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

 This post by Annake's Garden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

A Call for Holiday Help

'Tis the season...

I was planning to post a Q & A, with some of the questions I’ve gotten during the many shows we’ve done this fall, when the following arrived. This call for help came in a rather long letter that I have shortened considerably here. Since it seems to me to have broad application, not just to the questioner, but to readers in general, I'm going to address it today because it is time-sensitive.

"Annake, please help! I was married last spring, to a gentleman who had been a widower for some time, with a grown son and daughter. I met them at the wedding and they were very cordial. They are bringing their families here for Christmas. Each family has a daughter, one 10 years old and one 12. They will be here from several days before Christmas until New Year's Day, and I am not sure how to keep the girls occupied and entertained for so long:  I have never had children or ever worked with them! My husband has decreed this as "family time" and asked everyone to limit time spent watching TV or using electronic devices. The adults are eager to visit friends in the area while they are here. We are going to take them to see "The Nutcracker", and we have planned some activities for the girls, like sledding and caroling, but those will depend on the weather. Your blog has all kinds of interesting activities, but I don't have any idea which ones are appropriate or even possible for girls this age. Please give me some ideas! Please answer in a blog post but don't use my name; just sign me "Nervous Nellie"!

Well, Nellie, I was a first-and-only wife and mother, but I do understand your concerns. I had two sisters-in-law, and a family get-together included up to seven boys ranging from toddler to late teenager, and two girls about the same distance apart in age as your guests.

First, some general suggestions. You don't mention harvesting, shopping for, or decorating the tree as activities for the girls, so I am assuming you plan to have a tree decorated before they arrive. Is there a small evergreen somewhere on your property which could be "their" tree to decorate and to cherish every time they come to visit? Or would the budget stretch to purchase a small live tree which could be planted after Christmas? If a live tree isn't possible, a small, undecorated artificial tree for each girl might be a possibility.  Let them decorate as they desire.

Crocheted Cookie Cutter Tree

Second, enlist their help with the festivities. Ask them to decorate placemats and/or place cards for all the members of the family for Christmas and New Year's breakfasts. You will need colored construction paper, a box of mixed greeting cards, white glue or rubber cement, scissors (they are old enough for sharp tips — don't insult them with kindergarten scissors), and a roll of clear contact paper to cover both sides of the finished work.

Invite them to help you make and decorate cookies, cupcakes, gelatin desserts or puddings. Don't expect perfection and do expect some mess, but include clean-up in the activities.

Crayon batik of an orchid

Here is a new activity they might enjoy. You will need two men's cotton handkerchiefs for each girl. Please wash and press them beforehand to remove any sizing. You will need a large box of good-quality wax crayons — not the ‘washable’ kind, which will come out. You will also need paper towels, an ironing board and iron, a sewing machine or needles and white thread, and a small bag of polyester pillow stuffing. They may want to outline parts of their pictures with permanent marker, so be sure to protect the work surface from ink that might come through the fabric. Let the girls decorate both handkerchiefs with the crayons. They should press hard and go over darker areas several times. Cover the ironing board with several layers of paper towels. Cover the tops of the pictures with paper towels. Set the iron on "Cotton" and iron over the paper towels, pressing firmly and replacing the towels as needed until the wax of the crayons is completely removed. Place the handkerchiefs with the picture sides together and sew them together by hand or machine, leaving a big enough opening for the girls to stuff their pillows with the polyester. Turn the pillows right-side-out, stuff, and sew the opening closed.

For the rest of these, you may have to bend the rule about Internet use a little:

Butterfly "Window Wonder"

Revisit my "Window Wonders" article (April 29, 2015) or type in window wonders on our Search Engine in the sidebar of this post. These sun-catchers are still popular, but have developed over time. Now we make graduated hangings of three pictures at a time, usually a #4, a #5, and a #6 hoop, held together with small lengths of aluminum chain, available at many hardware or craft stores. (Ask the men of the family to cut and fasten the chain lengths if you need to do so. There's no reason they should not take part in their daughters' activities!)  If chain is not available, sew or tie the hoops onto a strip of wide, flat ribbon. The rest of the directions from the original article still apply.

Another appropriate activity would be the paper designs some of my students made to look like the wonderful patterns made by Hawaiian quilt makers. The student designs shown on that blog post (January 1, 2018) were made by girls and boys in the 5th grade who were studying the state of Hawaii at the time. That is in the age range of your girls. All you would need is colored paper, scissors, and glue.

You may want to look at that post and the one on four-way designs from Hawaiian quilts from March 21, 2017 before suggesting the activity.  Let the girls study the examples on the post before they begin their own designs. The paper to be cut out should be folded into four equal parts. If they draw their design on one square, starting at the center point and extending it to both sides of the square at one point, it should hold together when it is cut out and the paper is unfolded. You can turn the paper over so that the drawing does not show. A couple of "practice pieces” may be necessary.

Finally, I suggest that you and the girls type in the word puppets on our Search Engine. The girls might enjoy the story of the Little Pink Pig. It may even inspire them to do a project of their own when they get home: there is a downloadable pattern for the pig puppet. In addition, there are several other articles which show various puppets from both front and back to give the girls ideas for designs of their own. After seeing the performance of the Nutcracker, they may want to make a puppet for one of their favorite characters from that story. Here are a couple of puppets that I don't believe that we have shown before:

Some seasonal puppets

Relax, and enjoy! And, Nellie, keep thinking about those seven boys who are NOT coming for the holidays! Let me know how it works out.

 This post by Annake's Garden is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.