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The Needlework Nutshell—January 1, 2007 Volume 3, Issue 1 January 1, 2007 <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*> THE NEEDLEWORK NUTSHELL Needlework news, musings, tips, contests, and what’s happening now at FUNK & WEBER DESIGNS <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*> Editor: Jen Funk Weber Mail to: mailto:mail@funkandweber.com Web site: http://www.funkandweber.com Your privacy is important to us. Our subscriber list is NOT made available to others. *********************************************************** IN THIS ISSUE *********************************************************** 1. Needlework Musings 2. Tips and Tricks and Brilliant Ideas 3. What’s New at Funk & Weber Designs 4. Make It Yours! 5. Needle & Th*READ* Update 6. Readers Ask 7. Puzzle Contest 8. Contact/Subscribe/Unsubscribe *********************************************************** 1. NEEDLEWORK MUSINGS *********************************************************** I'm not a fan of traditional New Year's celebrations. It's no wonder: I don't like crowds (even of my friends), I don't like alcohol (or even fizzy beverages), and I don't like staying up late (even past 9 pm). But I do like a Fresh Start, so the New Year isn't a complete wash (even for me!). Here's the way I celebrate: I clean. No, I'm not a fan of cleaning, but I do like a clean space. Removing external clutter and dust seems to remove internal clutter and dust. I find it easier to think and be creative in an orderly space. So I clean, especially my desk and my craft areas. After a warm shower, I sit down with a warm cup of tea and think. I think about stories I will write, markets I will query, projects I will design, activities I will try, places I will go. In other words, I dream. I write it all down; I love lists. Anything goes. After all, what's the point of dreaming small? Then I plan. When will I tackle which projects? I assign deadlines. What do I need to start the first projects? I make supply lists. What steps must be taken to complete the project? In the end, it's all about baby steps. The biggest projects, the dreamiest dreams, all come down to baby steps. Then I tuck into bed super-early (like 7 pm) with a good book (I always read before turning out the light), and drift off to sleep early, excited to get started on the new projects in the new year. On January 1, I wake up to a tidy house, well-rested, organized, and jazzed about what lies ahead. Best of all, while traditional revelers are a-snooze in their beds, I'm getting a head start on the year. It's great to be out ahead of the pack, and I hope to stay there for the next 365 days! Okay, the last part may be a bit of a stretch, but again, what's the point of dreaming small? Now I'm going to let you in on a secret. This really is how I like to celebrate the New Year, but it's not reserved only for the New Year. Truth is, I do this several times a year. I do it March when the sun becomes earnest in Alaska; I do it in June after the TNNA needlearts trade show; I do it in October when I get to settle down into winter. I can make a Fresh Start anytime, and each time it's exhilarating, optimistic, and hopeful. It's like beginning a new needlework, which I happen to be doing right now, too. I get out the fabric, iron it, stitch it to my frame, assemble my fibers, prepare my pattern. I cherish this moment: The moment when everything is ready and anything is possible. May 2007 be filled with many such moments. *********************************************************** 2. TIPS AND TRICKS AND BRILLIANT IDEAS *********************************************************** How do you feel about fractional stitches? This is something we see in cross stitch, rather than needlepoint, since needlepoint is generally stitched over a single intersection of canvas threads. That's like trying to stitch a fractional stitch when you're stitching over 1 on linen. It can't be done. I love fractional stitches when stitching over 2 on linen or evenweave. They can create smoother curves and more detail. When stitching over 2 threads, there is a natural open-hole center for the quarter-stitches to go through. I like fractional stitches slightly less when stitching on aida because I have to poke my blunt-tipped needle through the center block. That's not easy! Worst of all, it can be hard to hit the precise center, which drives this perfectionist batty. But they still create smoother curves and more detail, which in the end, outweighs the nuisance of poking through centers and imperfect centers. What if you are stitching over 1, or stitching on canvas? You have to pick one of the colors to stitch. Which one do you pick? Similarly, fractional stitches are often along borders which are outlined. The outlines on the chart invariably obscure the itty-bitty symbols that tell you which color is the quarter stitch and which is the three-quarter stitch. How do you decide which one gets the emphasis? In both cases, the best answer is usually to pick the color of the foreground object. For instance, say you're stitching a tree that is against a blue-sky background. The tree would get the three-quarter stitch, or the whole stitch, if stitching on canvas. The tree is the foreground object; the sky is the background. Say you're stitching a paddle being pulled through the water alongside a canoe. From your perspective (the viewer perspective), the paddle is in front of the canoe and there's water in front of the paddle, behind the paddle, and around the canoe. In a fractional-stitch competition between the paddle and the canoe, the paddle wins. The paddle is in front of the canoe; it is the foreground object. This is the stitch that gets the emphasis (three-quarter stitch) or the color that gets stitched on canvas. In a competition between the water and the paddle, the water is the winner if you're showing the water *in front of* the paddle, but the paddle wins if you're showing the water *behind* the paddle, between the paddle and the canoe. It's a matter of looking at the 2-dimensional picture and thinking of it in terms of 3 dimensions. The object nearer the viewer (you!) gets the stitch. Sometimes, the fractional stitches are in the same plane. In this case, consistency is the thing that matters. Say you're stitching a waterfall depicted by squiggly vertical lines of different silver/grey/blue colors. I might decide that the left-hand color always wins, getting the three-quarters or whole stitch. This consistency defines the vertical lines which I think conveys the image of falling water. In real life, however, waterfalls aren't that tidy. You could certainly argue that the water splashes all around and isn't orderly, thus making the case for random selection of dominant stitches. By all means, try it! There are bound to be close calls and exceptions to the rule. The final word on the matter is, as always: *Do you like it?* *********************************************************** 3. WHAT’S NEW AT FUNK & WEBER *********************************************************** Registration is open for our two bracelet classes. BRACELET BASICS & BEYOND is scheduled for Jan. 22-27, 2007, and the follow-up class, DECORATE YOUR LIFE, is scheduled for Feb. 19-24, 2007. These will be the only bracelet classes offered before next fall, so if you've thought about taking them, now's the time. ~~~~~~~~~~ We're blogging! I have a Team Blog with my online critique group. There are 6 of us, from CT to AK, who have been reading and critiquing each other's work for about 3 years. Pairs of us have met in person a few times, but never have we met face-to-face, all together. We hope to meet in Ohio in April 2007. Our focus, of course, is children's writing. http://6writers1story.blogspot.com/ I have *another* blog on my own. Think I can't possibly have that much to say? Remember, I live in rural Alaska and hate to travel in winter. I go for days and weeks without seeing anyone but Mike. I can pretty much talk anyone's ear off! The question is whether or not I have anything worthwhile to say, but I'm not touching that one. http://JenFunkWeber.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~ Mike has been working on the next jigsaw-puzzle pattern (think Puzzle Pisces) for years, and I'm putting pressure on him to finish it. It will probably utilize the natural shading effects of overdyed and variegated threads, and I've been stitching a small sample to figure out exactly how I want to use the thread (no stripes allowed!) and to show Mike some of the options. Actually, the project is *perfect* for overdyed threads. I can't wait to get stitching the Real Thing! Ways to Use Overdyed Threads is a good subject for Tips and Tricks, so look for it in the future. And if you have a favorite way to use them, drop me a line. ~~~~~~~~~~ The National Needlearts Association (TNNA) sponsors two major wholesale trade shows each year, in January and June. The shows are held in convention centers where manufacturers, publishers, distributors, designers, and teachers set up display booths with their products for knitting, crocheting, embroidering, sewing, and just about anything related to needlearts. (For two years in a row, we've had our booth next to a company called 20/20 that sells eyeglasses!) To help buyers make better use of their limited time on the show floor, a group of TNNA designers and teachers are offering a preview of their new products through a group blog. While the TNNA shows are open to wholesale members only, the Preview Promenade is available to Everyone. It's a sneak peek into not only what will be on display at the show, but the people behind the products. Funk & Weber Designs will not be at the January show (we will be at the June show), so I'm just browsing. That's a treat for me because when I attend a show, I'm pretty much tethered to my own booth. So far, there's not much of a counted thread presence at the Preview Promenade, but I'm a fan of All Things String, and I've added a number of knitting projects to my To Do list. The tapestry crochet bowls make me want to learn to crochet! Check out the Preview Promenade: http://yarnandthread.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~ Due to exceptional busy-ness next summer, we have decided that the next Alaska Stitch-N-Safari will be scheduled for the summer of 2008. Information about these special stitching tours is available on our web site http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/tour.html *********************************************************** 4. MAKE IT YOURS! *********************************************************** I can't tell you how long I've wanted to see something like this! Cheers to Pamela in Dayton, OH, for adapting the pattern, and sharing it with us! http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/make_it_yours_pamela.html ~~~~~~~~~~ Have you adapted a pattern to Make It Yours? Tell us about it! mail@funkandweber.com *********************************************************** 5. NEEDLE AND TH*READ* UPDATE *********************************************************** To get in the Needle & Th*READ* spirit, Mike began reading LITTLE DORRIT, by Charles Dickens, aloud while I stitch. We did this daily while caretaking, but now that we've joined the "real world" we do it much less often. We're trying to make it a priority again. ~~~~~~~~~~ I started working on bookmarks for the Needle & Th*READ* program, and you know what I realized? When we use the ready-made bookmarks, the stitching is eaten up by the book. No one sees it! Unless, of course, we don't use the bookmark as a bookmark. But what's the point of that? So, naturally, I'm going to make a whole different kind of bookmark: one where you can use it to mark your place in book *and* enjoy the stitching. Oh, I might do some patterns for the other kind, too. Maybe. ~~~~~~~~~~ I've been looking into literacy projects, and have my eye on a foundation that provides books for kids from 0-5. I'm waiting until after the holiday to contact them and see how we might be able to support their program. If there is a literacy program that you especially like, please let us know about it. *********************************************************** 6. READERS ASK *********************************************************** Please e-mail me with questions for this section. mail@funkandweber.com Several folks have asked if I would chart our patterns for needlepoint. Umm. No. Dear stitchers, you can cross stitch or needlepoint our patterns *as they are.* Really! Needlepointers are accustomed to seeing symbols on the grid lines, while cross stitchers are accustomed to seeing them in the empty squares between the grid lines. In both cases, a symbol represents a stitch, whether over a single canvas intersection, an aida square, or 2 linen threads. A stitch is a stitch is a stitch. The patterns which use all whole stitches (like What in the World?, The Trail Home, The Neighborhood, the Let There Be Night Stitchling series, to name a few) need no alterations. The patterns with fractional stitches require you make a decision which color to use. See the Tips & Tricks section for advice on doing this. Printing pattern leaflets commercially is expensive, especially for small independent designers who are printing a few hundred charts, rather than several thousand. This is one reason charts from large design companies are often less expensive than charts from independent designers. To print the same pattern twice, once with symbols in spaces and once with symbols on lines seems...well, it seems silly to me. I was also recently asked if I would consider making hand-painted canvases of our patterns. Ahhh, now this is another matter entirely, and one I will think about, though I'm not much of a painter. There are people who cannot read charts, or for whom charts are difficult. I'm more inclined to add painted canvases to our charts than I am to add more charts to our charts. My New Year's wish is for embroidery-world peace, where we can stitch together, learn from each other, and use the same patterns and materials. It's all embroidery. Symbols are stitches. And, honestly, the symbols are easier to read when they don't have lines running through them. Peace and goodwill toward all stitchers! *********************************************************** 7. PUZZLE CONTEST *********************************************************** Play with me! Solve this puzzle, and be entered to win a free Funk & Weber Designs pattern! Winners will be randomly selected from all correct entries. E-mail your answer, with “PUZZLE CONTEST” in the subject line. The deadline for this month’s puzzle is midnight (Alaska time, of course) January 7, 2007. The winner will be selected on January 8, 2007 (or shortly thereafter, notified by e-mail, and announced on our web site and in the next NEEDLEWORK NUTSHELL. To avoid sending e-mail attachments, contest puzzles will be uploaded to our web site. I will provide a link to the puzzle in THE NEEDLEWORK NUTSHELL. To the puzzle! http://www.funkandweber.com/fw/nutshell/true.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~ DECEMBER PUZZLE CONTEST WINNER: Kim, from Rockford, MI. The answer: They are all COOKIES. *********************************************************** 8. CONTACT FUNK & WEBER DESIGNS *********************************************************** SUBSCRIBE: 57410-subscribe@zinester.com UNSUBSCRIBE: 57410-unsubscribe@zinester.com ARCHIVES: http://archives.zinester.com/57410 Jen Funk Weber mail@funkandweber.com http://www.funkandweber.com Copyright 2007, Funk & Weber Designs |
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