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NeedlePoint Kits and Canvas Designs | Design your own Needlepoint Kit!

How to Design a Photo Needlepoint Stocking

October 24, 2011

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You can now stitch a great photo needlepoint stocking very easily.  As part of our new personalized needlepoint shop, we added some stocking designs that have an area where your favorite photo can be added.

To view personalized needlepoint christmas stocking designs that you can add your photo to, just go to our personalized needlepoint shop.  All you have to do is type in your name and place the order and then email us the photo you would like to include.

We will email you back a preview of your design for your approval.  We won’t ship any personalized orders until we have approval, and all orders are 100% satisfaction guaranteed.  See our post on customer satisfaction to learn more!

Add your own Name and Photo to this Needlepoint Stocking Canvas

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Customer Service and Needlepoint Design service

October 21, 2011

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The last few months have been going very well at NeedlePaint.com.  As you may guess, creating custom needlepoint kits is not always a perfect process, but we always do our best to get it right the first time.

A few things you may not be aware of that we do.

#1.  We love to help before you place your order!  If the photo needlepoint preview does not look as good as your want or you want help cropping it, please email us the photo and we will work on it and help you with your project.  Also, we develop designs from scratch and are happy to discuss ideas for a new project.

#2.  We review your order to be sure there are no major errors and that it looks like something we would want to stitch.  You will get an email asking for the photo if we think colors may not look right, or that the canvas needs to be improved.

#3.  Sometimes colors on the computer look good, but when we proceed with the order, the colors we find are totally off!  On animals and people we try to color match the floss by hand as computers don’t recognize dog breeds or skin tones.  Most often, we’ll get purple and green tones, but alas, we will fix them!

#4.  If you are not happy with your project, we will fix the design and replace the canvas!  These projects take a lot of time and the needlepoint will probably be with your family for a very long time, sometimes generations, so we encourage all of our customers to speak up if they have any problems with an order.

The feedback we’ve been getting is really nice, and lets us know that going the extra mile is worth it!

“Thank you for the update.  I am really impressed with your customer service.  A+ with the proactive approach—it is refreshing.”  Nancy, from AZ

“I am very excited about this…and THANK YOU so much again for you help & patience with getting this perfect!! It really means a lot!!”  Erica, from NJ

“Got it today and it looks great. Thank you!”  Holly, from NJ

“I received my shipment yesterday and the canvas is just beautiful!!!!”  Deb, from MN

This week's orders

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NeedlePoint Dog Canvases

October 9, 2011

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One of our favorite projects we see almost every week is the dogs.  Two weeks ago, we actually had 5 dog needlepoint canvas orders, along with two cat needlepoint canvases.

Some of the dogs are below.  You can see that the close up images look great.  Also, we’ve been working on finding more dog breeds to add to our Etsy shop.  You can browse more dog needlepoint canvases there, or upload your own needlepoint photo to create a custom needlepoint kit at our website!

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Personalized Needlepoint Christmas Stocking Shop

September 23, 2011

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Today NeedlePaint.com announced today that we have launched a new personalized needlepoint shop!  In this shop there are many pre-designed Christmas needlepoint canvases to which customers can add their own names and also have the shop modify the colors before printing.  Some of the designs even allow for the customer to add their own photos into the canvas design!

We have already posted about a few of these projects in our blog, but now we have made it easy to order them at the NeedlePaint.com personalized needlepoint shop!

New Designs for Personalized Needlepoint Stockings and Ornaments

This month we are featuring Christmas stockings and needlepoint ornament designs. In the past, personalized needlepoint stocking kits have required the stitcher to actually use a stencil and draw in a name, with very plain letters. Customers buying from NeedlePaint.com have their choice of over 100 styles of letters and 400 colors.  Customers will also be happy to know that their names will be printed onto the canvas, and that the needlepoint kits will include not only the canvas and thread, but they will also come with a counted stitch guide, counted color aid, and DMC matched color guide.

Our blogs explain how to make these so follow the links below:

Needlepoint Christmas Ornaments Using Quick Stitches

How to make Needlepoint Christmas Ornaments

Personalized Needelpoint Chrismas Stocking

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Needlepoint Christmas Ornaments Using Quick Stitches

September 19, 2011

Written by Peggy Bond

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With December rapidly approaching, I realized that I was going to have to speed up if my goal of 12 personalized needlepoint ornaments for Christmas gifts was to be met. I have now completed 5 and my needle is flying.

The key to speed – quick backgrounds!  Three fast background stitches came from The Needlepoint Book by Joe Ippolito Christensen.

On the Penguin Needlepoint Ornament, I used a variation on the Four-way Bargello for the sky, and n0t so quick was the diagonal mosaic for the ice bergs and snow. Still faster than the traditional continental stitch!


The background for the angel ornament is  the Victorian Step which was even quicker.

But, the ultimate speed came with the open work on the Santa ornament. This is a modification of the Four-Sided Over Three stitch from A Pageant of Pattern for Needlepoint Canvas by Sherlee Lantz. It does not cover the canvas but lets the printed background show through.

                                      Four-Sided Over Three Stitch

I also came up with some other ideas to dress them up quickly:

  • Beads for stars or snowflakes on Santa and the Penguins.
  • Beads on the Angels dress.
  • Jingle bells hanging from the Penguins bottom ties (not shown in the picture above).
  • Beads for eyes.
  • Beads for Santa’s Christmas tree.

Yes, I got into beads. I never thought I would, but I did follow the advice of my quilting sister Mary Sue Suit  “Don’t get carried away. Beads can be additive!” And, I could still be beading if other ornaments weren’t calling.

Next up is going to be Snowflake ornament on 14 pt with lots of open work and metallic threat. Stay tuned!

To read how easy it is to make these ornaments, please see our blog that explains how to make a needlepoint Christmas ornament.

Personalized needlepoint kits on 14 pt and 18 pt canvas will be available on NeedlePaint.com very soon!

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Super Cute Puppy Needlepoint Canvas for a Pillow

September 2, 2011

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I worked on this puppy needlepoint canvas with a customer last week, and had to share it!

Cute Puppy Needlepoint Canvas

We cropped the image, and changed the background to be all blue and green.  The size was 13.3 inches by 9.2 inches, on 14 mesh zweigart canvas.  We also changed some of the floss colors on the puppy to off whites and browns to match the photo better.

What is great about this picture is how close up it is, and of course the puppy, it will be an amazing pillow when it is finished!

Puppy Needlepoint Canvas "Stitched Preview"

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Photo Needlepoint Vs “NeedlePainting”

August 26, 2011

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Turning a Photo into a Needlepoint Canvas is not as simple as is seams.  Which which is why we are always looking for new ideas to create the best needlepoint canvases.

Recently we had an issue with one of our customers, because the image on the canvas turned out to be much blurrier than the original.  Since the person was a very experienced needlepointer, and they wanted to pick their own colors, we decided to try a direct photo transfer.  This process looks a lot better, but it does not directly follow the mesh.  They loved it!

Unfortunately, I don’t have the images of those exact canvases to compare with, but I did talk to some more stitchers and decide that in some cases a direct photo transfer would be better.  I experimented and took some pictures so you can see the clarity difference.

Left is Direct Transfer on the Right is NeedlePaint

You can see how the direct transfer is crisper (which is the one the customer picked), But to be clear, we do not recommend this unless you are experienced, and only if your image is not coming out clearly on NeedlePaint.com

The reason we think the website’s “NeedlePainting” version is better, is that it groups similar colors for you, and it matches real floss colors to your canvas.  The end result is that even if you are experience and like to do the colors and grouping yourself, the final stitched canvas will come out almost identical.  With our counted stitch guides and color aids, we believe the NeedlePaint versions will come out stitched better.  And if you are having troubles with letters, just email us after you place the order, and we will fix them.

But, as mentioned, on some projects the direct transfer can make a big difference, so if you have any issues when placing an order, please use this image and description as reference to help make your decision.  We will also still include a counted stitch guide, color aid, and color chart for your reference, even though it won’t match identically, it may still help!

And, as always, feel free to email or call me to discuss.

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‘Tis the Season for Needlepoint Christmas Ornaments

August 19, 2011

Written by Peggy Bond

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Christmas is still 4 months away, but it is never too early to begin that special needlepoint gift – a personalized needlepoint Christmas ornament. My new design was inspired by metallic threads and a shimmering gold fabric I saw at JoAnn’s.

The needlepoint canvas section is a  2.5 x 10 inch band to done in a variety of stiches selected from one of my favorite reference books, Jo Ippolito Christensen’s The Needlepoint Book.

  • Red ornament – horizontal brick stitch
  • Green ornament – diagonal plait stitch
  • Yellow ornament – slanted Gobelin variation
  • Light blue ornament – vertical beaty
  • Pink ornament – Parisian stripe with 2 shades of pink
  • Orange ornament – Byzantine stitch
  • Dark blue ornament – pavilion diamonds
  • Background – reversed mosaic
  • Lettering and ornament tops – continental stitch

The finished canvas is sewn onto a 6 x 11 inch piece of fabric. (Layout is shown below.) Trim the canvas, leaving a ½ inch edge and fold under as shown below. I got carried away with trim and used a 1/8- inch gold ribbon. (If you don’t use a narrow ribbon for trim, the canvas should be bound as described in my blog on Needlepoint Napkin Rings.)

Sew narrow hem at bottom of the fabric and place trim at top. (Optionally the top can be finished with a narrow hem.) With right sides together sew the 6-inch edges of the ornament together along the end of the worked needlepoint. Trim seam to ¼ inch and turn.

Gather the bottom tightly to close and stuff the ornament with a polyester fill or other light weight filler.

Gather top, attach a hanger, and a bow at the bottom. Your Christmas ornament is ready to hang for 2011 and for many more holiday seasons to come!

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Needlepoint Napkin Rings – For the Eco-Conscious

August 10, 2011

Written by Peggy Bond

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I have to admit that I am addicted to cloth napkins. It is so bad that when we travel I take my own cloth napkins to our vacation rentals. This winter as usual my husband and I rented a house on the beach in Molokai, Hawaii, and we had several couples visiting. I got tired of trying to remember whose napkin was whose. It was time for custom needlepoint napkin rings with a Hawaiian theme.

Each ring measures 1.5 X 6.0 inches and I placed them on the needlepoint canvases an inch apart. I used 16 different traditional Hawaiian quilt blocks in bold primary colors. Each ring measures 1.5 X 6.0 inches and I placed them on the canvas an inch apart. I used 16 different traditional Hawaiian quilt blocks in bold primary colors. The background is a rusty-orange, probably influenced by the red soils of Molokai.

After I finished needlepointing the canvas, I cut the rings apart and did loop stitch over the 2 stitches on each edge as shown here. I used the background color along the length of each ring and a different color for the edges — that was so all my guest had to remember was the edge color of their ring in order to claim the correct napkin at each meal. If your canvas needs block, I recommend that you block it before cutting the rings apart. After edging the length, I found that I needed to reblock them again.

I lined each ring with 1 1/2-in gross grain ribbon which I purchased from JoAnn’s,

I slip-stitched the lining together to form the ring and then using the appropriate color overcast the edges.  Voila! My contribution to the ecosystem — no more paper napkins and everyone can remember their color so I save on water by not having to wash napkins so often. These would make a great needlepoint Christmas, wedding, or house warming gift.

 

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NeedlePoint Custom Stitch Guide

August 3, 2011

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Finally!  All NeedlePaint.com orders will now ship with custom stitch guides.

Trying to needlepoint a photo or custom needlepoint canvases can be very tricky.  Especially since many colors in shading of faces or shadows are very similar.  These similar colors on a canvas often are hard to distinguish.  But, when the embroidery floss is laid out and the project is underway, these shades are key to making a stunning work of needle art!

Most custom needlepoint kit makers don’t have the ability to go into the amount of detail that NeedlePaint.com allows when using photos.  When discussing with needlepoint shop owners who sell handpainted canvases, they have reviewed our product and agreed that NeedlePaint.com offers a better and more real looking product than most handpainters are able to produce.

To help our customers tell the colors apart, we have been working on a counted stitch guide that shows the exact location for every stitch and color.  When this is combined with our color stitch aid and the printed canvas, it allows a needlepointer to quickly and easily figure out exactly where each color goes.

Needlepoint Stitch Guide, Color Aid, Canvas, Color Chart

Our new stitch guides are counted in rows of 10, and each symbol is referenced in our color chart which displays the color and number of the floss to be used.

Our color stitch aid is also organized in rows of 10, so cross referencing the color aid is very helpful when looking at the image on the canvas.  Our customers have been very happy with this new addition!

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