The Needleworker's Chatelaine

Keeping things in shape

I use embroidery frames to keep my projects from distorting as I work on them.  I'm in the process of sourcing a stand/frame large enough to hold my full Cluny Tapestry piece while I work on it.  To give you an idea of how challenging this is -- the piece is 5' long by 3' high.  I had been using a large wooden scroll frame originally meant for quilting.  It broke in a matter of months, the wood simply splintered.  I'm looking for something more sturdy now.  In the process I've come across some good descriptions of the types of hoops and frames available that I thought I'd share with the blog.

Here is a blog with a good set of definitions of the various types of frames.

Mary Corbet has a great piece on frames and hoops and where to find them.  Note that the post is old so many of the links in the comments no longer work. She also had a great post about Evertight stitch bar frames

I use a Qsnap frame for all of my cross stitch and embroidery work.  Even though I often have to readjust my fabric to keep it taut, I like it best for work with linen, which can easily distort if pulled too tight.  It is very sturdy and I don't have to worry about it snagging the fabric or leaving marks, no matter how long I leave my fabric in the frame.  At the moment I'm still reviewing my options, but this is most likely the frame I'm going to buy and use to finish my Cluny Tapestry.

Needlework embroidery charts via computer

I came across this articlerecently in Macworld about a computer program to make cross stitch/embroidery charts.  I have a feeling that this kind of thing has been around for awhile.  I'm going to do some digging to see reviews of the different programs and what's recommended.  I think people might benefit from a list of these types of products.  I know all too well that sometimes you can buy software to make your life easier and then end up hating it!

This Stitchesprogram is only for Mac and it seems really expensive at 79.99 for a version 1.0.  It looks like I can download a trial version of the software so I'll have to commandeer my sweetie's Mac and I'll report back to the blog on what I think.  I do like what it mentions in the Macworld piece about how it will estimate the amount of thread needed and tell you what DMC color matches your chart -- BUT I don't know that I'd pay 79.99 for that.

Why the obsession with neatness?

When I did my first piece of cross stitch my mother was quick to point out that my technique was not correct.  I had run my stitches in an odd direction so that they looked okay from the front but were slanted on the back. I had also run long dangling threads from one block of color to the next so that I didn't have to end the thread and start again.

"The back has to look as good as the front," she said. 

I can understand not running long dark thread from place to place across light colored thread -- it actually shows through on the front like a dark stain -- but the rest of it made no sense.  Who really cared what the back looked like if the front looked good?

Years later I was touring the Victoria and Albert museum in London and a tour guide mentioned that the obsession with the back of the needlepoint being meticiously neat started in Victorian times.  Before Queen Victoria no one cared how the back of the material looked.  The tour guide suggested some places to look at the 'backs' of needlework done in the Middle Ages and after for examples. 

Sometimes I amuse myself by running a long stitch across the back of my work just to spite Queen Victoria.

World Wide Knit in Public Day -- June 14

World Wide Knit in public day is coming up soon.  After looking at their website I realized that it is a bit of a misnomer as it is really World Wide Craft in Public day.  I don't knit, in fact the one time I tried I made a three armed sweater.  I can crochet, paper-mache, decoupage, cross stitch, needlepoint, quilt and applique but give me two knitting needles and I'm all thumbs with no ability to count.  I think I might have a knitting disability.

Instead of my knitting I will be cross stitching in public on that day.  I'm going to attempt to find other people doing the same here in San Francisco.  I think it would be very cool to be able to put together a group of cross stitchers.  Knitting may be more popular, but cross stitchers have the advantage in hot weather  -- no heavy, hot yarn to lug around. 

San Francisco Needlework Stores: Union Square

San Francisco is full of tourist attractions and shopping, including needlework and fabric stores.  I'll tell you about some of my favorites.  Since there are quite a few I'll break them down by neighborhood over multiple posts.

Union Square has a ton of high end shopping and the two needlework stores in the area are no different.  Don't look for huge bargains at either of these stores.  What they contain are impressive and unique finds that are easy to look on as a vacation splurge.

Britex -- 146 Geary Street, Open 10am -- 6pm Monday through Saturday

Fabric, fabric and more fabric that's what you'll find in this store.  I love to go all the way to the fourth floor and dig around in the remnants.  I've found some great cotton remnants that I've used for minature quilts.  I also come here for DMC floss, which can be found on the third floor.  They also have the most incredible array of vintange and new buttons as well as yarn.  You could get lost in here looking at all the goodies.  Just don't get carried away or your wallet will never recover.

Needlepoint, Inc -- 275 Post Street, Open Monday through Saturday

You can see the sign for this store from Union Square, but actually getting into the shop is a bit tricky.  You have to walk around the side of the building, go into the small lobby and up in an old elevator.  Luckily the display window outside the building lobby is full of needlepoint canvases so you know you're going into the right place.

The store carries every kind of handpainted needlepoint canvas you can imagine including ones for purses, shoes, chair covers, rugs, ornaments and belts.  They also carry a huge array of fibers including silk, angora, cotton, wool and metallic threads.  Most afternoons they do a needlepoint class and the staff are always happy to help pick out the correct thread and types of stitches for your project.

They will also finish your project for you and I don't just mean finishing that background stitch you hate.  They will cobble shoes, inset your embroidery into boxes, sew the pillow for the needlepoint, etc.  Last time I was in they were selling pieces of antique chinese furniture that had been kitted out as project boxes and also to display needlework.  There were some really cute footstools that were crying out for needlepoint tops.

Just remember when you look at the prices that you're on vacation ;-)

Spring Cleaning: Storing Projects

I finished organizing and packing away my needlework in the bottom of my TV cabinet.  You can see the before picture here.  I did not purchase any boxes or storage containers for this project.  I recommend that if you do something similar you look around your house to find storage containers that aren't being fully utilized and use those instead of buying expensive new containers.  Some possibilities include shoe boxes, plastic containers (tupperware), individual project storage containers (we all buy way too many), cardboard roll from paper towels, etc.  For items like a shoebox or the cardboard inside a paper towel roll you can cover the item in fabric, wrapping paper, contact paper (shelf paper), etc. to make it more attractive.   For this project I repurposed two seagrass lidded storage bins that I bought from pottery barn about 4 years ago.  The blue plastic bin from the original photograph is now being used to hold my bed linens.  The clear plastic containers you see on the side are a bunch of thread organizers.  I am using them for their original purpose (organizing embroidery thread) and using them to store silk, beads, buttons, and spools.  At the very back you can just barely see an old plastic project box I'm using to store all my paper cross stitch patterns.

The small seagrass basket holds all of my quilting materials including fabric, rulers, patterns (I do minature quilts with paper piecing) thread, paper and needles.

The large seagrass basket holds all hand embroidery and needlework projects currently in progress.  As these items are typically kitted up and held in hoops or PVC frames the large bin worked better for my needs.

I don't yet have all of my projects organized and in their proper places, but as I continue to go through my house and spring clean, I now have a place to put things when I find them.  The only project in progress that will not fit into this space is the Cluny Tapestry I call "godzilla", but more on that later.

My next needlework spring cleaning is to go through all of my projects in process and figure out what is needed to complete each one.  My goal is to complete at least half of my project in progress before I buy anything new.

Needlework on a Budget: Free Patterns

There are places where needlework and craft patterns are available for free.  Listed below are a few of my favorites. Feel free to submit more links and I'll add them to this list.

Mirabilia Holiday Cherubs 

Nora Roberts creates beautiful designs incorporating cross stitch and beadwork.  There are 9 angels and two small insect designs offered for free on her website.  You can download and print the chart including the materials list.

DMC 

Its no surprise that the embroidery floss company offers free patterns.  Quite often these patterns utilize new colors and types of floss.  They offer an eclectic mix of pattern and project suggestions for cross stitch, crochet and other crafts.  There is also a newsletter you can sign up for that will provide more free patterns.  I've always used DMC embroidery floss and I love it.

Coats and Clark

This is the company that makes Anchor embroidery floss. As above, its not a surprise that they offer ideas for free. The link above takes you to a search engine that lets you pick through a plethora of project ideas and free patterns for knitting, embroidery, sewing, quilting and other crafts.  This site is much easier to navigate and has more ideas than the DMC site.  If you prefer DMC textiles you can use one of the online Anchor to DMC conversion charts.

Spring Cleaning: Storing Projects

I use the cubby beneath my TV to hold my craft projects and materials.  Unfortunately, it has also become something of a catch-all for random bits and pieces from other parts of the house.  My project for this weekend is to take this:

And create a nice look and organized space that holds all of my projects.

Stitching on a budget: Cross Stitch and Embroidery Patterns

Needlework can be a really expensive hobby, especially when it comes to large or intricate embroidery canvases.  I've found a few resources where you can buy less expensive new cross stitch charts and embroidery canvases.

My favorite: eBay

Pros: Unlike digging through store discount bins, finding the type of pattern you want is much simpler on eBay. Type in a keyword and away you go.  I bought an embroidery canvas of one of the Cluny Tapestries on eBay for more than 80% the price of a similar canvas in a regular needlework store.

Cons: Read all the fine print and know exactly what you are getting by pricing similar items in local stores or doing a quick google search of trusted suppliers.  Look for scams involving small bid prices but huge shipping costs.

Alternative #1: Local Needlework/Hobby store discount bin

Pros: You can see the original price and the discount so you know right away you aren't overpaying (vs. what sometimes happens on eBay).  Often the items on sale are in kits so you don't have to run around and find the thread and other necessary pieces for your project, which can save you time and money.

Cons: It often takes a lot of digging to locate something you'd be interested in working on. 

Alternative #2: Online Hobby store discounts/clearance

Pros: Nothing is easier than shopping from home and, like eBay, the search function on websites tends to make this easier than digging through bins.  Many small needlework stores will kit up their discount patterns in order to sell them faster.

Cons: Watch out for shipping costs as they can eat up any potential savings.

Alternative #3: Off Season sales

Pros: If you like seasonal, especially holiday, patterns this is your best bet.  Right after Christmas I bought a few great Mill Hill beadwork and cross stitch kits at a good discount from a local needlework store.  You can find similar bargains online or in local stores.

Cons: If you're looking for something besides a Holiday or Seasonal pattern this type of shopping won't work as there is really no 'off' season for needlework as there is for skiing equipment, summer clothes, etc.

Alternative #4: Make your own

Pros: Anything you can dream up you can create with some simple graph paper and the right materials. Cool and interesting patterns can be sold to local dealers or on eBay.

Cons: Time consuming and can be intimidating the first time out.

White Glove Treatment: Protecting White Thread

My first few needlework projects were cross stitch with white thread.  At nine it never occurred to me to wash my hands before starting on projects. As a result, the ecru duck and the white sheep are both in need of a bath. I call it my "Dirty Needlework Era". When I look at those two pieces now I can't help but cringe because all the washing in the world won't remove the grime from that thread.  Thankfully my grandparents, who were the recipients of my early work, loved the pieces anyway.

However, even with religious hand washing, doing a needlework piece with primarly white or light colored thread is a challenge.  For instance, I was recently work on a cross stitch pattern from Mirabilia  called "Winter Queen"  No matter how clean I thought my hands were, I was still ending up with tattle-tale gray stitching.  Below are a few solutions I found to keep white thread clean while doing hand embroidery and needlework.  I'm sure a few of these solutions would work for knitting, crocheting and other thread/yarn intensive projects as well.

My favorite solution: Cheap thin white cotton gloves

Pros: a glove on each hand prevents skin oil transfer to thread and fabric

Cons: getting used to the extra layer of thin cloth was a bit of challenge for my needle hand, but one that was easily overcome

Source: Amazon.com

Alternative #1: Cutting the dirty portion of thread tail at the needle eye and re-threading my needle

Pros: Removed the dirtiest portion of the thread

Cons: I often forgot to stop and cut the thread while I was working and the dirty portion would end-up in my work.  I also found this was really wasting a lot of thread and time.