News

Annick LaTourelle is a French designer of charted needlepoint. Her charming geometric designs can be seen (and ordered) from her website. To get it in English, click on the UK flag in the right column.

Her needlepoint designs include geometrics and three charming picture frames. She sells some as charts only (click on charts in the left column), and some as kits (needlepoint kits are listed in both embroidery kits and complete kits). She also sells Threadworx floss and needlepoint canvas.

While some of her designs are featured on the home page, click around to see more delightful designs.

If you are in France, Germany, or Belgium, click on the news link in the left column to get the schedule of fairs where you can see her.

A big shout-out to Jane in Chilly Hollow for setting out on the search for this.

See more here:
Charted Needlepoint from France

Phoenix Market Report – August 2003

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2003-09-05 17:52:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

This special issue of Nuts about Needlepoint is devoted entirely to a report on the Phoenix Needlework Market which happened Sunday and Monday. Many of the products described here were available to be purchased at the Market, so many will be in your shops shortly.

There were some exciting new thread vendors, lots of interesting painted canvas, and a ton of intriguing finishing ideas.

PAINTED & CHARTED CANVAS

One of the most unusual lines I saw were the Japanese Jewels line from Gale Martin Carson. These teaching pieces incorporate pieces of vintage Japanese kimonos or obis into the design. They come out of Gale’s love of Japanese textiles and are really lovely.

Elements (distributed by LC Kramer) has stunning designs of flowers and butterflies as well as Art Nouveau patterns. The canvases are stitch painted perfectly. When I saw them, I just wanted to sit there and stitch them right then.

Jean Smith had some wonderful canvases with citrus fruits, kiwis and dahlias. The colors burt out of the canvas. She has also taken several of her popular designs and rendered them in a smaller coaster size. These would make perfect “on the go” projects.

There were some rugs which were really special at the show. Sharon G has one with many of her popular perfume bottle designs scattered all over it. JP Needlepoint had a design which has large Chinese vases going around the sides. My favorite was a sandals rug from jean Nichols where many different sandals were lined up around the rug. What a cool idea for a beach house!

HP Designs had even more of their lovely detailed designs. My favorite was their coleus which had wonderful detail and color. It is designed to go in the stationery box.

Simply Jo has a line of contemporary canvases which are just delightful. I can easily see using her sunflower canvas as the basis of a stitch sampler.

Creative Reflections specializes in charts for Bargello and Hardanger. The Bargello pieces show a fresh approach to four-way and free form Bargello. There is a “no cut” Hardanger piece, (Hearts Delight) which is absolutely delightful.

Dreams of Stitches has a delightful series of five different kits using 24 mesh silk gauze, The kits come with the gauze mounted and matted. If silk gauze is something you’ve wanted to try, but have problems seeing — these kits are perfect.

Textured Treasures has a line of beautiful and innovative geometric designs. Although written for fabric, they can be easily converted to needlepoint. The quality of their charts is outstanding, some of the best I’ve seen, every stitch is diagrammed and the material list includes the number of 18″ lengths required.

THREAD NEWS

Some new threads from old friends as well as some entirely new companies were at the Market. JL Walsh Silks has come out with some wonderful Mohair yarns in a straight and a curly style. It comes in a handful of colors and is great for hair.

The Thread Gatherer has a new line of silk ribbon, Savoir Faire. It is a sturdier ribbon than used for embroidery and is great for tassels and closures. It is 4mm wide and comes in 18 colors, with more to be added.

Silk and Ivory is expanding the color selection of their new thread Trio. There are three new colors now and four to be added in October. This thread expands the possibilities for these lovely threads.

House of Embroidery has a line of #8 pearl cottons and embroidery floss packaged in groups of three related colors. Sometimes all three are variations of the same color, (such as pinks, greens or blues), sometimes they are three different colors which work together. The skeins are 9 meters and the thread is hand-dyed in South Africa, African Folklore Embroidery distributes it.

River Silks was a new exhibitor at the Market and makes lovely silk ribbons. 4mm and 7 mm ribbons come packaged on cards in 154 colors, both solid and overdyed. The overdyed threads had a speckled look (almost like a bird’s egg). Stitches samples of this thread were really interesting. The ribbons are stronger than other silks and don’t ravel or show needle marks.

Pattern Maniac is a new maker of threads, distributed by LC Kramer. I was very impressed with their wide selection of unusual threads and will be devoting a long article to them soon. But some of the highlights of their line include: Feather Soft Plus (which feels like a feather and can go through the canvas), Early Days (an acrylic which can be washed), Petites (a long-wearing wool blend), and lots more.

FINISHING

Stitch n’ Tuck pillows have long been popular with cross stitchers, but they have been a problem for needlepointers because there is not enough of a margin to hold needlepoint securely. Rosalie Peters has Stitch n’ Tuck pillow made for needlepoint. They come in standard sizes and colors, but they will also create custom work.

&more has a great line of boxes with openings 1.3″ square, 4″x6″ to 5″ square. There are also two sizes of round boxes, 2″ and 4″ as well as a triplet box which has three of the smallest size squares. They boxes come in a great range of colors including orange, red, graphite, black, blueberry, purple and blue.

Kathy Schenkel introduced a tree made from dowels in three color schemes, Easter, Christmas and Halloween. These trees would make a wonderful place to show off a collection if small needlepoint ornaments.

Romancing the Past has a second size of their wonderful Treasure Boxes. It is larger and has a 3 1/2″ opening. They have just come out with a whitewash color and have more in the works.

They also have just introduced a hard cell phone case which had an opening for needlework. The opening is 1″ x 3″ and has an acrylic cover over it. This is a totally amazing way to finish needlework. In just an hour or two a com,plete gift can be made.

GREAT NEW STUFF

K’s Creations has come out with a new head for their popular metal stand. it provides greater flexibility in positioning your needlework than any other stand out there. Why? Because the new head has a ball joint (like your hip). This allows the stitcher to position and hold the needlework at angle within a sphere. I can’t wait to get mine and try it out.

Although it isn’t needlepoint. African Folklore Embroidery has finished embroideries and kits of charming chain stitch designs on black cloth. The finished embroideries are made in South Africa by the women of the Ndebele tribe.

Connie Welch, who does lovely painted needlepoint canvas, has come out with a delightful line of stuffed cat figures for beaded embroidery fans. The cats are painted with fabric paint in lovely colors and then can be beaded as completely as desired with the many delightful beads which come in the kit. Copper wire for whiskers and a glass fish are also included.

Finally TPC Designs has an outstanding new clear bag for your projects. Called a Belt Bag, they have edges finished with fabric and instead of a zipper a flap, so nothing can catch on your thread.

Read the rest here:
Phoenix Market Report – August 2003

TNNA Round-up January 2003

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2003-01-20 08:39:12. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

TNNA was so full of fantastic needlepoint canvases, threads, and finishing ideas that this entire issue is going to be devoted to an in-depth report on the show. In the next issue I’ll resume with all the regular features, but I wanted to devote as much space as
possible to let you know about the goodies I’ve found.

Because of scheduling and deadlines on my part I went through the show like a house afire, so I am sure that your local shops will have lots of new canvases I missed — there was just too much to see.

The article is divided up into four sections: New Canvases, New Threads, Finishing and Accessories, and Trends in Needlepoint. You’ll find information about new products you’ll love in every section. When possible I have included links to the companies in the article. Shopowners can find all these companies through TNNA. Consumers should talk to their LNS about getting these products.

NEW CANVASES

Catherine Coleman has come out with her first painted canvases, a lovely grouping of Arts and Crafts pottery in period colors. Done on cream canvas, these are wonderful pieces. Amy Bunger has created a very inventive Candle of the Month series. There are 13 canvases in the series. Sharon G has a drop-dead gorgeous series of ornate fishing flies. These would be so wonderful done in a variety of threads and stitches. JulieMar had some really wonderful orchids as well as other flowers which would be a treat to stitch. Barbara Elmore has taken her wonderful way of combining ribbon embroidery and needlepoint and combined them with softly painted and lettered canvases. You stitch the flower but leave the canvas unstitched. These are distributed by Sundance Designs.

Jean Smith has several wonderful series of small designs including fruits, flowers, teapots and teacups. Most of these designs are on 13 mesh canvas and some have larger pieces in the same series as well. Designing Women had a wonderful small series of great women
canvas which includes Scarlet O’Hara, Joan of Arc and Marie Antoinette. They have an Advent nativity which currently has 12 pieces and which will go up to 24 with a stitched background. There are new crosses, including some Frank Lloyd Wright crosses and some more great crowns from this popular designer.

A British designer, Julia Hickman, has some lovely kits being imported by Camus. These include screened, charted and trammed canvases in modern and traditional designs. Also in tramme, from Martin Winkler are some large, lovely reproductions of Klimt ladies.

Associated Talents has several pieces based on nursery rhymes, including one absolutely wonderful rug. There are surroundings which would work for birth samplers, picture frames and pillows in the series as well. Traditions has a great Noah’s Ark bellpull which would be wonderful in a child’s room. It is also available with animal buttons and a stitch guide.

There was also lots of 3-dimensional needlepoint. Rebecca Wood has made some more wonderful and complex 3-D houses. TS Designs has added to their line of keepers with Wizard of Oz characters, Raggedy Ann and Andy and an adorable Welsh terrier. The Studio has another wonderful idea for ornaments — Jack in the Boxes. These pieces have both the box and figure made from needlepoint. A Collection of designs has a number of options for gingerbread houses from a complete house to stitching only the front of a house and putting it on a wooden or cardboard house. dede’s needleworks is dressing up more stuffed animals even more adorably. She has a penguin and baby with fish in a backpack and a Christmas tree bear with presents for shoes. For the more traditional-minded stitcher she has porcelain dolls with needlepoint skirts. They are just too cute!

Coasters, coasters, coasters — there are lots of designers with absolutely delightful ideas to make needlepoint coasters, some available as sets, some as single designs. Kathy Schenkel (subject of our April designer profile) has a great series of coasters with
alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. Raymond Crawford has a great batch of citrus coasters in punchy colors. Susan Roberts has tons of four design sets covering everything from Celtic knots to a hatching chick.

As always there were lots of great ornaments. Custom House has a line of twelve men’s jackets and vests — one for every month. Without arms or heads, they are easy to finish. The Princess and Me has a new ornament of the month series (and all these designs come with stitch guides). Needle Graphics has a set of seasonal cornucopias while Danji has a great batch of hearts which come with stitch guides to show off many stitches and threads. Shelley has a new line of ornaments which are of clothing, including a poodle skirt and sweater. Kathy Schenkel not only has delightful pairs of mittens, she has tiny needlepoint scuffs you make in pairs as ornaments.

NEW THREADS

There is lots of exciting news for threadaholics! If you have loved the Needle Necessities overdyed metallics, or if you have been wishing they were available in other sizes — your wait is over. Overdyed metallics are now available in #4 and #12. There are also six new colors of overdyed floss.

JL Walsh silks (our designer profile for March) has new colors available. As does Designing Women in their Heathered Ribbon floss. The Caron Collection has 3 new colors of their popular Snow metallic. Amy Bunger’s wool crepe has 6 new solid colors and 5 new tweeds which should be available next month.

Rainbow Gallery has several new colors in their popular threads. There are 10 new colors of Splendor, 12 new colors of Petite Frosty Rays as well as a dozen new Neon Rays. Sparkle Rays (a great thread) has 31 new gloss colors, softer colors than the initial ones which will add a nice texture and a bit of sheen to more traditional designs. Fyrewerks has 9 new colors in a series called Soft Sheen. They are more muted colors and look like they will be easier to stitch. I’ll report on then in the next issue (look for it in New Products).

The Thread Gatherer has a new line of 20 colors of mohair called Sanibel. They have also added several new colors to Oriental Linen (a linen/silk blend) bringing the total there to 20.

Ty-Di Threads, a new company, has added two new threads to their collection. These threads are really interesting because the 35 colors are dyed to match across their different threads. The colors are bright and made for working on 18 mesh canvas. By using these threads the stitcher can get different textures without different colors. The threads are Cotton Plus, a cotton/rayon blend, Just Cotton, Silk, and Silk/Wool. I have some great samples and will have an article about them soon.

Another new company is & More who has two thread lines, Merino Silk, a wool/silk blend available in 24 colors, and Merino Wool an all-wool thread in 65 colors. They also make a wool tweed (6 colors).

Amy Bunger has heard the prayers of people like me who like the look of chenille but want to be able to stitch with it. Her new thread, Wool Chenille, is made from Merino Wool and can be used for needlepoint. It won’t shred when cut or stitched. There are 11 colors.

Although Kreinik didn’t bring out new colors, I went nuts over their Stash Builders — I want one of each. These collections of 20 (you read that right) 5 yard spools of thread in a single color family and a single size are absolutely perfect for the stitcher who wants to add more metallic but doesn’t want lots of thread around. The packages (coming in their own clear storage box) are available in four size (8, 12, 16, and 1/16″ ribbon) and seven colors. They are wonderful and really show off the range of colors available in metallic threads.

NEW FINISHING AND ACCESSORIES

Rainbow Gallery has an wonderful new gadget, the Needle Nabber, selling for around $15. This tool has a narrow plastic tube which you use to grab your needle and pull it out of tight spots.

Lacis has another great tool — the Nap Brush. These handled brushes come in three types (medium, hard and a two-side medium/soft) and are great for raising the nap of stitches.

The Cloak Room has several bags, similar to Sophia bags, but in chenille and denim so they can be used everyday. They are available in 10, 12, 13 and 14 mesh as well as Aida.

Sudberry has a new Nantucket basket with space for a band of needlework around the top as well as new boxes and a lovely firescreen.

For a needlepoint heirloom, look no further than Anne Brinkley. They have hand-cast and finished pewter boxes. These boxes come in several shapes, are embellished and are made as they would have been in the 19th Century. The high silver content of the pewter makes them expensive, but they are really lovely, even without stitching in them.

TRENDS IN NEEDLEPOINT

I was very excited by the show this time, I saw lots of exciting and innovative designs, they really made me itch to start stitching. In the face of economic problems many of us face, it was really inspiring to see how designers have responded to stitchers and their desires. Several designers I spoke with said this was their best show ever. It’s so gratifying to see. While knitting is all over the news (and there were lots of yarn companies at the show), it’s great to see needlepoint growing steadily.

Stitchers are asking for needlepoint which can be practical as well as decorative. The designers have responded with a wealth of fashion and decorative accessories. There were several companies (including Pease on Earth) making painted canvases to fit inside leather accessories. There were tons of needlepoint belts, including some great ones based on the geometric designs from Maggie Co., and lots of innovative ways to finish them. My favorite of these was from Designing Women and will let you finish a belt yourself. Both Julia’s Needleworks and Keep Your Pants On had leather purses which were made to be embellished with a needlepoint belt. There were new bamboo purse handles from Sudberry House which can turn almost any needlepoint into a chic bag. Alice Peterson has expanded the line of straw bags to include black and red and two sizes. There were shoes, slipper and slides, purses in a mind-boggling array of shapes and sizes and ever ornament which looked like clothing.

While there are still lots of really lovely large canvases which will make wonderful heirlooms, many companies are extending their lines by making smaller canvases which can be finished in a few hours. Raymond Crawford has 135 different 2�2 magnet designs. These fit perfectly into Romancing the Past’s small Treasure Boxes. Using threads in your stash and finishing it yourself (which is easy), you can have an outstanding gift for under $35.

Lots of other designers have small pieces too. Danji has a series of canvases which can be finished as book weights. Melissa Shirley has some very tiny ornaments. Tink Boord-Dill has her series of Tiny Treasures.

A final trend in design I saw all over the show was Oriental style canvases. While designs based on oriental art have been popular since the 70′s, there seemed to be lots more this year. The graphic impact of Chinese characters was seen in canvases from Raymond
Crawford, Danji, Lani, and Beau Geste. Needlepoint of Back Bay has several purses
based on Chinese take-out boxes. Decorations has canvases showing off Japanese family crests in great colors. Amy Bunger not only has her canvas of several chopsticks but has also come out with a series of individual chopsticks. HP Designs has some exquisite canvases to put into their lacquer boxes.

View original post here:
TNNA Round-up January 2003

All the Gnus that Print their Fits in Needlepoint

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Gnus from www.roumazeilles.net

You know how the New York Times says they “print all the news that fits?” In college we played with the phrase. My favorite was “All the gnus that print their fits.” But, thanks to Renee from Pepita Neelepoint we have our own needlepoint NYT. She has created an aggregate site, Needlepoint News, as a one-stop shop.

There are three columns on the site. The left column has needlepoint stories in the news. These might be notices about clubs, prize winners, or exhibitions. But you will also find other mentions about needlepoint in different traditional media.

The middle column covers blogs. While this is useful for finding blogs that mention needlepoint, I would be lots happier if instead of blogs that only mention needlepoint in passing, it aggregated the many needlepoint blogs, from individuals, designers, and shops, that really and primarily are about needlepoint. On Google Reader, I follow about 50 needlepoint blogs and I know an aggregate site for them would be great.

It would be wonderful if Renee could improve this column.

The right column is labeled “Discussions” and includes posts from social media sites, question sites, and photo sharing pools. There is lots of good stuff here.

Renee has done a good job of presenting lots of information here, and doing this takes a ton of work. Automated aggregators help alot, but, all too often, they pick up things that aren’t as useful as things they miss.

The site is very worthwhile and should be checked daily, but it’s probably not going to replace your blogroll or Google Reader list anytime soon.

See the original post:
All the Gnus that Print their Fits in Needlepoint

New Threads

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2009-01-01 18:14:54. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

BELLALUSSO
This new 100% Merino wool is distributed by Fleur de Paris and is a wonderful replacement
for Medici. I think it’s made in Italy and is a lovely soft, crewel weight wool.
I stitched in both Basketweave and Double Cross on 18 mesh canvas using two strands.
The process made me remember why I love to use wool. It slides through the canvas so
easily, the stitches are so rich and thick, and the end result is so smooth.
In short, I loved this thread. Currently it is available in 46 colors in either a 45 yard skein
or 350 yard hanks. While there aren’t lots of colors, the range is good, with most families
having three shades in them. I really like using wool for fur and hair and Bellalusso has
seven shades of brown and tan, which is very welcome.
This is a great thread and I can’t wait to use it in a project.

PLANET EARTH FIBERS
This company makes four silk threads. Two threads, silk and six-strand silk, can be used
for embroidery. The two others have sequins or beads added to the silk, so they can only
be used as couched threads.
Silk is a single strand silk, similar in width to Vineyard Silks Classic. It will work on either
14 or 18 mesh for decorative stitches. For Tent Stitches, most people can use it on either
mesh, but some stitchers may find it too thick for 18 mesh. It is also very soft.
Silk has a strong directional light which means that stitches slanting in different directions
look like different shades of the same color. This makes it a great thread for many
stitches.
Six-strand silk is pliable and four strands work well on 18 mesh. It stitched beautifully.
Although you can use it like any stranded silk, the look is slightly different. Each strand is
more tightly twisted, so the effect is almost as if you are stitching with extremely fine silk
perle. And like silk perles, such as Grandeur, the effect is slightly matte. I really enjoyed
using this thread.
You can check out their color cards on their website at
http://www.planetearthfiber.com/cpg/. Silk comes in 125 colors, while six-strand silk is
available in 107 colors. All colors available in the six-strand are also available in silk and
seven of these colors are also available in a six-strand variegated version.
Currently the threads are found mostly at knitting and quilting shops, but they will be
showing at TNNA in January, so they might be coming to a needlework shop near you. If
they do, try them out, they are great thread.

NEWS & NOTES
Some new thread news. There are many new (at least to me) colors of Vineyard Silks. These
include: a series of pale yellows (french vanilla, crème brulée, custard), some peachy
pinks (strawberry ice, tea rose, Nantucket red, and claret), a family of tans (sahara, oak
bluff, partridge), three roses (pink pearl, veil, hot pink), three dusty roses (zephyr, dusty
orchid, tulipwood),and three single colors (buttercream, mojito, pale blue).
There are also new colors from brown paper packages, four lovely natural grays, dolphin,
mouse, elephant, and seal. They are simply lovely and four more colors are expected
within a month. If you don’t spend tons of time thinking about color, you probably don’t
realize there are three types of grays. Natural, or true grays, are simply combinations of
black and white. Like those colors, they don’t have a temperature and will work with any
other colors. Warm grays have a slight amount of yellow in them. You may not notice it but
you will if you put them near a cool color of any kind. Cool grays have a bit of blue or
green in them. The grays already available from brown paper packages are cool grays.
Because of TNNA, many companies will be bringing out new threads and colors for the
show in the middle of January. You will hear all about them in the TNNA round-up issue
with impressions of the show from my friend Sondra Dyer.

Social Bookmarking