Bristly Thistle Needlepoint News

At market this year we decided to dip our toes into the world of knitting. We found the most adorable knitting kits for babies using either a luxury cotton and merino wool blend in fabulous colors, or natural organic cotton or merino wool. We were literally giddy while we pulled each of the kits out of the box. The packaging is so gorgeous you won’t even need to gift wrap them. The kits make wonderful gifts for the new mom as is, or you can knit them for the new baby. One of the best parts about the cardigan kits is that there’s enough yarn to knit in one of 3 sizes—12, 18 or 24 months. You can see these and other knitting projects on our website. (posted by Michele)

Summer graduations and weddings are just around the corner for needlepointers. These new jewelry boxes from LEE are absolutely gorgeous and would make perfect graduation or bridesmaid gifts. They come in blue, hot pink, red, magenta and black textured leather.

For those of you who are planning ahead, we are offering these boxes for $55. Add a border of your own design (or choose one from June McKnight’s Borders book) and you can finish these yourself (or have us do it if you like). There are several Lee canvases that fit the opening, or you could create a monogram.

You can see more new items on our website. (posted by Michele)

When I was in the booth selecting Mindy canvases at Market, I felt like I was choosing precious jewels. Her Asian inspired canvasses are beautiful stitch-painted works of art that call out for rich threads and embellishments—velvet, metallics, silk, and beads. Her holiday canvases are full of whimsy, and most come with their own buttons to jazz them up. Any of these would be a delight to stitch and works of art when finished.

View these wonderful canvases from Mindy on our website. (posted by Michele)

I just love these sports themed canvases from Danji. They would be perfect framed or made into pillows for the child in your life. Best of all, they are on 13 mesh, so stitching these will be a breeze. Whether you use specialty threads and/or decorative stitches, or basketweave with perle cotton and/or wool, these canvases will stand out. We have Baseball, Basketball, Soccer and Football in stock now. Watch for more new canvases from our shopping spree in the Danji booth and the booths of our other favorite needlepoint artists.

There are more new canvases from the show on our website too. (posted by Michele)

Yesterday I started my buying by going down every aisle of the cavernous Long Beach convention center. The booth that drew me back first was DJ Designs. I bought a number of canvases, including several in the series inspired by Zapotec tapestries. The chair in the photo was in the booth—it was beautifully stitched and beaded and quite striking. You can see more new canvases on our website.

There are more canvases from DJ Designs on our website too. (posted by Michele)

I found these “Study Buddies” at the Dallas show. Although this model shows antique embroidery as the inset, they look terrific with a needlepoint canvas inset. The finishing can be done in 3 sizes—small for a young child, medium for a “tween” and large for adults. Send a fabric sample that you would like to match, and we can make a custom “Study Buddy” to go with any décor. See more finishing ideas on our finishing web page. (posted by Michele)

Needlepoint pillows are gorgeous, but they can be a large project. This boudoir pillow shows how you can take a smaller canvas and make a pillow from it. The canvas shown here is an eyeglass case! See more finishing ideas on our finishing web page. (posted by Michele)

These colorful stockings have just arrived in the store from the show in Dallas. I have stitched two Alexa stockings for my family and am really happy with the results. See more Alexa Designs on our web site.

I found these fruit canvases at the San Diego trade show. The artist, Kim Walton, had a stitched model made up as a darling purse—very fun and summery. They would be wonderful as pillows or framed pieces in a kitchen or sun-room. There are more examples on the Dede Ogden page.

How cute is this canvas made up as a purse? We can finish any canvas in a variety of purse styles, from simple to over the top!

This brand new canvas has just arrived in the store from Elizabeth Hess. We saw Elizabeth’s display of fireworks and baseball stadiums at the San Diego show and asked her to create one for our many Tigers fans. You can see more details on our website.

Not a Tigers fan? We can order other stadiums as well.