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Posts tagged ‘needlepoint stitches’

Pulled Yarn Stitches with a Silver Lining

Written by Peggy Bond

After my first foray into pulled yarn stitching, I was anxious to try one with color. Using the combination of the pulled yarn star and traditional reversed scotch stitches, I created a two-colored background that lets the silver lining of the I Love Mom ornament shine through.

I stitched the heart, “I Mom”, and background between the letters and image with the continental stitch before starting the pulled yarn star/reversed scotch background. 

Stitched Canvas

Each reversed scotch block and pulled yarn star is 8 horizontal by 8 vertical threads. The reversed scotch blocks should be completed before the pulled yarn stars, particularly if the canvas is not on a stretcher.

By starting the reserved scotch blocks at the center top of the canvas and working diagonally downward as shown above the location of a diagonal row of stars is created. For this ornament, the stars alternate with the scotch blocks, but they can also be randomly positioned. It is important that the stars be worked from the center outward. Since the stars are a different color than the scotch block, each was work independently and ends tied off and hidden so that they are not seen.

Reversed scotch block

So now the background lining! The ornament has only three colors. I did not like the idea of using black. Nether white nor red would show off the holes for the pulled yarn stars. Maybe gold or silver? I tested a silver lining of aluminum foil. I liked how it looked. I went looking for fabric and found stretch satin silver fabric at my local fabric store.

Satin Silver Fabric

To finish the ornament, I used red felt for the backing, quilt batting for padding, a cardboard stiffener, and silver braid for trim and hanger.

Ornament elements

My two pulled yard projects have been done on 18-point canvases and now I am ready for something bigger and maybe better….

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have at: info@needlepaint.com

Happy Stitching!

Give Pulled Yarn Stitching a Try

Written by Peggy Bond

Pulled yarn stitches are often overlooked for needlepointing canvases because they do not fully cover the canvas. However, they can be used with conventional stitches and have some advantages as backgrounds. Firstly, they can be worked up quickly and secondly, they are lacy allowing a differently colored backing to show through.   

This Be Mine Valentine needlepoint ornament kit finished as a door hanger, has a pink felt backing that gives the background behind the heart, the look of checked gingham.
Up close, this is not the case.

When working pulled yarn, it is important to keep consistent tension or pull. This is what creates the pattern. The best pulled yarn stitches have equilateral pull which minimizes distortion.

The 4-sided over 3 pattern shown here is a good example. Notice the direction of the stitches:

1 – left to right

2 – bottom left to top

3 – bottom right to top

4 – bottom left to right

The back will show a large cross stitch (X) as shown above.

My original idea for this project was to back the canvas the same felt as used for the frame. The red felt did not show through. However, the bright pink felt showed well and tied the red and pink of the heart together. Below is a photo of the four layers that used for the hanger.

This project was stitched with white thread on white canvas and had a hot pink backing. Alternatively, it could be done with red thread on the white canvas and a white or sparkling backing. There are many options, and the only caution would be not to try pulled yarn stitches on a printed background. Pulling the stitches will expose the white of the unprinted canvas.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have at: info@needlepaint.com

Happy Stitching!

Easy Sew Christmas Stocking with Cuff

Written by Peggy Bond

The Christmas season for me always brings back family memories – baking fruit cakes, decorating cookies, making gifts, shopping for a special gift, decorating the tree, and hanging Christmas stockings. While thinking about this coming Christmas, I remembered the long ago year when my older sister and I were 12 and 9 years old, and made felt Christmas stockings. We spelled our names out with sequins and stitched them together with yarn. It made me nostalgic and reminded me that my husband and I did not have stockings.  

Inspired by the Needlepaint stocking cuffs, I adapted my old Needlepaint Christmas ornament designs for use as cuffs on stockings. These small 10” x 2.5” canvases were quick to stitch. The top and bottom edges of the cuff were finished with an overcast stitch as described below, and the sides folded under. It was easily sewn onto the front piece of the felt stocking. Front and back of the stockings were stitched together with embroidery thread using a chain stitch. I was traveling when I made these and didn’t have my sewing machine, so all was done by hand.

Instead of using the traditional needlepoint binding stitch, I opted to using an overcast stitch so that I could finish the edges in multiple colors. The stitches were worked on four strands of canvas folded so that there are two stands on the front side and two on the back. In this example, every other stitch is one in red and then followed with every other stitch in blue.

This is the same technique that is used for sewing plastic canvas together, except you are working with a folded needlepoint canvas instead of two pieces of plastic canvas. The color variations give the canvas an additional dimension. And, on the train canvas, I used the same stitch with six different colored strands of embroidery floss on the needle. 

I have had request for cuffs from friends and family and have adapted several more of the original ornaments to cuffs. Each can be customized with a name. All are 18 mesh canvas designs except for the final snowflake design which is 14 mesh canvas.

Angel Song Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Kit

Candy Cane Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Kit

Penguin Parade Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Kit

Holiday Sleigh Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Kit

Flying Santa Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Kit

Ornaments Twinkle Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Kit

Gentle Snowflakes Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Kit

Holiday Express Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Kit

Wolf Song Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Kit

It’s never too late for Christmas stockings and the finishing of these is quick and easy.
New felt has arrived. Time to block and finish the latest creations.

Happy Holiday Stitching!

NeedlePaint’s New Christmas Stocking Cuffs!

Written by: Peggy Bond

Running late to get a Christmas stocking needlepointed? NeedlePaint suggests a Winter Wonderland Stocking Cuff. Needlepointing the cuff will take less than half the time of a full stocking. The bear and moose are perfect for my nephews who live in Maine,
and the chickadee will be prefect for Amos’ little sister who will be born in October.
It shouldn’t be difficult to get it finished in time for Christmas. 

Burly Black Bear Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Canvas

Woodland Moose Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Canvas

Joyful Chickadee Stocking Cuff Needlepoint Canvas

The bear and moose are finished and awaiting their big day. For texture and variety,
I used several different stitches on the large animals, sky, and snowy ground. 

The sky of the bear cuff is done with the vertical brick stitch done over 2 mesh.

The snowy ground is finished with the horizontal double brick stitch also done over 2 mesh.

For the bear, I wanted some color variation and texture.
His back is done using alternating continental with black and dark brown thread
while his under body and legs are all black and stitched with the continental. 

Alternating Continental Stitch

It’s winter and there must be snow falling sometimes, so the moose got the falling snow which was
created by using 3 strands of sky blue and 3 strands of light blue in the vertical brick stitch.
This created a random design that gives the sense of falling snow. 

The double twill stitch for the snow gives perception to the canvas,
accenting the varying size of the trees.

Diagonal chop sticks stitch: Mr. Moose took some searching for me to find the right stitch – one that I had never seen or used before. I found it in Susan Sturgeon Roberts’s book Needlepoint Dictionary of Stitches. It is called diagonal chop sticks. It is done in two shades of brown. 

I will post a the completed chickadee when I know the name of my niece.

We would love to help you with all of your needlepoint holiday decorations.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have at: info@needlepaint.com

Happy Stitching!

How To Stitch A Needlepoint Belt Canvas

By Peggy Bond

So you have a 5-inch wide by yard long printed needlepoint canvas for a belt. Where do we go now? To a split rail scroll frame which will keep your canvas relatively square while allowing you to access sections of the canvas without having to remove and reposition it.

The F.A. Edmunds 6” x 12” scroll frame is a great option. 

Before putting the canvas in the scroll frame, create “end stops” along the short sides of the canvas. The end stop is made with a doubled length of thread (i.e., 12 strands of floss or 2 strands of wool). First, do running stitches along one row as shown below. Then stitch over that row with a 2 x 2 Continental stitch. The end stops will prevent the canvas from slipping through the slotted dowel rod of the frame.

End Stop

End Stop Diagram

The narrow ends of the canvas are slid into the slotted dowel rods and should go all the way against the end of the slot. Insert the dowel rods into the frame’s spreader rails as shown below. The spreader rails should be flush with the edges of the belt canvas to reduce warping the canvas while stitching. 

In the Frame

Even when the rails’ wing nuts are not tight, the end stops should not be able to be pulled through the dowels and the frame should be a rectangle. The dowels can be turned to roll the canvas as it is worked. After positioning the canvas to a section for stitching, tighten the wing nuts on the rails.

Read to stitch

Where to start the stitching and in what order to do it is a personal choice. Personally, I prefer to stitch all of the images before attacking the background. There is no reason why images and elements can’t be done together as the canvas is wound on the dowels. The only thing to remember is not to stop the background stitches at the same vertical spot on each row.

Belts are most frequently stitched with the Tent stitches. For the belt shown below, the Continental and Half Cross Tent stitches were used for the images and lettering, and for filling in where the background stitch couldn’t fill. The background stitch is the Upright Cross. 

CTF Belt Section

Look for our future post on background stitches.

Here at NeedlePaint, we have a large assortment of needlepoint belt canvases we know you will love stitching!

The Tent Stitch: When, Where, and Why

Written by: Peggy Bond

The Tent Stitch, is the basic diagonal stitch which is the most recognized of needlepoint stitches, and can be stitched in three variations: The Basketweave, the Continental and the Half-Cross. There are pros and cons and a time and place for each of these stitches.

Tent Stitch 

The Basketweave Stitch is stitched on the diagonal as diagramed (see Figure 2) and creates a solid pattern on the back of the canvas (see Figure 1). This is the stitch of choice for chair seats, upholstery items or any piece that will receive wear and tear. It is durable and flexible and the finished piece does not warp as much as those done in the Half-Cross or Continental Stitches. It is truly a background stitch to be done around designs. I didn’t use it anywhere on the yarmulkes I made, but I did use it for the purple border of my Pansy Quilt Rug.

Basketweave diagram

View of the Basketweave Stitch back side (Figure 1) and Basketweave Stitch diagram (Figure 2)

 

The Continental Stitch is also a good backing stitch. It lacks the durability of the Basketweave Stitch but can be worked in small areas, while providing a solid backing (as shown in Figure 3). My hat bands are usually done entirely in Continental Stitches. The No Tears Pillow was also done entirely in Continental Stitch. This is a good example of when you would not want to use the Basketweave Stitch for the background as it would have made the canvas much heavier than the fabric.

Continental Diagram

View of the Continental Stitch back side (Figure 3) and stitching diagram 

 

The Half-Cross Stitch provides no backing and is not recommended for backgrounds. It does not cover the canvas well and should only be used on printed canvases where the thread color matches the color of the print. It does, however, use less thread than the Basketweave and Continental stitches. I have used it as the final row around a headband which is going to be turned under when I sew on the backing fabric.

Half-cross Diagram

View of the Half-Cross stitch back side and stitching diagram

 

One thing to bear in mind with the Tent Stitch, and indeed all stitching, is that thread and canvas need to match. Too fine a thread will not cover adequately, and too heavy a thread will be difficult with which to work and will usually create uneven stitches. Below is a chart matching the threads
(6-strand DMC Cotton Floss and 3-strand Waverly Wool) and the canvases that NeedlePaint offers.

Canvas Mesh DMC Cotton Floss Wavely Wool  Notes
10 Not Recommended 3 Strands
12 Not Recommended 3 Strands For rugs and heavy use items
2 Strands For lighter-weight projects: soft pillows, purses
14 6 Strands 2 Strands
1 Strand Use only on printed canvas where thread matches color
18 6 Strands 1 Strand  Great to use for belts, wallets, flasks

 

Now having explained the how, when, where, and why of the Tent Stitch, I have to admit that I use it sparingly.

Coming soon My Favorite Background Stitches!

Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas in Needlepoint

Needlepaint’s 12 Days of Christmas needlepoint canvases were inspired a quilt my mother made 25 years ago. Use the 3-inch circular, 18-point ornaments to decorate a tree or the 6 x 6-inch 18-point blocks to hang as a bunting (8 x 8 inch on 14 mesh). They are an ideal size to be  done while traveling, waiting in a doctor’s office, or babysitting a sleeping grandchild.  Or, in the tradition of a quilting bee, canvases can be done by several different needle-pointers.

I stitched and finished the bunting…….

12 Days of Christmas Needlepoint Kits

12 Days of Christmas Needlepoint Kits

The blocks can be stitched with the continental stitch However, I used a variety of stitches using DMC 6-strand floss.Quick-cover stitches for the backgrounds sped up completion and others I chose to provide texture. (Stitches will be described in subsequent blogs.) Beads, sequins, and/or ribbons could also be added for textures and highlights.

Finishing and display options are numerous…  If one has a large wall space or fireplace, a 12-block bunting would be cool, but it is easier to find a place for a shorter 4-block 3 string display. Also, consider a 2-block 6-string or 3 strings of 3 blocks, 4 blocks, and 5 blocks.

In the photo above, the blocks are framed and backed with red felt, hand-stitched together with 3 strands of red DMC floss to match, and strung on a ¾-inch strip of felt. If you are not into buntings, the blocks could be used to decorate a table or sewn together for wall hanging or table runner. Each could be framed in the Mill Hill Wooden 6 x 6-inch frames which are designed for needlework and available online from several vendors, including  JoAnn or Amazon.

Detailed directions and alternatives for finishing will be addressed in a later blog.

 

Bringing Ancient Mosaics to Needlepaint

By Peggy Bond:

While I walked through ancient Rome and Pompeii, the mosaics on floors, walls, and columns were transformed in my mind to needlepoint pillows, wall hangings, rugs and a myriad of new projects..

Transferring a mosaic design to a canvas had several advantages over the same task for a photo. The number of colors is limited, the design or subject is not too complex, and the background is uniform, except for the grout lines.

Throwing caution to the wind, I attacked the Pompeii guard dog mosaics from the House of Orpheus – 4 colors and a simple image.

Guard dog from the House of Orpheus

Guard dog from the House of Orpheus

The challenge was not creating canvas, but giving the stitched canvas the feel of the mosaic. An individual continental or tent stitch was too small to approximate a mosaic tile, but the mosaic stitch is just as its name suggest. A perfect stitch for the mosaic guard dog!

Mosaic Stitch

Mosaic Stitch

Additionally, the cashmere stitch (a rectangular mosaic) which can be stitched vertically or horizontally could be used to outline the dog as done by the ancient artisans with stone.

Horizontal and Vertical Cashmere Stitch

Horizontal and Vertical Cashmere Stitch

The canvas was designed on a 2 x 2 pixel grid (the size of 1 mosaic) instead of the usual 1 x 1 pixel. Then the number of colors on the image were reduced to 4 – black, off-white, dark brown, and red. There was editing to do to fill most of each grid square with only one color. In some cases, this was not possible and when stitching these areas were filled with the continental stitch.

Close-up of canvas image design

Close-up of canvas image design

As scene in the finished canvas below, I used the cashmere stitch to outline the dog and the leash.

Guard dog from the House of Orpheus Needlepoint Pillow - Finished!

Guard dog from the House of Orpheus Needlepoint Pillow – Finished!

The canvas was 12 point and is worked in Brown Sheep Waverly wool for a16 x 16 inch pillow.

Canvases for three other Pompeii dogs are also available.

Cave Canem Needlepoint Canvas

Cavae Canem from the House of the Tragic Poet

Guard Dog from House of Paquius Proculus

Guard Dog from House of Paquius Proculus

Sleeping Dog from the House of Lucius Caecilius Lucundus

Sleeping Dog from the House of Lucius Caecilius Lucundus

A New Bible for Needlepoint

The 3rd edition of Jo Ippolito Christensen’s The Needlepoint Book is out. I hadn’t imagined that this bible of needlepointing could get any better but it has!

Needlepoint Book Cover

Needlepoint Book Cover

The new edition includes expanded discussion of techniques for stitching and design as well as 225 new color plates and over 40 new stitches. I haven’t absorbed even half of the new material, but I have already spotted some new ideas for my next Needlepaint project — open work on belts. (Give me a couple of weeks and I will let you know how it works.)

I have both the print and eBook version and I like them for different reasons. I am a bit of a book snob and I love my paper versions — thus the print. However, I travel a lot and in order to keep my suitcase light, I got the eBook. I am delighted with both. A plus to the eBook is the color plates which can be enlarged on the screen to view details. The plus to the print version is ease of finding and comparing stitches.

And, this is not all that comes with the new edition. There is going to be a stitch app for our mobile devices. It isn’t out yet, but for those who by the print or eBook you need to go to www.needlepointbookapp.com  from your mobile device and enter your  information. Simon & Schuster will notify you with your download code as soon as the app is made available. I can’t wait!

Let It Snow – Needlepoint Stitches

Of course, the penguins on the Isaac and Alexander stockings have to be walking on snow. Should it be soft and fluffy or icy and crunchy? My answer is both.

The large penguin on Issac’s stocking is walking of soft fluffy snow which is a variation of the oblong cross stitch. I have worked it across only one horizontal canvas thread rather than on two canvas threads as shown  in The Needlepoint Book by Joe Ippolito Christensen.

PuffySnow

This diagram shows it done in two different thread colors because it is worked in two separate parts. First worked the light yellow stitches and then the dark yellow stitches, but both with the same slightly off-white thread. I used a slight off-white thread so that the stark white of the penguin would be more pronounced.

LargePenguin
The Santa Penguin looks like he is walking on a cloud. Having worked the stitches over just one canvas thread, I got a thick, dense stitch which added a nice dimension.

And yes, he is not finished! He will get an eye for which I will use a glass bead and maybe a tie around his sack.

When I got to the penguin on the Alexander stocking, I decided that I didn’t like him floating in the blue as printed in my design.  I thought that I would put him on some soft snow like Santa penguin. It didn’t work. So, he was bound to get the icy snow. Using a vertical giant knitting stitch, I put him on ice.

 

Icey Snow

I worked the stitches from left starting at the top of each column of stitches. Since there wasn’t any snow printed on my canvas, I was free to put in an many icy spikes and as irregularly as I wanted. The fact that the printed background was blue, the finish stitches have an even icier feel because a bit of the blue peaks through.

Again I used a slightly off-white thread to contract the little penguins white and he needs an eye, too.

LittlePenguin

 

 

If you look closely at the two penguins, you might notice that the two skies behind the penguins look irregular.  It is not just the lighting, They are! In the next blog, I will explain the stitches and threads I used.

I’ll probably use the same oblong cross stitch for the exhaust of Santa’s plane on Issac’s stocking. What do you think?