Embroidery designs

A crafty person who does embroidery habitually collects embroidery designs the way a bibliophile amasses books. She is working one pattern, is excitedly preparing the threads and for two or three other embroidery designs she has bought and has slated as gifts, and is champing at the bit to get to the needle crafts store to look at and buy more new design patterns. Yes, it is an addiction of sorts, but it is a lovely craft to be addicted to.

I bet my brief description of the needlepoint fiend rang true for you, didn’t it? I know what I am talking about, as I am that fiend. I am a needlepoint addict. I can’t wait till the too-long workday is done so I can prop self in bed, lay out whatever design I am working, and eat, smoke, watch cable movies, and do my thing. I love the colors (and color choices); I love the prospect of blank canvases; and I love searching for, looking at, planning for, and stockpiling new needlepoint and embroidery designs, patterns, design and pattern books, supplies, and kits.

But rather than ramble and gush, which is all but useless to you, let me give some specific examples and descriptions of embroidery designs I have worked and want to work, maybe giving you ideas in the process:

EMBROIDERY DESIGNS as KITS

There are two kinds of embroidery designs in kits that I work with. First, there are the straight up canvases, work charts, and accompanying threads. My favorites have been all the ones I have sent or given as gifts to be framed: I did Kooler Design Studio orchids for one friend who is into greenhouses and growing orchids; I have done Bucilla embroidery designs/kits in pillow cases with hearts, the “Celestial Picture/Pillow”, and wedding date announcements. And when my mom—who is a huge needle craftsperson herself—learned I was into embroidery and needlepoint, she sent me a ton of Janlynn embroidery designs and kits that she had started and wanted me to finish. (She is like us, huh? Finding the fun is in the novelty of the projects.) I finished “Night Dancers,” modern art tulips; and am working on “Cottage and Gazebo” and “After Church.” I have yet to tackle the gigantic Dimensions “Elegant Cats,” as well.

Then there are the embroidery designs that come with sized canvas pieces, a little chart or legend, and a useful item that the finished embroidery will slide into. For example, I found clear plastic coasters that unsnap so you can needle pieces, slide them each in each of the coasters, and give as gifts. I made four simple monogram coasters with my friends’ wedding flowers on them for their anniversary one year. You can do mugs, bookmarks, towels, bibs, and other partially pre-made items like this.

EMBROIDERY DESIGNS from SCRATCH

If you get really crazy for new patterns, or have run out of in-store options, or whatever, you can do your own embroidery designs. I have done everything from band logos on satin jackets (hey, it was the seventies) to bathrobes with giant butterfly designs. I just recently did a pattern from scratch by using my computer…not in the way you might think…not by printing out one of the many lovely free embroidery designs but by doing this: my friend was about to graduate from paramedics’ school and she also loves hats. Her brother had bought her the only hat he could find at Christmas in the style she wears, but he was sad that there was no cool logo. So I found a picture of the paramedics patch online, expanded my viewing screen (by hitting CTRL and + at the same time), and taped a piece of blank embroidery canvas to the screen and traced the patch. I then did the needlepoint using the colors of the paramedics in her area.

EMBROIDERY DESIGNS as PATTERNS

I won’t bore you (or tease you) with a complete list of the many embroidery designs I have done by buying just the book or pamphlet pattern and going it alone on blank canvas, but I would like to mention a couple of leading artists in the embroidery design field. My first really huge project was for my sister--the goddess Circe, a design for which I found in what I think is the best magazine of embroidery designs out there: Jill Oxton’s Cross Stitch and Beading. I have also used her magazine for a series of wild animal pieces, which I sent to my brother.

I am right now doing a Mirabilia Designs pattern. It came in its own classy envelope, with nothing but the chart and a photograph of the finished image—two Elizabethan lovers on a terrace with flowers, in a design titled “The Kiss.” It is a housewarming/going-away gift for my doctor and his wife, who was my colleague at a local college here in town.

I have just purchased (online at EBay!) a small collection of Janet Powers Originals, “The Winslow Homer Collection,” which I will do for my friends who are going with a palm tree motif n their living room. Then I want to do….well, you get the idea. Of course you do: you are just as mad for stockpiling new embroidery designs as I. If we only had time to DO them all!

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