In case you have time to meander through the online embroidery and needlework world this weekend, I thought I'd point out a few spots that might be fun or interesting to visit.

If you're looking for - or like to collect - needlework books, you might try the Mad Samplar Book Company. They specialize in used and new needlework books. There are a couple gems on there worth noting. If you are looking for something specific that isn't listed, you can always let them know what you want to see if they can find it. I love used book services! (Thanks for the link, Megan!)

If you want to see an interesting combination of canvas work (needlepoint) and surface embroidery, check out Judy's January TIF Challenge post. Imitating the look of crazy quilting, she's made her "fabric" out of canvas stitches, and is treating the "seams" between the different canvas stitches with surface embroidery. Clever idea, and really very pretty and elegant.

My latest forays into casual embroidery have been in the area of canvas stitches. Strangely enough, I've never ever ever liked needlepoint, until now. I don't know what has suddenly attracted me, but, generally, it's "historical" needlework that catches my eye, and I think this is what happened in this case. In short, I believe it was the concept of the "slip" that first snagged me - the popular 16th / 17th century decoration worked on linen in tent stitch, then cut out and fixed to a background fabric. In fact, I mentioned before this needlepoint canvas that is based on historical slips from the Traquair House in Scotland. I think that's what caught my interest in the first place.

So I've been exploring canvas stitches, and I wanted to mention a few (perhaps obvious) points about them: 1. They don't have to be worked on needlepoint canvas. They can be worked on even weave linen just as easily; 2. I think it's easier to work them (especially if you're working on a softer cloth, rather than a stiff canvas) in a frame or hoop; 3. You should have a proclivity towards squares.

Anyway, if you're interested in giving your embroidery a different look and want to check out some canvas stitches, there are plenty of places online that can help you. Keep in mind that some of these stitches can be worked in isolation, so they aren't necessarily just for canvas or even weave fabric.

First of all, there's the Needlepoint Now online classroom. This is a handy place to learn about the three different types of tent stitch. You can find a nice tutorial on the same thing at Threadneedle Street.

If you want to get a look at a variety of canvas stitches in different applications, you should check out the American Needlepoint Guild's stitch of the month index. You'll find variations on all kinds of different canvas stitches.

For interesting articles on historical slips, you might check out Jane Stockton's page, In Prayse of the Needle, where, if you scroll down, you'll find a PDF on Elizabethan slips.

Now, in case you think I've gone off my surface embroidery rocker - don't worry! My upcoming serious projects (they're stuck still in the designing stage, but will be progressing into the working stage soon!) are all surface embroidery, including several liturgical projects on the plate for this year.

And - joy, bliss - next week, the garage begins undergoing reconstruction, so I should have a normal workroom space within a few weeks! And that means I can actually make better progress on serious stuff.

The demands of my job are keeping me exceptionally busy right now, but by the middle of this coming week, I should have some breathing room - then I'll entertain you with some photos! In the meantime, though, I plan to post a couple new video tutorials.

Enjoy the weekend with your needle 'n thread!

Labels: canvas stitches, counted thread embroidery techniques, embroidery resources, miscellaneous embroidery musings, needlepoint

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I've been told that needlepoint is a very "relaxing" form of needlework. Truthfully, I don't really know. I recall as a kid doing some little needlepoint design on plastic canvas, that came with a kit of sorts - and that's the only time I've ever played with the technique. Well, my tastes have matured a bit, and, with a little bit of luck, I've come into possession of what promises to be an exciting project.

The Traquair House needlepoint canvases are hand-painted by Phillipa Turnbull. They are, "by special permission from The Laird of Traquair House in Scotland, an exact replica from a panel of slips from the 16th Century." There are 9 slips altogether. You can see photos of them at The Crewel Work Company.

Traquair House dates to 1107 (900 hundred years old!) when, according to the historical information on the website, the house was a hunting lodge for the Scottish royalty. Now, it's one of those "I'd love to go there" historical spots that hosts tours, events, and weddings, has a brewery on site, and even has Bed and Breakfast accommodations. It looks like a lovely place with a glorious history. You can read all about it at the Traquair House website.

Back to needlepoint! The panel I have is the Griffin, Pomegranates and Swooping Bird panel:


And it came with the whole palette of Trebizond silk!



This is the whole canvas. I'm glad it's the Griffin! As you probably guessed, I didn't actually order this specifically - it came as part of the needlepoint treasure box from Twining Thread, which, sadly, is no more.



There's the griffin up close. I like him!



Here's the Trebizond palette.

The piece is supposed to be worked entirely in tent stitch (or petit point), which I guess will make the stitching itself rather easy, except, perhaps, for the changing of colors rather often. I'm assuming that it should be worked in the "basketweave" style of tent stitching. The unfortunate part of receiving this canvas for a mere (small!) fraction of it's regular retail price (along with all the silks, to boot!) is that it didn't come with specific instructions. I'm hoping I know enough about needlework to manage working the piece, and what I don't know, I may be able to guess!

I've worked a lot of canvas stitches and their variations on evenweave, to play with them, but I've never actually worked a whole piece of needlework of this quality. So wish me luck! I can't wait until I have time to get it going!

If anyone out there has any advice about working on this type of canvas, I am, as usual, all ears!

Labels: historical needlework, needlepoint, pictures

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