in this issue - myneedlepoint.com · hand-dyed threads, take the tags off and make a bath of tepid...

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In This Issue1 Shop News2 Upcoming Classes 3 Painting Update4 Sales Update5 Finishing Update

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6 Stitch of the Month7 Thread of the Month8 Charity Update9 Russells Thoughts

SHOP NEWS

It is definitely July here in Philadelphia We are all trying our best to stay cool even the poodles

TRUNK SHOW ALERT Whimsy amp Grace Designs


More Whimsy amp Grace designs in the shop all month long We are in love with these newdesigns You can expect the classic WampG napoleon bees but there are some unique ones aswell like the darling blue owl series pictured above

Click Here to shop the collection


The Trunk Show Special Whimsy amp Grace designs are 20 off - all month long You have theoption to purchase threads for the canvas as well for 10 off the cost of the threads If you areinterested in a thread pull - order the canvas online and select Yes on Fiber For The Canvas

Upcoming Classes amp Events

Susan Hoekstra an ANG-certified senior master teacher will be joining us in the fall for twoclasses There are still open slots for both If you are interested please contact the shop to save

your place Even if you cant make the class Susan is an interesting designer to know

The second class she will be teaching pictured above in purple and gold is Butterfly in theGarden which will take place 1024 - 1026 Pictures dont really do this one justice Thecenterpiece of this abstract sampler of a garden is a butterfly involving goldwork that will bestitched separately and attached This class is recommended for the advanced intermediatestitcher as there are several techniques involved With Halloween around the corner make aweekend of this one

The first class is American Folk Sampler on 1027 This classic design is highly customizablewith a range of motifs to fit the occasion of your choosing I have personally always wanted todo an old-school piece like this So sweet


If you are interested in saving your place for a class please e-mailRussellRittenhouseNeedlepointcom

Painting Update New Techniques

In the past wersquove struggled with capturing certain kinds of variegated background effects onneedlepoint canvas Needlepoint canvas is great for stark lines and blocks of colors but it getstricky once layered color effects come into play Wersquove found a solution in an unlikely placesponge brushes


Extremely inexpensive and easy to use sponge brushes come in all different shapes andsizes and can be used to create a variety of effects From patinas to stippling and from blendingto washes sponge brushes are very versatile

These effects can be captured by thread in many different ways as well They are great forspecialty stitches open stitches and variegated threads You could even try stranding differentcolors of thread together


We tried them out for the first time on our Klimtrsquos The Kiss paintings and are now exploring thevarious uses of the sponge brush on other designs The above example is from one of the newpaintings we are adding to the Rittenhouse line stay tuned to find out what they are and donrsquotforget to look out for the dappled sponge brush effect

If you are interested in getting a free estimate for custom painting you can fill out our form here

From Our Sales Team Gritty is here


The NHL mascot that has taken the city of Philadelphia by storm is now available inneedlepoint form This rendition of the beloved character was designed by our in-house painterKevin Connell This versatile design can be stitched in a circle or a square Gritty is painted on18m and ready to ship

Click Here To Shopor

Get an Estimate for Your Favorite Mascot

A Finishers Perspective on Colorfast (and Not SoColorfast) Threads


For whatever reason my eyes are just drawn to hand-dyed variegated threads Theyrebeautiful Their flowing color gives us the in-between shades that we just cant get with solid-colored thread They allow us to mimic the variation that we might find in an alpine meadow or abeautiful sunset on a partly cloudy day

Threads like these are however often susceptible to bleeding With just a few droplets ofdistilled water on the rosy thread pictured above the dye released after a matter of seconds

This release of dye can be a potential nightmare for finishers which is why we ask about it onour finishing forms Here at Rittenhouse Needlepoint we wet block most of your pieces - aftertesting the fibers for colorfastness of course Wetting the fibers and the canvas underneaththem allows us to redirect the tensions in a badly skewed needlepoint It requires sometimes adozen dry-blocks to get the same results that you can get through a wet-block This is not anexact science obviously Sometimes the paint used when the canvas was designed can releasepigment once it is wetted Sometimes the color bleeding will come from unexpected sourcessuch as beads

The most obvious sources of color bleeding will come from reds greens and dark colors Wetest anywhere that a dark colored thread touches a very light color Christmas-themed piecessuch as green holly leaves with red berries on a white background are a perfect example of this

But I am not here to tell you that you cant have it all Working with these specialty threadssimply requires a little extra care


One option is to get in the habit of stitching on stretcher bars or a scroll frame so that yourpiece does not skew as badly (and therefore does not need to be blocked as intensely) If youare a very tight stitcher loosening up a little is also helpful

You can also try to fix the dyes in these fibers at home After youve purchased your beautifulhand-dyed threads take the tags off and make a bath of tepid to cool water and white vinegar Ilike to do half and half but 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water will work just as well Let them soakand then rinse thoroughly with tepid water to ditch the vinegar smell Spread them out on a cleantowel and allow them to dry

And of course if you know you have used threads prone to releasing dyes you can alwaysrequest to have your needlepoint dryblocked only The cost of finishing includes 1-2 blockingsso it may cost you a little more but it will give you the peace of mind on your beautiful heirloompiece

Thank you for continuing to trust us with your beautiful needlework If you have any additionaltips or tricks for working with not-so-colorfast threads send them our way Wed love to hearfrom you

Stitch of the Month The Diagonal Knit Stitch

You probably knew we were going to mention Christmas in July at some point didntyou What does that have to do with the diagonal knit stitch Glad you asked Do youhave any idea how many winter needlepoint designs feature scarves You probably do Iabsolutely love the stitches that mimic the texture of knitting It brings so much dimensionto the piece The execution on this one is fairly straightforward


And look at the results


So cute

Thread of the Month Soy Luster


Soy Luster is a staff pick and fiber worth getting to know if you havent already We currentlycarry 126 solid colors as well as 47 tonal options The line is made from 100 soy silk analternative to silk that is typically derived from the waste materials leftover in food-basedsoybean production The resulting fiber has a shine to it akin to a silkwool blend likeImpressions It is best suited for 18 mesh worked in 2-3 plys and comes in 36 yd skeins

From Charity


We take your donations of canvas and thread and redistribute them to those who cant affordneedlepoint or those who would benefit from such a therapeutic craft Here is a note from anorganization who recently received a donation

Thank you so much for the box of canvases Our first two clients These ladies were very happyonce they got the idea Irsquoll be working with three more ladies next Tuesday The little fish canvas

was a huge hit with shelter staff

Russells Picks


Here are four cookbooks Russell has been baking and cooking from quite a bit lately He oftenbrings things into the shop to share with the staff We are all very lucky I will never forget thetime he brought in the blueberry cornmeal skillet cake (You will find that recipe in Bake FromScratch) I loved it so much I had to go home and bake one for myself It seems to disappearrather quickly every time I make it

And for those who couldnt read Russells article on Wishlist Hacks last month due to a mobileglitch

Wishlist Hacks

First I would like to say thank you VERY much for the overwhelming response to my last tidbitabout the two basic types of stitchers mdash Meditative and Creative The fact that so many peopletook the time to write is certainly something that I take to heart and it was wonderful to hear fromso many of you and to know how many of you can relate to being a meditative or creativestitcher


This month I wanted to share a wonderful trick that a customer shared with me about ourwebsite and how she uses it to pull threads for a canvas Many of you know that you can createa Wishlist on our website by signing in or logging in to your customer account Well thiscustomer has created two accounts for herself on our website The first is her true or officialaccount where she orders most of her stuff and has her wishlist of canvases and accessoriesthat she wants to purchase some day

The second account she uses only when she has a canvas that she needs to pull thread forUsing this second login she places her canvas near the computer screen (I suggest that you usean I-Pad as opposed to a desktop computer screen because the I-pad screen and graphics givewhat I think is the most true color) she then scrolls through to see threads that she thinksappropriate for the canvas and she adds them to her Wishlist and NOT her cart She continuesadding threads to the Wishlist until she feels that she has enough Now comes the genius partshe then opens her Wishlist and is able to quickly scroll through and see if any of the thread shehas added doesnt work with the rest of the group If for example the yellow she has addedseems just too loud she removes it and goes back to the threads to find a better yellow

I just thought this was such a clever way to see all her threads together BEFORE purchasingthem And when you think you have exactly what you need you can push the items over to thecart Remember any threads purchased at Rittenhouse may be returned for credit toward in-house finishing So the next time you need thread for a canvas consider this brilliant idea fromone of our super-smart customers just like you Be sure to keep your logins straight and yoursecondary Wishlist empty for the next time you use this handy trick and mdash keep on stitching

xoxo Rittenhouse Needlepoint


Copyright copy 2019 Rittenhouse Needlepoint All rights reserved

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6 Stitch of the Month7 Thread of the Month8 Charity Update9 Russells Thoughts

SHOP NEWS

It is definitely July here in Philadelphia We are all trying our best to stay cool even the poodles

TRUNK SHOW ALERT Whimsy amp Grace Designs











































So cute




From Charity





Russells Picks




Wishlist Hacks




















































So cute




From Charity





Russells Picks




Wishlist Hacks












From Charity





Russells Picks




Wishlist Hacks














Russells Picks




Wishlist Hacks













Wishlist Hacks











in this issue - myneedlepoint.com · hand-dyed threads, take the tags off and make a bath of tepid...

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