quilts

Elizabeth of Oh, Fransson! is hosting another one of her popular quilt-alongs, and this time she's sharing how to make a really cool billboard quilt that displays any message you want.

I'm so excited about all the interest in the Billboard Quilt-Along! The concept of this quilt-along is to make a quilt with patchwork letters that communicate a message. The message can be serious or funny. It can be as long as a phrase, or as short as a couple of letters. It can be any size. It's up to you!
The quilt-along will cover designing your quilt top, designing a coordinating back, making and machine appliquéing patchwork letters, putting your quilt together, and finishing it with scrappy binding.

The quilt-along starts on August 8. For more details and supplies, see Oh, Fransson!

Stitch your Stash – Progress & Blocks 4 & 5

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2008-08-16 06:38:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Stitch your Stash around the World Needlepoint Sampler

I’ve been working hard on my Stitch your Stash around the World Sampler, which has been posted on Create Needlepoint, Barbara Bergston’s wonderful blog. The picture above has Blocks 1 & 2 complete, Block 3 mostly complete and a start on Block 4.

I’m having great fun working on it.

Block 4 is one of my favorite stitches, Byzantine.

Block 5 is another favorite, Milanese.

I like both these stitches so much in my second Chinese Letters book (for Raymond Crawford’s great canvases), I have four variations of each of them.

I can’t wait to get back to stitching, maybe tomorrow night (We’re going to a wedding today).

See the article here:
Stitch your Stash – Progress & Blocks 4 & 5

Eye Candy – Red & White Quilt Show

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

I looked at this picture and all I could say was “wow!”

Thanks to Susan Deshensky (who gave permission for this post), we have a lovely gallery of pictures from this red & white quilt show.

She took these pictures at the Park Avenue Armory in New York. The 560 (yes, you read that right_ quilts are all red & white with no other colors. These quilts have been collected by Joanna S. Rose and have been displayed by her husband as an 80th birthday present.

So why The Armory? It was the only place big enough to display them all.

Look through Sue’s gallery of photos and be inspired by how wonderful these quilts are. I’m sitting here thinking about doing a red & white needlepoint piece shortly.

The rest is here:
Eye Candy – Red & White Quilt Show

Wonderful Scrap Ornaments

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2009-03-28 05:27:37. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

scrap star needlepoint ornament from patt and lee designs

My friend Patt, of Patt and Lee Designs, wrote me late Thursday about her newest pieces, scrap bag stars. I didn’t get to look at them until yesterday but I loved them so much I ordered all of them and their stitch guides immediately. I want to share them with you.

The first, and most elaborate, one is pictured above. There are eight stitches and 40 colors in this design. That’s a great way to use up your odds and ends of thread.

scrap star needlepoint christmas ornament from Patt and Lee Designs

This is the second star. It too uses 40 colors and has seven stitches, four of them new to this design.

This one, the third, uses a smaller color palette with 8 colors and 7 stitches. This color combination, which I always think of as “Meadow” after the Watercolour thread, is such a pretty, peaceful one.

And there is an all metallic version as well.

Think of the fun you can have making these. I feel a needlepoint fit coming on.

See original here:
Wonderful Scrap Ornaments

Little Bargello Treasures – 2011 Bargello Club

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

bargello needlepoint club bonus pattern designed by janet m. perry

Get this Bargello Needlepoint pattern free when you sign up for Little Bargello Treasures Club.

Do you love Bargello?

Are you looking for a source of new Bargello Needlepoint designs and quick projects?

Do you want explore different threads for Bargello and try new color combinations?

Are you intrigued to fill templates using Bargello?

Look no further, beginning April 1, 2011, I will be launching Little Bargello Treasures, a monthly Bargello Club.

The first of each month club members will receive:
13 or 18 mesh deluxe mono canvas with template outlined
new Bargello pattern with color picture of the model
color picture of the model
stitching tips and supplemental information

All this for only $7.50 per month when shipped to US addresses (if you are outside the US, contact me to get pricing).

This club is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time and you’ll be so delighted with the possibilities for quick and charming projects.

To join, sign up today using the button below.

As a bonus, with your sign-up you’ll get copy of this Bargello pattern — Lightning Streak, stitched here in three colors of Silk & Ivory.

Read more from the original source:
Little Bargello Treasures – 2011 Bargello Club

Scrap Bag Cats – Part 2

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2009-03-12 07:24:40. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Scrap Bag Cars stash needlepoint from Patt and Lee Designs

Three more cats stitched on our stash project. One thing which is so fun about this project is that Patt slightly changes the colors from square to square. so this can really reflect what’s in your stash.

For the dark violet, you could use the same thread throughout, or you could change it with every patch, either will look great. Since I really want to mix things up, I’m using different threads right now, but I’m sure most of them will reappear for other cats.

The first cat is an unusual uneven check pattern of Mosaics (sxometime Cashmeres) and Tent Stitch. It;s not Mosaic Checker because the Tent Stitch areas are only one thread wide. The Mosaics line up in columns, as do the Tent Stitches, switching between the two colors. Every third row uses Cashmere instead of Mosaic.

This patch is stitched in Petite Frosty Rays and Petite Very Velvet.

This cat is stitched simply with a grid of Smyrna Crosses stitched using Neon Rays against a Basketweave background stitched with a single thread of Impressions. The grid emphasizes the boxiness of this stitch.

The last cat is a windowpane plaid. The vertical lines are stitched first, using metallic. The horizontal lines are stitched next, skipping the vertical lines, also using metallic. The verticals are white, the horizontals are silver. In the squares Tied Mosaic is stitched using a single strand of Watercolours.

Tied Mosaic has a woven look, which is easy to achieve. Stitch the two short stitches in the corners first. Then stitch the longer stitch, slanting in the opposite direction. It goes over the two corners. Complete the stitch by making the long diagonal stitch of the Mosaic. The tying stitch will be under it, making the weave of the stitch.

Follow the entire series and stitch along!

Read more from the original source:
Scrap Bag Cats – Part 2

Make your own Needlepoint Club

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

I love the idea of needlepoint clubs, but, like many of you, I have far too many projects to do to get 12 new canvases in a year.

But why not do your own needlepoint club by using threads. You can set your budget for the year, divide it by 12, and buy threads with a plan.

Here are three ways to do it.

Watercolours by alphabet: Take an alphabetical listing of Caron’s Watercolours (available here). Cross out the colors you have. Then divide the rest by 12 and buy each section in alphabetical order each month. Because the color names don’t go in a color sequence, you’ll get a nice assortment each month.

Color of the Month: My friend Michelle, who owns Come to the Point in San Rafael, CA showcases a particular color of thread each month. During that month all threads in that color are discounted. Working with a shop that does this is a great way to make your budget got further and increase the selection in your stash.

Thread of the Month: If you want to learn about specific threads, this plan is the one for you. Begin by writing down 12 threads you want to get to know. Then also look at your stash and think about the colors you normally use. Each month buy a selection of one of these threads in these colors.

This way you have colors you can use right away in a project already in your stash and you can learn about some new threads.

This is a great way to add needlepoint regularly into your life or your gift list.

Color, Threads & Quilts – 2011 Needlepoint Club

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

needlepoint quilt block by janet m perry

Nelson’s Victory, February’s block

Does the process of creating color schemes baffle you?
Do you wish there was an easy way to learn about threads?
Do you love the look of quilts blocks done as needlepoint?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then my 2011 needlepoint club is the place for you.

Join me on this year-long exploration of color and threads through 12 charming quilt block designs. Each month the quilt block will show a different color scheme and the accompanying text will tell you about it.

Each month as well five different threads will be covered. Each thread will be discussed in detail and you’ll get a sample of each of them. These threads won’t be just the usual suspects, but you’ll have a chance to sample some new and unusual threads. These can be used for your quilt block or for whatever you like.

And in each month’s packet, sent on the 15th each month, you’ll get a piece of canvas (your choice of 13 or 18 mesh) and a charted pattern for the quilt block.

And for those signing up by December 31, 2010, you’ll get a special bonus pattern at the end of the year.

The monthly cost is $12.50 and you can join through PayPal by using the button below.

Those wishing to pay another way or people living outside the US, should contact me for arrangements.

Come join the fun!

More:
Color, Threads & Quilts – 2011 Needlepoint Club

August Twinchy Challenge – Quilt Blocks

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2008-08-01 06:20:56. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Quilt blocks have got to be one of the most enduring themes in my needlepoint. They are #2 after Bargello. I hadn’t been needlepointing all that long when Needlepoint from Great American Quilts was published and I still have one of the many pieces I made from patterns in this book.

I have done needlepoint quilt=based stars as ways to try color schemes. Many of these trim my Christmas tree. I’ve made quilt-based projects, used them as inspiration for projects in books, made Scrap Bag Needlepoint projects in quilt designs.

Looking through my books of quilt blocks a couple of weeks ago, I got inspired yet again. That’s the idea behind this month’s Twinchy Challenge.
The theme of the month is quilt blocks. There a literally thousands of them and many hundreds are available in drawings on the Internet. And there are more in books and magazines. Between the two encyclopedias of quilt books I have, there are over 6000 different quilt blocks and new ones get created all the time.

My choice of quilt blocks is intentional because if you use 18 mesh canvas a twinchy block is 36 stitches. And for quilting 36 is a great number because you can divide it so many ways.

Let’s say you want a block which has four equal patches, you have 2 x 18 — a four-patch block.

If you want three patches across, so you get nine patches, you have 3 x 12 — a nine-patch block, one of the most popular types.

Four patches gives you 16 square, 4 x 9 – a sixteen-patch block.

You could add borders between twinchies, called sashing in quilt terms and even make a twinchy quilt. I may do that myself. If you did each patch differently you’d have a twinchy sampler quilt. Make the sashing the same color as the backgrounds and the blocks will look as if they are floating.

This could get to be addictive.

You can see a couple of my quilt Twinchies at the top of the article. And I’m certain as certain can be we’ll have lots more to show you at the end of the month.

Remember, if you make a Twinchy, email me (napaneedlepoint @ gmail.com – remove the spaces) and I’ll put it into the gallery post at the end of the month.

So there are lots of options, go and have some fun.

Come September, another great Twinchy Challenge.

Sunday Scrap Bag

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2006-06-12 07:25:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Yesterday was Sunday and I was low on energy so I spent most of the day working on my interpretation of this Susan Roberts quilt design.

As I’ve said in the past, I see the design in Amish colors, so the diamonds which are left are going to be stitched in the Amish spectrum, which doesn’t include oranges, yellows, or white.

I’ve used Felicity’s Garden, Spring II and heather ribbon floss for most of the diamonds. Now I’m adding in diamonds using threads from my scrap bag. This livens up the design overall and adds some intersting textures. Most of these threads are knitting yarns which provides it’s own kind of fun, since many need to be plied or are rather thick or textury for needlepoint canvas.

I have to say working on it is like eating peanuts, you can’t stop at one!

Since I love quilt designs, I’m enjoying this so much. Once it’s done (months from now), the next one I’m doing is a double wedding ring quilt, also by Susan Roberts. I’m going to use my stash of over dyed flosses. I’m hoping I can find a soft thread for the background which will match a lovely dark buttery yellow which is the background of a depression quilt I inherited from my DH’s family.

I also spent much of my stitching time thinking about other needlepoint quilts I could do.

I’ll be updating the progress of this piece regularly using this title, so you can see how the piece develops.

See original here:
Sunday Scrap Bag

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