Monday, July 28, 2014

Tiger Tiger's Needle Felting in Public: Other Resources UPDATED

Folks who are interested in needle felting need only look at the late Wendy Harwood's work for inspiration.  Look at her interpretation of the John Johannsen animals in a boat piece.  The chipmunk and squirrel are needle felted.
http://www.livingwithneedlepoint.com/2013/05/12/melissa-shirley-designs-john-johanssen-canvases-for-needlepoint-part-2/

Here is a closeup of the squirrel.  I believe Wendy's stitch guide is still available from her shop (second link below).
http://stitcherie.ning.com/photo/img6683needle-felting?context=user

http://www.aristeianeedlepoint.com

I am told Amy Bunger discusses needle felting in her How'd You Do That DVD series. Look for the "Closet Full of Stitches: video.  If you are a visual learner you might find it helpful.
http://www.amybunger.com/catalog/item/6256888/6064867.htm

The new master of needle felting is Sandy Arthur. Her Wizard of Paws (designer Brenda Stofft) is terrific!
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/search?q=sandy+arthur

You can pick up the stitch guide from Sandy's Duo Designs website.
http://duodesignsinc.com/wpsite/stitch-guides-only

Sandy has needle felted a dog, too. But not just any dog--a 1960s advertising executive who is a little overly fond of martinis.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/04/our-very-own-mad-man.html

The canvas and guide are available from Bedecked and Beadazzled as a package deal.
http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/Boston-Terrier-Cocktail/

Both Sandy Arthur and Amy Bunger say to use only a little wool roving at a time.  Remember this when you start your first (or next) needle felting project!

Barbara Elmore has also experimented with wool roving on her mixed media projects she teaches.  Here is "Coyote in the Afternoon" in the EGA Seminar class description.
http://www.egausa.org/index.php/classes/4-day-classes-monday/452-405-coyoteafternoon

UPDATE:  Ruth Schmuff just published her needle felted squirrel (this is her current mystery class) with her four quick and easy rules for needle felting.  You can sign up for the class now or do it later. Ruth's mystery classes are available after the class ends and the mystery is "solved."
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/07/fuzzy-fluffy-and-everything-in-between.html

http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/08/all-those-beautiful-colors.html

http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/09/fall-furries.html


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 18, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Magnet Docks and Slice Tweezers

Nimble Needle has the coolest tools!  Karen is taking a Margaret Kinsey silk and metal embroidery class with her local EGA chapter.  She talks about the class on her blog.  The fact that many of the threads are no longer available makes me sad.
http://thenimbleneedle.blogspot.com/2014/07/metal-work-gold-work-embroidery-with.html

On a happier note, I did not know that the Evertite dock magnets (made to clip over your Evertites) came in two widths.  The larger magnet is for Evertites that are 19-33 inches long while the smaller dock magnet is for anything 18 inches or less.  I didn't realize that Evertites had different widths, depending on their length, but that makes sense.  A longer Evertite has to be wider to support the weight.

Evertite dock magnets seem like very useful items, particularly if you want to use a magnet but don't like them clamped on your needlepoint canvas.  Nimble Needle has them in stock but not on their website, so here are photos from elsewhere.
http://store.apneedlearts.com/madoforevwpo1.html

I had never heard of Slice tweezers, either!  Slice Soft Touch Tweezers are available quite a few places.  I don't know if Nimble Needle stocks them or not.  Shop around as the prices vary from $19.99 to $25.  They come in red or stainless steel handles.  (The red finish is non-slip, in case that's important to you.)
http://www.sliceproducts.com/product/slanted-soft-touch-tweezers

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 15, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

What Is Art? by Charles Collingwood

I thought this article by a quilter discussing what is art and what is craft might be interesting to those of us who want respect for their needlepoint as an art form, not just a fun hobby. 
http://annjrippin.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/sorry-about-the-gap/

Problem solving....

That I can live with.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 2, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.