Melitastitches4fun's Blog

Hearts Galore!

We are fortunate to have several new members in our ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter. In the last newsletter, I mentioned the Hearts for Hospice program we stitched for in 2018 and was asked what I was talking about.

I’d been including free heart resources and sharing them in our newsletter periodically in case people want to stitch more of them. So, I gathered all the information together and sent it to my chapter. And, it dawned on me that it might be a great resource to share with everyone now. Maybe you have some stash and want a smaller, easier project to keep you occupied during these difficult days. Perhaps you can make a heart for the ANG Greater Kansas City chapter, an upcoming ANG auction, or for a friend to lift their spirits.

The ANG Greater Kansas City Chapter began a Hearts for Hospice program several years ago. A heart, placed on the resident’s door, notifies passers by of the death of a loved one. The heart is then taken home by a family member as a remembrance of the care their loved one received while at the center (multiple facilities may benefit).

In 2018, I came up with a design and provided stitch suggestions from Father B’s 21^st Century Book of Stitches. The instructions got published in the Needle Pointer’s article, Caring Hearts, in Needle Pointer’s Jan/Feb 2019, Volume 47, No. 1, pages 22-29. ANG members need to log in to open digital versions of all issues (dating back to 2017). Go to https://www.needlepoint.org/page/NeedlePointers, scroll down to Click Here.

In the same issue on page 21, an article discusses the hospice program and how to contact them. And, they mention that Heart of Hearts designed by Barbara Richardson is available in the Needlepoint Now Jan/Feb 2019 issue which I stitched in blue threads from my stash (https://www.needlepointnow.com/product/january-february-2019/). There is another one done recently in that same design using an overdyed thread from Colour Complements (https://colourcomplements.com/2020/03/hearts-for-hospice-needlepoint-colour-complements.html).

Later, the instructions for my bargello heart were published in Needle Pointer’s Jul/Aug/Sept 2019, Volume 47, No. 4, pages 30-32.

Then, I stitched a variation of the bargello heart.

I haven’t gone back to the hearts since stitching those but there are lots more to choose from. Check out all these resources!

There are 12 wonderful, free heart designs at https://www.rainbowgallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/DDPScan_04_14_16001.pdf. They are 3½” x 3½” and that’s just big enough for the Hearts for Hospice program. It also looks like they are open patterns which will work up quickly and would even look nice on a metallic canvas.

Here are more free patterns for small hearts from the National Academy of Needlearts at: https://needleart.org/publications/free-patterns/hearts/ They also offer an excellent introduction to needlepoint piece at: https://needleart.org/publications/free-patterns/free-kente-patterns/

Lorraine (Colour Complements) has a wonderful line of hand-dyed threads and blogs regularly. She shared a couple of hearts designed by Sue Dulle that you can download for free. The hearts use threads from Colour Complements. Very pretty. https://colourcomplements.com/2019/11/hearts-for-hospice-needlepoint-colour-complements-embroidery-threads.html and at https://colourcomplements.com/2019/12/hospice-hearts-hand-dyed-threads-colour-complements.html

The Enriched Stitch, a needlepoint store in Wilton, CT has provided a free stitch guide for this heart at http://astheneedleturns.com/rhodes-heart-stitch-along-with-suzie/ which you can do with any variety of colors and threads.

There is an ANG Correspondence Course, Hearts of Gold, with Michele Roberts available at https://www.needlepoint.org/page/2020HeartsofGold. I obtained the booklet when ANG Cyberpointers offered it and am really glad I did. This is an extensive resource with so much more than just designs for hearts or teaching bargello patterns. This also covers:

• Adding non-Bargello stitches.
• How to achieve color separation through tints and shades of gold and light refraction.
• Regular and consistent patterns, twilled, graduated, and staggered patterns.
• Combining different patterns laterally, even if twilled or graduated.
• Exposed and covered burden work.
• Instructions on finishing and how to do beaded cording.

Free from DMC, there’s a bargello heart (https://www.dmc.com/us/bargello-heart-pattern-9007135.html) and a beauty should have you an expert in French Knots by the time you are done (uses just 2 colors but blended into each randomly). https://www.dmc.com/us/love-dots-pattern-9007137.html Both are great stash busters!

Hopefully, we can stay healthy (remain inside and isolated as much as possible), move/stretch (try seated stretches with Mike at https://youtu.be/ZTXfdk0G4Y4), be productive (clean/organize even if just an hour a day), manage stress and anxiety (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html), get rest, and get a lot of stitching done.

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