Needlepoint for Idiots?

Is there a website somewhere that will show me the basics (in one syllable words) of needlepoint? I've found the cutest small stockings that I want to do as a Christmas gift for my Host when I stay in England. It's disgustingly sweet, but one says "London" with an outline of Big Ben, a Union Jack and ... hhmm.. something else, the other one says "Kansas City" with an outline of the most recognized building on the Plaza, with Christmas lights, a horse drawn buggy and lots of snow. What makes them so silly-sweet is that because they face each other, I can actually assemble them as one ornament. So one side will have the largest English city near her, and the other the largest American city near me. Argghh... can't you just feel the sugar dripping? LOL

Anyway, any hints, suggestions, directions you can point me towards will make me very grateful. And I promise, I'm not normally this sappy... Oh, and they are both on 18 count .. canvas?, so I'm wondering if I can use floss instead of yarn?

Thank you so much for being here! Tegan

Reply to
tegan57
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Hi Tegan,

I've just rejoined the group and you and the first person I can help!

Yes you can use floss on 18 count canvas.

Is the design in tent stitch? Or does it use speciality stitches?

I am in the process of adding pages to my new website which may be of help to you. I uploaded a page all about needlepoint canvas yesterday. The address is the lower one in my sig below.

Looking forward to being a part of the community.

Regards, Carol Leather

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Reply to
carol

A very basic stitch is a half cross. You could try floss or perle cotton. Really any fiber you want! Also, there's a British designer who uses "Victorian cross stitch" for her needlepoint pieces - so I'd say anything goes.

Alison

Reply to
Alison

I'm guessing you're a cross stitcher. The good news is that needlepoint canvas can be stitched in the cross stitches you're already familiar with. You could also learn the basic tent stitches, which are just half cross stitches, but if you're already familiar with cross stitching, you can just go with what you know. You can easily use floss. I would say four (out of the six) strands on 18 count. It's also fine to mix floss and wool and other fibers all in the same piece so if you have stash to use up, mini stockings like these are a great way to use it. Sprinkle in some metallics if you have water, or stars or other places that could use the sparkle. If you have some blending filament or some size 4 kreinik you can add that to the floss to give the snow some glitter.

Kather> Is there a website somewhere that will show me the basics (in one

Reply to
stitcher

Step 1 unfold canvas Step 2 thread needle Step 3 find color on canvas that matches color in needle Step 4 come up through a hole Step 5 go down through nearest diagonal hole Repeat Steps 4 and 5 ad infinitum

Idiot-proof enough? Sorry, I couldn't come up with a one-syllable word for "needle" :)

Reply to
Karen C - California

This makes me feel better. I have lots and lots of floss around, and I'm sure I can find the colors that I want. Pretty basic, actually. The KC one has mostly black, blue and white with some accent colors tossed in to simulate the Christmas lights (our Plaza is "famous" for it's Christmas lights). The London one actually has more color, but shouldn't be a problem to match up.

I think the samples of them that the shop had were both done basically in tent stitch. I have to go back out Friday to pick up the second canvas (it's not a very local shop for me) so I'm sort of planning on whining and begging for help while I'm there.

I've saved your tips pages to my bookmarks so I can come back later and see what else I can learn. And btw, a friend of mine in Australia is doing one of your designs ... and I'm sorry I can't think of the name right now... and is just looking great!

Thanks for your help! Tegan

Reply to
tegan57

Smart ass! ;)... but does the nearest diagonal hole need to be / or \? And do you "trap" the floss under stitches the way I do with cross stitch?

Tegan

Karen C - California wrote:

Reply to
tegan57

Reply to
tegan57

Tegan,

You may be feeling a little intimidated because you have heard that needlepoint has a lot of "rules" -- like "all stitches must go the same way," and "the back has to look as good as the front" and "never use knots when starting or stopping a thread". Think of these as you would similar rules like "always wear a hat in church" and "never wear white after Labor Day". They were find for your grandma, but this is your piece and it isn't your grandma's needlepoint.

Now, in general, tent stitches go like this / but you can also make them go like \ which is called, naturally enough, reverse tent stitch.

I would say that most of your stitches will go this way / but if you happen to have a rooftop, you may find that it looks better to have one roofline go the other way.

As to starting and stopping, yes you can trap the threads under stitches to anchor them. You can also knot the thread and come in away from the area you're stitching, leaving a long tail to be "trapped" by further stitching (and the remaining knot removed). This is called making an "away knot". When you're done with a thread, you can run the end under the nearby stitching and yes, you can even make a knot in it. The "no knot" rule makes sense when you are stitching a chair seat, so you won't be sitting on a bunch of hard knots, but on a mini sock, a knot won't make a difference.

Keep asking questions!

Katherine in Omaha

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

Reply to
stitcher

Whichever direction works for you.

I generally take a look at the canvas to see which way the diagonal lines run. Obviously, if you have mostly /\ rooftops, it'll be both and the direction doesn't matter, but if the dominant diagonal is a flower stem that runs \, then I'll stitch the whole thing \ to get a smoother flow on that line. I made a set of pictures for my aunt and her mother (who was much more of a needleworker) immediately caught on that one was stitched \ and the other picture was stitched /. She started to scold me for not being consistent until she took a better look at "the big picture", and son of a gun, there was a reason -- one flower faced left and one faced right, and my decision to be inconsistent made both stems smooth.

I generally catch the floss on the back, yes.

And remember, since you're only doing half an X, these will work up twice as fast!

Reply to
Karen C - California

Beware thinking that needlepoint is just half cross stitches. There are three different variations on this and the literal half cross is the least desirable in needlepoint as it distorts the canvas. Go to classicstitches.com and to their stitch glossary and look up tent and basketweave stitches - the latter being the nicest but using double the thread or wool. Sorry can't elaborate, over in the UK and sometimes have agonies posting through google groups and with the wifi.

Reply to
lucretia.borgia

Beware thinking that needlepoint is just half cross stitches. There are three different variations on this and the literal half cross is the least desirable in needlepoint as it distorts the canvas. Go to classicstitches.com and to their stitch glossary and look up tent and basketweave stitches - the latter being the nicest but using double the thread or wool. Sorry can't elaborate, over in the UK and sometimes have agonies posting through google groups and with the wifi.

Reply to
lucretia.borgia

Sorry if I wasn't clear -- the basic tent stitch looks just like half a cross -- however, the order of stitching can vary. You can stitch a row of them from left to right start //////////// end or from right to left end //////////// start or on the diagonal / / / /

The first way is called "half cross" The second way is "continental" The third way is "basketweave"

Half cross and continental both distort the canvas, basketweave can distort but is less likely to.

Half cross uses the least thread, and has less "padding" on the back.

all aimed the same way /////// /////// ///////

The difference is the order of stitching, right to left, left to right, or diagonal rows.

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

Reply to
stitcher

schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@m7g2000cwm.googlegroups.com...

Hi Tegan, You could take a look at the diagonal basketweave stitch:

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at some samples at:
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Reply to
vlerk

Tegan,

Thanks for bookmarking my site. I have added a couple of pages today that may help you further. To see how to work the three different types of tent stitch I have drawn some diagrams and given some hints. You will find them at

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it is useful to you. Regards,

Carol Leather

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Reply to
carol

I just want to say WOW. I've been doing needlepoint for years, using mostly basketweave, and I think this is one of the clearest teaching graphics I've ever seen.

Lucille

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Reply to
Lucille

Dear Lucille,

Oh my goodness. Thank you so much. That has made this afternoons hard work well worth it. I'm so glad you liked it.

Regards,

Carol Leather

P.S. Any thing else you would like to see on the site, just let me know. There is a contact me page if you want to contact me personally.

Reply to
carol

A blanket thank you to you all! It doesn't sound nearly as intimidating as I was making it in my own head. Of course, now that I'm not nearly so scaired of the stitching, my poor brain has already headed off towards the putting it together... Nothing like making things worse before the first stitches are put in! I have to go pick up the London canvas Friday, so I'll also be picking their brains for assistance.

I've bookmarked all the links and appreciate everyone taking the time to explain something that sounds relatively simple but I'm making hard. Thank you all so much for helping and encouraging. When I get this project done and it's on it's merry way, I'll post pictures so you can see what you all helped me create. Tegan

Reply to
tegan57

I'm also doing a needlepoint project (18 count using floss, like you might be :)). I noticed you said it had quite a bit of black and mine does too - and it's driving me crazy because it is even worse to see that black XS fabric. A hint someone gave me which seems to help is to have something red (not white) in your lap when working on the black sections - it seems to work for me!

Reply to
lewmew

Chiming in with agreement - it's not "half crosses" . There are some descriptions of np -stitches around. There is a difference between a basic tent and basketweaving - as in how you move up & down the canvas, and the way in which your needle should be pointing as you move to the next stitch. Also, away knot vs waste knot. Starting with a waste knot is a good idea - but be sure to have it out in a vertical or horizontal line from your first stitch. Rule of thumb - 2 needlelengths is good. And in the direction that you will be stitching, thus the yarn will get covered up as you stitch - then you simply snip the knot when you're there. If you have the thread in a diagonal - then it can leave a shadow/ridge kind of thing which can often be seen.

Away knots are done by doing a knot on top - anywhere away in the margin, and then you snip, and weave the tail back under the stitched area. For tent stitching - the other way is really easy, convenient.

Check out the links below for a good diagram of Ten (continental) stitch and Basketweave. Basketweave would be reocmmended for something that will get wear - such as a cushion, footstool, etc. But, if it's a framed picture - just go for it.

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link, to the ANG FAQs, has some great info. It's worth checking out.Just click on the question, and the articles pop up - it's a good resource.http://www.needlepoint.org/FAQ/stitching.phpAlso, if the piece has any size to it - even 8" X 10" - I'd suggest puttingin on a frame. The little stretcher bars that you apply the canvas to withtacks. Canvas tends to distort more as you stitch, and it can be a PITA toblock. Working on a frame really, really helps with that. The littlestretcher bars are quite inespensive - really. Good luck - have fun, Ellice

Reply to
ellice

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