watercolours

Both Baroque Silk (from The Pure Palette) and Vineyard Silk have come out with some lovely new colors.

Baroque Silk, a two-ply divisible silk that is hand-dyed has eight new colors, pictured above. They fill some gaps n the existing color range. Gravity is the extremely dark violet at the left. Dreamland, Mermaid, and Artesian are the three blue-greens next in line. Sunset is that yummy light orange, and Campfire is the dark red. Finishing up are Malt and Old Gold.

Please remember that these threads are hand-dyed and so dyelots are not consistent. In using them both Theresa and I have found that the color can vary slightly through a skein. It’s not enough to be a problem, but enough to make your stitching have an appealing depth to it.

This is a great silk to try!

Vineyard Silk is an absolute scrumptious non-divisible silk that is at its best, I think, on 13 and 14 mesh canvas. It’s a lofty thread, so it also works well on 18 mesh, especially for textured stitches. They have such wonderful colors and are adding to their line all the time. These eight new colors, have two color families plus an additional pale blue. The picture of them is at the beginning of the article. The three red-oranges are, from light to dark, coral pink, true pink, and azalea. The pale blue is Naples Blue. The four soft violets are, from light to dark, hush, sea fog, dusk, and shadow.

I’m ready to buy them for the names alone!

Once again be sure to buy enough as dye lots are not consistent.

You can order them all at Homestead Needlearts through their What’s New page. And I want to send a big thank you and shout out to Theresa Swiecicki, the wonderful owner, who took these great pictures and gave me permission to share them with you.

Go here to see the original:
New Colors in Silk

10/25/50 Challenge

Originally posted 2008-08-06 08:18:19. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

It’s been going on for almost 2 years, but I just learned about this challenge to reduce our stashes.

We all tend to get stashes which are out of control. Sometimes our guilds have projects to reduce our stash of UFO’s, but sometimes we need some additional motivation.

Here’s one. If you take part in the challenge you can’t buy a new project until 10, 25, and 50 projects from your stash are complete. There is no time limit and you can set out what will be exceptions from the beginning.

I’m planning on doing this. My exceptions will be models and gifts. Since most of my stitching is one of these two things, and I often neglect the projects for me, I think this will be an outstanding way to get something done for myself for a change.

Maybe I should do another challenge, to get stitched project finished into things. That would also reduce the stash.

Follow this link:
10/25/50 Challenge

February Twinchy Challenge — Happy Hearts

Originally posted 2009-02-01 06:29:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

If you go into the stores these days, you are bombarded by Valentines. Every time I got shopping I’m glad I don’t have to find Valentines and candy for each of my kids for every person in each class. Talk about candy overload!

But I also bought an adorable set of stickers recently which had 42 hearts, each different, in bright, cheery colors. The patterns were simple geometrics, with stripes, squiggles, polka dots, and squares.

But they just looked happy and I couldn’t resist them.

They have also inspired this month’s Twinchy challenge. Just trace a heart outline (I’ll be giving you four) into the 2″ square, find colors and patterns which make you happy and stitch away.

The heart pictured above uses one of the very first Watercolours, Sunset. Sunset then had undyed parts, sunset now does not. I love this set of colors as I like the way the undyed thread tempers the intense, somewhat clashing colors.

The zigzag pattern is modified from a Kaffe Fassett knitting pattern and made smaller. Then one stripe is done in the Watercolours and the others in solid threads in colors taken from this Watercolour. I used orange Kreinik from the gourmet collection a pink velour thread and blue-violet Elegance. The background uses Dinky-Dyes in a more intense version of the red-violet in the overdye.

One note of caution, if you are going to pick a color similar to the overdye for the background, be sure to pick one which does not appear on the edges of the foreground. My first two ideas for backgrounds, cream and dark green were discarded because of this. Against one of these colors parts of the heart will “melt” into the background.

I’m also doing as a sampler. It has eight hearts and each will be different. I’m hoping to have the whole thing done and in the Twinchy Gallery at the end of the month.

Tuesday I’ll post all four outlines and give you some details about the Twinchy Hearts Sampler on Tuesday.

See the original post here:
February Twinchy Challenge — Happy Hearts

Thread News at TNNA

Two exciting threads are being introduced this weekend at TNNA.

Threadworx is introducing an overdyed Vineyard Merino. It looks as if it’s coming in the same colors as their overdyed Vineyard Silk.

I love Vineyard Merino (you should try it if you haven’t yet), so I’m really excited.

In addition, brown paper packages is coming out with Stardust, their first thread with sparkle. They will premiere with four holiday colors.

I’ll let you know more about them as I get new details.

In addition, thirteen new colors of Waterlilies will be released this month. They are:

Sticks and Stones (26)
Karakum (261)
Salt and Pepper (263)
Oyster (264)
Quicksilver (265)
Wisteria (267)
Sahara Sunrise (268)
Bubblegum (269)
Easter Egg (270)
Daffodil (274)
Tequila Sunrise (275)
Hot Peppers (276)
Chianti (277)

These colors are also available in Watercolours and Wildflowers.

Go here to see the original:
Thread News at TNNA

March Twinchy Challenge – Vintage Children’s Toys and Books

Originally posted 2009-03-01 06:24:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

>My eldest daughter, Maggie, loves children’s books. She even has a great blog devoted to them. As a result, I am often looking and finding vintage children’s illustrations which I think would make great needlepoint.

I particularly love the kind which have that sweet Mid-century Modern look and those washed out colors which are now almost pastel.

Looking through one of my design notebooks awhile ago, I found many I had cut out for inspiration. Plenty of ideas, but none stitched yet as I can’t get to my blank canvas, it’s buried.

So that’s the theme of our challenge this month, vintage children’s books and toys. Pick a favorite illustrator or author and do a picture from one of their books. Find a retro looking wallpaper and use that. Pick a vintage clipart (Dover has a whole book of them). There’s plenty from which to choose.

Remember to email me (napaneedlepoint @ gmail.com – remove all spaces) to tell me about what you’ve done. If you attach a picture, I’ll put it in the gallery at the end of the month. If you send me a link, I’ll put the link there.

More:
March Twinchy Challenge – Vintage Children’s Toys and Books

Pod Post Twinchy

Originally posted 2009-01-17 18:36:05. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

John Young created this Pod Post Twinchy himself, using what he calls the “bottom up” method of turning pictures into needlepoint.

Here’s how he describes the process: ” I prefer going the “bottom up” way, using a pixel-art program like Pixen (for the mac) or GraphicsGale (for windows). I like to start with a document that’s the same number of pixels wide as the thread count of the finished canvas, then build up the design using a pencil tool, zoomed WAY in.”

The design has four layers in the program, one for each color. While you visit this picture, take a look at the finished stitching.

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.

Visit link:
Needlepoint Challenge – Use your Stash

Observations on Romance and Rhapsody

Originally posted 2004-07-17 06:00:26. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Like Amy I love quilts and I am particularly fond of Bargello quilts. These pieces capture the look of those quilts so perfectly. I raced through Rhapsody but other deadlines are interfering with getting Romance done.

Here are my observations in no particular order.

If you are using the colors specified in the chart, be sure to use the Levantine Blue canvas specified. Several of the decorative stitches allow the canvas to show through so the blue is an integral part.

You do not use an entire skein of Watercolours for these pieces, so if you have partial skeins start with that. Although sometimes it is difficult to match dyelots with Watercolours I don’t think exact matches are necessary for this piece.

If you do not like a particular stitch for an area, substitute it with another stitch of the same size. I did this several times and tried not to have it be the same stitch as blocks near it.

Use a highlighter to mark off each block as you finish stitching it. This made it so much easier to keep track of where I was.

Mark your lines between the threads, not on them. Or baste in the blocks (I have a friend who has done this).

Rhapsody is easier to stitch then Romance because many of the lines run from one end of the piece to the other. Thus you can start to stitch at one end and follow the color all the way to the other. In Romance the lines are more jagged and no lines of color run all the way across with a square in every row filled.

I did not work all the “plain” blocks first and then the decorative stitches, but worked one line at a time. I cut my skeins of Watercolours and then would work a line of a color until I used all three plies of one strand. Then I’d move on to the next color. This gave me a nice sense of progression.

This is one of the most fun pieces I’ve done in a long time and I highly recommend it.

Here is the original post:
Observations on Romance and Rhapsody

Another Watercolour Twinchy

Originally posted 2008-11-05 05:45:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Needlepoint Christmas Ornament featuring Mosaic Stitch in leaf quilt design

I told you there was another one, complete with chart (below). It was hiding in one of the smaller piles on my desk.

I was celebrating the start of CyberPointers by cleaning the desk off (cheap thrills I know but seeing the desk surface is so nice) and, literally, it fell out. The design is a four block leaf quilt made from Mosaics in one of my favorite Watercolours, Camoflage. I love it’s more subtle but still Christmasy colors. I used Watercolours in Natural for the background and a knitting yarn from my scrap bag for the red.

I also love the more complex border. I punched it up by making the corners, Smyrna Crosses in the green. I think if I were to stitch it again I’d use two Watercolours for the leaves, alternating the color used for each leaf.

It’s small, very delicate, but tons of fun.

Each block is made up of four leaves, which rotate around the center. By using Mosaic, you get the feel of a complete quilt in a small space.