The original canvas from R. Wood

From Marilyn:

“Choosing the right Christmas Stocking to stitch is always such a daunting task! Our grandson, Ronin, was born in May and knowing that the Christmas finishing deadline would be here long before I was ready, his stocking became my needlepoint priority. I choose a canvas with a very jolly snowman from Rebecca Wood.

While I wanted a 13-Mesh canvas, I had to find threads and stitches that would give me the textures and colors that I needed. Actually, it was somewhat easier than I thought! I decided to Basketweave the tree and the body of the snowman, and use different stitches to obtain texture for his clothing, eyes and nose along with the ornaments, snow on the ground and sky.

My personal favorite thread for snow is Kreinik color 032. With that in mind, I used Kreinik #16 Braid to Basketweave the snowman. This gave me the perfect base for adding a hat, mittens and scarf that would be stitched with different wool threads and stitches such as the Knitting and Herringbone Stitch. The ball on the end of his stocking cap was so much fun to create. With an over-dyed thread, a bamboo skewer and the “Messy” Basketweave stitch, I was able to create a pom-pom. I then used other shiny threads to create his “coal” eyes and mouth along with cheeks. I have been lucky enough to take a class with Amy Bunger and learned different padding stitches. I was able to use them to create the perfect carrot nose.

The Tree was stitched in Basketweave with shades of Silk & Ivory again creating a good base for embellishing with the ornaments and snowflakes. With all of the wonderful threads that are available, it wasn’t hard to get the “look” of decorated glass balls and falling snowflakes. The sky was done with Splendor silk in the Skip Tent stitch so that it receded into the background.

The canvas is now on its way to the finisher. Hopefully it will be “hung by the chimney with care” for many years to come!

The Finished Product!

The first time I saw this Susan Roberts canvas, I admit I was a bit confused. What did it make?

An egg with a hat?

I knew it was a beautiful design, but other than that, I was stumped. Then I saw a picture of the finished product and was amazed — needlepoint hot air balloons! Brilliant! I bet they look great on your tree!

We had a customer finish two of these canvases & they turned out wonderful:

In honor of the Susan Roberts needlepoint trunk show we are having, we wanted to show off Jo’s penguins.

Jo writes: “A March of the Penguins courtesy of Susan Roberts! These canvases were great fun and a stash buster, too. I added some padded stitches and a few French knots.”

We put out an email yesterday about creating new needlepoint Groups in the store.

We want to invite all stitchers to come in and spend time with us each month, meeting other stitchers and working on similar pieces together. It’s informal, social and a great way to meet people, learn new stitches and just have fun (plus, it’s free!!)

So far, we have gotten an incredible amount of responses — obviously this is something that many of us want to do!

If you didn’t get the email, not to worry! Here is our list so far:

1. General Needlepoint - will meet every Saturday from 1-3pm;  bring whatever project you might have and get motivation to finish, find stitch ideas from others or just hang out and chat while stitching

2. Elizabeth Bradley - will meet once a month; days/times to be determined; whether you are working on a rug or a new mini, come in and stitch with other EB Enthusiasts

3. All Things Christmas - will meet once a month; days/time TBD; starting a new stocking? working on Christmas ornaments or an entire Village? Share stitch and thread ideas with the group!

4. Apparel - The Bag Ladies, Sole Mates and Belters will all meet together once a month; days/time TBD; from bags to belts, needlepoint shoes, flip-flops and other apparel, you can expand your wardrobe and your social circle at the same time with this group

5. New to Needlepoint - Will meet once a month; days/time TBD; think of it as a support group for the Newly Initiated, this group will help build confidence in new stitchers, while also helping anyone who might be frustrated or lost with their current piece

6. Gingerbread Groupies - will meet once a month; days/time TBD; build a village or just enjoy a single house…this group can be as simple as pure basketweave or as complicated as various stitches, accoutrement and more! Only requirement - pull a gingerbread house from your stash or pre-order ahead of time!

Vote for your Favorite! Are there other Groups that you’d like to see? Post a comment to our blog by clicking the “Comments” link at the bottom of this post. We are still compiling the email responses we have gotten so far & will report the results soon.

P.S. If you want to receive our newsletter, sign up here: http://www.needlepoint.com/all-canvases (scroll down until you see the Newsletter box and write your email address in the text box provided & click “Subscribe”)

We picked up some attractive Judi & Co. handbag canvases at the last tradeshow. Coupled with whimsical handles available in a range of colors, you can create a needlepoint bag that will make people stop and stare!

With the fun, bright colors and creative designs, these handbags would be a delight to stitch!

Click on each picture to learn more information about the individual design.