Custom Painting

If you're a longtime follower of our blog, you may have seen past entries about some of our custom paint jobs. We are very proud of our custom painters, and love being able to create one of a kind special pieces for customers, as well as being able to have specially designed pieces exclusive for our shop. Our custom painter, Jia, has been very busy creating beautiful needlepoint canvases, for customers, and for our shop. She has done baby samplers (the adorable example being one of them!), book covers, wedding samplers, stockings, whimsical phrase canvases, belts, and much more! One of the pieces she finished recently is this beautiful piece of art. It was custom made for one of our customers whose son is getting married. The piece is dedicated to her son and her new daughter in law and represents symbols that are special to each of them and symbolize their new life together. It is gorgeous, and having been there for the thread pulling, I'm sure that it will look gorgeous once it has been stitched up! Another fun piece that Jia painted is this lovely version of our Philadelphia Christmas stocking. Our other painter, Jim, had painted a gorgeous version a couple years ago that has turned into one of our shop masters. This customer loved it so much that she wanted to create a similar stocking for her granddaughter. I think it came out very well and love all the different colors. There are definitely lots of opportunities to use specialty threads and stitches. Another fun piece that Jia has had the opportunity to paint was the fun cummerbund above. It really came out well, and I'm sure that it will look great once it's been finished! If you're interested in having a piece custom painting for you or a loved one, get in touch with Jia at painting@rittenhouseneedlepoint.com. You can send her a picture of something you'd like made into needlepoint, or you can give her a description. You should also consider if you'd like it to be stitch painted, partially stitch painted, or just painted. Stitch painting is a much more labor intensive process on her part, which ads up to more hours and cost, but it really creates the best effect if you like to have everything exact. All of the stitches will be painted, and you won't have to decide where to start shading or blending. Her fee is only $25 an hour, so depending on how big and detailed your piece is, and if you want it stitch painted or not, you will really be able to control how much you would like to spend. She'll do a sketch after giving you an estimate of how long it will take to paint it, and then your piece will get started!

Needlepoint Ring

Needlepoint Ring. 

from start to finish

Add some fun colors to your wardrobe this spring!

Supply List:

13 Mesh Needlepoint Canvas 

Gingher 8-Inch Shears 

Gingher 3.5" Stork Scissors

Magna-Tac 809 Permanent Adhesive 8oz

Gloriana Halloween Green Pastel

DMC Embroidery Floss in Sunset Orange

Sundance Beads size 11 in Color #253

Ring Blank in Gunmetal 

Orange Thread (to match DMC)

Small Beading Needle

Size 20 Tapestry Needle  

 

Stitch a 1" x 1" square (for 13 Mesh this will be 13 x 13 rows) out of Gloriana. I also taped the edges of my canvas so it wouldn't fray, but it's not necessary. See our podcast on YouTube for stitching help.

 Next, I added a few french knots in the DMC and then covered those knots in seed beads. I attached the beads with the matching thread. 

Cut your needlepoint leaving approximately 5 rows all around. Then cut each corner on the diagonal making sure you do not cut any of the needlepoint.

 Dab a small amount of glue on the back of your needlepoint and fold under all four edges.

 Let dry for a few minutes. 

 Add glue to the ring blank.

Use just enough to coat the bottom.

 The needlepoint should fit snugly into the ring.

Press in edges making sure no white canvas is showing.

Let dry and enjoy your new instant accessory!

Neon Colors

NEON

If you've been following this years fashion trends you already know - Neon Colors are back in style! These colors can brighten any needlepoint canvas and bring some more life into it. We offer a variety of these colors here in our shop! Try replacing a basic orange and green with something like tangerine or chartreuse.

Pantone's Color of the Year - Tangerine Tango

 Here are just a few of the items we have in the shop that follow this color trend. 

From Left to Right: Birds Nest Needle Rest in Green, River Silks in Greenery, Silken Ribbons in Pond Scum, DMC in Moss Green, Soie D'Alger in 2142, Splendor in Lite Neon Green, Sparkle Rays in Apple Green, Sparkle Rays in Citron, Gloriana in Halloween Green Pastel, Waverly Wool in Yellow, Kreinik in Lemon, Zecca Tape Measure, Silken Ribbons in Phoenix Rising, Soie D'Alger in 646, Sparkle Rays in Tangerine, Splendor in Brown Orange Red, Silk and Ivory in Big Orange, DMC in Pansy Orange, DMC in Sunset Orange, Sparkle Rays in Mango, Appleton Crewel in 446, Planet Earth in Sparks, Splendor in Brite Coral, Kreinik Silk Mori in 1112, Burmilana in Dp Carnation, Soie D'Alger in 1034, Silk and Ivory in Red Hot, Boucle' in Red 154, and Whisper in Shocking Pink.

 The Asparagus Brick Cover and The Sushi Platter canvases that we have in the shop would really benefit from using neon colors. These would both add a nice touch to any room.

  These two canvases are from the Leigh Designs trunk show we have in right now. They are wonderfully painted designs. The dark backgrounds really make the colors pop. Call the shop if you would like to place an order!

  Coming Soon! How to create needlepoint ring from start to finish. 

See also - Gone Finishing
  

Valentine's Day

If you're a long time follower of our blog, you may remember a post I did last year about great Valentine's Day projects for your sweetie (or for yourself! :)). Since then we've received some new great projects that are perfect for Valentine's Day. They don't require much finishing, and in some cases, you can finish them yourself!


Similar to the couple of the projects we had last year, this year we once again asked our custom painter to create a couple heart shaped canvases that can fit into heart shaped paperweights we have. The finishing is so simple that if you're so inclined, you can do it yourself! You basically just slide the finished piece in and voila, you're done! One of our new designs is a sweet and simple phrase canvas similar to the heart candies you get for Valentine's Day. You can see it above with the paperweight on top to give you an idea of what it will look like finished. Below is the other piece Jia created. I love it. The swirly branches with heart shaped petals surrounding the phrase "Be Mine" really complete this piece.



We had the Kathy Schenkel trunk show in November and December. There was a whole series of bauble ornaments among the many fabulous canvases from that show. She has entire lines for all of the holidays, including Valentine's day. We have ones with hearts with arrows through them, a "bee mine", and One that says "I Heart (with a heart symbol) U" You Can see each of them below.



"Conversation Hearts"

"Be Mine"

"Valentine Hearts"

Each of them comes with a bead pack and instructions on how to finish them. They're really sweet gifts and look great finished!

All of these projects are great because they are quick, and you can potentially finish them yourself. Of course we also offer finishing services, so if you want us to finish one for you, we can do that as well.

Valentine's is a fun holiday, and it's nice to know that there are small projects that are pretty quick and easy and would be great gifts. Let us know if you like any of these or have any questions!

Upcoming Classes

Stitch of the Week
It's the return of Stitch of the Week! We're now going to be having a Stitch of the Week class again every Saturday morning at 12. Wendy will be teaching a fun new stitch every week. The class fee is $5. We will supply you with a piece of canvas, thread, a needle, and chart. These classes are a lot of fun and a great way to add new stitches to your repertoire. Our next class will be on January 21st. We hope you can come and take part!

Biscornu Pincushion

Our next Embroidery class will be a fun one! We'll be making a Biscornu Pincushion!

A biscornu is an eight-sided pincushion that has become very popular recently. In fact we have one in our Bargello trunk show and the accompanying book by Janet Perry called Bargello Revisited, which we have in stock. "The word biscornu (sometimes written biscournu) is derived from a French adjective, meaning skewed, quirky or irregular." ("Biscournu Basics", 1999, 2009) They are made from two squares sewn together on point. Many are finished with a button in the center. Adorable!

This class is going to be a lot of fun. You'll learn a few stitches, and once you've completed it, our finishers can finish it for you into a pincushion. This class takes place on Saturday, January 28th, from 3:30 – 5:00. The class fee is $20 and includes fabric, thread, needle, instruction, and a beverage. Give us a call if you'd like to sign up for this great class!

Stitch of the Week: Chain Stitch

The Chain stitch is a surface embroidery technique that transfers well to canvas work. It creates a textured or knitted look which is perfect for clothing, stems and trunks of flowers and trees, reins for horses or reindeer. It's also useful for outlining and for creating a spiral filling.

A note before you start stitching: It is very important when doing the chain stitch that you maintain a loose and even tension so that your results are consistent and visually appealing. Chain stitch is started at the top of the canvas and proceeds straight down.

When you begin stitching, bring the thread to the front of the canvas and hold it down with the left hand, forming a loop before bringing it to the back side of the canvas through the original hole. Do not pull the thread all the way through. There should be a loop on the front side of the canvas. Re-emerge to the front side of the canvas two to three horizontal threads below your original hole. Then bring your needle up and over the working thread, forming another loop on the front side of the canvas before returning to the backside through the same hole. Repeat.

This stitch is very diverse, and has a few great variations that you can try.

One variation is the Long tailed chain. It is an attractive filling stitch that is started at the top left hand corner and is worked diagonally down and to the right. The main element is worked over two horizontal threads. Tie down the stitch over six horizontal threads. The next stitch is dropped down two horizontal threads and one vertical thread to the right.

Another variation is the Detached chain. A half drop space of four vertical canvas threads is left between individual stitches in a row when they are worked horizontally across the canvas and the stitches in the following row fit exactly between those of the previous row (with a drop of one half the length of the stitch).

I hope you enjoy trying this stitch out. If you try it in one of your projects, send us a photo. We would love to see it!

Stitching Every Day

Lucky Jackson is a self taught artist residing in Peterborough, Ontario. Recently she decided that she was going to fulfill one of her longtime goals: to create something every day! For 365 days she is going to create something and post it on her blog. You can click on the title of this blog to go to her blog and see more of the photos of her finished pieces. Also check out her website for more information about herself.

Her pieces have all been visually exciting and fun to look at. I love seeing the photo of the embroidered and appliqued piece and then reading the caption. Most have a funny little story that really adds to the charm of the pieces!


This lovely piece is called "Joan Love" and represents Joan from Mad Men. It is hand embroidered on vintage fabric with applique. I love the way she combines the different threads and stitches with the fabric choice for the background to create a piece that really represents Joan!


Frequently she has theme weeks, where for each day she'll stitch a piece that has to do with a larger topic. The picture above (one of my favorites!) represents one of the days she illustrated different jobs she had in the past. She named this series "Take this job and shove it week." I loved her story behind this piece and instead of paraphrasing, I'll just share her words: "I worked in a bakery and got to be around the smell of baking bread.... Yum right? The only down side was that my apartment at the time was located above another bakery... there was no escape from the smell though delicious it was . Maybe that's when I started having problems tolerating wheat ;). And no my uniform wasn't as cute as this one."


This last piece is also one of my favorites because it has such a warm feeling. I love the hand-quilted top and the feet sticking out. One of my favorite things about all of her pieces is her composition. She really has a knack for combining different shapes and textures to really make the whole piece look cohesive.

This series and each post I see on her blog inspires me to do more of my personal work every day. I look forward to seeing all of her future pieces and hope that they have inspired you to do a little bit of stitching each day! :)