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Posts tagged ‘needlepoint tapestry’

A DIY Crafty Family

I guess you could say that I come from a DIY family. There has always been someone doing some project or another. As a teenager, my father had me grouting tile and my mother had me making all of my own clothes. My siblings were likewise involved, as were my aunts and uncles.

The DIY nature of the family was brought to my attention when I showed my daughter-in-law this picture of the Pansy quilt and rug.

DIY Needlepoint Tapestry

Hand Made by Family Members includes the Pansey Quilt, Pansey Needlepoint Rug, Wood Furniture, Tiffany Lamp, and Bird Embroidery

As I mentioned in my previous post, my sister Mary Sue Suit (https://marysuequiltgallery.wordpress.com/) designed and pieced the quilt, Judy Woodworth (http://www.judywoodworth.com/index.html) did the quilting, and I made the needlepoint rug using our website www.NeedlePaint.com. The furniture was made by my father at the end of World War II. My Uncle Frank took up leaded glass after he retired in the ‘70s and the Tiffany lamp is one of his.

The embroidered bird hangings were stitched by my great-aunt Mrs. Jo. Mrs. Jo was a nurse who served in France during WWI. She took her lace tatting everywhere with her on the coal-puffing trains of Europe. She complained that all her lace was grey and needed to be washed several time before it could be used. When she retired, nothing pleased her more than a needlepoint or embroidery project. When my mother would take her a new project, Mrs. Jo often would say to her, “Don’t you need to be somewhere else?” The signal that she was ready to be stitching….

Needlepaint a Quilt

After Needlepaint began carrying the Brown Sheep Waverly wool, I decided that I needed to attack a large project — a 20” by 24” rug on 12 point canvas. For design ideas, I turned to my quilting sister, Mary Sue Suit https://marysuequiltgallery.wordpress.com/, who never ceases to amaze me with her unique designs based on triangles.

We finally chose her Pansy Quilt which was quilted by Judy Woodworth. Why we chose it, I don’t know, but maybe it had something to do with pansies being one of my favorite flowers and my granddaughter loves purple. Usually Mary Sue gives her quilts names but this one is nameless…. We welcome suggestions.

Pansies Quilt

Pansies Quilt

The straight lines of the triangles meant the quilt design transferred easily to a custom needlepoint canvas.  I worked the canvas with all 3 strands of the Waverly wool and chose one of the variegated colors for the light lavender of the above design. For the backing we used medium-weight wool. The finished rug makes a beautiful accent to the spectacular quilt.  The same pattern could be down sized for an 18 point miniature needlepoint hanging. Or, one could turn the center pansy medallion into a 12 or 14 point pillow. The possibilities are limited only by one’s tolerance for pansies which don’t have to be purple.

 

Pansy Quilt Rig Color Guide

Pansy Quilt Rig Color Guide

 

Needlepaint can print canvases up to 36” by 40” and we recommend 10 or 12 point canvas for rugs. I chose 12 point canvas because I wanted the finished rug to be firm without having to use a heavy backing or filler.

Needlepoint Rug and Quilt

Needlepoint Rug and Quilt