The Needleworker's Chatelaine

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.

What is a Needleworker's Chatelaine?

A chatelaine was a tool used by women in the middle ages to help manage life in the castle.  There were a lot of keys, utensils and tools that were necessary to running such a big operation and a woman needed to keep them close to hand so they were all attached to a chain that hung at the waist.  The best modern day equivalent is the purse or laptop satchel.  People keep their PDAs, cell phones, ipods, laptops, etc close to hand pretty much all the time.  Granted all those electronics would be a little clunky if people carried them around in the traditional manner -- hanging from a waist chain, dangling from a bracelet or pinned to a shirt. In this case of this blog, chatelaine means a tool to help organize and manage a needleworker's craft.

I began doing cross stitch and needlework when I was nine years old so I've been stabbing needle into fabric (or other things, ouch!) for the majority of my life.  I've learned a lot along the way, most of it by accident.  This blog is a way to share that knowledge and collect more from people who love the same thing I do, watching a beautiful piece of art grow from blank fabric.  As I live in a small space in San Francisco, I will also be offering organization tips and techniques for those of us who have to pack our work away every night due to space (and, in my case, kitty) considerations.