Needlepoint . . .

[kkwalrus]

Anyone here really up on their needlepoint? I have some very specific questions I'd really appreciate getting the chance to ask.

Thank you.

walrus

[Granny]

I did needlepoint but it is now nearing 35 years since I did it. I enjoyed it but when I got busy with kids and work I turned to knitting, then crocheting and eventually quilting. Always in spurts when I went back to needle art it was cross stitch largely because there were unfinished projects that waited years to be picked up again.

[Serinde]

I love needlepoint, although I haven't indulged in a while. (I'm cross stitching and hardangering and stuff until my eyes can't, then I'll revert to needlepoint.) Ask away!

[kkwalrus]

Thank you Granny & Serinde! I will get back to you with my questions.

[kkwalrus]

One of my questions . . .

When working from a chart is it common practice to put a grid on the needlepoint canvas? If so can it be done in permanent marker/heat set etc. or should it be stitched. I'm guessing it comes down to personal preference but I am wondering if it is generally found helpful?

Also, can cross stitch charts be used for needlepoint and vice versa?

walrus

[Granny]

Since discovering griding I would definitely grid with something other than thread. Seeing that needlepoint doesn't get washed I would be tempted to use pencil or very fine pen that would help in the stitching but not be too bold so as to show through if there was any type of void in your thread/yarn. Interchange the charts all you want. In fact I have seen the same scene done in cross stitch and needlepoint and both were lovely. I would like to caution you, in case you are not aware, to definitely use a frame for the needlepoint while stitching. I did my first needlepoint before I knew anything about frames. I went straight from stamped counted cross stitch to needlepoint. The framer had his work cut out stretching it back into shape. The canvas stretches out of shape far easier than any fabric. Here's a photo of my fist needlepoint. It still hangs in my house. I finished it in the last hours before my first son was born and he will be 40 this year.

[kkwalrus]

Granny: Wouldn't have thought of pencil but that is a good idea. Glad to know I am not a total whimp for wanting to use a grid. I like a logical, organized approach to things. As for your needlepoint it is beautiful and the colours still looks so vibrant as so many year. Thank you for your input & sharing!

[Serinde]

I never used a gridding method, but that was probably because I was younger and knew an awful lot less about needlework in general. I guess I would use thread or (as was suggested elsewhere on the forum) fishing line to grid. Pencil would do, but if the design involves a lot of light colours you always run the risk of them picking up pencil marks, and looking a bit dirty. Perhaps Granny knows whether this is problem or not.

There's no reason why you can't reproduce a cross-stitch chart in needlepoint at all, assuming you can find the right colours in yarn (or stranded threads or pearl cottons if using congress cloth). And the canvas available now is wonderful, and some of the smaller count sizes (I'm thinking here of a mono canvas like 24ct congress cloth) or coloured art canvas, nevermind the usual penelope (now available in 14ct) means that anything you want to do from a cross-stitch chart could be almost the same as the original (with half the stitching).

Patterns are MUCH better too!

[kkwalrus]

Serinde: Great to know, yes there is so much . . . too much . . . lol

[Granny]

I had never given a thought to the lead of the pencil wearing off on the yarn while stitching. I have had bad experience with thread being pierced while stitching so therefore I don't use it for griding and one of my birds has a bit of red that won't go away as short of pulling the pattern out I can't remove it. Therefore I would use a fine point pen like a pigma pen. I would do a trial but as it is used for marking embroidery lines before embroidering as long as the lines are covered I can see it working. This is where I would go where perhaps no one has gone before. My personal drummer is busy drumming.

I have never given the needlepoint any special treatment as to where it hangs but it has always been on the wall. Yes, I believe the colors are as vibrant now as when I finished it. I had to replace the glass at one point when the glass met with a tennis ball, I believe, at the hands of the son who arrived within hours of my finishing it. It was a Jean Macintosh kit and is still available. I have been eyeing needlepoint again as well because it is half the stitching..

[pamelam]

That is a beautiful picture! The only needlepoint I ever tackled was just a small piece- an eyeglass holder.

[stitchingmae]

i have some needlepoints that have stamped fabric...i don't know that i'll be doing them is anyone interested?

[mysterystitcher]

Stamped? Does it mean the same as pre-printed? I ask just out of curiosity.

[Serinde]

Yes. Usually the design will be, I suppose, silk-screened onto the canvas. The higher priced designs will have been painted. If you do go down this road, have a really good look at the quality of the job. Nothing more frustrating than to find that all the stems of the flowers, for example, fall between the threads of the canvas...

[mysterystitcher]

I think I get your point. Thanks for telling me that. And yes, I've noticed that some canvases are harder to stitch than others. Or then it is just me. I don't know for sure. But the stamped, or pre-printed, canvases are near my heart. That is how it has been, and I think that is the way it will be as long as I live.

[freelady]

My two kits were preprinted and it was a devil of a job in some cases being sure which colour was which and where the printing overlapped the holes and I had to just judge what to do. I might do some more one day but don't really like the bulky frame. That's why I started cross stitch, I prefer to hold the hoop.

[mysterystitcher]

It is sad, that some designers...make the stitching part difficult. It's frustrating, I can tell you that much. My latest project, a puppy picture...It had at least 3 colors, and I had to think hard, where to get right shades. But in the end I found them. The canvas got finished some time ago, and I'm relieved.

[Leslie]

I started on needlepoint, and I didn't know anything about frames etc, and when it finished it was more a diamond shape than a square, the framer did a magnificent job pulling it back into shape!

Having done nearly 20 tapestry canvases of the printed kind, I like the challenge of which colour to put where. It makes every completed project individual as no two canvases will be completed in the same way.

I alternate between canvases and cross-stitch as it keeps both fresh and a change is as good as a rest. Needlepoint is a lot easier on the eyes.

[Mystonique]

I'm beginning to wonder if you have different definition for needlepoint ... to me needlepoint is embroidery essentially.

But what you seem to be calling needlepoint is tapestry - done on a canvas (either mono or penelope).

I've done all. But my passion is tapestry - but I do creative tapestry which is very much like embroidery just on a canvas. In my view the pictures you can create are much more 3 dimensional than cross stitch (don't hate me!) I'm not so crash hot with the embroidery on cloth though.

In any event I'm pretty offe with my tapestry so ask and I'll try to answer.

[JODY DESIGNS]

Hi.........
I am very new to this forum and how it works although I happened to read your post, How may I help? I am a needlepoint artist & designer.......I'll try to answer your questions.....
Warmly,
Jody

http://www.jodydesigns.com" target="_blank" target="_blank
e-mail: Jody@jodydesigns.com" target="_blank" target="_blank
BLOG: http://jodydesigns.typepad.com/jodyinthestudio/" target="_blank" target="_blank