my mother -in-law how Mr. Hurd sign the poster for us. So this canvas is really special for me.

So in the past, I've tended to carry the full-sized canvas. But this past week, Sally was looking through the catalogue. She suggested that we carry the ornaments. And so here they are. A perfect gift for a new baby. Any of these could be finished as an ornament but you could go beyond. The canvas could be inset in fabric; then do a round gusseted pillow. Wouldn't it look great on a rocking chair like the one in Good Night Moon?

Chickadee Ornament

It seems that no matter what time of the year, we are always stitching or finishing Christmas items. I think this lovely ornament belongs to Vanessa but I wasn't at the store when the photograph was taken. I just think it's beautiful. I love the way the Petite Peluche makes the bird look realistic. And notice how the red berries just pop out. From the phot, it looks like the bakcgroun is done in a T stitch so part of the painted canvas comes through. Wouldn't you like this ornament on your tree.

Electronic Book Insert

I know that we have become an IPAD world with many people using their IPADS for everything. But I got my Kindle first, so I still tend to use that for reading. And I do like to protect the screen and make sure that the kindle is protected.

The ebook covers are a great gift. There are a variety of needlepoint designs for the inserts.. Originally, almost all the designs were by Lee (who makes the leather covers.) But recently, some other companies have started to adapt their designs for the covers. I really like Zecca's Owl for insert.. Owls are often a symbol for knowledge so it's perfect for the insert. I would do a sparkly sky using Vineyard Silk Shimmer of Silk Lame. I would also use a green Kreinik braid for the eyes (unless I decided to use glow in the dark threads).

Diane's Pillow for her Granddaugher

Diane did this delightful floral pillow for her grand-daugher-Ayla. She was very pleased with her work and I'm sure that her granddaughter will cherish it. What I like about this project is that it's timeless.

Dog Sayings

Occasionally, there are really fun sayings related to our pets. Among our favorites is the two-sided needlepoint bone saying "Feed the Dog/Dog Fed. and its companion "Feed the Cat/Cat is Fed". And if you have a pet like our Lily who constantly lies about being fed, you understand how valuable the sign can be.

In addition, I thought these signs would also be great for the dog lovers/owners in your life. The Sit, Stay, Drink can actually be painted with your particular breed. I chose the black lab since labs are the most popular dog in the United States.

Recently, Warning Dog Doesn't Know Sit! has appeared on T-shirts and the like. But I though a needlepoint would add to the fun. Of course, I can see this needlepoint embellished with bone shaped buttons. You could also experiment with the border. You could couch down Frosty Rays to give is some pizazz. This canvas is on #13 mesh.

And for those of us who feel that our daily life is dedicated to the dog (or dogs), there is the To-Do List.

All of these canvases are perfect for the novice stitcher since they have blocks of color.

Flower Stall Class

This delightful class is being taught by Helen. This time, she will also provide some additoanal flower and basket stitches to give the piece more dimension. The class will meet on Sunday and Monday, April 10 and 11 for three hours each time.

In this class, the stitcher gets to work with a variety of threads and stitches. As stitchers, we can choose to embellish our canvases with just threads, just stitches or both. In this class, you will get the chance to do both. It's the perfect class for the novice stitcher who wants to learn about threads and stitches.

You can find out more information by checking the class description.

Pet Dishes

When I came back with the fliers from the show, my staff wanted to make sure I had ordered these pet dishes. Needless to say, I had already placed the order. There are two bowl sizes. The larger one is for a medium to large sized dog. There are various designs for the insert.

The smaller one has designs for cats or dogs. In addition to the ones I'm showing, there are pawprints and other designs. Wouldn't this be a great gift for someone who just adores their pet -- or for the friend who is about to get a pet?

It just goes to show that you can almost needlepoint anything.

Estalle's Pillow

This beautiful needlepoint was finished by Estalle. It's really quite lovely. her colors are lovely. I particularly like the contrast between the flowers and the background. Our finisher did a great job turning the canvas into a pillow.

Embroidery Scissors for Left-Handed Stitchers

Recently, we had a customer inquiring about embroidery scissors for left-handed stitchers. After checking with out distributors, and then on the internet, I found that it's much easier to find sewing scissors for left-handed stitchers. But ultimately, I located these three embroidery scissors.

I am right-handed but I have come to appreciate the difficulty in living in a right-handed world. I know that it's harder for me to teach a left-handed person to stitch. I have to try to remember what the differences are. And most scissors are designed for right handed people. So if you are a leftie, these scissors may help you with your needlepoint.

Suede Cosmetic Bags

Boots Bailey has some wonderful designs. She's from Texas so you won't be surprised that she has cowgirl designs in addition to beautiful flowers and paisleys etc. At the show, I fell in love with these small suede cosmetic bags. The colors are luscious and the designs are intriguing. After stitching, just ssew the lining seam and you're done. I think it would also make a great case for your needlepoint tools.

Recycling Needlepoint

Our customer came in with an older piece of needlepoint. The piece wasn't completely finished but she had decided to decrease the size of the canvas to focus on what she liked. The piece had been stitched a while ago. But she loved the design and the its soft colors.

She had a vision for the finished needlepoint and came in with trim and fabric she had picked for this needlepoint. So we sent it off -- and when it came back, we realized how right she was. The finished needlepoint is just beautiful. It looks like a fabulous antique.

If you have a finished piece that you have hesitated to finish it, give it a try. You can use one of our fabrics -- or go to a fabric store to pick your own fabric and trim. That way, you can be a greater part of the final piece.

Knots, Fur and Turkey Work

In the Coat Ladies/City Snow Class, I encourage the participants to find their own stitches for some areas. It's easy to be creative with the hair and the hats since they are great areas for threads and fur like stitches. In class, we look at several different books. Knots, Fur and Turkey Work by Meredit Barnhill Willett is one of the best books for searching for a stitch. Meredith has included photos using the various stitches so the stitcher can see how the stitch actually looks. It is quite inspiring.

In our class on Monday, we played with bullion knots and the various spider web stitches.

Coat Ladies Class

Yesterday, the fall/winter City Snow Class met for the last time. The class is based on Maggie Co.'s City Snow Canvas. The canvas itself is perfect for an embellishment class because it has large blocks of color. The students are given the stitch guide and encouraged to select their own colors, threads and even stitches. The photos in this blog are Diane's and Mary Lee's. (Somehow, my photos of Peggy's and Nancy's canvases didn't come out.)

The last class is when we focus on hair and hats. The hats lend themselves to whimsical threads. We create braids, buns and curls for the hair and then work on the hats. I love
seeing how the individual canvases develop.