overdyed threads

Originally posted 2008-10-31 07:05:21. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Using a thread as your inspiration is a fantastic way to develop a color scheme, and one which you can do no matter how confident you are about picking out colors.

This month’s Twinchy Challenge encouraged you to pick a color of Watercolours, find some threads which go with it and then stitch away.

Attic Window Needlepoint using overdyed thread

This Twinchy is based on the quilt block Attic Windows. The square is 24 stitches wide and uses a stitch called Staircase, a Byzantine variation. The two sides are 12 stitches wide and meet at a mitered corner. They are stitched in Half-framed Scotch and Laid Cross. I think the Scotch works, but the Cross does not. But this block is so simple you can put in any stitches you like.

by Nancy White, used by permission

Nancy White did this charming Twinchy. She describes it this way:
“I have been interested in Jean Hilton stitches lately so I decided to try for the first time one of her rather challenging stitches, the Double Fan Doubled stitch. I am quite pleased with how it turned out. My Watercolour is Elderberry, one of my favorites.”

The original Watercolour Twinchy, published here, used Scotch Stitches, alternating between Watercolours and a solid. That’s about as simple as you can get. If you wanted to see how other colors worked, you could use more than one thread in the alternating blocks.

Finally I did a Twinchy using this design of a leaf quilt block. Using mostly Mosaics, it has a very delicate look. But I can’t find it at the moment, and will add it later this morning once I track it down. The desk isn’t too messy, but I think I stashed it someplace.

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October Twinchy Challenge – Watercolours

Threadworx Journal Is Adding a Gallery

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Do you love Threadworx threads?

Beginning in 2011 subscribers to the free journal will be able to submit pieces using Threadworx threads to the magazine. The piece can use these threads completely or only in a portion.

Subscribers will get email notices for the submissions. They will be accepted all year long, but sometimes there will be a theme.

Files can be in jpg, png, tif or pict format and need to be at 300 dpi.

Check out the magazine’s website for more info.

Read the rest here:
Threadworx Journal Is Adding a Gallery

Using Hand-dyes and Overdyes on Painted Canvas

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

needlepoint a cloudy sky with one thread
Besides the sky in my lighthouse, there is another interesting thing about this design. Except for the metallics and the black, the entire canvas was stitched using hadn-dyed and overdyed threads.

Many stitchers avoid using these threads for painted canvas, but I have come to prefer them. They have the advantage of combining shades so that the shading work is done for me when I pick the thread and stitch.

But they have the disadvantage of being loud, often combining more than one color (for the sky this was good,but for the lighthouse it would be bad).

Effective choice of thread color, stitch, and technique are key to making this work.

Begin by looking for your thread. Most of the time you will want colors that are shades of the same color. These can be very close (like the threads for the brick) or more varied (like the threads for the grass and trees). By picking semi-solid threads you will get realistic shading. Few things in nature are random combinations of different colors.

Once you have picked your threads, look at them in conjunction with the areas on your piece. Some things, like pavers on a patio or walk, can have great variation, but others, like a tree trunk or a brick wall do not. Use threads with more variation in areas that would have more variation.

You can see this by looking at the grass and the trees. The grass is closer and has more variety. Because the trees are on the other side of the river, the colors are darker and more muted with less variety. The piece would look odd if the threads were reversed.

Pick a stitch that suits the item and the area. Stitches have texture and, just by themselves introduce texture. You can use this to enhance your threads. The process is the same as choosing stitches using solid threads, but these threads will reinforce that shading.

Finally your technique will make a difference. Look at the grass and trees again. Both are Tent Stitch but they look very different. The grass was stitched in Continental in horizontal lines. The trees were stitched in clumping a technique where small groups of stitches are made (tomorrow we’ll have a how-to about this technique).

The thing I love best about these threads is that the end result is always a bit of a surprise and, almost always, better than I thought it would be.

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Using Hand-dyes and Overdyes on Painted Canvas

Stitching the Cloudy Sky

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

needlepoint a cloudy sky with one thread

click for a full size picture

While there are many needlepoint canvases that have skies, I tend to shy away from them for a very simple reason. I prefer the sky when it is interesting, with many broken clouds.

I like the look of scraps of clouds and the many shades of white and blue you find in these skies. But stitching it? No way. It would be far too difficult to get those larger areas of color in a suitably random way.

That is until now.

I found this stunning color of variegated Mandarin Floss (M921) and on the card it looked to me just like those broken skies I love. In this thread there are two shades of white and two of blue.

I decided to combine it with a textured stitch (Nobuko) to stitch the sky of this ABS lighthouse.

It worked out exactly as I had hoped, the colors combine to make irregular clouds with slightly shaded blue skies.

Next time you want to make a cloudy sky reach for this thread and watch the magic!

Link:
Stitching the Cloudy Sky

New Charted Needlepoint from Needle Delights

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Needle Delights released new charted needlepoint projects at the TNNA Market earlier this month. I worked on one of their charming pieces while I was visiting my mom a couple of weeks ago, and they are absolutely delightful.

They are great projects for stitchers at any level, full of fun colors and charming stitches.

Tuscan Midnight, pictured above, a 12″ square piece stitched entirely in Watercolours (10 colors) with a metallic accent. There are also alternate colorways.

There is also a glorious rainbow mystery pattern called Amazing Color. Since there are folks who are stitching it as a mystery, I’m not putting in a picture, but it’s bright and bold and has all the colors in the rainbow in a delightful geometric pattern. It’s stitched in Threadworx overdyed Vineyard Silks, but you can also stitch it in floss.

It reminds me of Color Delights Rainbow, which I loved so much I bought it at the EGA Seminar Shop earlier this month.

If you want to see it and get the details, click here.

Other releases include a new Color Delights, Pumpkin, and Christmas Ornament Tree 2.

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New Charted Needlepoint from Needle Delights

New Needlepoint Products (threads, finishing, canvases & more) – July 2008

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2008-07-29 12:28:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Threads: Dinky Dyes has just released their first collection of silk ribbon. The ribbon comes in 4mm & 7mm widths in their 20 best-selling colors. Crescent Colours has added Garden Days colors to their line of floss, including ladybug, grasshopper, and Caterpillar. Dede’s Needleworks has introduced four new threads: FireFly a wired thread for couching (think 3-D), Glitzy, a super-shiny gold thread for 18 mesh or higher, Super-Twist,semi-twinkle in 67 colors, and Prisms, a clear opalescent. She will soon be distributing Treenway’s Fine Silk Cord in 100 colors.

Finishing: Have you ever thought about making a bellpull but hesitated because you didn’t like the hardware? Rosewood Manor has come out with lovely turned wool rods in 7 colors and two lengths (6 and 8 inches). They can also be ordered with cords. Designing Women has photo and scrapbook albums with oval or rectangle mounting boards.
Do you collect Longaberger baskets? Now you can create custom lids for them. They work with all types of needlework and come in 15 finishes as well as four crackle finishes. The package includes a template and a Magicpad for finishing which expends to s ½” pad when activated. Yarn Tree has a 16oz stainless steel travel mug with space for your stitching. Sudberry has added a letter box to their Nantucket basket line.

Canvases: Sekas & Co just keeps expanding their line of adorable painted canvas fobs. They are available on your choice of 1, 16 or 18 mesh. The new set of 6 has great summery designs, including a golf hole, a lighthouse, ice cream, and a sailboat. Finishing instructions are included. All about Stitching has a new set of critters, cartoony animals that hang by their tails. Each is dressed in a whimsical outfit. CBK Nedlepoint Collection has a line of license plates for “needleptr”s, for different states.
DeElda’s line of beginner kits now has 40 designs in it. Each is 4”x4”, on 10 mesh canvas and includes instructions, a needle, a threader, and Persian wool. Alice Vantrese has a great series of witty dog canvases, designed by Joy Schmetz for Designing Dogs. There are 9 dog designs and one cat in the series, all showing the animals stitching in various locations.
Elizabeth Bradley has a lovely new kit called Amaryllis. It is in the Botanical Series and has three a fiery orange-red blossoms. Voila has come out with a line of 4” x 7” cases on 14 mesh in their most popular designs. Blue Dogwood Designs has a collection of 12 ornaments in an ornament of the month series. Each comes with a stitch guide.

Link:
New Needlepoint Products (threads, finishing, canvases & more) – July 2008

Details on New Threads

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Last month, during the TNNA Round-up, I talked about many of the new threads that were coming out. I have some more details about colors and I wanted to let you know about them.

Rainbow Gallery brought out new colors of several of their threads. Some of these are just perfect for popular applications.

Sparkle Rays has two new colors, both orange, that will be perfect for Halloween. These are not flourescent oranges, but a lovely bright orange (think Netherlands World Cup uniforms) and a lighter orange. The two together will be perfect for pumpkins.

Soft Sheen Fyrewerks has come out with a vintage silver. It looks absolutely wonderful, a dark, almost matte silver. It would be great for shadows, or areas of tarnish or maybe even an old mirror. I can’t wait to try it.

Wisper is my favorite thread for fur. I like to combine it with a strand of crewel wool and I love it nice furry effect which can be controlled by the amount of brushing. But sometimes I had a hard time finding the right color. Fourteen new colors came out of this popular thread. They include a lovely light taupe, called mink (an excellent name), three very light tans, two new grays (one light one very dark), a good rust (think red fox here) and three very dark browns.

Vineyard Silk has added twelve new colors including great dark and light orange, a lovely family of teal and another family of grayed blues. The new colors of Silk & Ivory are all in their wonderful very pale colors. These colors are almost white with just a hint of color, perfect for backgrounds.

Threadworx has added their new colors to their catalog pages. In the Overdyed Merino Wool, there are some multi-colors, but I was particularly struck by the great brown and a very pale gray. There are many colors here that will add some wonderful effects to your needlepoint.

Continue reading here:
Details on New Threads

TNNA Round-up Part 3

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Jewelry,Nuts About Needlepoint

leather clutches to finish yourself with needlepoint

Finishing Items

I am just crazy about this chic self-finishing clutch from Timeless Totes. This is their first self-finished item. It comes in four colors (red, burgundy, blue and black).

Lee’s Needle Arts has added leather Kindle covers to their self-finishing line. There are also new photo boxes and albums. I’m excited about the albums, because, although sometimes you can find albums that have openings deep enough to hold needlepoint, most of the time the albums you find won’t work

Threads

Crescent Colors has added new shades to both their perle cottons and silks. Valdani has added pure silk perle to their line-up of threads. This is great because silk perle is a wonderful thread to use.

Rainbow Gallery has new colors in Very Velvet, Silk Lamé, Fuzzy Stuff, and Wispers, along with new colors in some other threads. They have the handy blue magnets back and will be carrying Ann Strite-Kurz’ new book on pattern.

The Pure Palette has added a new thread to their popular Soy Luster and Baroque Silk. It’s Empress Elite, a blend of Ultra Fine Merino, silk and Cashmere. It comes in 20 yard skeins. I can’t wait to try it.

New Artists & Distributors

Ruth Schmuff has added a new artist, Paper d’Aq to her line. The popular designs from The Studio in Kansas City are now being distributed by Chapel Hill Needlepoint.

Crooked Tree Needlepoint is now has brought the artwork of Donna Race to needlepoint. One of her specialties is Christmas stockings. All about Stitching is now distributing the Lund Belt Collection.

Stitch-its has also added a new artist, Trail Creek Farms. The popular cross stitch designs of Lizzie Kate are now available in needlepoint, from Patti Mann. Designing Women is now represented by Canvas Connection.

Canvas, Kits & Charts

Sundance Designs has new Gypsy Flowers, pieces with Bazrgello centers, designed to show off their new Boho beads. In new canvases, they have a delightful series of ornaments based on Mexican painted tin ornaments.

Barbara Russell, well known for her dog canvases, has added a line of needlepoint jewelry. Alice Peterson & Co has expanded her Stitch & Zip line with new tallis bags. Tallis Bags are popular needlepoint items, and with these new Stitch & Zips, finishing is easy too.

Sew Much Fun has introduced a line of 3-D animals that includes five baby animals. GailVail has many new designs, including a “Date Night” series of wristlet bags for something quick to stitch and easy to finish.

Gone Stitching has introduced a line of Judaic canvases. All the canvases in this line include detailed, easy to use, stitch guides in full color. DeElda has added lots of new beginners kits to her line.

There is so much stuff, I’m doing one more round-up, this one focused on canvases on Friday.

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TNNA Round-up Part 3

Overdyed Vineyard Silk from Threadworx – Thread Review

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

needlepoint ornament stitched with overdyed vineyard silk and filomell silk

The semi-solid blue thread in the photo about is Threadworx’ overdyed Vineyard Silk. It is, quite simply, a lovely thread.

Vineyard Silk is generally recommended for mesh sizes larger than 18 mesh, but I had no problem at all with it on this 18 canvas. I don’t know that it would be great in a solid block of Basketweave, but with textured stitches, there is no problem.

The thread seems slightly softer than non-overdyed Vineyard Silk, but not hugely so. The thread keeps plenty of the directional light (looking different shades with different stitch direction) to add luster and sheen to the piece.

This thread comes in over 20 semi-solid colors, all the threads being different shades of one color. I call these threads semi-solid because they can work to give more energy to a solid area. Imagine using this thread to stitch some blue jeans for example.

Lots of stitchers are afraid to use silk. If you have had bad experiences with silk before or if you have never tried silk, this thread is an outstanding choice. Since it is single ply, you can just cut the skein and go, it doesn’t ravel, has lots of loft so you can use it on many mesh sizes and is easy to use. A great all-purpose silk.

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Overdyed Vineyard Silk from Threadworx – Thread Review

The Great Kool-aid Dyeing Experiment

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Dyeing with Kool-aid was the subject of May’s CyberPointers meeting. While I Have dyed with Kool-aid before, I hadn’t tried making variegated threads, so Julie L Baumler Heiner’s method was new to me. Dyeing animal protein yarns (wool, silk & wool/silk blends) with Kool-aid is easy, fun, and safe.

Unlike other kinds of dyes, most of which are toxic. Kool-aid is food and so it can be dyed using your regular household microwave, soaked in a mixing bowl, and even heated in a pasta bowl (although I bought one from the thrift shop for this.

The pictures throughout the article are some of the yarns I dyed. When wet, the color I liked the least (orange/green), muted and blended into something wonderful, autumnal, and muted when dry.

Colors in Kool-aid are not pure hues, so there are undertones in many of the colors that give unexpected results. The blue is a blue-green and mixed wonderfully with the bright green to create yarns that were vibrant in all values. Orange and a red when dyed together made the red really pop.

Dyeing on lightly colored yarns seemed to work better to get subtle colors. Kool-aid is not subtle. Dyeing straight from the package is not exact. Combine the two and you get inexact, bright results. Dye on a pastel yarn and the colors smooth out.

I know several people who dye commercially with Kool-aid and food dyes. This yarn, while it delights me, is definitely not ready for prime time. That will take more practice.

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The Great Kool-aid Dyeing Experiment

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