A New Crewel Pillow for My Sister's New Condo

I've been meaning to share a project I just finished. It is a hot pink crewel work pillow for my sister Lynn who just moved into a new condo. Lynn is a real color lover and artist in her own right. I wanted to make something punchy and happy for her new home. 

I used a Hot Pink Linen Fabric Square that I sell on my website - links at end of post to purchase. I made a foam stamp in the shape of an ogee with pointy ends and printed the fabric all over with dark brown Jacquard Textile Paint. Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of the linen before I started stitching. Oooooops. 

For stitching, I used the Crewel Wool that I sell on my website. I always travel with an assortment of colors so that I can pick and choose as I go. My process is very improvisational. With an assortment of colors, I just pick and choose as I go. I keep my PDF pattern - The Circles Sampler - on my phone so that I can refer to the 26 stitches that are included in case I want to try a new stitch. That pattern is available for download on website here. 

My first step was to outline all the ogees with yellow stem stitch. Above you can see that in progress. 

After getting that bit of mindless stitching done - which I personally love doing - I worked on each ogee separately. Some were more complicated than others. I love improvising like this with needle and thread - it is so free and easy and totally fun. 

Below I am sharing each ogee with the stitches I used. All stitches are taught by illustration in the Circles Sampler PDF Download. 

French Knots • Palestrina Stitch • Straight Stitch • Fly Stitch

French Knots • Laid Stitch • Cross Stitch

French Knots • Chain Stitch Packed very close

French Knots • Fly Stitch to create diamond grid • Chain Stitch up middle • 

Running Stitch on top of Chain Stitch

French Knots • Chain Stitch Stripes with Running Stitch up each stripe •

Diagonal Straight Stitches with Couching to anchor them to fabric in between Stripes

French Knots • Fly Stitch worked in Stripes leaning opposite each row. The Fly Stitches were worked in 3 colors. 

French Knots • Chain Stitch Stripes with Running Stitch up each stripe

Lazy Daisy Stitches worked perpendicular to each stripe

Here is the pillow top before I sewed it. 

Here is the back side of the work. 

And below is the pillow finished. 

To make the pillow, I use a technique that makes a easily removable pillowcase with no zipper. You can find a tutorial on the Blog HERE for that. 

On the right of the photo, you can see my Hexagon Afghan. There are Free Instructions for that project HERE on the blog. 

The super fun thing about a project like this is - 

It travels well!

Each little ogee can become its own bit of experimentation.

You never get bored because the combination of stitches is endles..

Here are the items that you can purchase from my web shop. The linen comes in many colors - including new shades of off white, flaxen, sunflower, coral, fawn, and grass green. 

The Circles Sampler PDF Download Pattern - $13.00

The Circles Sampler Kit - includes thread, yarn and a chenille needle - If you would like an alternate color from the Turquoise linen featured, leave a note on the order. - $46.00

Hot Pink Linen Fabric Square - $7.00

Set of 24 colors of Wool Crewel Thread - $48.00

You can take a Crewel Embroidery Class with me over on Bluprint (formerly Craftsy)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Cheryl's Sunflower + A Question for You All?

I've been trying to figure out how I can have a place on the web where people who are inspired by me, my books, farm, garden, art, or something I write here on the blog and other things could live. I know that if folks knit or crochet, they can post their projects made from my patterns to Ravelry. But Ravelry is finite - nothing but knit and crochet - no embroidery, no painting, no art, no food. 

First off, I'm wondering if anyone has an idea of an easy place for such a "page." I've been thinking about having a Facebook Group called "Inspired by Kristin Nicholas." I thought that might be kind of easy. But then, in my last "Getting Stitched on the Farm" Retreat, I mentioned it and NONE of the four students "did" Facebook. 

I often get emails with photos from people and do not always have time or space to write a blog post about each nice note or project. An open group might work because you all could just post it yourself? 

Do any of you have an idea for me? I don't think many people do Flickr anymore - goodness knows I could never figure it out. The biggest thing is -- it has to be easy for everyone to do - me and you.

Now, onto the subject of today's post called Cheryl's Sunflower. This past summer, I had a student at one of my retreats named Cheryl. She lives locally and signed up early for the Crewel Retreat. Cheryl really got into stitching. On Day Two, she printed some fabric to be stitched this winter. She also traced an outline of another student's - Cynthia - sunflower project. Here is the beginning of the stitching. 

Cheryl kept sending me progress of the pillow. 

She ran out of yarn and met me at the farmers market for extra supplies. 

What I loved about Cheryl's interpretation of her sunflower was the play and experimentation she did. She used so many different stitches. It really is so pretty. Best of all, she had a great time stitching it. 

She finished the pillow and sent me a photo. What a great job Cheryl. Thanks for sharing it with me and all of us. 

If you want to learn Crewel Embroidery, you can take my class Stitch It with Wool: Crewel Embroidery. Here is the link to get the class at $20 off the regular price of $39.99
www.craftsy.com/ext/KristinNicholas_3938_H
You can purchase supplies  - linen, wool crewel thread, needles and hoops on my website here.  

Advanced Crewel Embroidery Farm Retreat Wrap-Up

Two weekends ago, I hosted a fantastic group of students for an Advanced Crewel Embroidery Retreat at our Leyden Glen Farm. It was a gorgeous weekend - we lucked out once again. Clear, sunny days with no humidity. What a treat. The group spent two days learning about Crewel Embroidery in my naturally lit, sunny studio. We sat around the giant table which was covered in small skeins of wool thread and linen fabrics. A whole big pile of creative chaos. 

On Day One, I taught a whole bunch of new stitches - many of them were even new to me. That is what I truly love about embroidery - there are so many stitches to learn. Most of them are easy to grab onto and have success with. Unlike knitting, a stitch can be mastered in 15 to 30 minutes and then you move onto the next one. I guess it is a bit of instant gratification.

Here are some of the students samplers as they were building upon each little bit of knowledge they gained. 

I love a good sampler. They are little bits of knowledge that everyone takes away. Hopefully each student will continue to stitch on their own. 

On Day Two, I helped everyone work on what they wanted to. I like to combine embroidery with fabric printing. I gave a quick demo of how to print on the linen fabric I like to stitch on. Each student then decided upon what they wanted to spend Day Two on. 

Here are Cheryl's hand-printed pillow tops drying on my line in the studio window. She plans to stitch these this winter and turn them into pillows for her home.

Lee began my Circles Sampler. She worked so hard on it all day Sunday and left with a nice chunk begun and confidence to stitch on her own. Lee is one of the owners of Yarnspot in Silver Spring, Maryland and has been to the farm before for a knitting class. Her mom was one of the founders of Yarns International - one of the first importers of Jamieson and Smith Shetland Wools to the US.  It was fun to spend time with Lee again. 

Nancy was beginning a long car trip and needed something to stitch on the way home. Everyone was crazy over the Caspari fish napkins I used at teatime. Nancy has a beach house and wanted to use the fish design on a Crewel Pillow. I helped her sketch it out and plan it. After she began stitching, I suggested she apply some paint to mimic the spots on the fish so she would not have to stitch them all. Here are the handpainted spots on the blue linen. Cannot wait to see this project done. 

Cynthia brought some black and white ticking fabric to print on. I love how it turned out. I wonder what she will use the fabric for. 

  

Once again, I didn't do a great job with the photos - no group shot after Day One. Bummer. It is hard for me to remember to take photos while I am teaching as I am trying to do a good job teaching - not documenting. I did snap this photo of Lee and Cheryl before they left on Day Two. 

Cheryl is holding the bag she has made out of her Circles Sampler Project. The cool thing about this bag is that when she isn't carrying it, it is designed to cover up her Kitchen Aid Mixer in her kitchen. How clever is that? A KitchenAid Cozy! You can see Lee's progress on her Circles Sampler. She chose to keep the circles in a grid. It will be fun to see how it turns out. 

Thanks everyone for coming to the farm. It was a great weekend full of fun, new friendships, food, stitching and creativity. And thank you to my good friends Cathy and Cynthia who came and helped out with the cooking and food. 

If you couldn't get to the farm, you can purchase the Circles Sampler Kit on my website here. And don't forget about my Craftsy Crewel Embroidery Class. Copy and use this code to receive $20 off the price of the class:

 

www.craftsy.com/ext/KristinNicholas_3938_H

 

A New Summer Project and A Craftsy Sale for the Holiday Weekend

Popping in this 4th of July. It is a rainy sleepy day here. Not the best day for outdoor picnics and gardening. 

First off, I want to share an article that was in the Houston Chronicle about decorating with Red White and Blue all year round. The writer interviewed me because she loved my book. How cool! Check it out here. Here is one of the photos from the article which is Red White and Blue themed from my newest book Crafting a Colorful Home. The new photo in my header above is also from my new book. Both photos by the talented Rikki Snyder. For you all on the 4th of July. Boom Boom! 

Photo by Rikki Snyder from Crafting a Colorful Home

I have been meaning to show you all my new summer project that I will be working on. A couple years ago, I found this chair at a junk store. My original idea was to make a slipcover for it out of one of my fabric designs that I have on Spoonflower. I wanted to get it done for my latest book Crafting A Colorful Home.

Sometimes plans don't happen and I am okay with that. Sometimes it takes me a few years to make an idea gel and actually come to life. 

So this summer it is for this chair. I have the fabric and I am going to print it myself and then embroider the fabric. I will be sewing a slipcover out of said printed and embroidered linen fabric. I have never made a slipcover for a chair before. My last experience with slipcovers was in the 1980's when I made 13 cushions for my grandmother's wicker set. 

I must say, I have felt a bit timid about making slipcovers - always preferring to pay someone to do it for me. But since I don't have the funds, I'm going to do it myself. It could take a year, considering I am printing and embroidering the fabric. But it is going to happen eventually. 

I feel like I can do it because I have been watching a fantastic Craftsy class called Custom Fit Slipcovers with Cherie Killilea. I've watched Custom Fit Slipcovers a couple times now and I think I can do it. Kind of excited to give it a try. Whenever I get the embroidery done. 

Here is a photo of draping the pattern for the back of the chair. 

This photo shows making the pattern for the cushion of the chair. 

My plan is to print both of these pieces and then embroider them while I am sitting at the Farmers Markets this summer. Maybe I will get to the printing today! I hope so. I can't wait to dig into this project and see how pretty my slipcovered chair comes out. Long range project for sure. 

This weekend, Craftsy is having a sale for all their classes. $19.99 for any class. Check out my Stitch It With Wool: Crewel Embroidery or perhaps the Custom Fit Slipcovers class. Use the following link to receive the sale price on any Craftsy Class you buy. (I will get a small percentage of the sale and you will help keep this little old farm running.)

http://www.craftsy.com/ext/KristinNicholas_holiday

Have a Happy Creative 4th of July fellow Americans! Good weekend to all of you.

Doctor Z, Doubling Up Knit Gloves + Last Chance for Craftsy Discount Today

The other day I went to the Saturday Farmers Market in Amherst. It is the only day of the week that I even try to make myself presentable. When you work from home, or are involved with sheep and lambs in the depth of winter, all thoughts of cleaning yourself up kind of evaporate. When I got home from the market, I couldn't figure out why I was so cold. And then I realized, it was the first day in weeks that I hadn't had two layers of pants on, including a pair of wool ones. Layers of wool really help keep you warm. Also, wearing a wool hat inside has become normal. Wool fiber is probably why the sheep do not to seem to be bothered at all by the unbelievable cold we are having. 

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the movie Dr. Zhivago. Do you remember this scene? 

 

And the interiors of the farmhouse Lara and Yuri go to escape in. I must watch that movie again. If you haven't ever seen it, totally worth a watch.

 

This morning, the pipes in the kitchen sink are frozen. Once again, a first for us living here in this farmhouse. I must admit, I have never experienced frozen pipes! The kitchen pipes run along the outer wall of the house so I shouldn't be surprised. Luckily, the rest of the pipes in the house are fine. I'm working on thawing them with an electric heater. It is supposed to be this cold for several more days.

I've been wanting a new pair of knit barn gloves. The pair I have been wearing for years have had all the fingers re-knit at least once. Because my gloves are going to be barn gloves, I thought it might be advisable to use a superwash wool. I grabbed a skein of my Regia Design Line Sock Yarn and a skein of my old Best Foot Forward Sock Yarn (from the Nashua days). My plan was to double strand them and see what happens with the colors. I also tried triple stranding the sock yarn but the fabric was a little too heavy.

I cast on and knit. I used a basic glove pattern similar to one from Ann Budd's "The Handy Books of Knitting Patterns" (great book - highly recommended - basic patterns in many, many gauges). Here is what they looked like before washing. I love how the colors mingle together in no particular pattern or order.

Below is what they look like after washing. The fabric stretched out a bit in length but I think they will work out fine. 

I must admit though, I do prefer wool that isn't "superwash treated." I like the grab it has vs. the silkiness of the superwash. I think I may make another similar pair of gloves but just use my basic Color By Kristin. 

Lastly for today - you have one more day to get UP TO 50% off on Craftsy classes. Use this link to grab your savings: http://www.craftsy.com/ext/KristinNicholas_holiday
By using my link, you will help me generate a little bit of money, and get yourself a nice discount. Check out my Craftsy class Stitch It With Wool: Crewel Embroidery. I myself have been wanting to take the Craftsy class on the photo program Lightroom. I must do it soon. 

This just in from Stephanie - one of my students from the Summer Crewel Class here at the farm. Stephanie also has taken my Craftsy crewel class on-line. Her finished pillow is shown above. She edged the block with some pretty quilting cotton. Isn't it gorgeous? I love how everyone's pillow looks different because they change up the colors. Nice job Stephanie!

Phoebe and Christmas Kitten Love

Popping in today to say hi and share these sweet photos of Petunia grooming Rascal. Awwww.

The house is finally decorated to our liking, the tree is up and some presents are being purchased. I hope you all are enjoying the annual ramp-up to the winter holidays - not getting too wigged out about it all. This too shall pass remember! I missed the Monday Book Giveaway everyone. Sorry about that - I will make it up to you in the New Year!

This Christmas we will be missing our sweet dog Phoebe who passed away quietly the Sunday before Thanksgiving. She was my sweetheart, my sidekick - always by my side when I was working. The house is so much quieter without her - no more morning barking to alert us all of the school bus and UPS truck. We were so lucky to have her as a family member for 15 1/2 years. 

Photo by Rikki Snyder

Photo by Rikki Snyder

A quick note to say that you can purchase my Craftsy Class Stitch It with Wool for $19.99. Have you been wanting to learn Crewel Embroidery? Here's your chance for a sweet deal (regular price is $34.99). Use this link - http://www.craftsy.com/ext/KristinNicholas_holiday to receive the discount on my class and any others you may want to queue up for over the holidays and 2015.