ufo

sutton hoo mini-sock from needlepoint expert janet m. perry

Many people wonder how to turn your stitched needlepoint into a mini-sock. It’s not that hard if you have a sewing machine.

One of the first tutorials The Caron Collection put on their website is this one on making an open and lined mini-sock. Your finished sock will be just like a regular-sized stocking (you can use these same instructions to make those too).

One of the great things about finishing mini-socks is that they don’t take much material, so you can go crazy with finding luxurious fabrics for them. One of the best sources is to use fabric samples from interior designers or high-end fabric shops. Often they sell them cheap or even give them away when the fabric is discontinued. I have a whole bag of these in my closet.

If you have any true factory outlets or fabric mills in your area they might have sales of scraps, I used one bag of these for my linings for years. Also look at fat quarters (they’ll line several socks) and remnants.

Your lining fabric should be thin and soft. Your backing fabric should be firm and, if possible, non-ravelling.

If you want trim on your mini-sock, look for remnants of trim and stock up when you find it in colors you like. You can also make your own twisted cord following the linked instructions. You can even make tassels to add.

Finishing mini-socks isn’t hard and you’ll love the happy feeling you get when you see them all lined up.

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Finishing a Mini-sock

Getting Needlepoint Done

Originally posted 2009-07-21 07:48:57. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Commenting on yesterday’s post, Mary Lou wrote ” My problem is not unfinished finished projected but all the unfinished projectes I have! I am trying not to start new ones but that is difficult. I have a lot of canvases not started in my stash at home. I just want to complete my unfinished stash. ”

I think this is a problem many of us have, I know I do. I have enough UFO’s that they could probably keep me stitching the rest of my life, especially if I include the pieces where I have pulled thread but haven’t started stitching.

So what’s a person to do?

Here are some ideas.

1. Work on a UFO for one hour every single day. This is really good for those projects which require just stitching the background. If you made it your main project, you’d go nuts. Doing it this way puts it into manageable bits.

And it’s especially good if you work on it while you are watching or listening to something you do regularly and love.

2. Accept that you won’t ever finish it. This is good for class projects. Father B was the one who turned me onto this idea. Think about it, you took the class for a reason right? You’ve stitched enough on the project to have learned what you wanted to learn or to find out you don’t like the technique at all.

If you don’t still love the project, give it up and give it away.

3. Make it your “car project.” These small projects are the things you do when you are in the car or away from home. They are great places for small UFO’s. You don’t have the distractions of home, you could be bored, or you could do needlepoint.

I’ll opt for the car project every time.

4. Reward yourself for finishing a UFO. For every three UFO’s I finished, I got to start a new project. The year I did this it was very successful. My UFO’s are piling up, so I should probably do it again.

5. Institute a rotation system. There are many ways to do this, but they work like this.

Make a list of ten projects you want to finish.

Decide on a block of time you will spend on any one project at a time. You could say “I’ll stitch ten hours on this project.” or “I’ll stitch on a project for one week.”

Whatever it is, stitch on the first project on the list for that amount of time, then put it away and go on to the next project on the list.

Do this until you have finished a project, then cross it off the list and put a new project at the bottom of the list.

I’ve used rotation systems in the past, but tend to go off them, because I get interested in one project and don’t want to stop.

What other strategies do you have for finishing UFOs?

Are You Making any Needlepoint Resolutions?

I am NOT going to make any needlepoint resolutions for 2011. Last year I resolved to work on using my stash and that went very well.

I try with resolutions not to make them again if they have become habits. Since using up the stash is now firmly ingrained, I’m not going to make that one again.

I also resolve every year to finish some UFO’s. And I am going to work on doing that as well. I make this resolution every year and most of the time I manage to finish three or so, but some years I finish none, so clearly this one isn’t a habit yet.

Sometimes I also resolve to learn something new. This year I think I’m going to work on two areas where I’m not very good — reading charts and adding embellishments. So, although I’m not making any resolutions (i.e. promises) I hope by the end of the year to be doing better on both of these.

What resolutions are you making?

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Are You Making any Needlepoint Resolutions?

President’s Challenge – Progress Report

Originally posted 2008-02-05 07:35:25. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

I promised I’d let you know how I’m coming with the projects I’ve done for my Guild Chapter’s President’s Challenge.In January, I managed to finish four items (since I finished none for the same challenge last year, I’m way ahead).

Gingko Leaves – an original project. You can see it pictures of it here).

Bargello Checkbook Cover – An original design, which will be in my Bargello book (no picture yet).

Shepherd with Geese – Needledeeva. This is one of the second set of figures for Needledeeva’s Nativity. It will be a blog entry tomorrow.

February Heart – a piece from the 2006 Needlepoint Calendar (no picture).

Looking at my list, I’m hoping to have the Poinsettia Wreath from Happy Heart done in about 10 days at most.Not a bad month all around. Looking at my list I’m hoping to have the Poinsettia wreath and the Needledeeva elephant done by the end of this month. Then it’s going to be harder as everything else left is not very far along.

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President’s Challenge – Progress Report

Needlepoint Goals for 2009

Originally posted 2000-01-04 06:13:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Every year I set myself up with some needlepoint goals. They can be really well defined (the year I stitch and finished 100 projects) or vague (this year’s reduce the thread stash goal), but I always do it.

Most years I achieve my goal, some years I fail miserably. Such as the year I wanted to finish 3 UFO’s and finished none. Yep, zip.

I did not make my 100 needlepoint pieces goal, that was in 200 when I was still doing About.com and lots of the projects were small and for the site. But I did finish 95 (I’ve kept the list).

Many guilds have challenges with a specific goal on them. Sometimes they can be small, to start and finish one project during one year. Sometimes they are big, the person with the oldest or most UFO’s finished gets a prize.

So what are your needlepoint goals for this year?

Add a comment telling me your goals and I’ll sum them up in a post as soon as I get Internet access back.

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Needlepoint Goals for 2009

Needlepoint Challenge – Use your Stash

My friend Kristin runs the blog Craft Leftovers and has a great idea for April — make it a stash-busting month. Vow not to buy any new craft materials in April and then challenge yourself to use them in a new project. You can get all the details, a button for your blog, and information about the contest she is running on this post.

I’d like to put a needlepoint spin on it and encourage you all to make something from your stash. Your project needs to come completely from your stash, canvas, threads, everything. It can be an original project, a UFO, a canvas from your stash, or even a project that is in your stash.

If you like, you can challenge yourself further by trying to pick colors that are different than what you would normally use. Maybe pick an overdye that isn’t one you’d normally use and see how it will work with the other threads in your stash.

Throughout the month, on Tuesdays, I’m going to feature a Scrap Bag Needlepoint design from my archives to encourage you to use what you have. Yesterday’s Roman Stripe Ornament was the first of these. I’ve started my version of it, all in Scotch Stitch.

When you have one of your stash-busting projects done, send me a scan or a picture and next month sometime, I’ll create a gallery of them with some special prizes for entries and winners.

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Needlepoint Challenge – Use your Stash

Pesky Needlepoint Project?

Originally posted 2006-11-10 07:13:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

This fantastic tip comes from Caela Conn Tyler and was posted by Gini Armstrong on the ANG list. The ANG list is a fantastic resource for discussion and information about needlepoint and is hosted by the American Needlepoint Guild (http://www.needlepoint.org). Itâ€™s a must read!

Gini told us that â€œAt a pilot class early this year, Caela Conn Tyler mentioned a great way to get through a long project. She suggested doing 2 stitching lengths each day. That also sounds like a great way to work off UFOs. Two lengths is a manageable amount and by breaking the project into those manageable bites, it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. Caela used that example to share how she’d spent less than a year to stitch a large Christmas stocking that had been in her “collection” for some years.â€

Caela added that doing this is part of morning routine. She stitched two lengths after he coffee and before starting the â€œofficialâ€ part of the day. Doing this allows her time to work on her personal projects.

Caela is a marvelous stitchers and teacher (Iâ€™ve taken some great classes from her). A stocking she stitched took first place in the professional non-original at the AN Exemplary in 2006. You can see it at NANâ€™s website (http://www.needleart.org). She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from NAN in March.

I love this idea and am going to put it to use on those UFOâ€™s.

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Pesky Needlepoint Project?

Update on my Resolutions

Amazingly I decided to take my own advice about finishing projects, namely those UFO’s all over the house.

I’m going to work on one at a time, stitching two needles of thread each day until it’s done. I’ve got the first two planned out. On Winter Stars, the current UFO, I only have three corners, two sides of the outer border and the binding to do. I’m working on that first and started the third side today. I’m hoping I’ll have it done within two weeks.

The it will be on to finish my version of the abstract cross stitch. I really love the way it looks but there are so many things cal,ling my attention.

For the project after that, you guys can help me choose. Do I do:

the shepherd with a lamb from this needlepoint nativity
the halloween license plate
the foreground of the game needlepoint mini-sock
the mod sampler
the Painted Pony Botswana angel (994AR, on left about halfway down page)

I have ranked them from least to most to do. Leave a comment to tell me which you’d do next.

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Update on my Resolutions

My Needlepoint Resolutions

With my daughters home for Christmas and some pending deadlines, I’m thinking posting will be spotty at best this week.

But I woke up thinking about my resolutions for needlepoint this year. I’m hoping ( as I always do) that by the end of the year I will be more organized, more projects will be finished and my stash will be smaller.

Many of these ideas you can easily adopt for yourself.

1. Finish 1 UFO per month. I realized I have MANY works in progress and that finishing up some of them would make me happier. I try to do this every year but most years it doesn’t work.

2. Stitch five projects from canvases in my stash. I’d like it to be more, but life intervenes.

3. Use up 100 threads from my stash. I’m looking at my thread count and think if I achieved this while I continue to stitch from my stash I’d be very happy.

4. Finish 15 stitched but unfinished needlepoint projects into items of one sort or another and give them away or use them. I have lot of needlepoint and getting it out of the boxes would be very good.

Tomorrow, the business resolutions.