Bugs, butterflies & feathers from Waterweave

Any of these 3 canvases—butterflies, bugs or feathers—would be beautiful in a wooden tray, framed or as pillows. Each comes with a stitch guide with a color photo of the finished canvas. They are all available on our website.

Needlepoint 101 and 202

You can’t beat this beginner’s book for the price. This book diagrams 21 stitches, including basketweave, suggests uses for each stitch and refers you to a color model that uses that stitch. The second half of the book features 12 canvases shown in color, both stitched and unstitched. The best part of this book, though, is the collection of helpful hints scattered throughout the book. The beginner will find all sorts of hints that will prevent mistakes most of us learned about the hard way. Spiral bound in paperback, this book’s small size (6” x 8”) makes it the perfect companion for your project bag.

After Needlepoint 101 came Needlepoint 202. I based a class on this book and found it to be chock-full of great stitches and models. My students got the book with the class and many bought extra copies to give to friends.

The book features 12 techniques—beading, couching, knots, padding, ruching (my favorite), Santa’s hair and beard stitches, thread blending, thread painting, tufted stitches, twisted cord and wrapped cord. (As they say in those television commercials)… But wait, that’s not all. The authors have diagrammed 42 stitches that are shown on the 12 color models, all of them current canvases. Each of the models is photographed in color before and after stitching. AND each model comes with the stitch guide. If you love the canvas, you can order it and use the book for the stitch guide. The photographs of the stitched models are very clear and definitely give you ideas for your projects.

This book is also a spiral-bound and small, so it is very portable. My only complaint is that the layout of the book is not easy to figure out—the authors placed the model/stitch guide and stitch sections in the middle of the 12 techniques. A small complaint for another reasonably priced book with lots of great ideas. Both books are available on our website.

Fancy Flowers Needlepoint DVD by Amy Bunger

I spent another enjoyable hour being entertained and wowed by Amy Bunger with her “Fancy Flowers” instructional DVD. Using a wacky vase canvas from Melissa Shirley, she demonstrates all sorts of techniques that can be used for flowers on any canvas.

My favorites included Packed Fly Stitches, Detached Buttonhole over found objects, Stacked Beads and the Turkey Work chapter. I finally got “Jump through the loop” turkey work! Some of us need to be shown how to do things….

So as winter goes on past the holidays, start thinking about and stitching cheerful spring flowers. All of Amy’s DVD’s are available on our website.

Needlepoint “Bible”

I’m mostly a self-taught stitcher, although I am indebted to Brenda Hart for teaching me lots of new tricks. A good reference library is invaluable for learning to use new stitches and to learn proper techniques. Not every book, however, is worth having on hand. These are some of my favorites:

Jo Christensen’s “Needlepoint Book” is called the “Bible of Needlepoint” by many. The first 7 chapters are crammed with all the information you need to begin needlepointing, making the correct choices in threads and colors, finishing, blocking and so much more. Chapters 8-17 group decorative stitches by type (straight, diagonal, cross, tied, etc.) and provide a drawing and a black and white close-up photograph of the stitch. Each chapter is preceded by chart that lists each stitch in that chapter and its characteristics—good backing, fast to stitch, yarn hog, snag-proof, distorts canvas and on and on for 21 descriptions. This book is a must have for any serious needlepointer. It will take you from beginner to Intermediate and beyond, or just makes a great reference when a stitch guide calls for a stitch you don’t remember or haven’t tried. We have this book with regular binding or spiral bound.

If this seems overwhelming to a newbie, The National NeedleArts Association publishes a 30 page paperback for $6.50 that takes you from beginner to advanced beginner and is not at all intimidating. It’s a great gift combo with a starter canvas and available on our website.

Needlepoint Stitches by Howren and Robertson

I couldn’t have stitched a dozen Christmas stockings without the series of three “Stitches for Effect” by Howren and Robertson. Each book has the same format. The first section is devoted to describing threads (very useful when a thread you aren’t familiar with is called for or if you want to substitute something you have on hand). There is a very handy thread to canvas conversion chart that tells you how many ply of a thread to use on a particular mesh, although I do find they tend to stitch “thinner” than I sometimes like. The next section is what it is all about. Stitches are listed in alphabetical order and are accompanied by a very clear, numbered diagram (have you noticed that some diagrams don’t tell you where to start, stop or continue???). The book recommends threads for effects and what effect you may be able to create. Best of all, one of the 4 indices is the Effect Index. Need ideas for bricks, moldings, clothing, paths, roads, whatever? Look them up and see which will best suit your canvas. When I’m too tired to stitch or I can’t figure out what to do next, I prop my canvas up and open these books for ideas. All 3 are available on our website.

Needlepoint Tips and Techniques

I have started a new blog called Needlepoint Tips and Techniques where I will posting weekly progress reports on my current project. My first project is Halloween March from Susan Roberts.

Please take a look!

Amy Bunger’s Needlepoint Cookbook

Once you become a “serious” stitcher, you start collecting books for reference. When I am too tired to stitch, or stumped by an area on a canvas, I take down a couple of books and dream up new stitch/thread combinations.

Amy Bunger’s “Cookbook for Stitchers”, a 3 volume set, was on my bookshelf before I became a shop owner. Each Volume ends with a comprehensive stitch index. These books are packed with stitches and ideas.

Volume 1 has 8 chapters that cover knots, Scotch stitch, Cross stitch, Straight stitches, Gobelin stitches, tent, woven and chain stitches and their many variations. The variations are numerous—for instance, there are 24 variations on the Scotch stitch. Each stitch is clearly diagrammed and clearly described, including any tricky bits. Amy also suggests uses for many of the stitches.

Volume 2 covers stitches for hair, Halloween and Christmas, as well as darning, eyelet, Byzantine, leaf and composite stitches. As in Volume 1, each stitch is diagrammed and clearly described.

Volume 3 has 2 chapters devoted to the Amy’s favorite stitch guide stitches. She also covers Bargello, blackwork, laid fillings and borders, Stitches to use for a garden scene and a chapter called “Dog’s Breakfast”. Included in that chapter are such stitches as Bishop’s Cross, Lemon Tart, Beads on a String, Nobuko and Hungarian variations.

We have this great reference in stock on our website.

Needlepoint Nutcrackers by JB Designs

I was so enthused that Julia’s Needleworks now represents the JB line that I stitched this roll-up nutcracker “Partridge in a Pear Tree” in record time. I will be making stitch guides for the entire series of the 12 days of Christmas. And then there are the large standup Santas in my stash…I see Swarovski crystals in my future. (Click on this picture to see the detail.) (posted by Michele)

Gold thread needlepoint

As a reward for stitching class models, I let myself work on a couple of small projects for myself at the end of the day.

I pulled this Heart canvas from my before-store stash. I worked the red and pink areas in basketweave using Petite Very Velvet and Trebizond. While stitching with the Trebizond, I found that longer lengths tended to shred at the end, so I began using 12-14” lengths. Because I hate ripping out, I needed to save the areas that were obviously worn. I took a 12” length of Trebizond and split it into thirds. I threaded one strand on my needle and went over the distressed areas. For perfectionists, this won’t work, but I don’t think anyone will get into the tree to scrutinize this ornament that closely.

I had never really appreciated Kreinik’s Japan gold braid until I stitched this canvas. I had intended to bead all of the gold areas and then came to my senses. I found the gold braid stitch in June McKnight’s book “Needlepoint Borders”. The stitch is a large cross with reversing mosaic ties done with #12 braid. I then couched the braid horizontally above and below the border using a strand of the Japan gold itself to attach it. The bottom of the center medallion is a fern variation. For the swirly lines, I again couched #12 Kreinik Japan gold braid. The floral motifs were going to be gold-plated beads, but I found they stood out from the canvas too much. I had tried the lazy daisy stitch with #12, but it was too bulky. Finally, I took #8 Japan gold braid and stitched lazy daisies with French knots in the centers. They look like gold peas in gold pods.

I’ve always wanted to take the time to learn goldwork. Until I can find that time, I think this “faux goldwork” is something I will use again.

Shelly flip flop needlepoint

Here is another of my “rewards” canvases—projects I stitch when I have finished stitching models for the day.

The background is Renaissance Shimmer stitched in a horizontal Parisian stripe. The snowflakes were going to be beads, but French knots in Kreinik 032 #12 braid did the trick. The fur trim is a chenille thread I found in a fabric store that I couched down with a strand of Floche. I used my curved scissors to trim the chenille to the proper shape and scale. The wreath is made of French knots with beads. Santa’s beard is the criss-cross Hungarian in perle cotton with Neon Rays cross-stitches in the voids. These canvases come with all the materials you need to finish them yourself. I’m afraid to finish canvases, but even I was able to pull it off.