Filed under: ANG Central Jersey Chapter, Summer Fireworks by Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes
I started Summer Fireworks by Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes at today’s Saturday meeting/Stitch-in at ANG Central Jersey Chapter (CJC). They meet on the 3rd Saturday of every month (from 10 am – 3 pm; I try to make it quarterly).
The chapter provided the Congress Cloth and threads, but I had enough of the lovely threads Ann-Marie sells on BeautifulStitches (.com.au) leftover from two previous projects based on Heather. A few people started stitching it last month in different colorways. It’s one of several free designs available on her website.
I do find black tougher to stitch on but it would look fantastic on black too.
As I read the instructions, I commented that the outermost border, a Van Dyke stitch, looked like it would be difficult to count. Sue C said she started with the Scotch stitch border before the Van Dyke border and said it was easy to avoid counting errors. An advantage of having others get started first on a project. So, I marked off the Scotch stitches with the needle (see the outline of enlarged holes). I prefer that to spend time basting. And, on Congress Cloth, it’s easy to see the holes (just don’t count wrong since it can be tough to make the hole small again).
We’re using 3 strands for each Scotch stitch. So, I am creating a mirror image working up each side. Here’s my progress for the day.
Filed under: ANG Needle Pointer's Timeless Treasures From the Archives
A series of articles, “From our Mind into a Design” were published in American Needlepoint Guild’s (ANG) Needle Pointers magazine by Debbie Deem in the 1980s. Debbie takes a thistle sketch and leads you through the process to develop a very creative interpretation of the sketch (not pictured here). I’d love to stitch it. Here is how a thistle stem became a border. Very ingenious.
From a google search, I see Ann Strite-Kurz took a Color and/or Design class from Debbie. Debbie started a blog in 2009 but it didn’t last long (artneedlethreadstitches). She shows how she paints a canvas and a few designs in classes she was teaching, including Starship Needlepoint and Stitching Sudoku, both of which appeal to me. I haven’t seen her book, but she and Mary Anderson published Stitchery Under Southern Skies Eleven Needlepoint Designs for the Creative Canvas Embroiderer. I don’t know any more about Debbie. If you know/knew her, please leave a comment and share a memory.
Join the American Needlepoint Guild (ANG) to get access to more about this topic in the Timeless Treasures from the Archives article in the current issue of Needle Pointers (November/December 2024 at https://www.needlepoint.org/page/NeedlePointers) and all the issues since the 1980s. The issue will be in the mail soon, but it’s online now.
Read about all the ANG member benefits at: Click here.
I don’t think that I mentioned that the Needlework and Textile Guild of Media moved to the Media Bourough Hall in Media, PA. We still meet on the 2nd Tuesday at 7 pm.
Karen taught us how to bead a felt purse. Her favorite book on the topic is Fine Embellishment Techniques by Jane Conlon. She has taken a few plain shirts and added beads around the neck to dress them up. Very nicely done. Karen usually attaches them with a single strand of polyester sewing thread because it’s stronger than cotton. She has used invisible thread but finds it difficult to see. I hear that!! She puts the shirts in the washer, no special care.
I used the Coral stitch on the sides. I skipped the strap because I won’t use it as a purse.
I will put a beading project that was inspired by seeing Jan Huling’s beaded pieces in person. Her magnificent dress was not in the exhibit. Thanks to Sue C for suggesting that we see that exhibit earlier this year. I thought my Edward Scissorfish was a lot of beads!
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Fibonacci Swirls by Olivia Hartshorn
Linda went through all 4 of the Area Ds on Fibonacci Swirls by Olivia Hartshorn (from Needle Pointers Mar/Apr 2022) at our October meeting for our ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter.
The stitch that caused the most issues was for Area D1 (upper right). The Alternating Scotch stitches are over 3, and compensation is required. Not all of the compensation will be hidden by the swirls. The bigger issue for me is that the stitch is all overdyed thread, while the other 3 areas combine it with a solid color. So, I grabbed the nearest stitch book (Painted Canvas Embellishment: An Idea Book by Carole Lake and Michael Boren) and opened it from the back end (which is how my husband reads magazines for some strange reason). On page 96, I found the Hesitation Stitch. It’s a solid and overdyed combination stitch in diagonal, offset Scotch stitches over 3. Perfect!
The Hesitation Stitch really works best by keeping 2 needles working. Two needles were needed for Area D2’s Milanese stitch (bottom right). I don’t know which I find more challenging – working with 2 needles or compensation of these stitches. Olivia didn’t compensate correctly but Linda pointed out the areas we needed to be careful. I am 99.9% sure I got it right. And, if I messed up, I hope it’s on an edge getting covered by the swirls which will be next month’s lesson.
Here’s the colorway on Congress Cloth. This uses the same overdyed thread but cut and stitched to create color movements.
And, on canvas. I worked on this a couple of days before our October Stitch-in Saturday, at our Stitch-in, and a few days afterward during the World Series Games 1-5. Only the upper left area worked up easily and quickly. Bottom left were small stitches that were easy but not quick. I let the color flow as it wanted only in the top right area.
I’m all ready for the final installment, the swirls, at our meeting tomorrow night.
Filed under: A to Z of Bullions, A to Z of Embroidered Flowers, A to Z of Embroidery Stitches, Books in My Library, Embroidery Books
There are a bunch of books (at least 20) in the A to Z Series. I have 3 of them (1st, 2nd, and 5th) but there are a few of them free online at Archive.org.
https://archive.org/details/azofembroideryst0000unse (A to Z of Embroidery Stitches 2)
https://archive.org/details/azofembroideredm0000unse (A to Z of Embroidered Motifs)
https://archive.org/details/azofcrewelembroi0000sueg (A to Z of Crewel Embroidery)
https://archive.org/details/azofsilkribbonfl0000coxa (A to Z of Silk Ribbon Flowers)
And, for knitters
https://archive.org/details/azofknitting0000unse
Here are mine:
A to Z of Embroidery Stitches
There are excellent color photos and step by step stitched examples (not diagrams). Up to 12 photos per stitch all on the same page. So, no flipping pages.
A to Z of Bullions. One of the first embroidery classes I took was with Mendie Canon and it remains unfinished. I bought 2 more projects and they remain in my Brazilian Embroidery drawer. Some day!
There are 10 pages with stitched step by step photos, including 47 photos for the classic bullion rose. The bulk of the book gives you colored illustrations, line drawings, a list of DMC threads, the number of strands, and number of wraps to make each design. Most designs are individual figures such as a frog or sheep but there is a cute 5″ square fishing frog at a pond of reeds, a very challenging flower cart, any of the rose designs would be lovely wedding gifts, and a cottage spray that measures 8″ long x 3″ high.
A to Z of Embroidered Flowers.
This book shows a stitched flower, threads to use, stitches to use (no stitch directions in this book), order to work, and patterns for transferring are provided. The tulip motif is especially stunning in an art nouveau style. A couple of the designs include a simple vase.
I had great ideas when I bought this book! Different vases with flower arrangements. I’ve got to live a long time.
I played with River Silk ribbon threads and Flair for this Sunflower.
Filed under: A Spring Sampler, Brandywine Chapter, Embroidery Guild of America, General comments, Needles, Tools
I found this bag at Target (https://www.target.com/p/solid-soft-satchel-handbag-a-new-day-8482-tan/-/A-91898942). It’s 10″ (H) x 15″ 
x 8″ (D) – perfect for the fall color skinny version of A Spring Sampler. Good price, too ($35). It will hold my battery pack, the Chapter’s eMeet speaker, Chapter business cards, travel tool kit, portable light, and curling iron. I am avoiding glue for this bag.
I needed the needle for leather from my Home Craft Repair kit of needles because the bag is made of polyurethane. I pinned the canvas in place and stitched through the inner lining, but it isn’t puckering too much, and I retained full access to the 2 cell phone pockets on the front inner side. Here’s the top edge attached.
The process of stitching the top in place made me think a thimble and a curved sharp needle would make the sides and bottom easier to stitch through the bag and hopefully not catch the lining. And, at this point, my hand needed a rest, and a trip to Joann’s was needed to get the sharp curved needles because I only have tapestry curved needles.
The curved sharp needles didn’t work well. Leverage was the problem. But, the package came with a small eye, very sharp straight needle. The real improvement came because of the Dritz thimble. What a difference that made.
An aside: In order to find the thimble when I need it again, I am putting the thimble in my Stitch pen/tool cup on top of That Purple Thang by Lynn Graves which I have not used much (if ever). If I get rid of it, I’ll need it!
I was able to pull the lining away on the sides and bottom and push the needle through the front of the polyurethane, angle the needle back to the surface further along the canvas like a running stitch. I didn’t care how far. Some stitches are longer than others but the trim will cover it.
Once all 4 sides were attached, I cut the canvas down to 7 canvas threads wide and attached the trim. I found a 1/2″ wide dark brown flat trim at Joann’s. And, Mandarin Floss M833 was a perfect color match. I decided to catch the polyurethane and canvas periodically as I attached the trim down the center using 2 strands. I pulled out my mini pliers and that helped too.
When Bill and I were in the store looking at different trims, he placed this trim on the needlepoint and folded it around a corner. Before I started, I worked out how to do that on all 4 corners with a short length first. I had to cinch the ends together to stop them from fraying (no glue) and taper them to hide the ends easier.
I went back around a second time with one strand to sew down the outer edge. It probably took me 12 hours altogether since starting this on Thursday. There was some cursing but no bleeding. I didn’t jab my fingers once! I was very careful. That leather needle would have hurt.
The most exciting part is that it’s even at 1.75″ above the bottom edge. It looks good and no glue!
Filed under: An Introduction to Embroidery by Anna Griffiths, Books in My Library, Embroidery Books
An Introduction to Embroidery by Anna Griffiths.
Anna covers canvaswork (a form of embroidery which covers the canvas), free embroidery (lack of restriction), and counted thread embroidery (executed on evenweave fabric).
All photos are in color. Some stitches are provided.
The free embroidery is more relatable than in Design in Embroidery by Kathleen Whyte. Other forms of needlework are covered, including crewel, shadow work (reminds me of the use of negative space to create images), cross stitch (I wonder why cross stitch charts place the colors in the holes on graph paper), blackwork and Assisi (also may use negative space).
Showing how an old vase inspired a design is one of my favorite examples. I’ve taken tons of photos of vases and baskets with the idea of doing an adaptation in needlepoint.
Filed under: Books in My Library, Embroidery Books, Embroidery Stitches by Readers Digest
Complete Guide to Embroidery Stitches by Readers Digest
The book is small at 6.5″ x 8.5″ and is a hardcover. It has normal binding, but pages stay open quite well. There are 2 stitches per page (embroidery and canvas stitches are provided).
The stitched sample photos are all in color, the diagrams are in color, and the stitching order is provided. But, each stitch has verbal descriptions that somehow seem tedious. Although, if the stitch was new to me or difficult, the text would probably be useful.
The price was right (marked down from $23)!
Filed under: Books in My Library, Elegant Stitches by Judith Baker Montano, Embroidery Books
If I could keep only one embroidery book, it would be Elegant Stitches by Judith Baker Montano for many reasons.
The stitch diagrams are easy to follow. It’s a small book at 6″ x 8.5″ with hard covers on front and back but has rings, so pages flip and stay open.
There is the creativity she displays by combining stitches in the Crazy Quilt Combinations and in her realistic Free-Form Stitchery section.
And, she discusses how a photo turned into a colored picture and then into a stitched interpretation.
Judith looks elegant in a stunning black jacket that she probably embroidered herself.
Filed under: Books in My Library, Embroidery Books, Embroidery by Kathleen Whyte
Design in Embroidery by Kathleen Whyte
There are some color photos but mostly black and white ones.
This is not a stitch dictionary, although several stitches are discussed. Exercises are suggested to experiment with threads, stitches, colors, and textures.
This is more embroidery related, but canvaswork and drawn work are discussed.
Kathleen focuses on elements of a design with the most examples of free-form abstract pieces. The design on the cover is the most appealing one to me.
Melitastitches4fun's Blog 