Stitch Painted Canvases

There are a few different types of needlepoint canvases. There are charted, printed, painted, and stitch painted. A charted canvas gives you a chart with the colors and stitches mapped out. It is similar to cross-stitch in that you are looking at the chart and stitching from that, rather than having a painted canvas in front of you to stitch on. Printed canvases are printed using a machine that prints the image onto the canvas. The difference between a regularly painted canvas and a stitch painted canvas is that when a canvas is stitch painted, each thread intersection is painted so that the stitcher knows exactly where each stitch is going. They know what color will be used, and where. If a canvas is just painted, a stitcher will have to use judgement as to when they are going to change colors. An example would be if you were stitching a portrait of a person. In a painted canvas, the blending is just done straight on the canvas. As the stitcher, you will have to use your judgement about when you're going to switch from one shade to another, and also if you're going to blend fibers to create a more seamless effect. If you like stitching because you like the relaxing effect it has, and don't really want to pay attention to shading and deciding where to put certain stitches, a stitch painted canvas is for you. They are also very helpful for when you are beginning to learn needlepoint because you are already paying enough attention to how to actually stitch the canvas. It is much better to have it all mapped out for you at this stage than to have to handle too much at once. Of course, everybody is different. You may be ambitious and feel like you wouldn't mind this extra challenge. That is fine, and there are a lot of canvases that are just regularly painted.

Today I'm going to discuss some designers that focus primarily on stitch painting. The Caron Collection is one of our most popular designers. They have a lot of wonderful canvases, especially geometric patterns that are great for upholstery and rugs. If you love color and abstract shapes that draw on Middle Eastern and Mexican design aspects, the Caron Collection is for you! This canvas, called Khamseh #1, is a beautiful pattern that is the perfect size for a pillow on your couch. It is very helpful that these canvases are stitch painted because with a geometric canvas like this, it's very important that all the lines and squares match up. If you are ambitious, you can take a note from one of our customers! She found a canvas she liked, and decided to buy four copies of it and stitch them all. Now she is having them all sewn together into a rug! It should be arriving in the store finished in the next couple weeks, and we're all very excited to see how it turned out!

Needle Crossings is another designer that has a lot of beautiful canvases. One canvas, which would be good for a beginner, is this canvas, called "White Cat." It's an adorable ornament! There are a number of other cats they have painted that are equally cute. Because this cat is stitch painted, you won't have to decide where the stitches will go. The effect of the fur is already painted out for you, which is very helpful!

Cooper Oaks and JP Needlepoint are two more designers that make fun, quirky canvases that are also stitch painted. Cooper Oaks has this fun floral canvas called "Garden Bouquet." I like the bright colors and the whimsical design. Besides being stitch painted, this is a great canvas to try out new threads on. You'd really be able to come up with some fabulous effects, especially in the flowers. JP Needlepoint has this fun brick cover that's depicts a Leopard's eyes and pattern! This canvas is a lot of fun, and the great thing is that there aren't a lot of colors, so you can focus on the pattern without getting overwhelmed with many colors at the same time!

Sandra Gilmore is one of my favorites. All of her designs are really beautiful, and there's so much to be interested in in her canvases. The majority of her canvases are perfect for advanced stitchers because there ARE so many different colors and parts to the canvas. Once you've really gotten to understand the techniques behind needlepoint, you'll really be able to handle and have a lot of fun with her canvases. This canvas, called La Cuisine, shows a charming French kitchen. This canvas really benefits from being stitch painted because all of your decisions are made for you. With so many little details, it would be really time consuming to decide where certain stitches go, rather than just following the pattern that's been painted for you. Another fun interior that she's done is called "Stitching Haven." It shows a stitcher's room. This is another charming canvas, and it really captures the feeling of a cozy room where you could really sit down and stitch. Perfect for a dedicated stitcher!

All of these canvases are really fun and really exemplify how stitch painted canvases are really great to stitch. All of these canvases are in stock, so if you're interested in checking out how stitch painted canvases look vs non-stitch painted canvases, come on in and check them out!