Needlepoint Part One

A new craft I am really enjoying is one I never thought I could enjoy.  

Needlepoint!

I always thought it was to boring, to old, and that it just looked overly simple.  Surface embroidery somehow seemed more artistic and sophisticated.  Oh little did I know.  This week I'd like to post a "HOW TO" needlepoint a basket, but it is a lot of information.  I've decided to break things up and post  as we work through the week.

First off a little background and key word definitions because if you are like me then you maybe thought all needle work was the same.  But in truth they are all very different and require a vast knowledge and tons of practice with different stitches.  I am new to the craft and will share with you what I have learned and give links to the sites that have been so helpful to me.

Let's start with a few definitions:

• Surface Embroidery (according to wikipedia) - is any form of embroidery in which the pattern is worked using decorative stitches and laid threads on top of the foundation fabric or canvas rather than through the fabric.

Doesn't that sound fun? No? Well pictures always help.  When I think of surface embroidery I think of all those cute appliques on baby clothes, tapestries, and stumpwork.  Elizabeth Braun of  Sew in Love gives a beautiful pictorial on her blog of a bee. 

Sew in Love - Stumpwork Bee

This is a Felt applique owl - embroidered onto canvas,
that I designed and created for a show I had earlier this year.

Let's just say I am a huge fan of surface embroidery.  Next up:

• Needlepoint - my dictionary defines it as embroidery worked over canvas, typically in a diagonal stitch covering the entire surface of the fabric.

When I think of needlepoint I think of a purse of my Grandmother's, or that ancient pillow on my mother's sofa.  I always wondered why she kept it around, but now that I've done some needlepoint I get it.  It takes a really long time to work a tiny space and the materials are pricey.  We will talk kits another day.  Here is a small example of my first needlepoint attempt.  It is a 2" square of plastic canvas that I worked the basket weave stitch.  It gets it's name from what happens on the back of the canvas while the stitch is worked (right).  I think it is a pretty as the front (left ).  My square is fuzzy because I carry it in my purse.  I do this to remind myself that I have a project to attend to.  Life can get in the way of crafting sometimes and this little trick helps me stay on track.

see the diagonal stitches!

Just like a basket

Okay now that we have established that needlepoint is different, let's get into why it is fantastic!  Needlepoint is a great craft for those who have a long attention span for a project.  It takes a long time to work the canvas and also requires some diligence.  When worked properly with good materials it will last forever!!!!  This is why people take the time to do it.  Rugs are often needlepointed and fetch a major price tag.  It is an economical craft if you look at it from the time point of view, meaning :

cost of materials divided by  # days spent working & how long it lasts.

If you can't see it that way and only evaluate the upfront cost needlepoint may be $$$. But since we are crafty here at MBU, I've found ways around that.  Another reason I love it is because of how many things you can needle point :

• pillows
• purses
• jewelry
• rugs
• baskets
• and on and on and on............

Needlepoint can be worked with many different materials on different types of canvas.  Choosing the best of each will ensure your work will endure.  For beginners I suggest plastic canvas.  Here's why:

• Plastic canvas is cheap and you can find it in most craft supply isles
• It comes in different sizes and can accommodate different types of threads
• It is sturdy - if your stitches are too tight you won't warp the canvas (warped canvas = ruined work)

A bit about canvas sizes - 

• smaller number = bigger holes   #7 or 7 holes per inch
• bigger number = smaller holes  #14 or 14 holes per inch
• big holes - worsted weight yarn
• small holes - embroidery thread

My last photo for today is materials for starting a needlepoint project on plastic canvas.  What you see is the yarn I chose for my sister's basket, inspired by her very 50's kitchen color scheme of mint chocolate chip and my addition of what I call a "gerber daisy pink", #7 plastic canvas,  a #14 tapestry needle, and scissors.  Remember how I mentioned that MBU has found ways around the hight cost of needlepoint materials?  This project only cost about $12 for everything you see.  Not bad, not bad at all.

materials needed

DIFY

Good Morning Crafters! It's Friday and either you are excited because you can craft more in the next two days, or you are closing it up and shutting it down for the weekend like me.  Either way you schedule your time, crafting finds it's way into your week somehow and the weeks it doesn't you probably wish it had.  Sometimes we get stuck in a rut.  It happens to us all.  Here are some suggestions to clear the cobwebs and get the creative, craft, gears turning.


One of my favorite things is to do an image search.  When I say that people say "oh you like ________" and I won't mention the rest,(a site I don't care for) no I like to start from my favorite search engine and type in a word, and choose images instead of text.  You will love what turns up.  See I here,  I typed "birds" - then selected "images" and got page after page of beautiful bird.

This particular bird inspires a great color pallet for me.  After that I could just hold on to this image as a reminder or I could take it over to a "color pallet generator" web site (search for one and you'll get tons).  You just give it a photo and poof - color names!


If colors come easily for you and your problem is what to bedazzle next then take inventory of what you need at home.  Making a useful craft is what my goal is most of the time.  Sure - pretty things are fun, but something tells me that if you've been crafting for any amount of time then you made just about anything you can out of your favorite medium and it is beautiful. But don't let that stop you.  I wasn't really into crafting for a long time (crazy I know).  I had tried for years to find some success in making jewelry.  I was not successful.   This lead me into a huge rut, but one day I came home to no carpet and beautiful hardwood floors.  I suddenly needed a rug and we had just spent our money on the floors, rugs would have to wait.  One day with my cold, bear, feet I decided to research how a rug is made.  I wondered if there was anyway I could make one myself.  I searched rug making and holy cow, there are so many ways to make a rug, you just have to pick which one you like best.  Necessity being the mother of invention, I ended up being so inspired by textiles that I no longer make jewelry and now I am fiber artist.  I'm not saying you will abandon what you love now, I still love making jewelry; but so do a lot of people and a lot better than me.  So I decided to leave it to who do it best.  Just don't be afraid to branch out and see where it takes you?  


Enjoy your crafts, but don't be afraid to get inspired.  Try something new.  And by all means don't forget that doing it yourself (DIY) is just as important as doing it for yourself (DIFY). Craft On!

Locker Hooking - a DIY anything project

The Craft studio has been busy.  I am the kind of person who can put a project down and come back to it later.  In the mean time I usually start another project.  I realize that creatively sometimes I just have to stop and find the inspiration to come back to a project refreshed and revived.  Otherwise my work is sloppy and no good.  


I am currently working on two Locker Hooking projects.  Each of them will take a considerable amount of time and energy so I am letting them.  Like a good cup of coffee, you have to wait for it to cool a little, you can't just chug it down.  It is this rationalization that has allowed me to take my time with my crafting projects guilt free.


Back to Locker Hooking.  No - locker hooking isn't some "skeezy" practice in seedy locker rooms, it is a sad and unfortunate name to a craft I really enjoy.  It comes from  hooking  loops of material up through rug canvas and then locking them in place with string. 
Locker hooking is such a versatile, and durable craft that it has become a main inspiration in the MBU - DIY Craft Studio.  Not only are the materials cheap, but you can recycle an old bed sheet into your new placemat, or pillow, or bracelet, or rug.  I just love that.  You are folding laundry one day and decide that you just hate a certain shirt &  you are short a bath mat, then viola! New bath mat.  


My most recent completion was a hot pad for the kitchen.  My MIL gave me a "jelly roll" of the cutest fabrics.  I knew that I wanted to make something useful with the fabric, but it had to be small.  I decided I would use a #6 canvas (because I had some), and cranked this little baby out in my spare seconds over a few days time.  I have 3 kids and can only craft in very small bursts, so spare seconds it is.  If you had peace and quiet then you could make on in just a few hours.

The project that is currently waiting for further inspiration is a wall hanging I call "jewels in the snow".  Here is a close up picture of it in progress:

See the rug canvas up at the top, between the white?  I also used #6 canvas for this project and different bulky yarns. 

This leads me to the project that has highjacked my time from the wall hanging.  The project being 4 super ugly chairs sitting around my table.  They are hand-me-downs that I gladly accepted because my oldest got stuck in the broken down "rushing" in our even older chairs.  Which I plan to fix later - but that is another blog post :)  Anyway, the chairs are oak and could be nice but are in various states of "ugh", because the finish is peeling.  So I am currently sanding them one by one and will refinish them, but this time they will be completed with beautiful locker hooked seat pads.  Check back for a tutorial of the chair project.

You'll need 5 things to Locker Hook a beautiful project:

1. Rug Canvas
2. Locker Hook
3. Locking Medium (string)
4. Yarn, Roving, or Cotton material torn into strips
5. Tapestry Needle

There are many web sites where you can order these materials, one of my favorites is colorcrazy.com.  There you can find materials, patterns, clearer explanations  of locker hooking, videos, books, you name it - it's there.  The author of the books and site Theresa Pulido also gives a great history of the craft  as well.  Locker hooking is a fun, durable craft, that can add a lot of beauty to just about anything you want to make. Check it out!