Some Tardy Canvases

This week I received some tardy canvases.  One, I think was ordered last September.  However, it is so gorgeous, who can complain?

Melissa Shirley and Trubey are the two artists who I believe do the most gorgeous shells.  These are by Melissa.

 This is an 8x8" swallow-tailed hummingbird canvas.  It is the central design from a larger canvas that Melissa does with about a 3 inch border.  It's for those stitchers who don't want to commit to an 18x18 canvas (or 20x20). Melissa has a series of about 20 designs with the original being the large version, followed by the 8x8 on 13mesh and then the 3rd size of 5x5" on 18mesh.

 I saw this "bird" canvas by Charley Harper last week on Facebook.  I decided that I just had to have it--called, and about 5 days later it appeared at Needle Nicely.  Now if I were stitching (which I am not at the moment), I would drop everything to start stitching this.  I just love it!

 This is one of Stitch-Its newer sweater designs.  I love the construction of those tennis/running shoes.

I bought this pretty doll canvas, designer unknown, from Pat Miller's Stashing/Destashing Blog last week.  I think she is gorgeous and I would love to stitch her, but I have no little girls in my life.

A Floral Gift

Thursday, a customer came in with a gift for Needle Nicely.

It was to thank us for locating a replacement Trubey Christmas stocking canvas.  She had stitched the stocking about 20 years ago and given it finished to one of her daughters.  Recently her daughter's house burned down and the stocking was lost.  Since it was a Trubey design, it was reasonably easy for us to locate a photograph and have a similar, but not identical, canvas painted.

But what a pleasant surprise to receive such a thoughtful gift.  Thank you!

Needlepoint finishing, step-by-step

Most needlepoint shops have a group of finishers to whom they send items for finishing.  Needle Nicely has approximately 20, though I haven't systematically counted them.  Let's do it now.  I have 5 belt finishers, though the fifth one is suspect since the last belt I sent to them took so long they didn't invoice me for the finishing (say no more).  I have 1 pillow finisher.  I have 1 rug finisher; ditto for bell pull finisher. (We are now up to 8).  Door knob hangers--I have 2, but I have been told that one is quitting in January.  I have 1 Christmas ornament finisher.  I have 1 finisher for needlepoint cuffs.  I have 1 shoe finisher, though I have the information for another I haven't tried yet, but who everyone recommends.  Most shoe finishing is no longer possible, sigh!  I have a flip-flop finisher.  For purse finishing, I have 6 finishers, depending on whether there is leather or shirred fabric, etc., etc. (20 is now our total amount of finishers).   I have lost 1 frame finisher, but still have one I like (another I don't like).  I have a local upholsterer and a local framer I like to recommend.  I, of course--or maybe not so automatically--do blocking and hand sewing.  For instance, I block the flaps for Sophia's purses and then hemstitch the lining down.  I also block, back and then attach the canvases for Pischke's Pockets.  And I block all belts before sending them to whatever finisher the desired style dictates.  I also do the finishing for Voila's key fobs and Creative Needle's jewelry cases. But I try to encourage my customers to do this for themselves.   So our total is now 24.

Things I don't have finishers for:  Trubey has designs for children's wing back chairs.  It has been years since I had a finisher I could rely on/trust to do what I felt was a good job on upholstering these.  Director's chairs, whether adult or for children.  I have the frames, but not a finisher whose work I find acceptable.  

The reality is that finishers are aging out. And because most finishing is done by hand, it is getting more and more expensive.  I just shake my head when customers tell me they are tucking their finished products away to be finished later.  Why?  Finishing is certainly not going to get any cheaper.  And, more importantly, will there be a competent finisher for that item when they do decide to get it finished.  I seriously doubt it. So, go through those items and have finished those you really like.  Give the other stitched canvases to a charity and say a fond farewell.  Get them out of your life.  If they aren't worth the cost of finishing today coupled with your sentimental attachment, they will never be worth the cost of finishing. 

Palm frond slides, reshaped

Well, so much for my optimism about showing you my finished spider.  Please understand that usually I send everything to specific finishers, depending on their specialties.  However, I know that the latest issue of Needlepoint Now features Timothy and contains stitch and finishing suggestions.  Now when do you think I'll get my copy?  Vero Beach seems to be at the end of the bulk mailing chain.  Sigh!  So it will just be a little bonus when I can get my head around the easiest way to do the finishing. I have my cording made and my fiber fill on high alert.  It probably would have been smarter to send my pumpkin to a professional.  

So I've bumped up my introduction of another reshaping of an exclusive Trubey design for Needle Nicely.  She did this for several shapes of pocket books and for slide shoes.  

If you look closely, you can detect where the original lines were whited out (with gesso) and the top of the fronds extended up and out.  These will make pillow inserts the same size as the two flamingo pillows I stitched this summer.

I started by outlining the palm fronds on the top right.  I did this the 4 hours I was in the Atlanta airport waiting for my flight home last Monday.  I interspersed people watching with boring stitching.  Since I've been home, I have worked on the Byzantine mosaic for the sky.  I am using splendor for all of the design elements.

Swimming with the fishes, part III

The evening newscaster just proclaimed "Today is the beginning of the Romney/Obama political campaign."  And here I thought the talking heads started that 7 months ago!  One of my Canadian customers said Monday that she didn't want to appear rude, but it did seem to be dragging on quite a bit.  All I think about is the money that is being spent on campaign ads that could be spent on feeding the poor or installing new programs in schools.  Of course, if the wife of just one of the candidates had been photographed doing needlepoint, I might be more tolerant!  

As evidence that the season is speeding past, Needle Nicely had its yearly employees luncheon at the Ocean Grill again today.  Poor Adele, who lives an hour South, got lost on her way from the shop and got to tour the greater suburban Vero Beach area.  As I was walking into the restaurant, I thought about pictures.  Then my cellphone rang and I had to try to lead Adele back in the right direction.  Our waitress was not amused!  We all had a wonderfully chatty time, though, and the food was delicious.

I managed quite a bit of stitching this week because of the Masters'.  I was so interested in Bubba's shots and performance that I could hardly take a stitch. 

I almost finished "greenie" during all that golf viewing.  I'm still looking at the seaweed.  I think I have the stitch I'll use, but I'm putting it off until after I finish the fish.  I rarely do the continental stitch and I've been surprised at how slowly it stitches on the fins. 

I guesstimate that I'm about 50% done.  I'm impatient to finish because I have already selected my next 3 projects! 

Whew! It's the season (thank goodness!)

Well, they've (the snow birds) been here since the end of January.  Starting last Thursday, they must have realized they won't be in Vero forever, so they started shopping.  Hooray!  I'm exhausted, but happy.  I'm spreading the happiness as I start to pay for the new canvases I've been receiving.  Plus, I spent this afternoon writing up finishing to mail to finishers.  And just to prove to myself I can still do it (Helen usually does our cording, so well I don't need to supervise), I made cording out of neon rays plus to be used as an edging on a wall hanging.  I only had to undo it once to twist it tighter.  Of course, I forgot to take a photograph.  I'll try to remember to do so before I close the package.  Some other time I'll do an essay about the skill sets that needlepoint shop owners must possess.  Perhaps sooner rather than later because of the recent string on the ANG chat list about what stitchers want in a lns.  Not to mention the essay detailing the desired attributes of a needlepoint shop customer!

My home stitching is almost nonexistent--last night this old lady took a short nap before dinner (our day was that busy).  Thank goodness dinner was spaghetti with home-made (by my dh) sauce that was frozen, my home-made garlic bread (again, frozen), and a fresh salad prepared by my dh.  Marvelous planning on my part!  

So tonight's blog is to showcase some "Oldies, but goodies" in Needle Nicely's inventory.  I love them too much to reduce their prices, which you'll understand when you see them.

First, we have this pieced Christmas tree from TS Designs.  It is one of a limited edition for 1989 (shock!).  At one time we had 4 or 5 of these because we had a stitched model.  We mistakenly thought we had sold them all and donated our model to some charity.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered this canvas hidden away--especially since we'd had inquiries over the years and said we had no more.       

You'll have to excuse Blogger for inserting those photographs before my commentary.  As I have learned, Blogger definitely has control over what happens on these blogs, free though they may be!

This next canvas by Melissa Shirley is of Santa Claus.  I stitched the same design for a customer over 10 years ago.  Then we had it finished as a large stand-up.  I loved the finished product so much that I ordered another canvas thinking I might stitch it for myself someday.  So I won't put it on sale, but I also haven't stitched it.  Other shop models seem to always be clamoring to be stitched and thus take precedence. 

It was so much fun to stitch that trim so it really looked like ermine!

And the final canvas is one by Trubey.  This also is finished as a stand-up.  The design seems to scream, "stitch me with lots of glitz and fancy stitches!" 



30th anniversary sale

This is my 100th post.  I had already posted when I realized what a momentous occasion.  30 years in Vero and 100 pearls (?) .  Wow!

This next week Needle Nicely will be celebrating its 30th year in business in Vero Beach.  In celebration I've put everything in stock in the store (canvases, fibers, books, accessories) 25% off from October 17th through October 22nd.  That's for walk-ins and mail-order, so if you liked something I have blogged about and would like it, just email me or call (nnicely@gate.net or 772 567 6688).

And it's a 25% off sale because I am currently paying 6 1/2% for credit cards so technically the sale is 31 1/2% off for credit card sales!!  But that's a rant for another day.

And just for the record, I'm prematurely grey and only 35.  I started needlepointing at a very early age.

In other news, I received the model back from the finisher for the disco/ornament bag (I showed photos of available canvases and the stitched canvas on April 20, 2011).

As you can see, I decided to keep the cording solid red since we also used it for the purse welting.

And this shows how thick the finished product turned out.  Just big enough for a driver's license, a credit card, and perhaps a lipstick! 

And to cover other old news, I received an official letter yesterday from the Florida Department of Revenue concerning my August sales taxes.  They wanted me to know that they had noticed that I hadn't filed them.  Of course, there was no mention that I had paid September a month early.  I'm glad I went through the hassle Wednesday of calling and holding while my September coupon payment was correctly credited to August.  And, yes, I'm holding my breath to see if my  coupon with August crossed out and September written in gets properly credited to my account.  Life in the fast lane can be so exciting!

And to mention yet another bummer--Trubey's distributor confused the dates for her trunk show celebrating 30 years of the business she originally opened.  So, the Trubey trunk show will begin October 20th or thereabouts.  Thank goodness I called Wednesday to check the status.  Duh!  The show was shipped on Thursday.  I assume they sent it by mule train rather than 3-day so I should get it by Thursday.