In an earlier post, I mentioned Amy’s series of instructional DVDs – a picture may be worth a thousand words, but, a moving picture tutorial is the living end. As if having Amy on hand isn’t enough, add that adorable Kelly Clark and whooee – what fun! One of the things I love best about needlepoint is that there are so many things that look extremely difficult, but are, in fact, easy to do (at least easy once someone shows you how). Amy and Kelly take needle weaving to new heights here for you, removing all the stumbling blocks. Here are the two latest in the series:
Now, for a real treat, here is a short clip “preview”, just to whet your appetite:
Okay, another year has just blitzed by at warp speed, and in a scant two weeks’ time, Turkey Day will roll in. The bad news is, I’m gonna have to do all that cooking and cleaning up and silver polishing and stuff; the good news is that there is so much to be thankful for. My own list includes those things I cherish dearly: sharing love with my family and friends, being truly thankful for my son’s continued great health (as well as enjoying my own), the freedom to pursue my heart’s desires (which would include stitching on those countless needlepoint projects) – being blessed is a Godsend, and I am so grateful for it all. ”Nuff with the maudlin carryings-on, here’s a little something to make ya smile. Keep on stitching, smiling, sharing – and, Happy Thanksgiving!
If you haven’t started your video library of Amy Bunger’s instructional DVDs, go immediately and get them! Each one covers different effects and techniques, and they are all wonderful. It’s the next-best-thing to sitting with Amy at your side, coaching you through a new stitch, whatever. As always, her calm delivery is soothing, and her great, good humor is delightful. No matter what level you believe your stitching to be, you can and will learn something new – don’t know how many times I said, “Wow, I never heard that, before!” The newest, Volume 6, entitled Barely There, walks you through various ways to execute “light coverage”. Amy goes over the importance of your path in Blackwork and Darning Patterns, thread weights/plies, great stuff. All of the six are equally fabulous, and will be great additions to your needlework library.
Here’s a picture of the front:
Amy's "Barely There" - Go Get It !!!
Have fun, keep on stitching – I’m off to work on a stocking…………more later – NPQ
Been waiting a long time for Miss Suzy to come up with another great book, and she’s done it. Her brand new “Suzy’s Mini Stitches” is a treasure trove of ways to fill those smaller areas on your canvas. I know Amy Bunger has them already, so go get yours right away! For those of you who’ve never taken class with SuZy, ask your local shops to look into having her come in – she’s way too much fun, a beautiful stitcher and designer. I was lucky to meet her years ago in Detroit at the first ANG Seminar I ever attended. SuZy and her sister, Kitty Mueller, along with Amy Bunger, made the trip memorable for me. What a blast!
I did decorate my Christmas tree, can’t believe the Holidays came and went, as has most of January! Been traveling, working, visiting family, stitching, and even knitting a little. Winter blahs made me decide to put up a Spring Village picture – probably pushing the season, but, hey! A little day dreaming can be a good thing……….
Gotta quit talking and get back to stitching – don’t forget to make stitching part of your every day, too!
And so it begins – the annual visitation of the ornaments. Many friends (and some family) tease me relentlessly because as each ornament is unwrapped before hanging, the story of how it came to be in our collection must be recalled. Some were gifts from loved ones, some were carefully made by the children long ago. Some are treasured hand-me-downs, things that hung on our parents’ trees. It runs the gamut from funny little plastic things from the lean years to exquisite hand-blown glass balls. Not to be forgotten are all the needlepoint ornaments – what fun to remember where we were while stitching each one with love. So, it takes quite a while for me to go through all of them, taking time to relive, remember, and rejoice in each little vignette. It will take several more days to get them all unwrapped and on the tree, but a great deal of fun will be had in the interim.
The picture in the heading is a finished piece stitched by yet another friend. It is the Candy Town Village designed by Deborah Wilson of Beau Geste, now Bella Donna. It is a magnificent piece, probably still available fully kitted with stitch guide included. Follow the link to their site to check on availability. It was a great fun piece to work, too.
My next post will have some suggestions for gifts for your stitching friends, and maybe a few random goodies, too. Keep on stitching!
Another Turkey Day has arrived, have been cooking for days! Sometimes it seems that the ratio of hours in prep to eating/enjoyment are disproportionate, but it’s still worth it – comforting to do the same things over again, remembering other days, and all our many blessings to be thankful for. My holiday has been grand, hope your has, too. Gear up – Holiday Season is here! Remember to take time to stitch……
Everybody has their own ideas about the tools they want to have on hand – it’s one thing when we’re at home and have access to our “nest”, fully outfitted and arranged. But, how about taking it on the road? I stitch with a group once a month (rotating around members’ houses), also attend classes whenever my schedule permits, and adore stitching on the road if there is a willing driver……so I have developed a bag of goodies that go with me no-matter-what.
Obviously, one must have an assortment of needles – at a minimum, my bag will have Tapestry and Chenilles in sizes 20, 22, 24, and 26. Milliner’s needles are handy to have on hand (you might want to make a perfect bullion knot, so much easier with a Milliner’s needle). Don’t forget to throw in a few threaders and magnet pairs, too. Scissors, of course – exquisite embroidery scissors, scissors for cutting metallic threads, an all-purpose pair in case you need to cut paper, cardboard, whatever. My bag has an assortment of laying tools- my personal favorite is a shaped, wooden tool about 7 inches long, but it’s important also to have a Tekobari (not to be confused with the BLT) and perhaps one other like the Trolley Needle. There are a number of lovely hair and shawl “pins” that make good laying tools, too. A 6″ ruler is handy, along with an assortment of colored pencils and a good mechanical pencil. Spare rust-proof tacks and a tool to remove them; an Alan wrench to adjust/assemble a Lowery Stand; T-Tool to adjust Evertite Stretcher Bars; Bugz-Eye Magnifier; and PinkHair Tape (think Sally’s Beauty Supply, this handy tape will hold things out of the way without leaving sticky residue – just don’t leave it there indefinitely……..) are all useful. One incredibly handy tool is a telescoping magnet wand- especially for dropped needles in the car or on an airplane! Add a bit of paper or card stock (for notes or masking stitch diagrams for purposes of determining compensation), and I’m ready to go.
Not necessary, but oh-so-wonderful to have are adornments for your scissors and threaders. My faves are by Lee Cox, an amazing artist (and stitcher, by the way) who creates dichroic glass beads, then combines them with silver beads and Swarovski crystal beads into the most beautiful tassels. Her bracelets and necklaces are spectacular, too. Will put a link in next post so you can see her beautiful work.
Set up your tool bag, and you’ll be ready to go, too!
Exactly how three quarters of the year have zoomed by so quickly is a mystery to me. It sorta reminds me of the analogy of the toilet paper roll that spins faster and faster as it nears the end…………….I refuse to gently “go into that good night” while there is still so much to see, do, enjoy, and experience.
It’s been said we cannot die when there are needlepoint projects yet to be finished (which should enable my stay here to last another 70 years or so). Last week on the patio, my project of choice was a small picture frame that allowed me to concentrate on the beauty of the day, zoning out with basketweave and absorbing all around me without thought. Last night, however, my Tony Minieri “Journey” piece called to me. One of Tony’s pieces is to needlepoint what Mozart is to music – beauty, precision and fulfillment in arriving just where you knew you’d be going. If you have never worked on one of Tony’s exquisite designs, do yourself a favor and give it a shot (better yet, take his class) – there are so many to choose from. His Stars for the New Millennium is a fabulous piece – stitch all twelve squares in one piece, or, pick a few and make ornaments from them! Here’s a link (and picture below it) to Tony’s “home base” to order the project for yourself: http://www.theedwardianneedle.com/Designs_Stars.html
Don’t let a day go by without feeding your heart and soul by stitching – it’s good for your health, too!
Can you believe it was 86 degrees this afternoon? Not complaining, just thought we were going to be a bit cooler for a time.
While looking for a particular stitch guide last night, my “adult-onset A.D.D.” kicked in and several hours went by as looking lovingly over many projects (some my own, others by friends and students) I found the one originally sought. Simply couldn’t resist showing one here. A friend stitched about twelve Beatrix Potter ornaments (following my stitch guides) for a permanent Christmas Tree for her grandson’s gift two years ago. As each ornament was completed, we would ooh and aah and proclaim it “our favorite”. But, the completion of another would make us decide, “oh, no, this is the best one!” Suffice to say, we could not pick a favorite, and more than “teared up” when she completed the tree. She did a perfectly fabulous job stitching them and even brought herself to give them to that precious boy at Christmas (don’t know that I could have parted with them, he may have been comin’ to Grandma’s house to see his little tree…). She’s a very generous lady. So, here is a picture of one of our “favorites”, Tom Kitten.
Isn’t he the cutest thing, ever?!?!?!? Keep on stitchin’………….
Went out for the paper this morning and was met by the most delightful nip in the air! Here in the South, we are so accustomed to heat and humidity, the first crisp days of Fall are truly to be treasured. Guess I’ll be taking all my needlepoint gear out onto the patio so as not to miss a moment of it. Imagine – outdoors in fabulous light, cup of coffee at hand, all my stitching gear around me, what could be better?
This is my first post, and my fervent hope is that this blog will be a spot for people who love needlepoint, sharing their ideas, expertise, new “finds”, and the simple joy in a medium that allows us all to be artists.
Now, for the big decision of the day: what project will it be: St. Basil’s Cathedral (from a great Carol Lake class)? Doggie Day Care (Maggie & Co. canvas, with a stitch guide Tony Minieri prepared just for me!)? Provencal Picture Frame (just basketweave, no thinking required….)? Hmmmmm, will have to think about it while gathering that gear.
