Counted Canvas Needlepoint: Add a Delightful New String To Your Bow.

Describe Counted Canvas Needlepoint to me

Counted Canvas Needlepoint is a counted-thread embroidery (cross stitch) where the thread is stitched on canvas or some other sturdy fabric.

“I hope this finds everyone fit and feeling fine!  Today I want to talk about something that has recently grabbed my heart: Counted Canvas. As primarily a cross stitcher, and a relatively new stitcher exploring specialty stitches.

This is: “The Queen’s Sampler” by The Needle’s Prayse – Darleen O’Steen using Needlemade Designs stitch guide by Linda Vinson. The sampler is reversible and you can see front and back of mine below. I am stitching on 37 ct Russian Tea Cake with AVAS silks:

Anyway… becoming friends with Gary from Fiber Talk and being a listener for three years, but primarily being a co-host on Fiber Talk for over a year now … has opened an entire Pandora’s box with me on stitching. It has rejuvenated my love of it.

Rejuvinated my love of Stitching

It has opened my eyes to a vast feast of wondrous delights. I’m now hungry to stretch my wings and my abilities. It has not been good for my pocketbook. LOL!

I watched Gary finish this design:

The design is by Carole Lake of Stitch Play Designs.

Anyway, first I watched him stitch it and read about it online at Carole’s website, and now I’m hooked.

Cliff Dwellers at Mesa Verde

As my long time followers will remember, about three years ago I went to Mesa Verde, CO to visit the cliff dwellers there.

I even watch the live webcam of one of the largest dwelling remains. You can see the sun hit it in the morning and watch play of light on the ancient dwelling as the sun moves overhead into the sunset. I am just fascinated by the Four Corners region (which I visited other sites as I traveled through the west).

The Anzani people ~ Anzani Song

Anyway, to understand my fascination with the Anasazi people, you have to know that as a young girl I read a book about them. From recollection, it was a fiction book based on non-fiction reality. And then my desire to visit Mesa Verde and the Four Corners region grew.

This piece “Anasazi Song” just spoke to me from that visit. The colors reminiscent of the red rocks, the store reminding me of the visitor center at Mesa Verde National Park visitor center, the woven border common in the basketry found at the site. ALL of it spoke to me.

Jumped in with both feet

So rather than think … can I do this? I did what I always do: jump in with both feet, I bought the pattern, sent the list of what I needed to Cathe Ray of Needle in a haystack who is very well known for matching/finding colors of threads that are no longer made.

I told her to fix me up with stretcher bars, threads, tacks, needles: the whole shooting match. And she did a fantastic job substituting threads for those no longer made. Here is where I am at this time:

Let me reiterate that I have had ZERO classes to learn, this is working from the very well put together pattern that breaks the whole design into easy, achievable steps.

Range of specialty stitches

So far I have worked with Rainbow Gallery’s “Flair” which is a tubular ribbon in tulle (that’s the dark magenta color making up the center of the star). The sprarkly Kreinik #8 braid gives just that pop of sparkle. I did a double fan double (MY FIRST ONE!) shown on the ivory stitches below the star.

My first Jessica stitch (is in the very center of the star in Kreinik). Now I am working on the Burden Stitch which is the woven looking stitch on the side of the double fan double. I LOVE THIS PROJECT!!

Share the love

I have been posting on my Instagram social media account and I have gotten several emails about how to get started in counted canvas needlepoint. SO following this post I am going to set up a page that tells some things you need and maybe where you need to go to get started in counted canvas.

Counted Canvas Needlepoint goes much faster than cross stitch in my opinion. You can cover ground quickly and you really don’t need a lot of experience to get going.

The patterns I’ve seen contain excellent stitch diagrams and do the job well.

Counted canvas needlepoint – learn more

And if you want more reading on counted canvas needlepoint stitches … may I suggest Carole Lake’s two education books: Twisty Stitches (I bought both of them) and they are available at https://stitchplay.com.

Excellent step by step colored photos for each leg of the stitches covered. I’m closing e today on this update … please look at the page … I’ll post further on counted canvas work later today.

I am thankful for you! Thanks for hanging with me 🙂 Until the next time…Smile 🙂 Be happy!

Count your blessings every day … and try something new, it will inspire you and fuel your passion for life and learning!

love and hug in stitches, Vonna xxxx”

I hope you enjoyed this article, originally written, by Vonna from The Twisted Stitcher.

Final Thoughts…

If you already have experience of stitching counted canvas needlepoint, please tell us about the experiences you’ve had, including any problems you encountered and how you overcame them.

Now I  have a quick question for somebody, “If Plastic canvas is an embroidery canvas made from plastic. And Counted canvas needlepoint is a counted-thread embroidery where you stitch the thread on canvas or another sturdy fabric. Is it possible to do the latter on the former? Has anybody ever tried it? I’d love to be able to share the results with our readers.

I answer all emails received, so if you’ve any stories, comments or questions – please feel free to send them this way.

’til next time – believe in yourself.

John

Original Source

This is just one of many excellent articles you’ll find at The Twisted Stitcher.