Newsletter Fall 2008 (Click here to
receive our next issue...all free of course)
(In this issue: Fall and Winter
stitching, historical overview of canvas work in England,
new additions and
holiday ideas.)
Dear fellow stitchers:
Well, it’s finally fall…at least now that we have some cooler weather, it does
seem like fall. And what a great time of the year to begin stitching on our
projects for the colder months. It is the perfect time to begin the Holiday
stitching projects, and we have many new and wonderful items available for your
gift giving or for gifting yourself. When you have some spare time, please
revisit our website at
NeedlepointUS.com and see the new lines we’ve added. What wonderful and
exquisite heirlooms we can create for our families and friends.
As usual, I have some interesting (at least in my opinion)
tidbits and history for you. The following is a short history of canvas work in
England. I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy bringing it to you.
In the sixteenth century, the Elizabethans started to adapt the
designs of the medieval tapestries to canvaswork by working pictures in tent
stitch (Half Cross, Continental, Basketweave) using silks, wools and metal
threads. Turkey work (wool knotted on a canvas ground and cut into a pile
effect) to give a hard-wearing luxury fabric, was one of the first techniques to
be adapted by English needle workers of the sixteenth century. The fabric was
used to drape over long, plain oak tables and cupboards and for upholstering
chairs. Contemporary inventories reveal that even large houses only had one or
two chairs, kept for the master of the house and important guests. The rest of
the household would have sat on wooden benches - hence the large number of
cushions, frequently embroidered on fine canvas, which also appear on the
household lists of the period. Square cushions would have been used on chairs,
long cushions on benches and window seats. This spilled over into the churches,
and today many English churches we have visited are provided with hand-stitched
needlepoint cushions and prayer bench covers.
Tent stitch, with its strong construction covering every thread
of canvas, was introduced at this time to simulate the expensive imported woven
tapestries. Because of the inherent strength of this stitch, many pieces from
this period have survived. The great houses would have had at least one
professional needle worker, probably a man, who would work the large pieces and
prepare and help the ladies of the house with the smaller pieces. Young girls
were trained to embroider both as a practical skill and social accomplishment.
Their standards were so high it is often difficult to decide whether the work is
from the needle of a professional or amateur. I feel sure this is the case with
all of the pieces you stitch.
In this English tradition, the
Beth Russell collection of cushions is superb. Every detail is exquisite and
a joy to stitch. These are true heirloom-quality English designs at their
finest, many adapted from
William Morris designs.
Also from England we have the
Glorafilia designs.
These designs are much beloved in the United States.
In the Glorafilia line there are several items with a wonderful
history in the design: The
Marbled Cushion for example is designed from the beautiful craft of paper
marbling adapted by the Venetians. The glorious colors come from leaf pigments
and “secret ingredients” which are combed and brushed into spirals of color and
then transferred miraculously onto paper where they ebb and flow in
extraordinary combinations of tones. The
Marbled Cushion is stunning and will please everyone who sees it
stitched…truly a work of art!
New Additions to
NeedlepointUS.com:
Maia Counted Cross Stitch: For those who have requested some high quality counted cross
stitch items, we have added the exquisite
Maia collection from England. This line is for those of you that LOVE counted cross stitch at it finest. The designers in this series
include
Karl Bang,
Keith Mallett,
Monica Stewart,
Nel,
Kawase Hasui, and
Erte’
. These are the most exciting kits offered for cross stitch. One of my favorites
is
Winter’s Majesty. Even if you do not cross stitch, these kits are some of
the best gifts for someone who loves this type of needle art.
Collection d'Art: New from Greece: In our effort to continually bring the best of the best to you
we have also added another needlepoint selection from Greece. The
Collection d’Art is new to us but the beauty of these designs is timeless.
You will want to see the
Collection d’Art version of the most famous painting of all, the “Mona
Lisa.” Please enjoy looking at these as they are very beautiful and very
reasonably priced.
Sandra Gilmore collection: This new addition features hand-painted
canvas designs by the renowned painter and designer
Sandra Gilmore. There are many new
Christmas items in this collection, along with other designs with delightful
detail and color.
Judaica: New Judaic items from various designers, all hand-painted.
Trubey Designs: Hand-painted canvases made in the USA.
We are adding more items almost daily, so be sure to check back
often.
Remember too that we are here to help you select your next gift
or should we say heirloom, and to answer any questions.
Enjoy your fall weather and again remember it is never too early
to start stitching for the gift-giving season.
Janice Lindsey
Needlepointus.com
Summer 2008 Newsletter (Click here to
receive our next issue...all free of course)
Dear fellow Stitchers:
Now that summer has arrived it is a good time to enjoy
sitting outside or inside stitching some lovely pieces to enjoy through the
winter. Many needlepoint kits are wonderful for vacation travel and that needed
quiet time to relax and enjoy creating heirlooms. This is also a good time to
think about holiday projects.
For Travel we recommend
Beth Russell kits
and Glorafilia kits
as they come with a tote bag to keep all your stitching items in one easy
location. (I actually know customers that stitch while waiting in traffic,
airports, and at the beach). We now offer the exquisite
Maia Counted Cross Stitch
kits that are beautifully packaged and are also a good take-a-long project.
Tapestries (continued from
last issue)
As promised in our last newsletter, I wanted to acquaint
you with some of the background on the world of tapestries which have influenced
many of the canvases and kits on
NeedlepointUS.com. Our knowledge of the origin and history of medieval
tapestry has been thoroughly updated in the last few years, following a certain
number of discoveries that have focused attention on both economic and stylistic
factors.
The technique was indeed an ancient one, but from the mid
14th to the 15th century production was constantly on the
increase. Initiated by a policy of the Duke of Burgundy, who was anxious to
replace a cloth industry beset by competitors with a new luxury, semi-luxury, or
even common industry. Trade and sales were encouraged by bankers, important
entrepreneurs and even the markets.
Manufacturing centers were so diverse that it is hard to
pinpoint a piece’s origin when not confirmed by documentation. The major
centers were Arras, Lille, Tournai, and above all Brussels, which took the lead
in the 16th century in terms of quantity and quality; but there were
also home industries under subcontract to workshops unable to meet demand.
Weavers were willing to go from one workshop to another,
from one town to another, either through personal choice or in answer to a
specific demand for labor.
Tapestry fell primarily within an industrial context of
mass-production, where rapid turnover was a decisive element in its success.
But there were also commissioned works, arranged by verbal or written agreement
between the purchaser and the manufacturer or merchant. They can be recognized
from their individuality, often worked by coats of arms (Lady
with the Unicorn). As a rule, a tapestry was completed in three stages:
first the model maker drew a preliminary design on a reduced scale that might
then be colored; next the cartoonist executed the full-sized design, down to the
smallest detail; lastly the weaver set to work at the loom. In the course of
these different stages, all possibilities could be envisaged; the model may have
been drawn up by a great artist known by the purchaser (Lady
with the Unicorn); the cartoonist might reuse former models or use the same
deign several times in one hanging. The weaver himself might intervene in the
choice of colors or in the background detail, frequently an allover pattern
(millefleurs "many flowers"). To gain time, a tapestry could be made in different workshops,
which led to quite perceptible variations.
More on tapestries in our next issue...
Needlepoint Basics:
Now, back to our own world and needlepoint basics.
This time let's look at one of the most basic basics of all, the canvas.
Canvas:
Canvas is made in a range of materials, including cotton,
linen, and man-made fibers.
The best quality canvas readily available is made from
polished cotton. Needlepoint embroidery should, with care, last several
lifetimes so it makes sense to buy the best you can afford. We strive to
offer only the best on NeedlepointUS.com.
There are three main types of canvas: single (mono),
interlocked and double thread (Penelope). All are meant to have an even weave
of open-count squares. You can oftentimes detect a slight difference in the
length and width; if you ever need to join two pieces, be careful that the
selvedges lie in the same direction.
Single canvas consists of a weave of single threads,
and is graded according to the number of threads per inch. It is ideal
for the tent stitch (half-cross, continental, basketweave).
Interlocked canvas has the threads twisted so they “lock”
at the intersections.
Penelope canvas has pairs of threads running each way, and
is graded according to the number of threads per inch. Needlepoint stitches are
normally worked over pairs or the double threads.
The choice of canvas is a matter of personal taste, but our
preference is the Penelope as you can vary the size of stitches using the double
threads as well as the single. This is also a very durable canvas
With the exception of rug canvases, interlocked canvas is
often far too thin for hard wear. The interlocking is intended to prevent the
canvas threads shifting with the tension of the stitches, but unless the work is
firmly framed the canvas is pliable and will tend to pull out of shape. Our
advice is to not use interlocked canvas for chair seats or anything large that
will have heavy use. Rug canvas is the exception, it is strong and durable.
Penelope canvas has two advantages over the others. As the
threads run in pairs in each direction a 10 count canvas, which would normally
be worked with the stitches crossing the pairs of threads can be transformed
into a much finer 20 count canvas by separating the pairs and stitching over one
thread only. This is generally done when intricate details are required, for
example, to stitch the features of a face. Sometimes the entire design area may
be worked this way, in (petit point) leaving the background to be worked over
pairs of threads in gros point (regular needlepoint).
The
Royal Paris,
SEG de Paris, and
Margot de Paris designs are on the
Penelope canvas. Some Glorafilia kits
have the Penelope canvas.
We have also added the exquisite
Maia Counted Cross Stitch
kits (made in the UK) to our needlework offerings. These kits have everything
included for you including metallic thread if the design needs specialty
threads. These are top of the line kits you will be very excited to have.
Have a great Summer!
Don’t forget to be thinking about your holiday stitching,
it is never too early to start getting your pieces so you will not run out of
time before gift giving starts.
Janice Lindsey and the NeedlepointUS.com Family
Every item on this site is first-quality; there are no "knock-offs," seconds, damaged, or very old stock. Most of our product comes directly from the designer in England, France or here in the US. We have included only the canvases and kits that we know from experience (or in the case of Glorafilia, by reputation) are top of the line. These canvases are exquisitely detailed, and most represent some form of classic beauty. You can be sure when you receive your needlepoint you have the best quality canvas and yarns that we can make available to you. Life is too short, and stitching time is too limited, to spend on anything but the best.
We have tried diligently to help you get around easily on the site. Should you get lost, just use the menu in the upper left corner of every page. There are hundreds of items on this site, but they have been grouped logically (at least we think so) and the Search button is never more than a click away.
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