quilt block coaster
Making the transition from stitching your first needlepoint sampler to doing canvases can be a hard one. The projects should be good-looking, appealing enough that even an experienced stitcher will want to stitch them. They should be small, so that the stitcher ha a sense of accomplishment when it’s done. And they should always increase the stitcher’s needlepoint knowledge.
Why is this important? Think about two different crafts, beading has been very successful at moving beginners to more complex projects, knitting has been less successful at this. With beading, people make that first necklace, bracelet, or pair of earrings and makes a bunch more. When ready for the next step there are many websites, more complex beads and lots of tutorials to let you make something lovely that is just a little bit harder but uses material you have used and capitalizes on techniques you already know.
Knitting on the other hand, has a problem and I’m a perfect example of this. Many people learned to knit and made scarves, lots of scarves. Great, I started, I made a project, had a sense of accomplishment, and bought yarn. What now? While there are a limited number of next step projects, they don’t fit my life. The other next steps, don’t appeal. Afghans are too large and vests are too hard. I’m not alone in this and many people never progressed from beginning knitter to knitter.
The coaster pictured above is one of four (in two sets of two) I’ve designed for Art Needlepoint. Each is stitched in perle cotton, so they are easy to do (no plying required. Each showcases different stitches that you will be able to use on other canvases. And the stitch guide is written for beginners, with lots of advice and helpful tips. They come as complete kits with everything you need but the stretcher bars.
The clean style of the quilt blocks and the fun texture of the needlepoint combine to make this a winning combination. Go to Art Needlepoint to buy.
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