The Needleart Nut is going to stitch Loretta's Antique Thread Winder Sampler on her blog. Stay tuned!
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2018/03/antique-thread-winder-sampler.html
She is using white Congress cloth and ThreadworX overdyed floss and perle cotton in a pale lavender/mint green mix with a touch of pink. Very springtime!
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2018/03/overall.html
You can see as Pat works the design that it really is a band sampler. Each row changes to a different pattern, and sometimes a different thread.
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-next-bands.html
https://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2018/03/two-more-bands.html
Two more, and a start on a series of darning patterns.
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2018/03/two-more.html
The darning patterns are very pretty!
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2018/03/pattern-darning.html
https://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-last-of-patterns.html
The side and bottom borders are very pretty as well. They are unusual.
https://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2018/03/maltese-crosses.html
Here is the final result with an old mother of pearl thread winder attached in the bottom right corner.
https://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2018/03/it-is-finish.html
Once Pat's version is framed I'll post a link here.
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Pat is changing the colors in her version. If you would like to look at Loretta's original model, click on this link.
http://lorettaspears.blogspot.com/2012/03/antique-thread-winder-sampler-needle.html
Monday, March 5, 2018
Friday, February 23, 2018
Christmas Heirloom January 1993
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| Cover Page, Courtesy of Fireside Stitchery |
Christmas Heirloom (published January 1993 under the Needle Adventures name) is a diamond-shaped design on 7x7 inch piece of rose 18 count needlepoint canvas using pink, purple and rose DMC cotton floss plus an overdyed floss in shades of pink, rose, purple and a teal green.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4x-Needlepoint-Pattern-Christmas-Heirloom-Ornaments-Xmas-in-July-Snowman-FJ93/232672456324?hash=item362c5bee84:g:k~QAAOSwmRFajGYV
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| Closeup of the Design |
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| Stitching Underway - Notice Outside Border in Pink |
Materials List:
7x7 inch piece of rose 18 count needlepoint canvas
pink DMC cotton floss (#968?)
purple DMC cotton floss
rose DMC cotton floss
overdyed floss in shades of pink, rose, purple and a teal green
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Quilt Pattern Unstitched (1990 Version)
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| Quilt Pattern Line Drawing |
Quilt Pattern, an outlined canvas for a class at Loretta's shop, Fiesta Needleart, has turned up on eBay. The outline (copyright 1990 Loretta Spears Designs) is on a piece of 9 1/4 by 13 1/4 inch Congress cloth. The seller thinks the Congress Cloth is 20-22 inch. The auction doesn't have any written material included.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/hand-printed-geometric-abstract-petitpoint-needlepoint-canvas-loretta-spears/391982805745?hash=item5b43fef2f1:g:rJQAAOSwY7tah0Eb
This is what the 1986 class version looks like stitched. Note that it is on 18 count tan canvas.
http://lorettaspears.blogspot.com/2015/06/quilt-pattern-new-loretta-spears-design.html
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Monday, May 1, 2017
Christmas Heirlooms Traditional (Needle Adventures)
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| Christmas Heirlooms Traditional |
Traditional is a red and green diamond-shaped Christmas Heirlooms ornament published under the Needle Adventures name in Deccember 1992. I discovered it listed on eBay today.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LORETTA-SPEARS-Needle-Adventures-Christmas-Heirlooms-TRADITIONAL-Canvas-/302277657607?hash=item4661270407:g:nkQAAOSwmgJY6WY0
It didn't sell and was relisted.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LORETTA-SPEARS-Needle-Adventures-Christmas-Heirlooms-034-TRADITIONAL-034-Canvas-/302310897574?
I have asked the seller for information about the threads needed but have not received a response to date.
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Materials List:
7x7 inch piece of (18 count gray?) mono canvas
Monday, January 9, 2017
A Design By Loretta Spears (Free Chart from Needle Necessities)
I just stitched "A Design By Loretta Spears" which is a small 1993 design from the double-sided page of instructions I found stuck in the pages of a mystery chart. I know the original owner of the mystery instructions where I found this chart shopped at Loretta's store, so this was probably a giveaway at her shop to promote Needle Necessities' threads, and possibly was handed out at other shops as well. I have never seen this stitched or heard of it before I found the chart. I am going to change canvas count and threads for this, but you can see something closer to Loretta's original by checking Pat's stitched example here. She has also worked this design.
http://lorettaspears.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-needle-necessities-chart.html
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My materials list is much different than what Loretta specifies since I wanted to do an 18 count version. I chose sage green canvas with a mottled brown pattern which is a specialty item, not something you can easily obtain, but it looks good with my Needle Necessites overdyed floss. The instructions say to use Needle Necessities' overdyed floss and their overdyed size 8 perle cotton in the same color. Since I didn't have a perle cotton to match my floss, I choose a solid color that coordinates. I also found a nice Sampler Threads overdyed floss that also looks good with my Needle Necessities floss so I added that to the mix. I may or may not use it. We'll see....
If you find these instructions and want to stitch this, choose an overdyed thread with a lot of color changes first, then pick a color from the skein that comes in size 8 perle cotton. Finally, choose a contrasting color of size 18 needlepoint canvas so the threads will show up well. You will need a 10 inch square piece of canvas. Here is my materials list for my autumn color version:
My Materials List:
9x9 or 10x10 inch square of 18 count needlepoint canvas (depending on the side margins you prefer)
Needle Necessities overdyed floss #146 "Fall Foliage"*
Sampler Threads overdyed floss "Bittersweet"
DMC size 8 perle cotton rust #919
*If you want to stitch this yourself as I did, substitute ThreadworX's 1076 "Honky Tonk" for the Needle Necessities overdyed floss. Or pick your own colors.
The first step in this design is to stitch the central motif. Mine is about an inch and a half square. I used four plies of the NN overdyed floss to cover on 18 count. A laying tool helps keep the stitches smooth.
Step two is to do T-stitch in a box around the center motif. I used one ply of my second overdye from Sampler Threads instead of using the perle cotton. As you can see in the photo, half of each thread strand is more yellow and half is more rust, so I used the yellower half for the regular tent stitches and then the more rust half of the thread for the reverse tent stitches.
The background continues with Jacquard Stitch, done with four plies of the Needle Necessities overdye. (The instructions say to use two plies but it's written for Congress cloth.) You do mirror images on each side as you see above. A laying tool will come in handy. I worked from the middle of each side up and out, but you may be able to count up from the center and start at the edge.
As I've worked this on 18 count and come to the end of the Jacquard Stitch rows, I've realized that you will need a full skein of Needle Necessities cotton floss to work this with as many plies as I did on 18 count.
I have only three full strands of the NN floss plus a few plies left. So don't start this on 18 count without enough overdyed cotton floss.
The last step is to fill in the empty boxes among the Jacquard Stitch rows with square Rhodes stitches. You are to use the size 8 perle cotton for this. Interestingly, the upper left and lower right quadrants have the slanting / stitches worked clockwise while the lower left and upper right quadrants have the slanting \ stitches worked counter-clockwise. With the solid perle cotton I'm using, the changes in direction aren't too obvious but they may be more so if you use an overdyed perle cotton.
The final piece is shown above. My version is 4 3/4 inches square on 18 count needlepoint canvas. The different ways the Rhodes stitches are slanting made didn't show up well but I like the way the different slants of the Jacquard rows reflect the light and make the outer border flow in a sort of circle. Very nice design!
http://lorettaspears.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-needle-necessities-chart.html
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| My Colors |
My materials list is much different than what Loretta specifies since I wanted to do an 18 count version. I chose sage green canvas with a mottled brown pattern which is a specialty item, not something you can easily obtain, but it looks good with my Needle Necessites overdyed floss. The instructions say to use Needle Necessities' overdyed floss and their overdyed size 8 perle cotton in the same color. Since I didn't have a perle cotton to match my floss, I choose a solid color that coordinates. I also found a nice Sampler Threads overdyed floss that also looks good with my Needle Necessities floss so I added that to the mix. I may or may not use it. We'll see....
If you find these instructions and want to stitch this, choose an overdyed thread with a lot of color changes first, then pick a color from the skein that comes in size 8 perle cotton. Finally, choose a contrasting color of size 18 needlepoint canvas so the threads will show up well. You will need a 10 inch square piece of canvas. Here is my materials list for my autumn color version:
My Materials List:
9x9 or 10x10 inch square of 18 count needlepoint canvas (depending on the side margins you prefer)
Needle Necessities overdyed floss #146 "Fall Foliage"*
Sampler Threads overdyed floss "Bittersweet"
DMC size 8 perle cotton rust #919
*If you want to stitch this yourself as I did, substitute ThreadworX's 1076 "Honky Tonk" for the Needle Necessities overdyed floss. Or pick your own colors.
 |
| Center Motif |
The first step in this design is to stitch the central motif. Mine is about an inch and a half square. I used four plies of the NN overdyed floss to cover on 18 count. A laying tool helps keep the stitches smooth.
 |
| T-stitch Using Sampler Threads Cotton Floss (pictured) |
Step two is to do T-stitch in a box around the center motif. I used one ply of my second overdye from Sampler Threads instead of using the perle cotton. As you can see in the photo, half of each thread strand is more yellow and half is more rust, so I used the yellower half for the regular tent stitches and then the more rust half of the thread for the reverse tent stitches.
 |
| Mirror Imaged Jacquard Stitch Rows |
The background continues with Jacquard Stitch, done with four plies of the Needle Necessities overdye. (The instructions say to use two plies but it's written for Congress cloth.) You do mirror images on each side as you see above. A laying tool will come in handy. I worked from the middle of each side up and out, but you may be able to count up from the center and start at the edge.
 |
| More Jacquard Stitch Rows |
As I've worked this on 18 count and come to the end of the Jacquard Stitch rows, I've realized that you will need a full skein of Needle Necessities cotton floss to work this with as many plies as I did on 18 count.
 |
| Jacquard Stitch Rows Done |
I have only three full strands of the NN floss plus a few plies left. So don't start this on 18 count without enough overdyed cotton floss.
 |
| Square Rhodes Stitches Underway |
The last step is to fill in the empty boxes among the Jacquard Stitch rows with square Rhodes stitches. You are to use the size 8 perle cotton for this. Interestingly, the upper left and lower right quadrants have the slanting / stitches worked clockwise while the lower left and upper right quadrants have the slanting \ stitches worked counter-clockwise. With the solid perle cotton I'm using, the changes in direction aren't too obvious but they may be more so if you use an overdyed perle cotton.
 |
| The Final Design |
The final piece is shown above. My version is 4 3/4 inches square on 18 count needlepoint canvas. The different ways the Rhodes stitches are slanting made didn't show up well but I like the way the different slants of the Jacquard rows reflect the light and make the outer border flow in a sort of circle. Very nice design!
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