Finished Needlepoint Pillow

After many interruptions and distractions, I finally turned my "Floral Splendor" needlepoint project into a pillow.

I was never able to get the distortion stretched completely out of the finished canvas, so I had to sew it as a parallelogram.  I should have turned the cover inside out to examine how well I lined up the cording with the canvas and fabric before sewing, but I did not think of it, and so the final result was cord and lip sticking out further in some locations than others along the edge.

I also discovered that I do not have a sewing machine foot that is narrow enough for me to machine sew along the edges where cording is involved, so the pillow had to be hand sewn on top of the basting.  Basting is becoming my friend, because it saves me from a lot of pin pricks.

Also, this time I was smart enough to dig around in the kit for instructions on how to cut and assemble the backing, so there is enough overlap that I did not have to sew the back pocket together.  It's always a learning experience.  The problem is that it takes so long to complete just the needlepoint portion of a project this big that I forget what I learned from the previous time I attempted to construct a pillow.  That's why I write it down here.  Now I just need to remember to read my own blog before attempting to construct another pillow.

On another note, I ordered some smaller needlepoint projects online to keep my hands busy in the meantime, and one of them was a needlepoint coin purse.  When the box arrived, it contained the bag for the kit and the label, but no contents!  There was no coin purse, no thread, no needle, and no instructions.  The glue on the bottom of the bag had failed, and the contents must have fallen out in the warehouse.  I had to call Amazon to straighten things out.  The seller gave me a refund, but couldn't send me a replacement.  Oh well.  Sometimes buying products can be more of a hassle than it is worth, but at least the issue got resolved.

Graph N' Latch Owl Rug Kit

I completed making the M.C.G. Textiles' Graph N' Latch Owl Rug Kit as a gift to my daughter on her birthday.

The finished size is 18.5" x 27".  The kit includes 3.75-mesh canvas, pre-cut acrylic yarn, a color chart and instructions.  I bought the latch hook tool separately.  I was torn on whether to make it a wall hanging or a floor rug.  I can always turn it into a wall hanging later.

As far as the latching of yarn goes, I made one mistake that multiplied because I chose the technique of using the previous row as a reference for what color to use where.  The problem with that method is that if you make a mistake, every row after that has a mistake in it as well.  In my case, I put one too many purple sections in the wing, but chose to leave it that way since it would just give the illusion that the owl is cold and fluffing up his feathers.  I did not make the same mistake in the owl's head, because I started counting rows once I caught the problem with the wing.

Cutting the excess mesh and applying rug binding was where I really struggled.  I've only made one rug like this before, and it was oval shaped.  The owl has many more curves that required notches to be cut out of the mesh in order for the hem to fold over smoothly.  I had to be careful not to cut so close that the yarn could fall off.  However, that left some sharp edges, so I had to try my best at covering the sharp edges with binding.

I basted the mesh hem over to make the binding process easier.  I ran out of iron-on rug binding before I made it all the way around the edge.  All I had on hand was sew-on rug binding.  I quickly discovered that it is very difficult to push a needle through the existing iron-on binding, and I was running out of time because my daughter was coming over to open her birthday presents the next day.  In the morning, I raced out to the crafts store and bought more iron-on binding to make a second row of coverage over the mesh hem.  Ironing the binding on is so much easier than sewing.  I was done in less than five minutes.

It turned out that I didn't have to hurry, because my daughter's birthday celebration had to be postponed because she was ill, but it sure feels good to be done.  Another project can be checked off my list.

Another Needlepoint Block Complete

This is a Dimensions needlepoint project called "Floral Splendor", designed by Barbara Baatz Hillman from the Kooler Design Studio.  It's a pre-printed 18x18 inch canvas that can be made into a pillow or hung in a frame on a wall.  The finished product is 14x14 inches.

As I get older, my eyesight gets worse, so I try to avoid counted stitch projects.  I need the design to be printed on the canvas like this one.  However, due to the intricacies of this gorgeous design, I still managed to miss a few stitches even when using a magnifying glass on top of thick reading glasses.

There were also some hues that were too close to each other in color for me to differentiate between them, so I had to consult the legend repeatedly.  However, pinpointing a tiny spot on the canvas and matching it up perfectly with a tiny spot in the middle of the guide was no easy feat since the guide was blown up into two large pages.  Figuring out whether the middle spot I was working was on the left page or the right page was a struggle.  I decided to go rogue in the last few stitches, picking whatever colors I saw fit.

My other challenges with this project included me repeatedly dropping the needle and having it slip down the side of the couch onto the floor.  I had to crawl around with a flashlight several times to locate it.  I also kept "losing" floss, only to discover that it had stuck to my clothes and fell off somewhere in the house or garage.  Fortunately, there was plenty of extra floss left over by the time the project was done, so I really didn't need to worry.

Because I used the continental stitch mostly throughout, there is a lot of stretching that needs to be done at the moment.  I think I am on my fourth stretch.  If I do a similar project in the future, I will have to remember to use the basketweave stitch as much as possible to prevent distortion of the canvas.  The continental stitch usually results in a parallelogram shape instead of a square, so I have to mist the needlepoint with water, stretch and pin it to a bulletin board repeatedly until I get it as close to a square as I can.

I think I will opt to make a pillow since cording and fabric are much less expensive than large frames.  It should be beautiful when finished.

Needlepoint Wall Hangings

It feels like it took me a whole year to complete this 12x16 needlepoint kit...

...only to find out that I'm still not done with it, because despite stretching it out by misting it with water and tacking it to a bulletin board, it still does not fill the frame.  So, I need to complete 5 or 6 more rows at the top.

This is "Old Mill Cottage" designed by Violet Schwenig for Dimensions.  It was definitely the most ambitious and complicated needlepoint project I've worked on yet.  There are legends for the legends, so especially near the end while working on the finishing touches like French knots, there was a bit of deciphering I had to do.

Ironically, I completed this 5x7 needlepoint kit in a week...

This is "Butterflies Galore" by Design Works.

Despite just getting new glasses, I'm still struggling to see details.  I think every butterfly had at least two stitches that I missed, so I had to go back and tack in extra stitches.  I need to keep a bright light over the canvas while I'm stitching.  This was also the first kit that instructed me to use the half-cross stitch instead of the continental stitch, which I discovered makes it really hard to tuck in tails.  I ended up creating an occasional row of the continental stitch to make room for mistakes.

I appreciated the simplicity of this particular kit because the ink on the canvas matched the yarn colors, and enough yarn was provided to be creative.  I took some liberties with the smallest butterfly because it was supposed to be the exact same colors as the biggest butterfly and I wanted some variation.  That's why it looks like a kindergartner completed the smallest butterfly.

Half a Latch Hook Rug

My daughter started working on a latch hook rug when she was a child, and never finished it.  While digging through her closet in search of the power cord to her heated blanket, my husband found the unfinished kit and gave it to me.  I decided to finish it for her and her first grade students, and give it to them for Christmas.  This was the end product...

It was a fun and easy project -- something I can do during commercial breaks while watching TV and winding down in the evenings.  I enjoyed it so much that I bought another graph n' latch rug kit.  I guess that means I'm hooked!

Current Projects

For years I have been collecting quilting patterns that involve kitchen related graphics like cups and saucers with the intention of making a wall hanging for my kitchen or a table runner.

I have never done paper piecing like this before.  I have to make two copies of a pattern, cutting one into pieces, laying the pieces onto fabrics, and cutting with a seam allowance around each piece.  Then I lay the pieces in the specified order onto the back on the other pattern copy and sew right through the paper along the edges.

When I am all done with the piecing and sewing and turn the paper over, this is what I get...

It's a crazy looking block.  I obviously did a better job matching up seams on the right side.  This was just my test piece.  It took me several weeks to construct it because I've been so busy doing other things.  I don't know if I'll be able to use it.  I might just consider the effort practice for bigger and better things.

The other project I've had on my To Do List is to recreate my favorite top from scratch.  I've worn this knit top for years, but now the material is very thin and the seams are coming apart.  I haven't been able to find anything like this top, and I was having a hard time letting it go, so I shopped around in fabric shops looking for a knit fabric that would be fun to wear.  I picked out the black scrolls with pink flowers on white background with black trim.

I have never sewn clothing from a knit before, and am already having trouble getting straight cuts because the edges curl.  Since knits stretch, I suspect that sewing will be a challenge too.  I am definitely not a fashion designer, but I'll call it a learning experience.

Quilt Magic No Sew Wall Hanging

This is a picture of my completed Quilt Magic No Sew Wall Hanging.  I ordered this kit through Amazon simply because I needed the encouragement of being able to finish a craft project.  I have tons of craft and quilting supplies, but my life is so crazy and unpredictable that I can't seem to finish anything I start.  This kit comes with everything you need minus the iron, pins, scissors, serrated knife and dinner knife.  I was able to complete it within three days, and plan to give it as a birthday gift to my daughter to hang in her first grade classroom.

The directions are good, but not idiot-proof.  I read them multiple times but still managed to screw up right away by cutting up the wrong fabric, so make sure that you read everything, including the small print, and make sure you understand it before beginning the project.  I'm so used to having to do things the hard way that I didn't expect everything to be set up so well in advance.  The patterns are actually grouped by fabric.

Fortunately, they do supply you with enough fabric to allow for mistakes.  I was worried that I might have to find a substitute fabric because of my mistake, but that wasn't the case.  However, with that said, should you decide that you don't like the color scheme or print, you can always use your own.

This is basically a laser cut foam board that you tuck pieces of fabric into.  There's no sewing, no glue, no mess.  As with anything, there is a minor learning curve, but with a little practice you will find yourself motoring along in no time.

Teapot Tissue Box Cover

I've had this Bucilla plastic canvas 6243 teapot tissue box cover needlepoint kit for probably 15 years.   It still has the price tag on it, which shows that I paid $11.70 for it at Bend Franklin Crafts.  I know that the branch of that store I shopped at went out of business a long time ago, and needlepoint kits cost a lot more than that now.  I have no idea why it took me so long to complete it, but I feel quite satisfied to finally wrap up this project.

The most difficult parts were constructing the handle and the spout.  Also, because the majority of project utilizes white thread, and because I outlined the canvas patterns with a black marker before cutting them out, the thread kept getting dirty each time I pulled it through the edges with the marker ink.  I should have scrubbed the ink off the canvas before doing the needlepoint.  

The assembly directions were very general with no diagrams.  I tried looking up more information on the Internet regarding how to construct the spout, but the kit was so old that I couldn't find anything beyond people trying to sell unused kits on eBay.  So, I did my best.  I noticed that in the picture on the front of the kit, the teapot was angled to not show most of the spout, and I could tell that whoever constructed the example had trouble matching up the seams just like I did.  I suspect this is one of those projects that is expected to be flawed, since perfection seems impossible given the nature of whip-stitching plastic canvas together.

But I'm happy to be done with it, and now I have a cute tissue box cover.

First Needlepoint Pillow Completed

All done!

Blocking Needlepoint

It's been a few years since I've made a needlepoint pillow.  I actually had several partially finished kits in my possession that I abandoned years ago, and just now decided to complete them before starting my next quilting project.  However, the canvases were stretched out like parallelograms and I needed them to be square before sewing the backing onto the needlepoint canvas.  The instructions told me to "block" the canvas, but didn't elaborate.  Thank goodness for the Internet.  I learned that I needed some cork board and pins or tacks.

We found a large cork bulletin board at our local hardware store for about $30 and I was able to block two needlepoint canvases at once.  You pin the canvas up, spray it with water, and then pull and pin until you shape it into a square.  Then you let it dry, and if it needs additional re-shaping, you do it again.  You are supposed to test the yarns for colorfastness, meaning that you take a piece of each color yarn, lay it on a paper towel, and wet it down.  If it bleeds, you have to dry block the canvas.  I never got that far, because I figured that with dogs in the house, the yarns had better be colorfast because I'm going to be washing these pillows constantly, and if they bleed, so be it.

The pleasure is in the process, right?  Who cares if the pillow actually lasts.  Here is a picture of the blocking process...

I had put the lip cord around the edge of the bigger canvas and pinned the backing on only to realize that the canvas was warped.  Pinning the cord was a pain, so I left it attached while doing the blocking.  The smaller canvas on the right isn't done.  I just wanted to re-shape it better while I was in the needlepoint phase, and it was a good thing, because it turned out that some of the weave was so smashed together that I completely missed a section I thought had been completed.

The bulletin board should come in handy for many more projects, such as pinning quilt blocks together and viewing them from a distance.  I used to hang a blanket on the wall and use static electricity to hold the fabric blocks up, but got tired of people asking me why I have a plain sand colored blanket hanging on my wall.  After a while I just told them we needed the extra insulation.