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The Needlework Nutshell—May 1, 2007 Volume 3, Issue 5 May 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. Readers Ask 5. Puzzle Contest 6. Contact/Subscribe/Unsubscribe *********************************************************** 1. NEEDLEWORK MUSINGS *********************************************************** I’m traveling right now. Well, not this very second. This very second I’m sitting in a chair in my mother’s computer room, typing this, but yesterday I drove 160 miles to get here, and in two days I’ve got 250 or so miles to the next stop on my itinerary. In the original plan for this trip (made more than a year ago), Mike was to be with me, driving, navigating, and taking care of all the logistics and life details--like food, water, laundry. But a year’s a long time and plans change. Here I am, thirsty, wondering why I don’t have any clean socks. Those are small potatoes compared to actually getting where I need to go. Mike says, “I know you got around before you met me; I just don’t know how.” Hey—I got to Alaska on my own 17 years ago! But he’s right: I navigate like flotsam in a storm. If MapQuest says it will take 4 hours, I figure 6. I drive by the locations of events as soon as I get into town, to make sure I know where they are and where to park. Things look smooth on the outside, but the inside is full of loops and zigzags. I tend to be content as long as I’m heading in the right direction. Last weekend I had to get from the Poconos to Renovo in central PA. I missed a turn early on, but was heading west, so I didn’t bother to turn around. I knew I’d run into I-80 eventually; that one’s hard to miss. It was a beautiful sunny day, the winding mountain roads were just my speed, I had plenty of time, and I was fairly certain I’d get where I needed to go. I welcomed the adventure. Needlework can be similar. Have you ever missed a stitch or row on a pattern, but made the decision to just keep going? Sometimes we have no choice but to go back and do it “right,” but other times, it’s okay to embrace the adventure and see where it leads. Fun surprises may await, maybe brilliant discoveries. Sometimes, though, simply finding my own way is reward enough. *********************************************************** 2. TIPS AND TRICKS AND BRILLIANT IDEAS *********************************************************** Do you use a frame when you stitch? I do whenever possible (some stitches can’t be worked on a frame). They are by no means required, but I find that keeping the ground fabric taut makes it easier to maintain an even tension in my stitches. There are many frame styles available, and different styles can serve different purposes. HOOPS: Fabric is stretched over one ring that fits snugly inside another ring. These might be wood, plastic, or metal. Fabric has a tendency to slip in these frames, particularly if it is thin or thick. Plastic slips more than wood. Slipping can be reduced by wrapping the hoops with strips of cotton fabric. Using a slippery satin ribbon may help prevent marking the fabric, but does not help prevent slipping. Choose a hoop that is larger than the stitching area so that stitches are not pressed between the hoops. The hoops can crease the fabric, crush stitches, and leave dirty rings. Change the fabric wrapping on hoops to keep them clean, and remove the fabric from the hoops when not stitching. Q-SNAPS: Plastic tubes of varying lengths fit together to form a frame. Fabric is stretched over this frame with plastic ribs that snap onto the tubes. Slipping is an issue with these as well, and can be reduced by wrapping the tubes with strips of cotton. http://www.qsnap.com/ STRETCHER BARS: Pairs of wooden bars with grooves on the ends are mixed and matched to fit the size of the fabric. Fabric is tacked to the bars, one side at a time, using rust-proof thumbtacks or staples. To attach the fabric, press thumbtacks through the fabric into the wood every ?-inch or so. Work from the center to one corner, then return to the center and work to the opposite corner. After tacking one side to the frame, tack the opposite side, pulling the fabric taut. *TIP*—You can wrap the fabric over the top edge of the frame and tack it to the sides. I find the working thread gets caught less often when the tacks are on the sides rather than on the top of the frame. Hammering the tacks snug against the frame will help, too. Stretcher bars should be larger than the design area, and the fabric can remain on the frame for the duration of the project. While the fabric doesn’t slip, it can stretch. EVERTITE stretcher bars have nifty screws that can be turned to expand the frame and tighten fabric that has stretched. Very nice bars! http://www.evertitestitchery.com/stasbflier.htm *TIP*--I like having both hands free to stitch, so I use a table clamp to attach hoops and frames to the edge of a table or my scroll frame. SCROLL FRAMES: Lovely scroll frames are available, with table stands, lap stands, and floor stands, but I use one that Mike whipped up with scrap lumber while caretaking one year. Fancy? No. Functional? Yes. Two scroll bars (dowels) have seam tape glued or stapled lengthwise. Fabric is stitched or pinned to this fabric tape. The scroll bars fit into holes in flat side bars, which are then screwed down tightly. The sides of the fabric should be laced to the side bars with strong thread. I use quilting thread, and simply wrap the thread around the side bar, through the fabric, around, through, around, through. I only lace the sides if the design is small enough to not require rolling around the scroll bars. Large pieces would have to be unlaced every time they are rolled up or down. Not a big deal, when you get right down to it: it takes all of 2 or 3 minutes to lace the sides. The screws that attach the side bars can loosen on these frames, causing the fabric to go slack. I haven’t figured out how to prevent this, so I just tighten the screws as necessary. When I’m at home, I use the scroll frame for most projects. My posture is better when I sit at the scroll frame than when I’m hunched over a frame clamped to a table. Of course, a lap stand or table stand would probably take care of the hunching. The real key is to find something that is comfortable and convenient for *you*. *********************************************************** 3. WHAT’S NEW AT FUNK & WEBER *********************************************************** I had a wonderful visit at BushMountain Stitchery in Montoursville, PA. Thanks to everyone who came to see me and my slide show! If you’re in the area, be sure to stop in and see Maeann and Gary. They’ve got a great selection of patterns, fabrics, fibers, beads, frames, etc. http://www.bushmountainstitchery.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~ LET THERE BE NIGHT Stitchling #11, “Bearly” Night, was introduced at The Needlework Show. I hope to get it on the web site soon. This panda pattern has been in the works for years, but only recently came together in a way we deemed worthy of actually stitching. I love the panda in the tree—the dangling foot in particular. It’s all about details… ~~~~~~~~~~ I’m designing a project for a new online class. I hope to display it at the TNNA NeedleArts Market in June. This is a wholesale trade show in Columbus, OH. I’m really excited about the project. While I have tons of fibers and beads, believe it or not, I don’t have *exactly* what I want for the project. (I know you’re all nodding your heads—you know exactly what I mean!) I got some fibers today that might fit the bill, but I’m still in need of proper beads. (I wish I had your stash, Bernie.) I meant to get them at BushMountain Stitchery on Monday night, but—doh!—I forgot. I’ll try Cross My Heart in Columbus this weekend. I’ll *cross my fingers* that they have what I want. ~~~~~~~~~~ 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/ ~~~~~~~~~~ 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. READERS ASK *********************************************************** Please e-mail me with questions for this section. mail@funkandweber.com Several readers have asked about ways to locate shops in areas where they will be traveling. I’m embarrassed to admit this, but don’t rely on the shop list on my web site. It is horribly out of date. In fact, I understand that the shop listings on a number of designers’ web sites are in need of updating. So how can we find out about needlework shops in areas where we travel this summer? One resource is the Hoffman Distributing website. http://hoffmandis.com/index.cfm The first link on the left-hand menu is “shop locator.” You click on the area of the country where you will be visiting, and up pops a list of shops in those states. Unfortunately, shops seem to come and go quickly, and while this site is more up-to-date than my own, it’s not perfect. Call ahead to make sure the shop exists and to confirm the address. Another resource is Norden Crafts, another needlework distributor. http://www.nordencrafts.com/search.cfm Plug the state you will be visiting into the correct search box and a list of shops will appear. Other options include online searches (type in the state and key words such as “embroidery,” “cross stitch,” “needlework”), the phone book, and word-of-mouth. Ask! Ask at local stores, the library, and in online groups and message boards. Discovering a shop in a new area can be great fun, and a nice addition to a vacation. *********************************************************** 5. 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) May 7, 2007. The winner will be selected on May 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/limer507.pdf ~~~~~~~~~~ April PUZZLE CONTEST WINNER: Rosemary from Carmarthenshire, Wales. April’s answer: A common mistake people make when designing something foolproof is underestimating the ingenuity of fools. --Douglas Adams *********************************************************** 6. 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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