The Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure

Knitting Yarn for Needlepoint (For Carol)

2011-09-28T06:15:00.000-04:00

Carol and I've been talking about threads for needlepoint recently and bemoaning the lack of supplies in her area. She's going to hit up the local knitting shops to see if she can find anything suitable to use in her next NP projects. Before she goes, I hope she gets a chance to read this informative article from Janet Perry on using knitting yarns in NP.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/can-i-use-knitting-yarns-for-needlepoint

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Donna Raided The EGA Bookstore

2011-09-28T06:05:00.000-04:00

Anyone who collects stitching books will want to read Donna's report on the books and kits she picked up at the EGA Seminar bookstore in Florida. She's even included a link to a peak inside Amy Mitten's new book. I am a big fan of Amy's faded cotton threads so I enjoyed looking at her fabulous book animation, even though counted thread and I are a bad combination due to my inability to count to ten consistently. Thanks, Donna!
http://majtravaux.blogspot.com/2011/09/getting-back.html

http://majtravaux.blogspot.com/2011/09/shopping-experiences-at-seminar.html

Yes, I'm jealous of Donna, too.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

It's Official--I'm Jealous of Sheena

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here's why--
http://www.sheenassweetstitches.com/2011/09/cook-up-class-in-memphis.html

Can you blame me?
http://www.sheenassweetstitches.com/2011/09/more-on-memphis.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Needle Delights Blue Ribbon Winners

2011-09-27T06:20:00.000-04:00

Two pieces from Needle Delights won blue ribbons at the Montgomery County Fair!
http://needledelightsoriginals.blogspot.com/2011/09/blue-ribbon-winners.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Hockey Needlepoint Portraits

2011-09-27T06:15:00.000-04:00

The Art of Needlepoint showcases an article about a needle artist who does portraits of hockey star goalkeepers in needlepoint.
http://scoutmagazine.ca/2011/09/12/vancouver-creative-a-few-words-with-artist-mike-macri-on-hockey-needlepoint/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Beads and Bullions

2011-09-27T06:05:00.000-04:00

Pocket Full of Stitches has posted progress photos for a Raymond Crawford piece called Christmas Collage on their blog. You have to see them! The bullion leaf is unique and beautiful and the little beaded berries are perfection. Stitching perfection like this inspires me!
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/saras-berries.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Alice's Tips: Needles and Tension

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

BeStitched is publishing Alice Hall's stitching tips on their blog. The first entry is about needles and stitching tension. There are plenty of tips that you might find helpful here.
http://bestitchedneedlepoint.com/news-and-updates/alice-hall-needle-and-thread-tension/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

I've Had A Busy Day

2011-09-26T09:59:00.000-04:00

It's been busy here in Chilly Hollow this morning. I've added a new article about Sheena's stitch guides to the CH Stitch Guides blog, and...
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2011/09/stitch-guided-by-sheena.html

...I've added Vicky's blog back to the blog list at the bottom of this page since her server is once again free and out of the control of hackers, and I've been busy oogling Kirk and Hamilton's poison bottles. Since I've gone from a non-Halloween stitcher to someone who has stitched several in the past year with more in the queue, I have to warn you. Beware! The ghosts and goblins WILL get you!
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/halloween-bottles.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Melissa Shirley on Sale

2011-09-26T08:32:00.000-04:00

Fireside Stitchery has announced a Melissa Shirley sale. Until October 15, a selection of her designs are on sale at 25 percent off. But there is only one canvas available at the sale price, so shop early. (OK, who said, "Shop often"? Was that you, Tony?)
http://www.firesidestitchery.com/fs/HandPaintedCanvas/index.cfm?fuseaction=GETSALESANDSPECIALS&saleId=116&saleTypeId=5

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Day of the Dead Goes Halloween

2011-09-26T06:15:00.000-04:00

Tapestry Fair has just finalized a companion piece to their Pocito that is all about Halloween. Isn't she a charmer!?! Her name is Belleza de Halloween, or Halloween Beauty.
http://tapestryfair.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-for-halloween.html

To see the original needlepoint version of Manuel Salas' piece Un Pocito de Color, click here. It's going to be hard to choose but the canvases won't be available to ship to shops until around Halloween. So you have a little time to think it over. Will it be A Little Bit of Color or Halloween Beauty? I've already decided which I'll be stitching this winter....
http://tapestryfair.blogspot.com/2011/08/new-canvas-from-manuel-salas.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

The Needle Bug Pairs

2011-09-26T06:05:00.000-04:00

The Needle Bug just got in a shipment of Stirling bags, which they promptly paired up with pieces from their current Mindy trunk show. Like peanut butter and jelly (or chocolate and more chocolate), it's a match made in heaven.
http://theneedlebug.com/2011/09/stirling-whimsical-fabulous/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Video Profile: Family Arts Needlework

2011-09-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

Anyone in Arizona has heard about Family Arts Needlework, and many long time stitchers have heard about it from friends, but few of us have actually seen the shop. Here's a wonderful video that shows off the inside and the stitchers you can find there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMN4qsCbgB8

Want to learn more? Here is the shop website.
http://familyartsneedlework.com/

Many thanks to Ada Haydon (EyeCandy) for finding this and posting about it on Facebook.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Vicky's Back!

2011-09-25T21:15:00.000-04:00

Vicky DeAngelis' blog Mostly Needlepoint is back online. Turns out the server where her blog is hosted was hacked, knocking her and many other blogs offline. The host has fixed the problem and you can visit Vicky again at this link. Welcome back, Vicky!
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Fall Fairy (with Owl)

2011-09-25T06:20:00.000-04:00

I updated the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guide blog yesterday with a wonderful article by Robin King. You can read about her Harvest Fairy stitch guide and the canvas it enhances here.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2011/09/welcome-to-fall.html

By the way, if you want to stitch Robin's Hooty Owl from the back cover of Needlepoint Now, Pocket Full of Stitches has the canvas and extra copies of the magazine in stock. Call them and you can have this for your very own.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/needledeeva-in-needlepoint-now.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Pumpkin Tips

2011-09-25T06:15:00.001-04:00

If you are stitching Needle Deeva's Creepy Characters for Halloween, you'll love reading the tips Needlepoint.com is posting about threads and stitch order. This helps make Robin King's stitch guide even better, particularly for the less experienced stitcher.
http://www.needlepoint.com/blog/?p=770

By the way, Michele's finished her pumpkin. Isn't it darling?
http://bristlythistle.blogspot.com/2011/09/creeps-from-needle-deeva.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

TNNA Encourages New Designers

2011-09-25T06:15:00.000-04:00

I just received the below email from Dena Lehman of Kreinik about a new program for new designers that TNNA is doing to promote their work, and am sharing it here with her permission. Of course the PDF attachment file mentioned isn't really attached to this Blog article, but I'll gladly email it to you if you ask me for it using my email address of chillyhollow at hot mail dotcom. You can also post a message in the Comments but include your email address so I know where to send the file.

Dena writes:

"Hello! Attached is a packet of information on the New Designer Program from the Counted Thread and Embroidery Group of TNNA. It is an exciting new program designed to promote new counted thread and embroidery designers at an upcoming TNNA trade show. You will find two pages in the attachment:

1. an announcement to share with designers who may be interested in applying
2. a copy of the rules and application process

Please help the counted thread and embroidery market by spreading the word about this program. Send copies to designers, post it on your Facebook page, Twitter, whatever you can do. I will put the announcement text at the end of this email if you would like to cut and paste it into your own email/document/etc.

Thank you! We are very excited about bringing some new designers to market. If you have any questions, let me know. Have a great weekend!"

Regards,
Dena

Dena Lenham
Creative Director, Magazine and Designer Contact
Kreinik Mfg. Co. Inc.
Phone: 1-800-354-4255 or 304-728-7889
Address: PO Box 219, Halltown, WV 25423 USA
Email: dlenham@kreinik.com

If you have questions, ask Dena. Good luck, new designers!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

New Painted Canvas and Counted Canvaswork Items

2011-09-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

UPDATED WARNING: Vicky's blog was on a server that was hacked. The host got the server fixed and Vicky's blog and all the others are back online. I'll add her link to the blog list down at the bottom of the page again and it's safe to click on the links.

There's a new painted canvas Halloween cat design from Eye Candy and Vicky's going to stitch and then do a stitch guide for it for Ruth Schmuff to distribute. Beads are promised!
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/09/18/ruth-schmuff-eye-candy-black-cats-halloween-what-more-could-you-ask-for/

http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/09/19/alleycat-witchy-poo/

Counted canvaswork fans of Jean Hilton will be interested to hear that the company that distributes her work has discovered the cover photo for one of her charts is a later version of the design. They've had a corrected cover for Quidity stitched and promise to swop the cover page for anyone who needs the new photo.
http://stitches-heart.com/new-cover-for-quidity/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Turquoise and The Punkin'

2011-09-24T06:15:00.000-04:00

Barbara Elmore is getting ready to teach a wonderful pumpkin lady design at Needle Works in Austin, Texas. Make sure you enlarge the photograph or you will miss the details of the beautiful turquoise crescent background, the darling tiny owl with sequin eyes, the 3-D broom, the pumpkin lady's curled brim hat and gorgeous gown, the vines twining in the background. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous piece full of lovely stitches over a beautifully painted background, and it has special meaning for Barbara due to her family's pumpkin fanatic.
http://stitchpography.blogspot.com/2011/09/have-needlepoint-will-travel.html

Speaking of turquoise, Pocket Full of Stitches has a new model and stitch guide for one of Eye Candy's lovely geometric patterns. Ruth Schmuff distributes Eye Candy but the stitch guide is done by PFOS.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/megs-piece.html

Our shops do wonderful things for us, whether it is a special stitch guide or a terrific class.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Nimble Fingers Finishing

2011-09-24T06:10:00.000-04:00

This week I stumbled across this fabulous shop website that showcases wonderful finished pieces. Nimble Fingers is in Houston, so do stop by the next time you are in Texas so you can see some of these wonderful pieces in person before they go off to live at the homes of Nimble Fingers' customers.
http://www.nimblefingerstx.com/NimblefingersTx.com/Gallery.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

New Colors in Hot Wire

2011-09-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

Miko Wears a Hot Wire Gold Hair Pin

Kreinik has just announced new colors in their Hot Wire, the metallic thread with a wire core so it can be shaped into anything you like, such as a gold hair pin in Miko's hair!

Here's a tiny photo of the new colors.
http://yarntree.typepad.com/needlework_news/2011/09/nine-new-hot-wire-colors-from-kreinik.html

Here are the current colors from the Kreinik website.
http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17207&cat=290&page=1

Here's how to attach Hot Wire to your canvas, courtesy of Robin King.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2011/01/kreinik-hot-wire-catch-up.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Longer and Shorter: Tips on Stitching Long and Short Stitch

2011-09-23T09:52:00.000-04:00

Anyone who is intimidated by long and short stitch or who isn't happy with how their current attempts look will find Kathy's tips very useful the next time they are shading using this wonderful stitch.
http://www.theunbrokenthread.com/blog/2011/09/23/long-and-short-shading-going-deep-into-the-stitch/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Miko and Her Stitch Guide Are Finished

2011-09-23T09:41:00.000-04:00

This morning I posted on the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog about Miko and her stitch guide being finished. She joins Smilin' Jack at Leigh Designs to serve as a model. The header photo above shows the final touches, from her lips to her kimono collar. There are better photos on the CH Stitch Guides blog here.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-miko-stitch-guide-is-now-available.html

I have one more Fash Insert piece to stitch for Leigh but that will wait a bit until I have the cat topiary garden finished. I'm going to be stitching Tea House. The link shows it and the rest of the series.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Grp761x.html

However, I'm going to go a slightly different route with Tea House. It struck me as I've made lists of threads for the stitch guides I've written this year just how expensive all those threads, beads and sequins are. Generally speaking, if you buy a $65 canvas (which is typical for a smaller one these days) you can count on spending nearly that much again for threads unless you happen to have a huge stash of threads you can raid. Of course the Universal Law of Stash says that no matter how big your stash, you will still not have everything you need and will have to buy at least 1-2 things!

All of a sudden in this economic climate, I want to do a Fash Insert that won't break the stitching budget. Tea House is the perfect canvas to do in cotton floss and perle. I can already tell I'll need one metallic to complete the piece properly, but I plan to use as ordinary a set of threads as I can on this piece, just to see if plain cottons and perhaps wools can create as elegant a piece as what I've done with Smilin' Jack and Miko, but minus the beads, silks, metallics and sequins. Stay tuned to see how this stitching adventure unfolds....

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Elizabeth I Portrait Gallery UPDATED

2011-09-23T06:15:00.000-04:00

Since there has been so much interest in my comments about stitching Miko's face, I thought Blog readers would enjoy visiting Gay Ann Rogers' website which currently features her portrait of Queen Elizabeth I. Not only do you get to see Gay Ann's portrait and read her own ideas about stitching faces and hands, you will be able to see the companion portraits of Bess of Harwick and Mary, Queen of Scots, and also see her students' Queen Elizabeths, each slightly different with their own personality despite the fact that this is counted canvaswork, and each student worked their face from a graph.
http://www.gayannrogers.com/site_2/Home_Page.html

It's a fascinating study of just how much personality you can put into a face with only a few stitches. Each face is slightly different which I find marvelous!

UPDATE: Facial differences aren't the only ones, just the most obvious. Ann talks about how and why her Elizabeth, stitched as a test model, differs from the one Gay Ann Rogers designed.
http://stitchingfoolishness.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-version-of-elizabeth.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Needle House Stocking Show

2011-09-23T06:05:00.000-04:00

Fresh from running the ANG Seminar shop, Needle House has put out their Autumn newsletter. Take note of the Christmas stocking trunk show. This is a chance to pick up a stocking from a variety of designers to stitch for Christmas 2012. They also announce their monthly club for 2012, a series of Faberge eggs.
http://www.theneedlehouse.com/jm/images/newsletters/autumn_2011_web.pdf

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Kelly Clark's Elegant Thanksgiving

2011-09-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

Kelly Clark is collaborating with Needle Works in Austin on a class called Elegant Thanksgiving. The canvases she designed for the class depict Indians, and Pilgrims, and a big fat turkey. Kelly's incorporating a lot of stumpwork techniques on the first canvas, the Pilgrim Maiden. You can see some of Kelly's work on this first piece on her blog, and you can read about the class and how to sign up in the September Needle Works newsletter. Scroll down to July 22nd to start reading about the magic on the first piece.
http://kellyclarkneedlepointhandbook.blogspot.com/

Even if you aren't wild about Thanksgiving pieces, it is fun to see what Kelly's up to and the newsletter has a fabulous stitch for fish scales diagrammed out for you along with a neat variation. It isn't often that a painted canvas designer stitches her own pieces (SharonG is the other main example of a designer who also stitches fabulous pieces of needle art) so this is a unique glimpse into the creative mind.
http://theneedleworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/201109newsletter.pdf

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Needle Bug Ornaments for Kids

2011-09-22T07:59:00.000-04:00

Needle Bug in Montgomery, Alabama is participating in the September fund raiser for Children's Hospital in Birmingham. Pick up an ornament kit for $25 to stitch for a child visiting the Children's Harbor Family Center at the hospital or just buy something from Needle Bug and have a portion of the price donated to the cause of helping sick kids. Details here.
http://theneedlebug.com/2011/09/children/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Miko's Lips

2011-09-22T06:15:00.000-04:00

Miko's Lips Stitched

Miko Unstitched

Because of the interest in tips on stitching better faces, I thought I'd talk about Miko's mouth and just how I stitched it. Hopefully this will give the face-challenged ideas on how to improve their next needlepointed person. If you look at the unstitched photo of Miko on the right, you will see what Miko's lips looked like before I stitched them. The closeup photo above is after I finished her mouth.

I used four plies of a burgundy silk to stitch her lips and a doubled strand of Petite Silk Lame Braid in a slightly lighter burgundy for the white highlight you see painted in the header photo. You don't have to match the paint color exactly on a canvas, you know, and I decided that white was too stark. Probably Leigh wanted us to see the highlight and used white to make sure we didn't overlook it. The highlight isn't that visible in the photo, so I took a good look at the actual piece and considered whether I needed to rip out what I'd done and restitch with a lighter shade of burgundy to make the wet look of the metallic/silk blend more visible. I decided finally not to change it, but you might like a lighter shade here.

Whatever you decide on a similar design, silks and silks with a metallic blend like Silk Lame Braid are good choices for mouths. Silk has a sheen to it that looks very natural when you use it on lips. The metallic part of the Silk Lame Braid catches the light and makes the lip look real. Of course cotton works pretty well for a mouth (I wouldn't use wool unless you have a rag doll where wool embroidery stitches look right) but I use silk when I can. I just like that sheen that even spun silk thread has. I don't think it matters much whether you choose floss or perle type threads but I always stick to the same type thread on a face. I used floss for her skin so I used floss for her eyes and nose and everything but her eyebrows and the highlight in her eyes. Mixing styles of threads sometimes looks odd to me because perle threads tend to be fatter and more rounded looking than flosses. It just looks weird to mix the two on a face in my opinion. If you are mixing thread styles, this might be causing the problems you see. Be careful even when using flosses. Different brands have different diameters. High Cotton floss is thicker than Splendor silk or DMC floss, for example. You may need to use three plies of High Cotton and four of DMC, for example. Otherwise some of your tent stitches may be skimpier/fuller than others which will give the face an uneven look. This might be appropriate for a monster, but not a geisha.

Ok, enough about threads and highlights. Take a careful look at the photos of Miko again. See the top row of her mouth, those two stitches separated by a pink stitch? I originally didn't stitch either in red. I omitted the stitches entirely, thinking that all should actually be skin colored. But when I finished the mouth, it was obvious I needed to make at least one stitch red, so I did. I liked just using one red stitch instead of two separated by a pink stitch. There are only 30-31 stitches to her mouth and each one has the potential to change her expression. So pay attention to the features of your piece. One stitch may be really necessary or unnecessary. Be prepared to rip out or add stitches to get the effect you want. Or omit a painted stitch entirely if you must.

You don't see it here because Miko's face is turned to the right, but occasionally a tent stitch needs to be reverse tent or a cross stitch because the slant / is going in the wrong direction and makes that stitch too pointy. Turning / into \ or making the stitch a big X instead of just a tent stitch / will help in those situations if you used basketweave or tent stitches on your face. Of course this doesn't apply if you used brick stitches or another stitch for your face.

Back to the Before and After photos, there is a black line that curves slightly on her lips to define the top and bottom lip. It sort of looks like someone took the letter L and turned it face down, then sat on it to squash it slightly. I used one ply of black silk to top stitch the squashed L look. I made three attempts to get the line placed just so. It can't be too straight or too slanted or too high or low on her mouth. But with patience and some ripping out, I got it right.

I hope all this detail is helpful when you stitch your own face.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/

Patty Paints Trunk Show UPDATED

2011-09-22T06:05:00.000-04:00

Pocket Full of Stitches just posted a great many photos of painted canvases from Patty Paints. This is a good chance to see the cheerful, bright and small canvases that are a Patty Paints specialty. I particularly like the little pumpkins at the top of Part Two but there is something for almost everyone here.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/patty-paints-trunk-show-part-1.html

http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/patty-paints-trunk-show-part-2.html

I don't know if there will be more canvases in a third posting, but if there are, I'll update this blog entry and plaster UPDATED in all caps in the title.

UPDATED: Yes! This link has photos of models that arrived with the trunk show. It's always fascinating to compare a plain unstitched painted canvas to a finished piece, isn't it?
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/patty-paints-models.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Needlepoint Now Extras UPDATED AGAIN

2011-09-21T06:30:00.000-04:00

Now that the September/October 2011 Needlepoint Now is in the mail and starting to arrive in subscribers' mailboxes, I wanted to tell you about a few extras that pertain to this issue. If you are in love with the cover 9/11 commemorative piece and want to stitch it, Dale Miller says she has this canvas in her Canvases Be Gone shop. This is a large and expensive piece, even at her discount price, but Dale says she will offer a further 15 percent discount to a buyer if they email her first to get a discount code before checking out. I'm not sure how many copies Dale has of this canvas, so don't dawdle if you are interested.
http://www.canvasesbegone.com/5097/Sandra+Gilmore+Home+of+the+Brave+hp+18ct.html

If instead the back cover piece is on your To Do list, you'll want to read Robin King's slide bullion tips on stitching Hooty Owl's little feet.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2011/09/hooty-owl-in-needlepoint-now-magazine.html

Laura Perin shows off a close up version of step one of her beautiful Mystery Tryptich and lets us know the Watercolours number used should be 231 "Ethiopia" not 257.
http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2011/09/add-little-mystery-to-your-life.html

If you loved the little gentleman's houndtooth vest that Anne Stradal of ABS Designs did in her column, you will enjoy watching her develop a new, smaller pattern that showcases a sweater vest under a jacket. I hope it's a tweed jacket! UPDATE: Anne is continuing to post progress photos of her design. I'll add them here as they are published so folks stumbling across this blog entry later can see everything.
http://thecapestitcher.blogspot.com/2011/09/nevilles-little-brother.html

http://thecapestitcher.blogspot.com/2011/09/working-from-neck-down.html

http://thecapestitcher.blogspot.com/2011/09/skipping-around.html

UPDATE: Karen told me about a series of gentlemen's clothing ornaments available from Finger Step Designs. Aren't they just charming?! Thanks, Karen!
http://store.apneedlearts.com/wedrmenor.html

Of course also inside is the free stitch guide for Temple of 1000 Cranes, stitched by me! Don't miss reading through that to pick up tips to stitch any fantasy pagodas in the Leigh Design series.

This is the biggest issue they've ever put out, and it's a good one. I've been reading my copy for a week and there is lots more to enjoy yet. The trend of building on the current issue with online things is wonderful for us who follow needlepoint via the Internet and it makes this issue even better.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Six In A Row (Plus Ruth)

2011-09-21T06:15:00.000-04:00

If you are a fan of Ruth Schmuff's mystery classes, you'll want to see the first of her six fashion geishas which is stitched, with the class instructions in the mail.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2011/09/meet-my-new-bff.html

Ruth's mystery classes are explained on her website where you can see the entire set of six geishas standing patiently, waiting to be dressed...
http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/mysteryClasses.php

...but basically you know the painted canvas but you have no idea what the finished piece looks like. Neither does Ruth! She works a section and sends you the instructions for it when that part is done. You can expect a surprise package beautifully made up with all sort of interesting goodies inside since Ruth is not only a master stitcher, she's addicted to beads and sequins and ribbons and more. A mystery class is always a fun class when Ruth is in charge.

Me, I'm waiting to find out what the background is going to be like!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

What We Like Best (Poll Results)

2011-09-20T06:10:00.000-04:00

Remember the poll I posted last week, the one that refused to work properly? (Bad Blogger!) The results are in!

From the list of choices of favorite styles you prefer I provided, almost 21 percent voted for Christmas canvases and the identical number voted for Halloween canvases. Twelve and a half percent voted for Asian-themed canvases, while 8 percent love canvases showcasing pets, usually cats or dogs. Another 8 percent love canvases with a humorous twist. The rest of the topics (people, wild animals, signs and sayings, canvases for birthdays and weddings, other holidays, landscapes and gardens, and Laura Perin designs all got less than 1 percent of the vote each. The final category (travel, by which I mean canvases that show cities or states or state symbols) got no votes at all.

Isn't that interesting? I know the votes are skewed because most of the votes had to be counted from folks who took the time to email me their preferences with the poll not operating properly. But it is still interesting to see what we spend our precious time and energy on. The fact that we do a lot of holiday canvases (with a large group wanting to stitch Asian pieces and pieces that honor their pets) tells me we are all decorating our nests and the nests of our families, and doing it with pieces that have personal meaning. What we stitch says something about who we are, and it looks to me as if we are trying to build something with our hands to make our homes more personal and beautiful to ourselves.

As Martha Stewart says, that's a good thing!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Stitching in STYLE

2011-09-20T06:05:00.000-04:00

The Needle Bug is right, we've got to look good while stitching. http://theneedlebug.com/2011/09/looking-good-is-a-must/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.co

Donna Reports on Naples EGA

2011-09-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Donna is in Florida at the EGA Seminar and reports that all that fun can't be legal!
http://majtravaux.blogspot.com/2011/09/seminar-update.html

http://majtravaux.blogspot.com/2011/09/projects.html

The EGA blog is posting photos of Seminar, too.
http://www.egausa.org/scripts/blog/?p=200

http://www.egausa.org/scripts/blog/?p=212

And so is Mary. Scroll down through the last three postings or so to see what Mary's seen or bought. What fun!
http://workinhand.blogspot.com/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Japanese Embroidery and Flat Silk

2011-09-19T06:10:00.000-04:00

Anyone curious about Japanese flat silk and how it is used in Japanese Embroidery will find these two articles on Mary Corbet's site fascinating. The second article answers questions raised by the first since these techniques are so alien to most needleworkers.
http://www.needlenthread.com/2011/09/flat-silks-tips-techniques.html

http://www.needlenthread.com/2011/09/awl-with-flat-silk-questions-answered.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

You're Just My Type

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Jelly Bean Stock has updated their website with new canvases from the Columbus and Baltimore trade shows. It's a fun browse, whether you like Elvis, John Lennon, Bella Legosi or need a nice Judaic canvas.
http://www.jellybeanstock.com/whatsnew.html

If you want to see photos from the Long Beach trade show, they are on this page in a slide show.
http://www.jellybeanstock.com/tradeshow.html

Elvis is at the top of the page at the first link, by the way. Thankyouverymuch.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Melissa's Fall Designs

2011-09-18T06:05:00.000-04:00

Melissa Shirley has started releasing autumn canvases, many of them adaptations of Debbie Mumm's Halloween designs. There are Halloween creatures and autumn cracker patterns, dogs trick or treating, and an elegant still life as well as the famous Texas witch. (Note the available date of one piece that was created for a shop retreat.) It's a lovely collection, all in lovely shades of brown. Enjoy!
http://melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?bsn=1

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Tuscaloosa Tornado Needlepoint Relief

2011-09-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

I stumbled across this fund raiser for the victims of the devastating tornado that hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama this spring. With 2011 being such a bad year for natural disasters, a lot of stitchers want to help other stitchers. If you know of any relief efforts that involve needlepoint or other needle arts, please post information in the Comments or email me at chilly hollowat hot maildot com and I'll update this article for you.
http://web.me.com/gritsnp/Site/Tornado_Relief.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Laying Tools: The Video

2011-09-17T06:15:00.000-04:00

Curious about laying tools? Want to see a variety of laying tool types, including items you might have around the house that can be used as a laying tool? Want to see them in action? BeStitched has videos that show laying tools in action and at rest. Neat!
http://bestitchedneedlepoint.com/news-and-updates/now-i-lay-my-threads-and-ribbons-laying-tool-video-demos/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

And the Winner Is...

2011-09-17T06:10:00.000-04:00

Jan Sprague won a second place at Seminar! WHOO HOO! There's a photo of her piece and her big red ribbon on her blog. Congratulations, Jan!
http://stitchlady.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/spring-delights-911/#comment-1079

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Are You Ready For Some Football?!

2011-09-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

This is the time of the year in the United States when the football season starts. Which means folks are going to be interested in stitching football items. Here is a partial list of available canvases, many of which are exclusives to the shop where I found them. First is Ohio State and the Buckeye stitcher.
http://www.whatsthepoint.biz/buckeyecorner.php

Peacock Alley is ready for any Michigan team!
http://www.peacockalleyneedlepoint.com/Peacock_Alley_Needlepoint/Are_You_Ready_for_Some_Football.html

There's even a U Michigan Santa.
http://www.bristlythistle.com/petei.html

University of Kentucky, Louisville
http://bethsneedlepoint.com/Dot_StoreProducts.asp?storecategoryDesc=Kentucky&curPage=8&idstorecategory=18

Girls Raised in the South can take care of Bama and Auburn fans.
http://web.me.com/gritsnp/Site/Custom_Creations/Pages/At_the_Shop.html

Texas Tech and Penn State
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/search?q=football

Texas again and the Auggies
http://www.thefrenchknot.com/z-college%20greek.htm

Texas Tech
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/wreck-em.html

Loyola and LSU, plus the Saints and New Orleans VooDoo
http://www.gardendistrictneedlework.biz/Annie's%20Ornaments.htm

A variety of football (and basketball) mini socks from Kathy Schenkel
http://www.bethsneedlepoint.com/Dot_StoreProducts.asp?storecategoryDesc=Christmas%20&Show=All&idstorecategory=7

If everyone in your family roots for a different team, you can stitch one of these general football items and not set off the My Team Is Better argument.
http://www.pepitaneedlepoint.com/product-football-927.aspx

http://www.janenicholsneedlepoint.com/Belts_LuggageStraps_3.html

I'm sure there are many, many more canvases. Ask your local shop if they have anything for your team.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Pocket Full of Stitches Tour

2011-09-16T06:10:00.000-04:00

Tisha of Needlepoint Tool Time has done us stay-at-homes a great service by taking photos during her recent retreat visit to Pocket Full of Stitches. This is the shop in Texas that almost singlehandedly popularized monthly needlepoint clubs (along with French Knot, also in Texas--do you think there's something special in the water there?). Thanks for the tour, Tisha!
http://stitchplaywithneedlepointtooltime.blogspot.com/2011/09/home-again.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Monthly Clubs Update

2011-09-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

The fall is when a lot of shops start their monthly clubs for the year. I know lots of stores have signed up for the Needle Deeva Creepy Characters club and the Sassy, Sparkly Socks club from Ruth Schmuff so I won't mention those again. Here are other clubs that have just been announced or just starting. First up is Pocket Full of Stitches' Christmas tags club.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/tag-youre-it.html

Beth's Needlepoint Nook is doing a Halloween pail of ornaments club using Needle Deeva's designs. This link shows other clubs they've done which are still available. The Kathy Schenkel Santa faces club is an Oldie but Goodie I think a lot of folks will be interested in.
http://bethsneedlepoint.com/Dot_Clubs.asp

Do Christmas gnomes appeal to your sense of humor? Twigs of Savannah has a set just for you. They also do a Nativity set.
http://twiggsofsavannah.com/display.cfm/page/CanvasOfTheMonth.html

Needlenook of La Jolla is going Halloween with their clubs this year. They offer either a candy apple club or a bat ornament club, both from Kelly Clark Designs.
http://www.needlenookoflajolla.com/events/cod/index.html

Want to do your own thing? Pocket Full of Stitches has all twelve of the Raymond Crawford doggy bone canvases for the dog lover who wants to do their own thing and use up stash threads.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/08/chew-on-this.html

I think these are enough clubs for now. I'll be back with new ones later on.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Rebecca Wood Trunk Show

2011-09-15T06:20:00.000-04:00

Fireside is having a Rebecca Wood trunk show. I'm a big fan of her wonderful stockings full of humor and animals. If you are curious or are a fan intent on finding the canvas of your dreams at 20 percent off, you can browse Fireside's display here.
http://www.firesidestitchery.com/fs/VirtualTrunkShows/index.cfm

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Looking for This Canvas

2011-09-15T06:05:00.000-04:00

Missing: Amanda Lawford's Two Schnauzers on a Couch

Ok, folks, time to look through your stash and rummage through the deep, dark recesses of your shops. We have a canvas alert--have you seen this Amanda Lawford design anywhere? It is the perfect image of Nancy's two Schnauzers and she is dying to stitch this. But this Amanda Lawford piece has been discontinued and because there is no master, it can't be reproduced for her. Have you seen this anywhere? Post a comment if you have a lead, or email me at chillyhollow at hot maildotcom. Nancy wants to combine her love for her dogs with her love of needlepoint and you are her only hope.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Halloween Project Bags

2011-09-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

Just in time for Halloween, Ruth Schmuff has created new Halloween project bags. You can see samples here, as well as Ruth's next Mystery class, a Halloween tree. Love them skulls!
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2011/09/some-of-my-favorite-things.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

The Birthday Girl Treats Us

2011-09-14T10:20:00.000-04:00

Hey, it's Carole Lake's birthday! Happy birthday, Carole!!!! Hope Ann doesn't eat all the cake and ice cream.
http://stitchingfoolishness.blogspot.com/2011/09/happy-birthday-carole-lake.html

The best news for us bystanders is that Carole's doing a third Anasazi design. Have you seen them? First there was Anasazi Song. It's in my stash, all kitted up and ready to go when I have time. I'm saving it for a special treat for myself.
http://www.carolelake.com/TeachingPieces/Anasazi.htm

Then there was Anasazi Dream.
http://www.carolelake.com/TeachingPieces/AnasaziDream.html

Ann tells us the third will be Anasazi Spirit. Hurrah! What a way to celebrate Carole!

If you want to get in on the fun, you can pick up the first two kits from Carole's website. Or go in with your local chapter and bring Carole in to teach one or both. While you are at Carole's website, don't miss her Favorite Stitches. There are some great ones diagrammed there.
http://www.carolelake.com/CyberClasses/disccyber.html

Happy Birthday! Thanks for being so much fun, so talented and such a wonderful teacher who shares it all happily.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Dream House Ventures Trunk Show UPDATED AGAIN

2011-09-14T06:15:00.001-04:00

Pocket Full of Stitches has started posting photos of their Dream House Ventures trunk show. Since many of these canvases are not on the Dream House Ventures website, this is a great chance to see all the artists they represent (and perhaps buy something at 20 percent off).
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/dream-house-ventures-trunk-show-day-1.html

UPDATE: More photos!
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/dream-house-ventures-trunk-show-day-2.html

UPDATE #2: Even more photos!
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/dream-house-ventures-trunk-show-day-3.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Barbara Elmore's Video Tips UPDATED

2011-09-14T06:15:00.000-04:00

Barbara Elmore was at BeStitched for a class last weekend and the shop videotaped a tip for enlarging a hole in canvas so you can thread a silk ribbon through it. This is on Facebook now but hopefully BeStitched will post it to their website so non-Facebook users can see it also. Very clever, Barbara!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=263453850351862

Yes, Barbara reposted the video above on her blog so that everyone can play it, whether they have a Facebook account or not. There's a second video link on using wallpaper to frame your finished needlepoint in her blog entry but you need a FB account to play it.
http://stitchpography.blogspot.com/2011/09/summer-flowers.html

UIPDATE: The second video is now on BeStitched's blog so you don't have to sign into Facebook to enjoy it. Thanks, ladies!
http://bestitchedneedlepoint.com/news-and-updates/more-video-tips-from-our-class-with-barbara-elmore/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Queenie and Other Delights

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Homestead Needle Arts has a wonderful gallery of finished pieces for you to enjoy, featuring customer pieces that charm and delight. Queenie is my favorite. Which one is yours?
http://www.homesteadneedlearts.com/StitchersShowcase.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Needlepoint Now Magazine Giveaway

2011-09-13T06:30:00.000-04:00

I'm a day late posting about the two winners of copies of the new September/October 2011 issue of Needlepoint Now. I'm sorry, but yesterday was nuts and every time I started to do the drawing, something else happened to keep me from it. However, Monday night I took a deep breath and made time to do the drawing using Random.org to generate two random numbers.

And the winners are....

Whitney and Wendy TC.

Congratulations to you both. If you will email me your snail mail address, I'll get the issues in the mail to you. My email address is chilly hollowat hotmail dotcom. Thanks to everyone for entering. I'm just sorry I didn't have enough copies for everyone.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Jan and Liz Conquer Eva Marie Saint (Stars)

2011-09-13T06:05:00.000-04:00

Jan and Liz are each working away on Stars for the New Millennium and have finished the fifth block, Eva Marie Saint. She's a beauty, even if neither lady likes her much. It's still fascinating for us onlookers to see just how different the same pattern looks in two different sets of colors.
http://lizartblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/stars-for-new-millenium-progress-6.html

http://threadmedley.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/stars-of-the-new-millennium-eva-marie-saint/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Kreinik Storage Idea

2011-09-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

Elaine Stevens posted a great storage solution for her Kreinik spools on Facebook. Very clever of you to come up with this, Elaine!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2298025780483&set=o.108537025890131&type=1

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Cyberclass Poll: From Molehill to Mountain

2011-09-12T06:15:00.000-04:00

Scarlet Thread's blog is asking counted canvaswork fans if they would be interested in a cyberclass with Pam Gardner on her From Molehill to Mountain color study piece. Visit their blog and vote! If enough people express interest, Scarlet Thread will set a class up through their shop.
http://stitchything.blogspot.com/2011/09/lauras-lahaina-breezes-stunning.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

The Travel Trunk Show

2011-09-12T06:10:00.000-04:00

Needlepoint.com in Raleigh, NC is doing a different sort of trunk show--a travel trunk show! They've assembled a whole group of small ornaments and mini socks for every travel destination you can imagine and are offering them at 20 percent off. The designers seem to be mostly Silver Needle and In Good Company, although I might have missed another designer in the group. I was too busy looking at Egypt, Georgia, Istanbul, Maine, Scotland, Venice and Paris! I don't know how long the trunk show is at the shop but if you are shopping via the Web, use "travel" as the discount code for the Internet shopping cart.
http://www.needlepoint.com/all-canvases/travel-trunk-show.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

It's All About Balance

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you ever feel discouraged that a piece isn't working out well, take heart from Kelly Clark, who is having trouble balancing the various elements of her Thanksgiving swag. All the parts have to work together but it looks to me that she has it licked.http://kellyclarkneedlepointhandbook.blogspot.com/2011/09/finally-back-to-work-on-rebekkha.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Blogger's Poll Not Working

2011-09-11T09:19:00.000-04:00

It looks as if the poll system isn't working. It keeps giving folks with Google accounts the message that they have to be signed in to vote, although many of us ARE signed in. Grrrrrrrr

Sorry. This is a problem beyond my ability to fix. If you want to vote, email me at chilly hollow at hot mail dot com and I'll keep track of what you like to stitch best, then post the results in a few days. It's always interesting to see what sorts of designs people are drawn to.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

EGA SEMINAR (UPDATED)

2011-09-11T06:30:00.000-04:00

The Embroiders Guild of America has started their own seminar in Naples, Florida. Their blog reports a bit on the first day's events, then adds information about the events of day two.
http://www.egausa.org/scripts/blog/?p=183

http://www.egausa.org/scripts/blog/?p=185

UPDATE: Day Three
http://www.egausa.org/scripts/blog/?p=193

The Seminar proper begins.
http://www.egausa.org/scripts/blog/?p=198

http://www.egausa.org/scripts/blog/?p=207

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Free Stitch Guides for Julia's Needleworks

2011-09-11T06:15:00.000-04:00

I've just updated the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog with information about free stitch guides for some of the canvases Julia's Needleworks distributes.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2011/09/julias-needleworks-has-guides.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Christmas Arrives in September

2011-09-11T06:05:00.000-04:00

Counted thread fans rejoice! The Christmas issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine has arrived, full of ornaments you can stitch for Xmas 2011. Want to browse before you buy? Pocket Full of Stitches has posted photos of the designs inside the covers for your enjoyment.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/09/christmas-cross-stitch.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Hugs

2011-09-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

Robin King is planning a class with several shops that centers on a canvas that just says Hugs. What do you think she'll do with all that background?
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2011/09/hugs-from-robin.html#comment-form

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

What Do You Like Best?

2011-09-10T06:30:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago I created a poll for Blog readers to vote on their very favorite type of needlework. Today I've added a poll about our favorite stitching theme. Are you a sucker for Christmas canvases? Do you find yourself constantly stitching animal pieces? Are you enthralled by Asian-themed canvases like I am? Are you always stitching landscapes and gardens and houses?

You can find the poll at the bottom of this page, right under the last blog entry on the page. I worded the title so it just mentions painted canvases but feel free to vote no matter what sort of thing you stitch. I was limited in the number of words I could use and just came up with the shortest title I could. The poll software requires you to sign into your Google account to vote, so post a Comment here or email me at chilly hollowat hot maildotcom if you want me to vote for you.

And yes, you can vote for multiple answers.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

More StitchLady in San Antonio

2011-09-10T06:05:00.000-04:00

Another fun report about San Antonio.http://stitchlady.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/seminarspring-delights/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Stitching Lighthouses

2011-09-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

Anne Stradal loves lighthouses and she loves to needlepoint. What better way to preserve historic lighthouses than in needlepoint canvas? Here's Anne's latest design, a charmer based on Sand Island, Alabama's lighthouse.
http://thecapestitcher.blogspot.com/2011/09/another-lighthouse-finish.html

If you have a favorite lighthouse, you can check the ABS Designs website to see if Anne has created a needlepoint version of it. If not, why not suggest your favorite as her next project?
http://www.absdesignsonline.com/lighthouses.htm

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Nimble Needle Showcases Mindy

2011-09-09T09:37:00.000-04:00

Nimble Needle is having a Mindy trunk show and is showcasing selected canvases from Mindy's collection on their blog. It's a great place to see good photos of Mindy's huge range of beautiful canvases and pick up your favorite (plus threads), all at a 20 percent discount.
http://thenimbleneedle.blogspot.com/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Tisha Goes to Texas

2011-09-09T06:03:00.000-04:00

Tisha is packing up two canvases she will take to the Pocket Full of Stitches retreat for ideas on how to stitch them. Here's her initial posting. Everyone who is going, have fun!
http://stitchplaywithneedlepointtooltime.blogspot.com/2011/09/pocet-full-of-stitches-retreat.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Fun at the County Fair

2011-09-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

Blue Ribbon Bunny

The biggest event of the year in my little rural area is the county fair. Because I live in a rural area that still has farms, there are always a lot of 4-H events in which kids show off the animals they've raised that year. There are horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, llamas, poultry and rabbits on show, with their proud owners standing by to give their pet pig a bath just before the judging. There are rides, all sorts of foods, displays of baking, canning and crafts from photography to handwork, music, a tractor pull and a pig scramble (put a dozen women and greased pigs in a small area and stand back), etc. It's lots of fun. I usually take a quick visit to the poultry and rabbit displays and look at the hand crafts and this year I took a few photos. The rabbit was one of the few awake when I ran through the exhibit this year early one morning.

Sadly there isn't much needlepoint on display. There never is. What you see is one piece of needlepoint (the blue purse) with a lot of crewel and cross stitch. The counted thread piece two pictures to the left of the purple ribbon one is a Berlin woolwork-style counted thread design done on black Aida over one. It was quite pretty, although very hard to see in the photo.

There is a lot of crewel and knitting in this photo, actually more crewel than I've seen in years.

One of the two Best in Show purple ribbons (one is given out in each age group, the quilt winner is in the Over Sixty Age category) is the quilt in the center of the piece. The hand quilting pattern was beautifully done but it doesn't show up in the photo. Sadly, there are fewer quilts this year than usual but there is much more knitting.

Another better shot of the Best quilt plus a very nice counted thread piece frame to its left. I ran into the counted thread piece's stitcher. It is this design from Darleen O'Steen who lives over the mountain from us in the D.C. suburbs.

http://emlis.com/prayse_5.htm

Here's a better look at the other Best in Show piece, SharonG's Blue Purse. Watson is inspecting the ribbons when I brought it home when the fair ended. Yes, the piece is under glass.

My first Best in Show ribbon! I wore it on the front of my t-shirt all day.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com

and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Perfecting Miko's Face

2011-09-08T06:10:00.000-04:00

I know from comments and private emails I get that faces are harder than you would think for stitchers. The traditional way to work a face in needlepoint is with tent stitches, although there are quite a few people who use brick stitches instead. Either way works, but many folks report problems with the results. Problems seem to fall into two groups: the tent stitches themselves and the fine features such as eyes and mouth.

I don't have all the answers but I've probably made most of the possible mistakes in stitching faces over the years so I can tell you what I do to make sure my faces look as good as I can make them. First of all, I use tent stitches, usually basketweave, for skin. I use tent stitches and reverse tent (with an occasional cross stitch) for eyes and the mouth, and often use packed outline or stem stitch for eyebrows. There are many stitches that work for faces, but these are my old standbys. I stitch the skin with as perfect a basketweave stitch as I can muster and do features slowly and carefully, checking every 2-3 stitches to see if I need to pull out the stitches I've just done. The expression can be radically changed by just one stitch. Keep an eye on what you are creating so you can pull out anything that is giving your face an expression you don't want.

If your basketweave looks lumpy, with some stitches thicker than others despite your best efforts, that's usually a sign of too many plies in your needle. Try removing a ply or two or if you are using something like perle cotton, try a smaller diameter thread.

If your face looks slightly muddy, as if the canvas is showing through the thread, you probably aren't using enough thread. Add a ply or go up to a fatter diameter in your thread and see if that helps.

If you mix thread brands on your face (I used both Splendor silk floss and DMC cotton floss for Miko's skin tones) make sure that the threads are the same diameter.

If your basketweave has ridges, you probably have accidentally done two down (or up) rows together. Basketweave is done on the diagonal, alternating a row up with a row down. If you are interrupted and accidentally do two rows going in the same direction, you'll get a ridge. Threadneedle Street has a nice discussion of basketweave on their website with diagrams that clearly show how NP canvas is woven. You can use the weave to make sure you always know whether you are on an up or down row by always doing the down rows on the "poles" and the up rows on the "steps".
http://www.threadneedlestreet.com/Basketweave.html

I hope all this helps the face challenged to create a face they are proud of.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Now I Want To Go Back

2011-09-08T06:00:00.001-04:00

Laura Perin's newest piece is a tribute to Hawaii.
http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2011/09/aloha-stitchers.html

Now I want to go back to the Big Island! It's one of the loveliest places on earth, from the grassy north highlands, to the rainforest east and the desert west. The people are wonderful, the farmer's market orchids outstanding, the Japanese take out out of this world, and the coffee is exquisite. The high volcano mountains literally take your breath away. Laura's piece takes me back there to the cliffs of the Waipio Valley where the Poi King lived, to the black sand or khaki sand beaches, to the people who made our stay memorable.

I think I need to stitch this one day.

Errata: Laura corrects the typo in the Watercolours this is based on.
http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2011/09/whoops.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Bargello Madness

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Liz just showed off her latest piece, Miter Madness, on her blog. This is going to be a cyberclass for ANG's Cyberpointers chapter! In case you didn't know, Cyberpointers is the chapter for folks who can't get to local chapter meetings. Congratulations, Liz. This is a wonderful piece and folks are going to have great fun with it. You can follow the link to find out more about the class and Cyberpointers.
http://lizartblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/mad-miters-finished.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Update to the CH Stitch Guides Blog (and Giveaway)

2011-09-07T09:03:00.000-04:00

Sept/Oct. 2011 Needlepoint Now

I've updated the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog this morning with the latest news--a secret I've kept for over eight months. How is it possible I kept my mouth shut that long?

Read all about it here.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2011/09/cats-out-of-bag.html

In honor of my secret, I'm giving away two copies of the September/October 2011 Needlepoint Now which should go out in the mail shortly to shops and subscribers. There are two rules: post a comment here to be in the drawing for one of the two copies, and you can't be a subscriber already. Let's let folks who haven't signed up for this magazine yet have a shot.

I'll close the contest Sunday night and pick two random winners to announce next Monday morning, September 12.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Trunk Shows

2011-09-07T06:10:00.000-04:00

Bristly Thistle is having a Kelly Clark Trunk Show. The canvases are at their Amelia Island, Florida shop but you can browse online by following the links from their blog. The blog doesn't say, but if my shaky math says there is a 20 percent discount on purchases made during the September trunk show.
http://bristlythistle.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/kelly-clark-trunk-show/

BeStitched is having a Jody Designs trunk show. Some of the huge array of ornaments available are on their blog so you can browse before you stock up at 20 percent off.
http://bestitchedneedlepoint.com/news-and-updates/jody-designs-trunk-show-20-off/

Finally, Peacock Alley is having a trunk show with Stitch-Its. They are known for small, colorful designs. A link to their website is below the shop link.
http://www.peacockalleyneedlepoint.com/Peacock_Alley_Needlepoint/Home.html

http://www.stitch-its.com/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Kreinik Visits Sign of the Arrow

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

I've always wondered about Sign of the Arrow in St. Louis. I've heard nice things about them but their website isn't very informative. Fortunately, Kreinik staff has visited and interviewed the shop on the Kreinik blog.
http://kreinikthread.blogspot.com/2011/09/whats-in-name-sign-of-arrow.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Charley Harper Trunk show

2011-09-07T03:00:00.000-04:00

Needlepoint.com in Raleigh, NC is hold a Charley Harper trunk show until September 27. Here are all the details plus the online checkout code for the 20 percent discount.http://www.needlepoint.com/all-canvases/charley-harper-trunk-show.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Mindy Trunk Show

2011-09-06T06:15:00.000-04:00

The Needle Bug has a Mindy trunk show, starting today. They've posted an unusual view of the canvases on display that highlights the fancy buttons Mindy uses on her designs.
http://theneedlebug.com/2011/09/mindy-trunk-show-here/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Source for Sequins

2011-09-06T06:05:00.000-04:00

Some of us are lucky enough to have a shop nearby that stocks the sequins that are so popular these days, but many of us don't have that luxury. You can always mail order, but if you are like me, you hate ordering sight-unseen. Fortunately, Beth's Needlepoint Nook has come to the rescue with photos of the Sundance and The Collection sequins they stock. The site will give you a general idea of the colors and prices available, and if you don't have a shop of your own, Beth's does mail order.
http://bethsneedlepoint.com/Dot_StoreProducts.asp?storecategoryDesc=Findings&Show=All&idstorecategory=95

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Lilly Pulitzer Fan Alert UPDATED

2011-09-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

A shop in Ohio dedicated to all things Lilly Pulitzer is featuring one of Barbara Bergsten's canvases for a stitch in. What fun! If you love Palm Beach style, you will want to follow the links to read all about it or to see more of Barbara's designs that have Palm Beach flair.
http://createneedlepoint.typepad.com/create_needlepoint/2011/08/lilly-lovers-needlepoint.html

UPDATE: Barbara reports on all the fun at the Lilly Stitch.
http://createneedlepoint.typepad.com/create_needlepoint/2011/09/lilly-loves-needlepoint.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

StitchLady in San Antonio

2011-09-05T15:06:00.000-04:00

Jan the StitchLady has started to report about her fun time at ANG's Seminar. Congratulations on that ribbon, Jan!
http://stitchlady.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/seminar-in-san-antonio/

Here is the piece that won the ribbon.
http://stitchlady.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/far-horizons-framed/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Chaparral's Back to School Sale

2011-09-05T09:35:00.000-04:00

Chaparral's having their back to school sale, starting today (Labor Day) and running through Saturday, Sept. 10. The 20% off sale applies to everything in stock except for books, Dazor lights, classes, and ribbons and trims. You can even place special orders and get the discount as long as you spend at least $100. Visit their website to browse and find contact information if you are long distance, or if you are in the Houston area, pay them a visit.
http://www.ndlpt.com/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Uptown Girls

2011-09-05T06:05:00.000-04:00

When I used one of the Uptown Girls canvases (a series from The Collection that features a young woman and her dog) as Canvas of the Day this week, lots and lots of folks commented on them. Since many people don't read the comments or even pay attention to the Canvas of the Day, I thought I'd post the links here so everyone could enjoy them. The series starts on this page. There are more on Page 3.
http://www.stitchboutiqueboston.com/canvases-whimsical-c-2_18/?sort=20a&page=2

The designer's website has even more of them, plus a stitched model. It says they are sized to fit the Stirling purses. I think they are a fun series myself and I'm very glad so many of you agree!
http://www.allaboutstitching.com/people.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Needlepoint Canvas versus Linen

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you've ever peeked over the shoulder of someone who is stitching on linen and wondered how that is different than stitching on NP canvas, this article's for you.
http://stitchingfoolishness.blogspot.com/2011/08/canvas-linen-linen-canvas.html

The Gay Ann mentioned is Gay Ann Rogers. Ann the blogger does a lot of model stitching for Gay Ann. Here is her website, which is a wonderful one when it comes to learning about design and techniques.
http://www.gayannrogers.com/site_2/Home_Page.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

The Fun is Over (But Returns Next Year in Philly)

2011-09-04T06:30:00.000-04:00

Vicky's class at Seminar is over and everyone is packing up and going home. But the good news is Vicky promises that the Stitches for Effects ladies are planning a blog.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/09/03/parting-is-such-sweet-sorrow/

Everyone had a lovely time, even all the way from San Antonio to Austin.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2011/09/ang-seminar-visit-to-the-store.html

But don't feel sad for Vicky. ANG's Seminar will return in 2012, this time in Philadelphia. And now that the classes have been announced, Orna Willis can show off what she'll be teaching there.
http://ornadesign.blogspot.com/2011/09/finally-i-can-show-you.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Miko's Hot Wire

2011-09-04T06:13:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I bragged about Miko's gold dangles (made from The Collection'a 2mm sequins and Sundance's smallest hex beads) but I didn't mention the finishing touch--the gold hair pin itself. This is made from Kreinik's new Hot Wire. This is the finishing touch to the hair ornament. If the gold pin isn't right, all those pretty dangles won't look as good.

Hot Wire is actually Kreinik's size 16 braid in a selection of colors, all with wire down the middle. It's great stuff, a little easier to bend and manipulate than DMC's memory thread. Both types of wired thread do fray at the cut end, however. I used Fray Check to keep that to a minimum.

Here is what Kreinik's website says about Hot Wire.
http://www.kreinik.com/hot-wire.htm

Here are photos of the available colors.
http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17207&cat=290&page=1

Hot Wire is a wonderful product that I highly recommend. By the way, in the photo see the little green stitches in the bottom margin? That's where I marked the location of my rows of dangles. I needed to know where each two stitch wide row was located since the dangles had to be placed on top of stitching that covered the painted dangles. I used my little margin marks and a color copy of the canvas to position the rows, and each sequin in a row.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Finishing the Masters' Class

2011-09-04T06:03:00.000-04:00

Somehow the five day class Vicky took at Seminar is over! Where does the time go? It's been time well spent, however. Take a look at Vicky's canvas. Since I've stitched one of these Leigh Fantasy Pagodas myself and done a stitch guide for another, I can really appreciate all the magic Vicky's teachers brought to this piece.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/09/02/the-long-short-of-canvas-embellishment-is-almost-over/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Why Leaving Denise and Linda on Their Own is Dangerous

2011-09-03T06:05:00.000-04:00

I can sum up the delicious fun they got into in one word:
http://nystitchingsisters.blogspot.com/2011/09/denise-linda-take-on-new-craft.html

Beads.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Sequins and More Sequins

2011-09-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

Sequins from The Collection

Last week I received a surprise gift from a friend--sequins! In the photo above you see a selection of sequins from The Collection which sells two sizes of sequins in various shapes and colors. Here is their website.
http://www.thecollectiondesigns.com/sequins-and-beads.html

Pocket Full of Stitches has new sequin shapes and colors for The Collection on display.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/08/embellishments.html

As you know from my Sequin Sizer article, 2mm sequins cover about 2 thread intersections on 18 count canvas while 4mm sequins cover about 4 thread intersections. That makes the 2mm sequins pretty small and a bit difficult to handle. They cling to each other and to my fingers but they are so pretty, I don't care. The 4mm sequins are much easier to deal with but each size is equally pretty. These are good quality sequins.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2011/06/sequin-sizer.html

Sequin Assortment Packs from Doodlebug Designs

I also was given three packets of sequins from Doodlebug Designs. I think they are made for scrapbooking fans but I understand they are also used in jewelry. I love that each packet has a variety of sizes and colors of the same basic shape. They are perfect for graphic canvases like the ones Ada Hayden does for EyeCandy Needleart, don't you think?
http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/products.php?catid=201&firstcid=3

I used the 2mm sequins from The Collection on Miko for her hair dangles. I held them down with size 14/0 beads (sometimes written as size 14) from Sundance. Size 11/0 beads (approximately the size of Mill Hills' Magnifica bead line, for example) completely cover 2mm beads. Just a hint for those trying to pair up beads and sequins....

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Don't Adjust That Dial

2011-09-02T11:56:00.000-04:00

I just realized some folks think their browser is broken and that's why they can't see all of my current piece. No, Miko is deliberately peeking out from behind the center column. I thought it was more suspenseful if you just caught glimpses of her here and there. Sorry to have caused you puzzlement! You know those geishas. They are flirtatious, always looking over their fans or from behind Blog.

In other news, I updated my article about Carolyn Hedge Baird on the CH Stitch Guides blog since she is adding photos of pieces she has stitch guides available for on her Facebook page. Here's the link or you can go straight to Facebook if you have "friended" her already.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2010/02/carolyn-hedge-baird.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

More Fun at Seminar

2011-09-02T06:15:00.000-04:00

Vicky is having a great time both in class and outside of it in San Antonio.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/09/01/when-pigs-fly/

ANG continues to add photos to their website. Check out the Best in Show piece and all the regional name tags plus the class models for the 2012 Seminar and the Live and Silent Auction items.
http://www.needlepoint.org/Seminar-11/photos.php

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Counted Thread and Disaster Relief

2011-09-02T06:05:00.000-04:00

First, the good news. Carol has revealed a new design "Nile Jewels." Very pretty! I don't think it is actually available yet but you can leave a message for Carol on her blog to find out for sure.
http://carolscountedcanvasworkneedleworks.blogspot.com/2011/08/bird-has-flown.html

I've always wanted to stitch a needle case and Cottage Garden Threads has released a pattern that evokes the cardboard needle sets you could buy with a design from the 1920-30s. Very Clarice Cliff!
http://cottagegardenthreads.typepad.com/cottage-garden-threads/2011/09/stitching-girl-debut.html

The bad news is the Vermont flooding in the wake of Hurricane Irene. If you followed the making of the reproduction 17th Century jacket, you'll remember the gorgeous silk lining that came from a Vermont shop. The shop's untouched (by inches!) but they still need customers, as does every shop in Vermont right now. If you have contacts in Vermont, it's time to buy from them to help them over this disaster.
http://thistle-threads.com.mytempweb.com/blog/index.php/2011/08/buy-vermont-silks/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Deco Kitty On the Move!

2011-09-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

SharonG's beautiful Deco Kitty is going to be taught by Vicky DeAngelis at BeStitched in Scottsdale, Arizona in October.
http://bestitchedneedlepoint.com/news-and-updates/deco-kitty-is-coming-to-bestitched-needlepoint-store/

Apparently you can participate via mail order but if that's not possible, you can still watch Vicky work on the class piece. Aren't blogs fun?!
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/08/25/deco-kitty-is-coming-to-bestitched/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Big Stitch Guide News from Amy Bunger

2011-09-01T09:18:00.000-04:00

If you are on Amy Bunger's mailing list for her monthly newsletter, you already know that Amy's making her library of old custom stitch guides available for purchase. If you don't get the newsletter, click on over to the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides blog to Read All About It.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2011/08/amy-bunger-opens-her-stitch-guide.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Vicky Plays Hookey

2011-09-01T06:05:00.000-04:00

Vicky skipped her Seminar class this week and took a trip to Austin to visit Needle Works. That has to be an excused absence, right?
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/08/31/the-long-short-of-canvas-embellishment/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Ro Pace Has a Blog!

2011-09-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hurrah! I can't wait to see what she does with it.
http://designsbyro.blogspot.com/

If you aren't familiar with Ro's designs, there's a link to her website on the right side of her blog.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Do Your Beads Run Away?

2011-08-31T06:15:00.000-04:00

Do you stab yourself a whole lot when using a long sharp beading needle? Have you gone blind trying to thread a beading needle? Have you done more French knots that you thought humanly possible on one piece just so you don't have to open a box or tube of beads? Which will immediately jump out of said box or tube and fly all over the room? Do you avoid any piece that requires beads because you just can't stand beading any more?

Ann might have a solution.
http://stitchingfoolishness.blogspot.com/2011/08/in-praise-of-needle.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Introducing Coni's Patriotic Stars

2011-08-31T06:05:00.000-04:00

The Spinster Stitcher has finished Stars! It's gorgeous. I never would have thought to use a red, white and blue (with gold) color scheme but she pulled it off with her usual panache. Applause!
http://spinsterstitcher.blogspot.com/2011/08/stars-for-new-millennium.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Why Basketweave is the King of Stitches

2011-08-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

If you ever thought basketweave wasn't useful, this pillow shows otherwise. Can you imagine any other background stitch that would set off the central design and the borders as well? I can't.
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2011/08/laurens-fabulous-frog.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

The Alamo and the Scots

2011-08-30T10:03:00.000-04:00

Vicky tells the story of the Princess Grace Award winner in San Antonio.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/08/30/remember-the-alamo/

The winner is a member of SBC ANG so if you are a member of this ANG chapter, you can see a better image of the Princess Grace Winner for 2011 in the SBCANG Yahoo Group files.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Introducing Vanessa UPDATED

2011-08-30T06:05:00.000-04:00

Ridgewood Needlepoint is about to transition owners from Eileen, who is retiring, to Vanessa who is picking up the ball and running into the future with it. Here is a bit about Vanessa to introduce her to us Ridgewood fans.
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2011/08/vanessa-s-ornament.html

If you happen to be in New Jersey Wednesday, stop in and say hello to Vanessa and give Eileen a hug from me. If you aren't going to be close enough to visit, you can still enjoy the slide show of their canvases, finished and not, on the home page of the Ridgewood website.
http://www.ridgewoodneedlepoint.com/

Good luck to both Vanessa and Eileen in their new adventures!

Update: And to Suzanne, too!
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2011/08/change-is-inevitable-and-often-good.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

National Academy of Needlearts

2011-08-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

NAN has just posted their 2012 seminar classes on their website. Click on the first class title to see the all the models and read more about each class. I hope at least some of us get to go.
http://www.needleart.org/Assembly/Courses.php

By the way, if you haven't looked at the exhibit (called Exemplary by NAN) winners from 2011, please do so. There is some stunning work shown there. Click on the titles to read a bit about the inspiration behind each piece.
http://www.needleart.org/Exemplary11/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Today's Canvas of the Day is Dedicated To....

2011-08-29T09:12:00.000-04:00

I chose today's Canvas of the Day while thinking about the folks browsing the Seminar Bookshop and Seminar Store and then heading out to visit all the great local Texas stitching shops. Isn't it appropriate? It's from Labors of Love.
http://store.apneedlearts.com/shtiidr.html

Our intrepid reporter Vicky has arrived in San Antonio and she has won ribbons!
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/08/29/a-little-mariachis-a-little-margaritas/

The winners will be officially announced in the Seminar Newsletter which has been put online by ANG. Here's the first issue. There will be a delay before each issue goes up since it has to be digitized and posted by ANG officials between their chores running Seminar. Hopefully the second and third issues will be posted shortly.
http://www.needlepoint.org/Seminar-11/photos/MissionStitch1.pdf

ANG has updated their Seminar photos page with lots of new eye candy. (The class pieces they are showing off are for next year's seminar in Philadelphia.) Don't forget to check periodically to see glimpses of our friends who are there.
http://www.needlepoint.org/Seminar-11/photos.php

Here's a margarita toast to them all!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

The "New" Medici

2011-08-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

Janet Perry reviews the replacement for Medici wool that you can pick up at Threadneedle Street.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/the-medici-problem

If you want to try some for yourself, here's what Threadneedle says about it from their website.
http://www.threadneedlestreet.com/Medicis.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com