Official blog of www.NeedlePaint.com –
where you can design your own Needlepoint!
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!
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:
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!
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"
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.
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.
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!
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.
Looking for a small needlepoint project, consider making a dog collar. The needlepointing itself went quickly on a 1 in. x 17.5 inch, 18-point needlepoint canvas and your choice of colors will allow you to match your dog’s personality.
After needlepointing the canvas, I blocked it, trimmed the excess canvas leaving a ½ in. border, folded back the canvas, steamed it in place, and finished the edges with a binding or edge stitch. There are several binding techniques. The quickest is a loop stitch worked over the last completed row of needlepoint and the adjacent vacant row. But, the most elegant is the braided binding stitch shown in this video:Binding Stitch Video
The Neeplepoint kits come with thread and matching canvas. Email us if you would like a Clip and D ring shown in the images. Position the finished collar in the center of the polyester strap. There should be 6 inches on each side of the collar. Sew in collar in place. Insert the left end of the strap into the side of the buckle with a single bar. Adjust so that the finished needlepoint is snug with the face of the buckle. Sew through all thicknesses as close to the buckle as possible. Side the D-ring onto the collar and position approximately 2 inches from where the collar is attached to the buckle. Sew through all thickness on each side of the D-ring.
The other side of the buckle can be adjustable when threaded as shown below. Optionally it can also be sewn making the collar a fixed size.
Needlepaint Picture of the Week Last week, we made a really beautiful custom horse needlepoint canvas. The horse is really beautiful, and I'm looking forward to seeing it finished!
A Custom Horse Needlepoint Canvas
I was inspired by an order for a tiger needlepoint canvas a few months ago. It was such an amazing photo that I had to put something together for the rest of the needlepointing world! The customer is busy finishing their project, and will email us photo’s when it is done 🙂
Tiger Needlepoint Canvas 8 x 6 inches on 18 mesh canvas
You can buy this canvas at our ETSY needlepoint shop.
More animal needlepoint canvases are at our shop, but check out the Leopard!
Leopard Needlepoint Canvas 10 x 7.5 inches on 18 mesh canvas
Do you like to share your needlepoint works of art with others? Then the internet is the perfect place for you. There are lots of websites now were stitchers can share their projects, needlepoint photos, and discuss new needlepoint ideas!
We’ve been looking and sharing and discussing and have come up with a list of a few of our favorites: If your favorite site is not listed, please list it in the comments section or contact us.
Our list is broken into 2 parts, one is for Sharing, one is for Learning and Looking.
Sharing:
stitcherie.ning.com – This website has about 650 group members only focused on Needlepoint. It is great because it allows people to easily add their own photos and talk about them.
handembroidery.ning.com – this network is based out of the UK but has over 3000 very active members
Craftser.org – with over 200,000 members, look for the needlework portion of this group – http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?board=356.0
Learning and Looking:
needlepoint.about.com – Cheryl Fall keeps her eyes open for great needlepoint as well as offering free stitch charts every week!
nuts-about-needlepoint.com – Janet Perry has been keeping the most up to date website covering topics that will keep beginners and experts busy for months.
CraftGossip.com/needlework – Denise Felton keeps readers coming back by posting beautiful needlework every day.
Facebook:
The biggest social network in the world is a great place to connect and share your passion for stitching!
Many of the sites above also have Facebook pages including NeedlePaint.
More:
There are so many needlepoint blogs, if you look at the links on right side of nuts-about-needlepoint.com
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