Farm Scenes

Sally loved these canvases of barns. The top one reminds me of a well-cared for horse farm. I can even imagine the horses in the paddocks.

The second barn is much more weathered. It looks like it is still active but the paint has worn away. Of course, what's most important is how the animals are cared for.

The third barn is obviously in better shape. But I'm not sure if it's meant for horses or for tractors. Think of what a fabulous grouping these three canvases would make!

Pears and more Pears

The smaller line of pears are ornaments.  This line is a series of at least  12 pear ornaments that come with two velvet leaves that are then attached to the finished leaves.  There are designs in every color.

Then there are smaller ornament sized pears that are done on #18 mesh.  Some of the designs are also done in a larger size.

Large Pears

Melissa has two wonderful lines of pears. Many of these designs come in both sizes.

The larger sized pears are are 8" x 9" on #13 mesh. These designs can be finished as topiaries. Just imagine an antiqued garden urn that you use to display one of these pears standing up. You could change the pear according to the season.

Helen is thinking of doing two, one foe each side of the mantel.. I've included a simulation of a finished one in a garden pot.

Twelve Days of Christmas

At the store, we have the 12 Days of Christmas hanging on top of each other. But I can't get that many in one photo. So I have included a group shot of four canvases plus the canvas of Three French Hens. These are just so charming. I can see them also decorating the dining room table.

Caroline's Cat

Caroline fell in love with this cat by Melissa Shirley. She stitched it using the tent stitch. It shows how wonderful a great canvas can be when stitched with love. Just look at it. This cat seems to fit right in with Caroline's real cats!

Sophisticated 12 Days of Christmas

When we opened the trunk show last week, we were all struck by these lovely 12 Days of Christmas stand-ups. I've selected four of the twelve for this blog. All of these designs share a checkered background. Then, each day has a completely different pot and different foliage. Of course, given that it's Christmas themed, there are reds and greens.And of course, they also tie in all the designs together.

The individual canvases are 6 x 6.5 inches high. They are painted on 18 mesh.
They make great stand-ups for a mantle or for the buffet table.

These designs are  by Debbie Mumm.  Melissa has just recently gotten the license to use Debbie's designs for needlepoint. We thought these were a great addition to Melissa's line!

John Johannsen Designs

When we opened the trunk show, we loved some of the round ornaments. These two are from a series of Madonnas by John Johannsen. We loved the colors and the whimsey of these designs. You do really need to see these in person.

Suzanne's Favorite

Suzanne just fell in love with this design. It comes as pictured here but also as a Christmas Stocking. Both are quite beautiful. Look at the great details of the animlas and the pine cones. I would probably use a darning pattern for the background to help the tree and the decorations stand-out. I think Hi-COtton may have the prefect red for the planter.

Melissa Shirley's Designs

Gretchen has stitched a number of Melissa Shirley Designs. Because we are having the Melissa Trunk Show from May 14 to May 28, she has loaned us her finished pieces. From this picture, it's obvious that there is a range of designs from Halloween to Juvenile to whimical. Of course, Melissa also has stunning florals and fantastic animals.

A trunk show is a great way to see the range of a line. Melissa Shirley has an incredible range.

Beach House Sign

I just loved this Beach house Sign. I can see it made into a pillow with a canvas back. It's just perfect for a beach house. Once again, the design is by Mary-Lake Thompson.

Melissa's Large Animal Canvases

Melissa Shirley is known for her beautiful animal canvases that feature a stunning animal, bird or sealife. The large canvases have absolutely exquisite borders. We received these two stunning canvases with the trunk show. It would be hard to choose which one to get.

My summer house is on Heron Lane so I'm particularly tempted by the Blue Heron (I think it may actually be a little blue heron or a Louisiana Heron).

The seahorses have a much more graphic look but are also stunning. I can see stitching them using a partial spider web to get the raised ribs of the sea horses. And I love the splash of red from the crabs!

Of course, if we didn't get the canvas that you love,we would be delighted to order it for you at the trunk show price.

Checking in the Trunk Show

Yesterday, the Melissa Shirley Trunk Show arrived. Surprisingly, we can't just hang it. Instead, we have to check the received canvases against the inventory list.

This trunk show takes a lot of time to check in because it is so large. And or course, we have to stop to admire the canvases. It's just a wonderful show. We were all picking out our favorites. Suzanne is showing her favorites to Martine.

Baseball Mini Socks

Sometimes, I'm amazed at how much I don't know about baseball. I ordered these mini socks but that they were just ornaments. So we were fine with the New York Yankee sock but thought there was something wrong with the Mets sock. We thought it had the Mets colors but the Yankee insignia. But it turns out that these mini socks are based on the socks worn by the actual team. So the orange and blue sock is a Mets sock.

Bertha's Snowman

I actually bought this canvas, thinking it was a snowman graduating. In fact, it's a Chinese snowman. But I do love the little figure. And I happen to think that red, white and blue are great colors on the tree! Bertha did a lovely job stitching her snowman.

Whale Watch

Okay, I have to admit that sometimes I help to pick out my gifts. I just love this Cooper Oaks needlepoint canvas. It's hard to see but the binocular lens have whales in them. I am planning to stitch this with an open background stitch. But I'd like to have the whales painted over and substitute birds for the whales. I'd still make them sea oriented - like terns or seagulls or ospreys. It's a great canvas for the nature lover

Happy Mother's Day!

Last night we had dinner with friends. And for some reason, we were exchanging memories about what our mothers use to say. We all came from families of four or more kids. All of our mothers would go through the list of her kids names (and the pets names) and then say, you know who you are!

So in trying to honor Mother's Day, I decided to show your Mary Lake Thompson's Eat Your Vegetables needlepoint canvas. I thought it was a fun for Mother's Day.

Of course, at the store, we are anxiously awaiting the Melissa Shirley trunk show. It arrives by mid-week and should be up by Saturday, May 14th. It's always such an exciting show!

Happy Mother's Day.

Great Mother's Day gifts

I always think Mother's Day Gifts can be a particular challenge. Of course, for the preschool child, a gift is usually created in school. And nothing beats that picture frame or small flower growing in a dixie cup. But as kids get older, they often want to buy something. But for many, the suggested gifts are just too high.

At Ridgewood Needlepoint, we have a range of gifts that are affordable for the younger kits ( and , of course, ones that are more suitable for Dad to buy like these books.) The Ridgewood zip code key fob canvas is very affordable. In addition, we have scissors for under $10.

I always like to suggest the chapters of Amy's cookbook. An individual chapter is $12. And there are 24 in all, so the gift planning can be done for many years.

Wonderful Santa Stocking

I just love this delightful Santa needlepoint canvas stocking. Santa's face is just wonderful -- and in fact, it looks even better in person. Another really great aspect of this stocking is that there are large blocks of colors which lend themselves to great stitches.

So if you are looking for that special stocking, this might be the one.