tips

Originally posted 2007-08-08 06:22:44. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

You know that sinking feeling, the intersection on the hand-painted canvas is more than one color. You don’t know how to decide what color to stitch.

I call deciding this making an “executive decision” in needlepoint. I thought about what the process was for deciding and came up with some guidelines. Although beginners struggle with this issue, it can come up in just about any canvas which is not completely stitch-painted.

If one color covers more of the intersection than the other, stitch it in that color.

If it’s pretty much half and half, then you could do either. To help you choose, you can see if any of these apply:

1. Is it colored in both foreground and background colors? Choose the foreground color.

2. Is it the only intersection which has that color (no intersections with that color around it)? Choose the isolated color because it’s supposed to be a dot of that color.

3. Is it colored a light color and a dark color? Darker colors recede, so picking the darker color will probably make the two areas look more balanced.

4. I one color part of a line? Follow the line on the canvas to see how it will look if this intersection is stitched in that color. I’ve had it happen sometimes when stitching the color of the line instead of the other color made the line look bad.

Sometimes you choose wrong, everyone does. If this happens, don’t be afraid to pull the stitch out and use the other color.

Continue reading here:
What Color Should that Stitch Be?

Tracing Paper to Trace Canvas?

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Design,Nuts About Needlepoint,tools

The simple answer is NO, not ever, never.

I got this question recently from a reader.

This is the right way to transfer a design to canvas:

No you do not use tracing paper, the material in it will rub off and discolor your threads.

Here’s what you do:

Trace the outlines of your design on the paper with black marker so it is easy to see through the canvas.
Place the canvas on top of the design. If it’s hard to see, tape the design, then the canvas to a window or light box.
Using a permanent marker made for making on fabric (I like Pigma Microns from Sakura myself & they are widely available). trace the lines of the canvas.
Let sit overnight to dry completely before stitching.

YOu can see the steps used to do this in this illustrated tutorial.

I did lots of testing of potential canvas markers and wrote this post about them. I have used other markers and any marker can have the formula for the ink change and no longer be suitable for needlepoint. It’s good to test from time to time.

A final note: Never use anything to mark on canvas that isn’t waterproof, made for fabric, or tested. Always let dry overnight because many things become waterproof only after they dry completely.

Read the rest here:
Tracing Paper to Trace Canvas?

Clippings – Holiday Weekend Edition

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Considering we went to friends on Thursday, so I didn’t have to cook, and that we didn’t go shopping, I’ve been pooped since Friday afternoon. I’m figuring it’s been all the household chores and organizing my DH and I did all week.

So today I have a clippings post with an assortment of intriguing and useful blog posts I came across over the weekend.

Threadworx Journal was immensely popular in its on-line version. Happily, Threadworx has decided to make each issue of the magazine available in a printed version. You can buy them each here. Each issue is $11.99. They use PayPal for the sales.

Finding ornament patterns that work for boys can be tough. But the Cross Stitch design Kell Smuthwaite of Kincavel Krosses has an adorable whole stitch Little Samurai chart available free on her site. These would make such cute ornaments.

I saw these bottle top ornaments on Craft Gossip (thanks Denise!) and was thinking they were made on soda bottle tops, so they wouldn’t work well for needlepoint. But when I looked at the tutorial, I found they were made from milk or juice bottle tops.

The instructions talk about fabric. But you can easily adapt them to needlepoint by stitching on Congress Cloth or by doing needlepoint on evenweave fabric. I love the look of these little guys. They would make such great little gifts.

Finding great mats for your needlepoint can be a real challenge. Often it’s easier (and more interesting) to find a fabric that sets off the stitching perfectly. But fabric does not a mat make. Thanks to Denise at Craft Gossip I discovered this great tutorial on how to make fabric-covered mats. While she suggests cotton, any light-weight fabric will work.

If you follow my thrifty needlepoint idea of stitching in standard frame sizes, you should be able to find mats with openings that size that fit standard frame sizes. Buy a fat quarter of a great fabric, the mat, and a frame you like and you have the makings of a completely unique gift.

On the BeStitched blog there is the start of a series on beginning and ending threads. This post covers Basketweave.

Many of my friends have stitched Maggie Lane’s Kimono using the little book published that collected more than 90 stitches in one place. And it is stunning indeed. I have the book, but haven’t gotten to it. John Waddell has updated the piece from its restrained ecru colors to a bright and bold collection. He will be offering the class through the Shining Needle Society next year. You can read about it in this post and sign up on the SNS Home Room. This may be enough to get me working on it at last.

See the rest here:
Clippings – Holiday Weekend Edition

Planning – the First Step in Organizing

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Although you don’t need to plan before you organize your stash, you’ll be happier if you spend some quality time thinking before sorting and storing.

First, think about what you have to store. Is it UFO’s, canvases, threads, books, or just about everything. Write down the board categories and not if you already have storage for them.

For example thread is the main thing I need to store, which is fine, But much of my thread lives in a seed cabinet and two chunks of card catalogue, which may not be so fine. They take up a ton of space and any organizing I need to do has to take that into account.

Second, think about the space you have. Is it big or small? Does it share space with other things? Does it have furniture in it? What lighting does it have? Is there hidden storage space anywhere?

Finally, think about how often you use the things in your stash. Do you start projects often? Are you mainly working on your UFOs? Do you need to get to blank canvas often? Do you mostly work on small projects so long stretcher bars can live far away?

Now that you know what you have, how you use it and what space you have for it, you can start thinking about how you will use your space. Do you sit in a particular space? What needs to be near it to make stitching easier? Do you do your work at a desk? What needs to be close by? Do you have a door you can close?

Once you have thought, write down what you have discovered and write down what you like and hate about your space.

When I set up my studio I knew it would need to be a guest room, so I bought a daybed, but not the one I wanted that had storage. But I found that I hated pulling out the bins.

Re arranging our house last winter allowed me to move that daybed to another room and to get a daybed with storage. The drawers make me more organized and I am MUCH happier.

A final word of advice. You won’t get it right the first time, but with each reorganization, you’ll get closer to a space that functions for you. By planning you’ll know what is good, what needs to be changed and where there is untapped potential.

Follow this link:
Planning – the First Step in Organizing

New Video – Stitching without a Laying Tool

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Our friends over a BeStitched have added two new videos to their growing library. These feature Vicky DeAngelis who was there recently teaching Sharon G’s delightful Deco Kitty canvas.

In them you can learn how to stitch without a laying tool.

Original post:
New Video – Stitching without a Laying Tool

Storage Tips for Kreinik Spools

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

This is most definitely one of those “Do as I say, not as I do” posts (Mom said there would be days like this).

Kreinik spools can be a real bear to keep organized. Recently on Facebook, Elaine Withrow Stevens had a picture of the compartment box she uses to store her Kreinik spools. She lets us know where she got them and the picture shows how well they store the spools, either flat or upright.

I had forgotten about this method of storage. That’s dumb because at least two stores I know of store them this way. As a customer it irritates me because I can’t see the threads easily. It was especially bad at the place where the boxes weren’t clear AND she kept them behind her desk out of sight and out of reach (that shop is no longer open).

But it’s fantastic for storage if you have space.

I keep mine, sorted by size in some of my card catalog drawers (not good for knowing how much I have of something.

See the original post here:
Storage Tips for Kreinik Spools

Back to School Sale Ends Sunday

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Books,Nuts About Needlepoint

Remember folks my Back to School book sale ends on Sunday. You may have missed out on getting some of the Missoni items at Target earlier this week (my out of the way Target was stripped by Tuesday afternoon) but you can make your own wonderful Missoni inspired Bargello with the wonderful patterns in Bargello Revisited.

Bargello Revisited is $23.37 (instead of $37.95)
Needlepoint Trade Secrets is $10.77 (instead of $17.95)

Media Mail shipping and sales tax (CA only) is added to each sale. These would make great gifts for your stitching friends as well.

Don’t delay, order your book today!

See more here:
Back to School Sale Ends Sunday

Can I Use Needlepoint Thread for Other Needlecrafts?

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Crochet,Knitting,Nuts About Needlepoint,Weaving

Over the weekend I came across a question about using needlepoint thread for other crafts.

Trying other needlecrafts is a great way to use up your stash, especially to use for practice when you are learning. So today we’ll talk about that, forst with some general considerations then with some additional stuff for specific crafts.

First off, use your uncut skeins for this. For most other needlecrafts, you need long pieces of thread. Our cut lengths of 18 inches to a yard won’t work.

Second, when learning almost any needlecraft, single strand threads work better than stranded threads because the thread is easier to pick up cleanly. Save your stranded stuff for something else.

Third, try to match the thread thickness you use with the thickness of other threads used for this craft. You wouldn’t tat with tapestry wool, nor would you learn crochet with #12 perle. Look on the Internet or go to a local shop to find the weight of thread used.

Fourth, pick middle to light values. Dark threads are harder to see when it’s completed and you need it as a reference.

Fifth, you probably won’t have enough thread for a project, so go out and buy the recommended thread here.

Now on to the specifics:

Weaving: I have a baby blanket my mom wove out of #5 perle cotton. Weaving uses LOTS of yarn, so you probably don’t have enough. The warp (vertical) threads are under great tension so you need something such as perle or linen for the warp. You almost certainly will need to buy this thread. Anything can go for the weft (horizontal) threads.

Embroidery of all kinds: Of course you can use needlepoint threads, even cut ones for this.

Punchneedle: Here is where you will want to use your stranded threads (1-3 strands of floss is common here) and crewel wool.

Rug Hooking: If you are doing rug hooking with yarn rather than strips of cloth, pick thicker threads, such as tapestry wool.

Tatting & lacemaking: These need very fine threads, so look at you thinnest, single strand threads, such as #8 or #12 perle in cotton or silk.

Temari: Perle #5 and metallics are both wonderful for temari and are among the most common threads used for the decorative part. I have also successfully used crewel wool instead of sewing thread for the top of the wrapped ball. It’s a more rustic look but very cool.

Knitting & Crochet: Just about anything that follows the general rules will work here. In fact, many of the threads we love for needlepoint also live under other names as yarns for knitting & crochet. Silk & Ivory is a knitting yarn, for example. Other threads, such as tapestry wool are the same weight as knitting yarns (it’s about a worsted weight yarn).

So go ahead, use your stash and branch out into other crafts.

More:
Can I Use Needlepoint Thread for Other Needlecrafts?

June Random Thoughts on Needlepoint

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2008-06-29 11:36:11. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Here’s another batch of great needlepoint tips:

~ Don’t make needlepoint stitches which cross over more than 10 threads, they will snag too easily.

~ Diagonal stitches distort the canvas more than other kinds of stitches.

~ You can use a longer than usual thread when you are working Bargello, the longer stitches put less wear on the thread.

~ Sailors often made woolen pictures while on long sea voyages. These were called “woolies.”

~ When making a sampler of your own, try to pick traditional designs which won’t look dated later.

~ Leave a wider margin on the side of any canvas you cut, so you have plenty of room to add a border.

~ If you feel confident of your drawing skills, try drawing an outline directly on canvas using ZIG fabric markers.

~ If you are trying painting on canvas, do a “trial run” on a blank peice of canvas to get used to the paints and brush.

~ You can make a rich solid color background by using two similar shades from different color families of the same color (i.e.two pinks).

~ Blend two close shades in the same needle for a richer color. This is great for backgrounds.

~ Work wide (1 inch) stripes in tent stitch in two close colors for a great background. Or the same color in two different threads.

~ Highlight your wool needlepoint by adding a few stitches in silk in the same color.

~ Changing the width of a border can change the look of a design.

~ Wide borders become significant parts of the design, while narrow borders just set off the central area.

~ A central motif which overlaps part of the border is an overflowing motif. It’s a powerful design tool.

~ Check for missed stitches before blocking by holding your needlepoint up to the light, the missed stitches will be easy to see.

~ Sewing two pieces of needlepoint together is called “joining.”

~ Don’t want to frame, make your needlepoint as a wallhanging and attach to the wall with Velcro strips.

~ If you are stitching with black or shiny metallics, keep the stitches simple, complex stitches won’t show up.

~ Stash Sampler idea: Gather all your threads of one color (or several related colors) and use them for a geometric design.

~ Interlock canvas is made of shorter threads than mono canvas so it is harder on your stitching thread. Use shorter lengths to reduce wear.

~ If your chosen stitch doesn’t fit the border evenly, make corner blocks in another stitch and use them to make up the difference.

~ If your finished needlepoint is smaller than where it will go a simple Gobelin border in a thread from the piece will act as a needlepoint mat.

~ Do a section of each stitch you will be using in a project, to have your stitch guide with you always.

~ An easy way to store needles is to cut pieces of felt the size of business cards, put your needle into them & store them in plastic business card holders — one piece of felt for each size!

~ Interlock canvas does not ravel when it is cut. This makes it perfect for curved pieces and for parts of clothing.

~ You can use a footstool to take some stress off your feet and make stitching more comfortable.

~ Running your thread over a slightly damp sponge works great to control static.

~ You can use plastic canvas as interfacing instead of cardboard in needlepoint.

~ You can use a large size needle as a laying tool.

If you liked these tips and want more, why not get a copy of my book, Needlepoint Trade Secrets? It’s packed full of tips about needlepoint from start to finish. You can buy it at your local needlework store, from Amazon.com (here) or from Nordic Needle.

More here:
June Random Thoughts on Needlepoint

Painting Light Canvas to Cover It with Dark Threads

by NutsAboutNeedlepoint

in Nuts About Needlepoint

Originally posted 2007-06-04 08:23:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Marilyn wrote:
Hello:
I wonder if you will be so kind as to help me.
I have a wonderful hand painted needlepoint canvas that I wish to alter a bit by painting over some of the lighter areas. I do not know what kind of paint to use and thought you might send me in the right direction. As you know, stitching over a light area with dark threads sometimes show through and we needle pointers will not settle for less than perfection.

Marilyn –

The proper paint to use when painting a canvas is acrylic paint. While many canvas designers use artist’s quality paint, for your purpose you can use the paint you buy in craft stores from around $1.

You also don’t need to use really great brushes. Canvas is quite rough and eats up brushes. You didn’t say if this was a large area, but if it is, you might think about using a foam brush. These give good results.

You will need to think the paint a little, so that it is the consistency of cream. You also need to use very little paint on the brush, otherwise it clogs the holes. I brush off most of the paint on paper before I work on the canvas.

If your purpose is to color the canvas so that “needlepoint dandruff” doesn’t show through, then pick a color close to or lighter than the color of the thread. It does not have to be a perfect match, it just needs to be in the same color family. The flecks show because the white of the canvas is such a strong contrast to the color of the thread. If the flecks showing through are in the same color family, even if they are lighter than the thread color, your eye will blend them.

While canvas designers strive to get a nice even coat of color, since you are doing this for yourself, you don’t need to be so picky. The color can be uneven, just make sure you have painted everything in the area you want to cover. Be sure there are no clogged holes. If a hole gets clogged, blow the paint out of it BEFORE it dries.

If you want more information about painting, many of the tips from designers, check out the FAQ entry on the ANG site.

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Painting Light Canvas to Cover It with Dark Threads

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