Needlepoint videos?

Sorry, something went wrong with my post. I bought paternayan and a canvas and am trying to master the tent stitch....

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

A video, even if one is available, is no substitute for your own experimentation. Get some small pieces of a few different gauges of canvas and try different threads on them. You'll soon get the hang of it.

As for tent stitch, think of working over a +, whether it's single or double thread canvas. Needle up in the SW corner, down at the NE, then do a SW movement across the back, so that your needle comes up at the SW corner for the next stitch, which will lie to the left of the one you've just made. After a while, you'll get a feel for the right tension. No video will ever teach you that.

If you work "in the hand", you'll find that all those diagonal stitches pull the canvas out of shape. Don't worry, as you'll either stretch the canvas back into shape at the end, or your framer will do it. I always recommend working with the canvas on a standing frame, so that you can have the right hand above the canvas, and the left hand below (that is, if you're right-handed). Even then you'll get a bit out of shape (whatever about the canvas!...) If you're going to work larger areas in a single colour, I'd suggest you find out about basketweave stitch, which will look identical to tent stitch on the front, but which pulls either vertically or horizontally on the back, thus resulting in less distortion.

And my best advice would be to find another needlepointer to do a bit of work with you. That's the very bext way to learn. Now enjoy it!

John

John,

Thanks. I've done all that you've suggested, purchased books, purchased the canvas, the yarn, etc. I've practiced the normal tent stitch and the basketweave stitch and I agree that the latter offers less distortion. I've been stitching by hand and am going to purchase a frame.

I've been stitching and stitching and stitching and stitching, and for some odd reason I find that teh tension is great when I start out and not great afterward. I try to get the stitches just right, and sometimes I do, but sometimes I'll see a little canvas peak through or the tension will clearly not be perfect. My stitches just don't measure up to those I see done by experienced needlepointers.

With regard to the needlepointer and help, that's a great idea. Does anyone know of classes in the Boston area or lessons offered by a needlepointer? I just need help mastering the version of the tent stitch.

Thanks, Tim

I've been stitching and stitching and stitching and stitching, and for

Just in case no one on rctn can help you, here's a page with the chapters of the American Needlepoint Guild. Perhaps you can find a teacher through them. The entire site is quite helpful if you're a needlepointer.

wonder if you are working with too long a strand. Needlepoint canvasis rough on the wool and wears it down fairly quickly. How many strandsof wool are you using with what size of canvas? The frame will make it a lot easier for you to master your tension. And if you lay the threads with a laying tool it will make the yarn/thread spread out more evenly. If you don't know what a laying tool is, try googling this group. See you after Christmas! Dora

Thanks! I checked out the local chapters and will write. As for the laying tool, I checked those posts too. The Boston needlepoint scene seems awful. The one store that is devoted to this sells NOTHING in the way of tools for needlepoint....I was lucky to get a needle and thread out of them. I can't find laying tools locally. Do you have any suggestions for where to buy good ones on-line? I've seen so many.

Thanks, Tim

\Hi Tim,

I've labored this point before, but I think the best laying tool is the tekobari, which you can get from the Japanese Embroidery Center.

Of course you have to pick this up and put it down for every stitch, so if that's going to drive you up the wall, get a trolly needle, which will fit onto a finger. Just don't forget and try to scratch your face while you're wearing it. I have one, though I've never used it. I always go back to the tekobari, but that's just me and my love for Japanese embroidery. Actually with Japanese embroidery I usually hold the needle between thumb and third finger, at the same time holding the tekobari with fingers 4 and 5. It saves putting it down all the time, and it's there to grab between thumb and index finger when I need it.

If you find you start off OK, and then the tension goes astray, I'm wondering if you might be letting the thread overtwist. In other words, the thread gets wound tighter and tighter. That will certainly make the canvas show through. The way to avoid this is to drop the needle underneath and let the thread untwist every few stitches, or a better way is to do a quarter turn or so on the needle each time you bring it back up - in the direction of untwisting, needless to say. You'll soon see how much of a twist you need to make with the needle. Keep an eye on the stitches, and you'll see when the twist becomes too tight or too loose.

As another respondent said, it's also possible that you're using too long a thread, so that it simply wears away. About 18 inches or so is probably about as much as you want in the needle, and there are some threads where you'll need even shorter lengths.

As for personal help, I'm in Australia, so I don't know about the Boston area. If your LNS wasn't very helpful, ring around to some others. I'm sure there would be an EGA chapter in your area, or an ANG group, or just some small needlepoint club. Admittedly, needlepoint seems to have gone onto the back burner a bit over the last few years, what with the huge popularity of cross stitch, but I have no doubt there will be lots of needlepointers around.

Another advantage of getting in touch with other needlepointers is that you'll find that there is lots more to needlepoint than tent stitch, and other stitchers will be a real inspiration for you.

John

G'day Jonno!

Please email me - my outgoing email won't work (note the new ISP), but I'll be needing your addy for when it will! Also, busting to know how you and your DMum are!!!

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Hi Tim,

A bit more...

I dare say I'll get flamed for this, but I'll say it anyway. When you get in touch with other needlepointers, there will no doubt be someone who tells you that you need to fluff out the end of the thread, or something, to ascertain the "grain". Please ignore this advice. Embroidery threads - cotton, wool, or whatever - do not have a grain An individual microscopic wool fibre indeed is directional, but the spinning process ensures that the fibres are randomly mixed so that roughly half the fibres will be facing each way. The cell structure of a cotton fibre is such that neither direction makes any difference. Examination of cotton and wool threads under electron microscopy will show this to be true.

Some people, nevertheless, hang onto this belief. Good luck to them. No doubt they think this helps them stitch better, and that's fine. It's simply a belief that I can live without. I've even been told that if I stitch "against the grain" then the Z-twist will now be an S-twist, which will stuff up my work even more. I've never worked out an adequate (i.e polite) response to this!

You'll achieve a smooth embroidered surface through lots of practice. Enjoy!

John

Tim,

I am in the process of recording just such a video for my website! Great minds think alike eh? I will post here when it is ready.

Regards,

Carol Leather

snipped-for-privacy@mail.terrace.qld.edu.au wrote:

Can you get up to Salem, MA? There's a lovely (mainly) needlepoint store in Salem with loads of supplies of all sorts. It's BF Goodstitch (

), and the woman who runs it is more than happy to assist. Several times she has talked me out of purchasing the more expensive tools because the cheaper version was more appropriate for my needs. I always like that in a sales person!No affliation, just a happy customer.

--Mickey Edmonton, AB

to reply: mickey18385 at yahoo dot com

Both Needlepoint of Back Bay and B.F. Goodstitch offer lessons on a regular basis. In fact, if you purchase something from them, staff at either shop will sit down with you if they're not busy with other customers.

Elizabeth

Dora gave you very good advice. If you go to the ANG website, there are also some very good instructions on the "stitch of the month" section - including tent stitch. There are also explanations of away knots vs waste knots - and how to use.

Tent stitch has a tendency to twist the canvas - hence most people do NP with the canvas mounted on stretcher bars, or depending on the size, a scroll bar set. As a beginner - it would be a good idea to try and stay with something not too large (under 12" square or so) so it's not too unweildy, and mount it on stretcher bars with tacks (not staples). Even a little 8" x 10" piece mounted is easy to carry around, and will not distort.

And definitely - don't use huge 3' lengths of yarn - it does wear in the stitching motion.

So - good luck. And definitely check out the ANG site - there is an enormous amount of information there. And if you find a local chapter, or even a local shop - there is usually some beginner class or lesson that may be worth investing in.

ellice

The most basic laying tool that you should be able to find at any shop - get a really huge tapestry needle - like a size 18 or larger, and thread a ribbon through it so you don't lose it.

There are needle trolleys that sit on your finger - but not a good idea unless you wear glasses (the poke out your eye 'cause your forget thing).

Personally, I'd suggest practice with something simple before you invest in a pricey one. Dianne has some wooden ones on her Heritage Shoppe on-line.

Instead of a tekobari - there is also something called the "Best Laying Tool" - very light weight metal, shorter than a tekobari. You can get them from most needlework shops, or check out Shay Pendray's site - IIRC you can buy them from her.

Personally, I have a collection of a couple of really nice wooden ones, and a BLT, and I still use the big needle - a lot.

ellice

If they don't sell the basic materials for the craft, I wouldn't call them devoted.

The good thing about Boston is that it is well within traveling distance to a lot of other places. I see a day trip in your future.