That's a Good Question!: Summer 2020 Q & A

Some of Annake's aids

Ordinarily I do seasonal Question and Answer posts, but I haven't kept to that schedule lately. I apologize for that. Having been through a bad flu epidemic when I was in graduate school many years ago, I got worried when the first news of sickness in China appeared in January. I feared that such a large and populous country with so many connections around the word would not be able to confine the epidemic, so we began making long-range plans immediately. When it became evident that the virus was spreading quickly from country to country, we redoubled our efforts. Because I am high-risk, I have been in self-quarantine for about two weeks longer than most of you. I thought that if isolation is difficult for me — when I work from home all the time —- it must be doubly difficult for those who are unused to it. So J.D. and I decided that, along with our planned posts we would create the EXTRAS section of the blog (see the tab on the menu bar above) and fill it with all sorts of things from photo essays to how-to articles and free patterns to teaching units. We have put up a number of these items and plan to do more until mid-summer. Since most of these questions center on topics in our recent post about easing eye and hand problems for older needleworkers, J.D. suggested that we show some of the devices (shown above) that I personally use.

Do you do quickpoint from charts, or on painted canvas?

Click here to download

Either or both, plus other choices as well. I prefer to work from charts because I make my own. By the time I put symbols on graph paper, I have a pretty clear mental picture of what I hope to accomplish. If you are working from a chart in a needlework book or magazine, there are some things to consider. The chart was probably designed for a specific project with well-defined dimensions. If you are doing quickpoint, which is larger than tent stitch and regular cross-stitch, you will need to count squares carefully to figure out just how large your finished project will be. (I add an extra inch all the way around, just in case.)  Most of the charts I put into these posts are meant to be used for a large variety of sizes and colors. but let me give you one that is a little less variable. Because this is a specific butterfly rather than a generalized one, the colors need to be followed closely. You will still need to count squares as described above for the figure to work on the background you have selected.

If you are working on a painted canvas, start in a corner and work a 10-stitch square of the stitch you plan to use  (be ready to take the stitches out if you need to) to see if you will be able to put in the smaller details of the design. 
I buy painted canvases when I can get a bargain, but I paint out the design and replace it with one of my own, either painted on the canvas or outlined on it. You need to examine the canvas carefully because some, especially ones made for kits,  are just starched cotton and don't hold up well.

Monk's cloth

If you are used to working on even-weave fabric like Aida, you can use several easier alternatives. One is monks' cloth, which has easy-on-the-eyes squares, but it requires a lot of preparation. It needs to be pre-shrunk. Then you need to bind the edges or at least put 2 rows of machine stitching around the edges. When I do use it, I back it with non-woven interfacing, which I work through, and use it for something that doesn't get a lot of wear. On the other hand, if you can find a good quality decorator burlap, you can use it just like Aida and get some lovely surface effects with crewel, tapestry, or novelty yarns.

What is wrong with using printed gingham?

Printed vs. woven gingham

I can show you with the two examples in the picture. The fabric on the left is printed gingham.  It is folded so that both the top surface and the bottom one are showing.  Notice how the design doesn't look the same on the wrong side?  There is no guarantee the cloth was printed so that each square wound up with the same thread count or that your cross-stitches will come out the same size. Now look at the woven gingham on the right. See how the squares are the same on both sides of the fabric? This is true whether you are using baby-check, standard quarter-inch check, or one of the  "jumbo" checks. Your stitches will be the same size and will line up properly both horizontally and vertically. The woven gingham is a little more expensive, but is well worth it.

Love the Bear and the Bee. Does it have a title? And are you going to make any more "Close Encounters" pictures?

The things that fit nicely into my typed scripts don't always fit as nicely when J.D. sets the format for publication. The title was too long for the caption, so he left it off. It is "What Kind of Flower Are You?"  The titles are designed to be said by either one of the pair of animals to the other. I try to do one a year, but — as with everything right now — I am running a bit behind. I am almost ready to do the color cartoon stage of the design. Did you know that the word "cartoon" originally meant the complicated chart for a tapestry weaving? I use the term for the stage when I make a full-sized color rendering to trace permanently on my canvas. I may also graph some of the finer details. Since you know how the titles are chosen, I will give you a hint about the two animals — one a mammal and the other not — coming up next.  The title is "Want to Race?"

You mentioned  'Window Wonders' when you were showing tracing a pattern against a sunny window. What are they and what do you do with them?

Some materials for making Window Wonders

They aren't a form of needlework, but they are pretty and fun to do. I make them for craft shows, usually in three graduated parts, featuring a hummingbird, a butterfly, and a flower, but I have done colorful frogs, dragonflies, small tropical fish, and more. I draw my own pictures, but it is easy to trace them from photographs and drawings. You will need an embroidery hoop (wooden or plastic) with a screw adjustment for each individual picture. I usually make a set of three with a 3-inch, a 4-inch, and a 5-inch hoop, but that varies. I use both circular and oval hoops. You can paint the wooden ones if you like and the plastic ones come in colors. You will need permanent markers in a variety of colors. You will need a transparent or translucent fabric that is stiff when you stretch it across the hoop.  Sheer organdy is ideal.  You will also need a small, sharp pair of embroidery or manicure scissors.

Cut a square of the sheer fabric about an inch larger all around than your drawing.  Center the square over the design and trace the design with permanent markers. (Practice on a scrap first.) When the picture is dry, stretch it over the bottom of the hoop and push the top of the hoop down firmly. Pull the fabric until it is as firm as you can make it.  Turn the hoop over and carefully cut away all excess cloth. Fasten the hoops together as J.D. has shown you here.  I hang the 'wonders' surface-side-out in a sunny window. The design can be seen from outdoors and indoors. If you have a light-colored wall across from the window, you may get still another image on it.  Some people hang the item on screened-in porches or sheltered patios. I showed some outdoors in a 40-mph wind once and all survived beautifully. This is a craft that can be taught to children in elementary school. (For more on 'Window Wonders', see the article in our Extras section.)

You mentioned a kind of pattern-making that you didn't discuss because you said it would probably be hard to get the materials for it right now. My mother-in-law has a lot of materials that she lets me use, so she might have what I need. Would you tell me about that technique?

I'll be glad to — and show you as well. Also, I am so glad that you have a good relationship with your mother-in-law. I had one of the best in the world and I miss her greatly. Cherish that relationship. (And I'll bet she will be a wonderful grandma, too.)

I am going to teach you to make a simple hot-iron transfer. You will need the following materials:
    an ironing board
    an iron, preferably a steam/dry iron
    fabric to transfer the design to (cotton is best for beginners)
    a simple design
    a sheet of tracing paper larger than your design
    a transfer pencil (this is the tough one!)
    a pencil sharpener
    straight pins
    scissors

Click here to download

I do a lot of children's patterns, so I am going to give you a simple one. Or you may substitute a design of your own. Mine faces forward, so you don't have to worry about design reversal. If your design is facing to one side, it will be reversed in the finished pattern. If you are going to put words or names in the design, you will need to reverse them before they are added to the design or leave them out of the design and chart them separately.

Draw or trace your design on the tracing paper with a hot-iron transfer pencil.
These red pencils are made by several companies. I use Aunt Martha's™ (2 to a package for around $3.00.) Each pencil will make many transfers.  Keep the pencil point sharp and go over the lines firmly until they look dark. Set the transfer aside.

Finished blackwork owl - no red marks

Cut you fabric at least an inch larger all around than your paper pattern. Set your iron for the proper temperature for your fabric. Press your fabric. Fold it in half lengthwise and press a strong crease along the fold. Refold it in half crosswise and press another pleat. these should meet in the center of the fabric. At this point i like to stitch a row of bright-colored basting stitches down each pleat that I will pull out once the transfer to the fabric is complete. Stretch the fabric flat. Place the transfer penciled side down on the fabric and lift the center of the transfer up with the center of the fabric. Pin the pattern to the fabric all the way around. Set the iron no higher than cotton and put it on dry (no steam). Press the pattern in to the fabric, pressing hard and go back and forth several times, but don't scorch the paper. It takes at least 5 seconds of hard pressure on each line to get a good transfer. Unpin one corner and lift it carefully. Peek under it to see if your lines have been transferred. If not, re-pin it in the same place iron over it until they do. Turn off the iron and unpin the pattern from the fabric.  I gently pull the basting threads out of the fabric at this point. Work the pattern in any needlework style you choose. The red lines will wash out of the fabric with warm water and a good detergent (I like Dawn® dish detergent) when your project is finished.

I hope these clarifications have answered your questions. Keep creating!

Annake's 24" monitor & soundbar - more help for aging senses

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The Heart in Design

Interlaced hearts in crewel embroidery on burlap

The heart motif is not only popular during the upcoming Valentine's Day celebration, but it is also used often in the folk art of many cultures. Of course our hearts are not really this shape. If you have ever seen a beef heart in a butcher's shop, you know approximately what your heart looks like — although on a smaller scale. However, the shape we are going to discuss today was long ago accepted as a symbol for the human heart.

If you are doing applique, crewel, quilting, trapunto or folk embroidery, making a heart shape is relatively easy. You simply draw or trace the heart shape on your fabric and follow the outline. That's how the interlaced crewel hearts above were made (January 31, 2016 post). If you want to make heart shapes in cross-stitch, tent stitch, many diaper patterns or bargello (as in the “Hearts Afire” bargello below  as shown December 22, 2014), you are faced with making straight stitches approximate the curves at the tops and sides of the heart. This is not as easy as it sounds.

4-way bargello "Hearts Afire"

I have looked at dozens and dozens of patterns that try to convince me that a few /’s or X's make a heart shape. They begin with three stitches (shown as cross-stitches below). A heart? Really? They then continue with an increasing number of x 's which are not much more convincing. Is C a bird in flight or a deer with antlers? It is not until F, which has eleven stitches, that a heart-like shape appears. As a general rule, the more stitches in the motif, the more closely it approximates the heart shape we desire.

Here is a cross-stitch border done with some of these stylized hearts. The pattern may be done in a single color, but it is enhanced by doing it in two colors and alternating the positions of the colors.

Now let's look at some heart shapes made with the short, straight lines of back-stitch. These motifs can be used alone, filled in with cross-stitches, or used as “frames” for other types of embroidery. You can see that these shapes come closer to a traditional heart shape, but still lack the smooth curves of the heart.

 

For tent stitch, you need to consider each of the squares inside the frame as a single slanting stitch from one canvas square to the square above and to the left of it. Perhaps because the stitches are so compact, these figures seem a little more heart-like in tent stitch than they do in cross-stitch. Here are G, H, and I done in tent stitch. Also shown is a bookmark made in tent stitch, using three G motifs with a cream-colored background filled in and the owner's initial embroidered on top of the background.

Tip: Small projects like this use up small scraps of canvas and yarn that might otherwise be wasted. They make party favors, small additions to the gift of a book, package decorations, etc., and are small enough to be slipped inside a greeting card. Glue or overcast a piece of felt to the back of the bookmark for a more “finished” appearance.

Tip: Many cross-stitch patterns include directions to back-stitch around certain completed sections of stitches. This may be done in the colors in which the sections were stitched, or with a dark color — usually black — for all of the back-stitching. When outlining sections, use a thinner thread or yarn than was used for the cross-stitching. Here is a cross-stitch border in which the heart shapes represent flowers. The red one is done in plain cross-stitch. The purple one has the sections outlined in the same colors as the stitches. The blue one is back-stitched in traditional black.

Now let's see what happens when we substitute a single diagonal stitch for the squared corners of G, H, and I to make J, K, and L. See how J, K, and L look much smoother and more nearly curved?

When I am testing a new pattern that I have drawn in pencil, I like to stitch it first on ¼-inch checked gingham because that is approximately the same size of my graph paper pattern. I back the gingham with muslin or non-woven interfacing. I find the exact center of my pattern and mark it. Then I find the exact center of my fabric and mark it with a colored knot which can be removed later. I begin stitching at or near both centers and work outward. I then decide on changes that need to be made before I use the pattern for a further project. Below is an example of a pattern of a heart composed of hearts that I stitched on gingham. I will make several modifications before I stitch the revised pattern on monks' cloth with several shades of red. I will file both the original and revised patterns. The gingham pattern will not go to waste. It will become a small pillow top or the bib of a fancy apron.

Tip: This type of embroidery should be done in an embroidery hoop. Try to use a hoop just a little larger than your finished motif will be. This will avoid frequently loosening and moving the hoop. Keep the tension on the hoop as tight as possible. The fabric should be tight enough that you hear a distinct “pop” when the needle is pulled through the fabric.

Finally, here is a heart pattern that you can download to use as you choose. Some suggested projects are shown below.

Downloadable heart pattern (click here)

Now to the suggested projects, all done from this basic pattern. The rainbow-striped heart is done with 4-ply knitting yarn in tent stitch on #7 plastic canvas (49 stitches per square inch). The “LOVE” heart is embroidered in cross-stitch with 6-strand embroidery floss on #8 monks' cloth (64 stitches per square inch). The small heart is tent stitched with 6-strand floss on #10 needlepoint canvas (100 stitches per square inch). Small areas of the background materials are shown around the stitching.

May your hearts be strong and happy,

Three examples in different needlework techniques using the downloadable pattern

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Hand-Painted Needlepoint Canvases

Annake toning a canvas

Some time ago (my June 15, 2014 post), I discussed how to paint over designs on commercial needlepoint canvases so that they can be used for new designs. I also described how to paint an entire canvas in a neutral background tone to prepare it for a bargello pattern. At that time, I promised to write about the third –- and most important –- reason for painting your own canvases; that is, to express yourself in a way that is both practical and satisfying. Painting your own canvas makes it into a unique item –- something that would never have existed if you had not created it. Wouldn't that make you feel good about yourself?

Needlepoint canvas for a tiger, done in marker

If you don't feel comfortable using paint and a brush to put your design on canvas, you can do it with permanent markers (see the April 29, 2015 post for suggestions for using markers). Be sure the markers are permanent ones. Rub off any excess ink so that it does not stain your yarn or floss. You can make attractive, colorful canvases with markers, as you can see from this work in progress, but they will lack the subtle gradations in color that you can achieve with paints. You can compensate for this by blending colors or by using several closely-related tones of each color. For example, I have left areas of the tiger's face blank to represent white, but I stitched parts of the muzzle in a dark cream color and the chin in an off-white. I kept the bright white for his teeth. In truth, the tiger's teeth would probably be yellowed, but this is art –- not scientific illustration.

Fruit wreath canvas in the hoop that will frame it

Aside from showcasing your creativity, there are a number of practical reasons for hand-painting canvases. Suppose, for example, that the finished canvas will eventually be placed in a specific mat or frame that is not a standard size or shape. The wreath of lemons and strawberries seen here is a good example of this. After the stitching is completed, this canvas will be trimmed of any excess so that it can be framed in its own hoop. If you stitch a piece like this from a chart and are even slightly inaccurate, the resulting design will appear irregular and/or distorted. This will not happen if the design is painted on the canvas before it is centered in the hoop. You can then stitch with confidence, using the hoop for support.

Canvas, colored for matching yarn

Another advantage to having painted a canvas is that you can take it with you when you purchase the yarn or floss that you plan to use to stitch the design. You can match the colors more exactly and plan the hues that you will need to blend together (see the May 29, 2015 post for information about blending colors and a demonstration of tracing a design on canvas) to get intermediate colors. This will prevent you from buying the wrong colors and help you to estimate the correct quantities you will need of each color –- thus saving money.

Tools and materials for painting needlepoint canvas

I prefer to use white mono canvas for painting. If you plan to use brown penelope canvas, you may want to tone it to white, off-white, ecru or light beige. Let it dry completely and remove any paint that is clogging mesh squares before you begin painting your design. Do not use oil paints or watercolors. You can use either art acrylic paints or craft acrylic paints. Whether you are squeezing paint from tubes, pouring it from bottles, or scooping it from jars, you will need to dilute it with clean, clear water. That means you will need containers to mix the paint and water --- something like my old eight-cup muffin tin. You may also want a china plate to use for a palette. You will need a wide brush for large areas and at least a couple of brushes for smaller areas and finer details. Try to find ones of the smaller brushes that hold a fine point when they are wet.

Painted canvas portrait, prepped and in progress

Mark the outside dimensions of your completed design on the canvas lightly with a pencil, leaving a generous margin for taping the canvas and framing the finished picture. Start with thin washes (coats of paint). I put in colors one at a time, allowing them to dry, unless I want a blended effect. You can darken the colors by adding more washes on top of the first one. (You can also paint out mistakes.) Where colors overlap, you will create additional tones. Unless you are doing a geometric or “hard-edged” design, you will want to take advantage of these intermediate colors by stitching them with separate colors or by blending strands of yarn or floss. If I'm doing a central design that will need a solid-color background, I either leave the background unpainted or paint it first with the background color and let it dry completely before painting the design.

Once my painting satisfies me and is completely dry, I go over it carefully, looking for squares of canvas that are clogged with paint. I clear these with the point of a pin or needle. I then press the canvas lightly, between two layers of paper towel, with a warm iron. Then I tape the edges of the canvas with masking tape. I choose my colors of yarn or floss and I'm ready to start stitching.

Make something that is uniquely yours. Congratulations,

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Window Wonders: Art Transparencies

Orchid transparency, marker on organza

Some of you are stay-at-home parents with small children, home-schooling parents or grandparents, or parents/grandparents who help children with their schoolwork. These attractive transparencies are easy to do, made with inexpensive materials, and something you and the children can do together. Suppose your children are learning about flowers, insects, seashells, or airplanes. As an accompanying activity, why not help a child make a transparency of one of the objects he/she has been studying, to illustrate an oral or written report, and to have something to hang in a window afterward. When the child tires of the picture, it can be replaced by one on another topic.

Hibiscus sketch

Before you a do a project with children, however, you might make a transparency of your own. Then you can guide a child through the project (and impress them with your talent). I prefer to work from my own sketches, like this one of a hibiscus flower. I sketch the picture in pencil, putting in all the shading. Then I outline it in permanent marker to make it easier to trace onto parchment or fabric. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, there are always pictures you can trace. Coloring books are a good source of these. Dover Publications, Inc. has dozens of great coloring books on all kinds of subjects (www.doverpublishing.com). The illustrations are detailed and accurate. There is no charge for using these illustrations, nor do you need to get permission to use them, so long as you don't use more than ten of them in any one project. Or trace calendar, catalog, or magazine pictures.

Orchid samples

Start with a simple outline drawing or tracing. Go over the outline with a black permanent marker (I used a Sharpie®). You will need a piece of white organdy, non-woven interfacing, nylon organza (or silk, if you can find it), woven interfacing like buckram, parchment paper, tracing paper or some other sheer material. (Parchment paper is found where baking supplies are sold; it is rolled, so press it lightly with a warm iron to flatten it.) Make sure that the material you use will accept crayon or marker. (If you use interfacing, get the firm kind that is slightly rough on one side and smooth on the other, not the soft kind that feels fuzzy. Don't use iron-on interfacing.) Press the material with the appropriate iron temperature. (If you have not worked with nylon or silk before, be aware that they are slippery; tape the edges to cardboard before you begin coloring — especially with crayons.) Protect your work surface so no marker comes through to it. (Marker should not come through parchment; however, you will not get brilliant colors with it.) Trace the outline onto the fabric or paper with a black or dark fine-point marker. Color the picture with permanent markers, washable markers, or rather heavy applications of crayon. Once a picture done in marker is dry, it is ready to be framed.

Butterfly transparency on interfacing

A crayon picture, however, requires an additional step. Place a couple of layers of heavy paper or paper towels on top of a pad of newspaper. Put the picture, face-up, on top of this. Place more layers of white paper or paper towel on top of the picture. Press the whole thing with a dry iron at the heat setting for cotton, being especially careful not to scorch nylon or silk. Press until all the wax from the crayons has been absorbed and only the color remains. Keep checking the layers, changing the paper as needed. You should do this step for the children. If you allow them to watch, stress safety. When no wax remains and the fabric has cooled, your transparency is ready to frame.

Hibiscus transparency from sketch, crayon on organdy

I like embroidery hoops for framing. The hoop should be a little larger than your picture, but smaller than the parchment or fabric around the picture. Plastic hoops come in many bright colors. The outer half of a wooden hoop can be stained, varnished or left alone. Be sure that any finish is completely dry before you secure the picture in the hoop. Be particularly careful with parchment or tracing paper.. Center the picture over the bottom half of the hoop. Position the upper half so that the adjusting screw is directly above the center of the picture. Press it down over the fabric and pull it as taut as possible. Turn the hoop over and cut away all the excess with scissors. Secure a hanging thread around the adjusting screw. Hang the picture in the window where the light will shine through it with the colored side facing out. If you use plastic fishing line or clear nylon thread to hang it, the hanger will be nearly invisible and the picture will appear to “float” in the air. If you prefer a picture frame, select a light-weight one without backing or glass. Remove any staples from the back. Cover the back edge of the frame with a white glue (like Elmer's™). Stretch the parchment or cloth, face-down, over the back of the frame and press it against the glue. Let it dry completely. Cut off all excess. Put a screw eye in the top center of the frame.  

Workspace with markers

Older children will probably prefer to work with markers. I use Sharpies®, but Crayola® makes a large variety, including washable ones. You will, at least, need black, brown, dark blue, light blue, yellow, orange, light green, dark green, pink, red, and purple. White areas should not be colored. Protect the working surface. Remind the children to replace the caps on the markers tightly when they are not in use so the pens will not dry out. Make cleaning up and putting away materials an important part of the project.

Workspace with crayons

I encourage young students to peel the paper off the crayons so that they can use sides and blunt ends as well as the points. Crayons are not expensive, but it pays to get good quality, like Crayola®. Parchment paper is not very good for crayon; you would do better to use tracing paper. If it will not mar the work surface, you may want to tape their pieces of paper or fabric down with masking tape before they begin to draw. If they are working on cloth, they will need to press harder to draw lines and to color areas more heavily than they would on paper. They may need some help with this. They may outline parts of their finished pictures with a black or other dark crayon so that it shows clearly. Keep all the crayons — even the broken ones — because we will be doing some crayon batik later this year.

Enjoy the teachable moments,

Hummingbird transparency in a 4" embroidery hoop

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