This month’s meeting started our journey into understanding how to pick the right stitch for various places on your painted canvas. Cathryn and Jacki discussed many of the books people buy to get ideas for stitches in various places in the picture painted on the canvas. We even have homework !!! Don’t forget to have ready 3 stitches for the sky area and 3 stitches for clouds. Next month the Blue Ridge canvases that were ordered will be distributed and the discussion on picking stitches as well as threads will continue.

Going along with the theme of choosing a painted canvas and picking stitches and threads, be sure to watch the Kelly Starke video on how to finish the piece when you are done. You can go to KellyStarkeDesigns.com and get lots of information. Later in the year Kelly Starke will be doing a class that you will be able to sign up for and attend. Give it a try – the wait time for finishing keeps getting longer and longer – you have nothing to loose.

Welcome to our happy group of stitcher’s Julianne – you are our 61st member. Hope you enjoy all the things we do together.

Our group again had a wonderful showing of talent at the 60th Annual Woodlawn Needlework Show. There were 699 pieces to compete with and our contribution was 31 pieces. Again our Barbara L got a top prize – the Judge’s Choice Award – First Place. Linda, Rosie, Diane and Melita all were winners as well. Everyone that submitted deserves recognition for such beautiful entries.

New Books !!! Whimsical Stitches Vol.4 is coming out in June. This book is all about small stitches. It’s perfect for a new stitcher who is looking to start out with ornaments and smaller canvases. (Hmmmm a theme is evolving) It has close to 200 stitches. It also has a section on planning and picking stitches for the small area. Also, Ruth Schmuff has revised the book “Threads, A Needle Necessity” for the 3rd time and it’s now called “Inspired by Threads”. It’s a reference of threads on the market right now. It’s packed with information on each thread and is in a handy 5.5 X 8.5 inch book – easy to take along in your bag. https://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/2023/03/coming-soon-2/?utm_source=mailpoet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the-last-newslettertotal-posts-from-our-blog-1

Are you a Trish Vine junkie??? I know a lot of people that can’t wait to see what new and different things she is stitching up these days. She will be doing a Pop Up Trunk Show at the Edwardian Needle on May 23rd from 12 to 3 pm. Mark your calendars and get there early before it’s all gone !

Are you having needlepoint friends over for a get together??? Everyone likes to be neat so look at these napkins from the Needlepoint Clubhouse. They have other fun items like note pads and tea towels – great for a gift !! https://www.needlepointclubhouse.com/products/stitching-cocktail-napkins?_pos=1&_psq=napkins&_ss=e&_v=1.0

Do you know about Oli Magnets? Great item to keep you needles on your canvas. They have previewed a new designer line and they come in several sizes. https://www.etsy.com/shop/oliblock/?etsrc=sdt

To get your finishing back these days you better be a young chippie because your going to have a long wait !! This means you need to find “self finishing” items to get things quickly. KC Needlepoint has a new one – cuff links ! What a great gift for a wedding party or for someone having a special occasion. https://www.kcneedlepoint.com/products/cufflinks?_pos=1&_sid=302d97207&_ss=r&utm_campaign=campaign%3A+Cufflinks+%28641279ce255b91001b24a129%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=omnisend&omnisendContactID=61fc368aa1816e00226a532d

While we are shopping KC Needlepoint, they also have easy to finish trays and napkin holders. So different yet easy to finish and adorably exotic looking. Wonderful house warming gift for a Floridian Friend. https://www.kcneedlepoint.com/search?type=product,article,page&q=tray%20kits*

Hedgehog Designs are those retro airport and destination tags and they have a new batch of them for the Spring Market. They also have partnered with Kangaroo Paw Designs LLC as they have the official licensing for the Greek Sororities and when you put it all together you now have Retro Greek Sorority Tags !! They have just released the first 6. Hedgehog Needlepoint

While we are talking about these colorful tags – I saw a great way of using them on the Absolutely Needlepoint email. Be it for yourself or as a gift it’s a great way to have a conversation starter about travel !! How cute is this bag???? Absolutely Needlepoint – Discover a world of needlepoint and everything that comes with it.

Ok – Ok, you can’t wait any longer for the new things from the Spring Market. Hold on to your wallets – so many wonderful new canvases that I can’t even think of showing them all to you. If there is a particular designer you enjoy working on then check out their web site because they were all VERY BUSY !! These items came from Stitch By Stitch in NY Ny Needlepoint | Stitch By Stitch Larchmont, NY | United States (stitchbystitchneedlepoint.com)

Old World Designs Needlepoint had a different flavor of new canvases – all striking !! Old World Designs Needlepoint Menlo Park Bay Area

Tips and Tricks: From Diversions Needlepoint in CO Diversions Needlepoint | Denver, CO 80113

Who was that Famous Stitcher? That was Melissa Prince. She had a career in media advertising and a friend saw some of her paintings and thought they would be great as needlepoint canvases. She painted a few and took them to a local shop where they all sold immediately – she has designed over 500 canvases and counting !

Do You Know Who This Famous Stitcher Is?

This chapter again has award winning members at the Woodlawn Needlework Show. This is their 60th year of presenting all different types of needlework and the theme is “Craft as Comfort: Joy in Needlework” – and don’t we all feel the same way. We again have to applaud Barbara L. for her Judge’s Choice Award for her “Cray Cray Bird” designed by Zecca.

Our other member, Melita G. was also awarded 2nd place for Original Design !! They have not released the entire list of award winners so we all have our fingers crossed that NJNA will have other members recognized for their talented works of art.

Hopefully you have gotten the new issue of Needlepoint Now. Another NJNA member – Holly G. was featured for her “Umbrella Girl” project from Painted Pony and stitch guide by Pam Miller of the Edwardian Needle. The beads on the umbrella alone are impressive. NJNA is a busy group !!! Needlepoint Now – The #1 Consumer Magazine Committed to the Fine Art of Needlepoint

It’s election time at ANG – your voice, your vote. I got an email on 3/9/23 giving you a link to cast your vote. The voting will be open until 3/31/23. Sign in to the ANG website and make your voice heard. American Needlepoint Guild, Inc.

One of the perks of being a member of ANG is their fabulous magazine. The new issue will be in your mail box soon. It’s available online now for those that can’t wait!!

It’s Auction Time !! ANG’s Spring Auction will be starting this Friday 3/17 at 8 AM. Watch your email for a link to their new system which is supposed to be much easier. They have 240 canvases, 20 finished items and 13 books. Good Luck to all the bidders.

Store News – The well known store Rittenhouse Needlepoint is for SALE!! Russell and Stephen feel it’s time to move on. If you have never been to their store it is an amazing space in a loft area of a warehouse. Wide open with enough threads to make your head spin. It’s a lot to take in but worth the trip. I am sure we all hope someone steps forward and buys it so it continues to give us lots of options along with a destination for a road trip !! Good luck to Russell and Stephen. My Needlepoint

Threads Too tried something very different for Super Bowl Sunday and it was a big hit – Mah Jong lessons !! They have opened their store to beginners for lessons, snacks and refreshments from 7 pm to 9:30 pm for $65. Of course they have a few canvases to go with the occasion! If your interested, the next night is this Wed. Call Diane: 908-489-8668 or Lauren: 917-744-7107 to see if there is still space left. Threads Too

Have you seen Au Ver A Soie has a metallic line of thread? It’s similar to our favorite Kreinik thread but it’s more loosely woven together and therefore a little softer. I spotted it on K C Needlepoint and with all the difficulty we seem to have getting many threads this may be a new alternative. https://www.kcneedlepoint.com/search?type=product,article,page&q=au%20ver%20a%20soie%20metalic*

Debbie Rowley has an interesting new offering called Circle Dance. What’s different about this is YOU paint your canvas before stitching the design on it. She explains the entire process but in the end if you are still not sure she will paint it for you. She uses 3 different colors of paint and it can be what ever color combo you would like it to be and she will help you with changing the threads. I can see how no 2 canvases would be alike. https://debbeesdesigns.com/product/circle-dance/

DebBee’s Designs also has a new feature to her web site – “On Demand Classes”. You can work at your own speed and access video stitch demonstrations. If your stuck, you can email Debbie herself. She also gives you the choice of a full kit, stitch guide and canvas or stitch guide alone. Her first offering is called Explorations and is a counted piece. I see a bunch of Jean Hilton stitches in this piece – way to much fun to do. https://debbeesdesigns.com/courses/explorations/

Stitch Stash has new Planet Earth kits on their web site. Everything to make a quick charm or key fob and it comes in a cute matching bag – an easy on the go project. Lot’s to choose from including other kits with those great red cups. https://stitch-stash.com/search?page=1&q=KIT%2A&type=product

No matter what kind of craft you are doing Snarky Crafter Deigns has something to make you smile and help with what your doing. From Needle Minders to knitting markers these people have a sense of humor. Collections – Snarky Crafter Designs

For all those dog and cat lovers you will want to check out DogGrin Design. These are self finishing collars for your pets along with a few other items ! They are made of leather and brass hardware with a window containing a hand painted 18 ct canvas. They paint them in a grey scale so you can use any color combo you like. Enjoy their web site & thank you Cathryn. https://www.doggrindesign.com

Needle Orts in Altamonte Springs FL has some really nice classes being given and the next best part is most are done both in person and on zoom! To catch Spring Fever they have a class called Hot Wheels Bunny. There are 2 sessions – one in April and one in May, which ever fits your schedule. When in their web site look ahead to future classes, some great choices. https://www.needleorts.com/

Diversions Needlepoint is having their annual Limerick Contest. Send in your entry and the ladies of the shop will make their determination on who did the best job. The winner gets a $25 gift certificate to the store. Extra consideration will be given to Limerick’s that mention them. http://www.diversionsneedlepoint.com/index.html They give this as an example:

Tips & Tricks: Do you know anything about Penelope Canvas? I knew it existed and that I mostly saw is used for old lady type pictures on a piano bench (age is relative these days). I discovered an article all about it and – how versatile ! The pillow from 1960 used the smaller holes for the ribbon and note and the larger holes for the background – all in the same canvas! The link will give you information about the history and usage of this mostly European used canvas. I was surprised to learn as much as I did. https://www.jenisandberg.com/blog/2021/11/20/a-beginners-guide-to-penelope-canvas-for-needlepoint?goal=0_94f8f95c9c-c6dc461640-471272985&mc_cid=c6dc461640&mc_eid=12872b76d6

Who was that Famous Stitcher? That beauty was Betsy Ross. Though there is no proof that she was the one that created the “Betsy Ross Flag” – No one can disprove the legend told by her family either. She died in 1836 at the age of 84, had 7 children and was married 3 times !!

Do You Know Who This Famous Stitcher Is?