April Newsletter

The May/June issue has been sent to the printer and should be dropped in the mail on April 30th. The cover piece is a canvas by the talented Brenda Stofft with a stitch guide from Karen Chrissinger and What’s the Point? Karen effectively used a modest number of stitches and some luxurious threads and beads to bring the bright red poppies to life. It will be a fun stitch!

On the back cover we feature a Madeleine Elizabeth canvas called Uncle Wayne’s Bees. Madeleine’s mother, Jessica stitched the piece with an assist from Laura Taylor. If you would like to try a technique called trapunto, Laura has written easy to follow directions for stuffing the beehive for added dimension.

Our third and final heart by Dragonlady Canvaswork Designs is featured. This one is called Carnival and it is the more challenging of the hearts. I think I could stitch the piece faster than I could chart it. Interlocking Jessicas are a beautiful stitch but definitely challenged my computer skills to put the guide together.

You all know Donna Brandeis LaGanga, our all-things Judaic stitch guide designer. Donna is a dear friend and it’s been a running joke between us that, she, being the yenta that she is, has been doing a little matchmaking between her black lab, Max, and my standard poodle, Mabel. Donna has managed to involve JP Needlepoint in her fantasy doggie wedding, and she brings to you The Wedding of Max and Mabel. For anyone who has fallen in love with JP Needlepoint’s whimsical dog canvases, this is a wonderful stitch guide.

Ann Strite-Kurz walks us through a small blackwork project called Hats Off to Blackwork. If you have been tempted to try blackwork, this is a fantastic project to cut your teeth on. Many blackwork patterns don’t include numbered stitches or the reasoning for selecting a stitch sequence, Ann explains the how and why of blackwork. You may decide you really like it and will find ways to incorporate it into your next needlepoint project.

I’m sad to say that we are completing our Canvas Cookie series by Cheryl Schaeffer and Annie Lee Designs. It’s been a lot of fun stitching the small ornaments and then putting them together myself with their easy self-finishing instructions.