If you can believe it, I’ve started a needlepoint project. You can’t believe it either can you? It all started while helping someone find a needlepoint shop and a finisher for a very cute needlepoint belt. After visiting the store several times, I thought needlepoint might be just the ticket for something to do while watching TV or traveling. And, with trips to Charlotte, NC for Memorial Day and Montreal for the Fourth of July, I have plenty of upcoming time on the road.
After scouring the internet for something ‘fun’ and not too Stepford Wives, I settled on the Kristine Dickerson project, multicolored Union Jacks. I chose this one because, duh, they are Union Jacks. And, because the colors are bright, the needlepoint holes are big and the design lines are clear (i.e. no shading for this beginner).
As you may surmise, this will likely take me a few years to finish. But, it’s the perfect thing for me to work on in bits and pieces.
I’m doing all the crosses of St. George first (the biggest cross). Then, I’ll do the colored background / corners of the cross of St. Andrew. The colored St. Patrick X will be next to last and I’ll finish all the whites in the X for the Cross of St. Andrew. I honestly came up with this course of action by picking biggest swaths of color to smallest. I figure by the time I get to the end, I’ll have mastered the stitches and it will make ‘finishing’ even faster because I’ve saved the smallest bits.
I am also obviously someone who separates their Skittles and M&Ms into colors.
And, if you’re wondering what I’m going to do with it. Wall hanging for sure. I am not a needlepoint pillow person. But, it will look terrific in my house as wall art. I’ve also committed to ONE needepoint project at a time and NO Christmas ornaments (They are not my style. I will not get sucked in.).
So, hip hip hooray for expensive new hobbies. And, um, check this space in two to three years for a finished product.
Miss Celie's Pants 
I understand your new passion for needlepoint. It is very relaxing. I love your Union Jack art! Have fun with it.
What an adorable fun project. I bet you finish it faster than you think. I did counted cross stitch before kids. It was very relaxing to have something in my hands to work on while I watched TV and such. I think your project would be even more so, since you don’t have to count specific spaces and find out an hour later that you did one too many stitches of one color and have to rip.
One reason I can’t knit by hand. I just cannot pay enough attention. I was constantly frogging!
On Thu, May 14, 2015 at 9:33 AM, Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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Congratulations on a new hobby. 🙂 That is a very fun design. I have fond memories of needlepointing at my grandmother’s house – my greatest goal was to make a tissue box cover! Might I also suggest a go at knitting for good airplane entertainment…
I started cross stitch last year for the portability of it too. Traveling for work and pleasure you need something small to work on. Enjoy your new hobby.
PRETTY! and time-consuming. Have fun, Mary
That’s a fun design! Be careful – new hobbies like that are addictive. I knit, so I don’t go anywhere without knitting bag in hand. I had the car serviced earlier this week & all I could think of was, “ooh, knitting time!”
That’s is so true. New hobbies ARE extremely addictive. 🙂 Usually I prefer sewing and (hand)knitting over other forms of needle work. But last year I startet crocheting and couldn’t stop anymore until I had finished 7 flowers to put on my handmade blouse, 1 jeans blue top for the summer with elaborate patterns and a large blanket with about 150 granny squares.
My little sister used to do a lot of needle point works but somehow lost her mojo a long time ago.
Have fun with your new hobby!
I have a vintage needlepoint purse from a relative from over thirty years ago and it is fantastic! Good luck with needlepoint — I am jealous!
After 9-11 we couldn’t bring knitting needles onto the planes (I work on the plane and knit on my trips!) so I tried needlework and it was fun. Slow but fun. I bought two kits and one is done (small one) and one is still “resting”, so hurrah for one at a time. Plus yours is super CUTE! I found a whole world of modern, graphic designs available (Ehrmantapestry.com is dangerous). So filed under good to know and still knitting. Good luck!
I say this with love: But, I wish you hadn’t shown me that page!! They have Baltimore Album Quilt panels! And all the cool geometric stuff. Ok. Walking away and reminding myself: one needlepoint at a time.
On Thu, May 14, 2015 at 10:57 AM, Miss Celie's Pants wrote:
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I’m a huge needlepoint fan, too! I find it to be almost hypnotic, and relaxing. Enjoy it!
“Not too Stepford Wives”- I love you 🙂
Oh it’s awesome! That’ll make a fantastic wall hanging. I think that’s a fantastic hobby, wish I’d tried it years ago when I spent an inordinate amount of time waiting around in various places for my child to get finished with things, I could have needle pointed the Empire State Building by now. 🙂
So nice ! My grandmother was my needlepoint’s teacher. l ‘m French, and I love sewing ; your blog is great !
Good choice. Nice and portable too. I’ve taken to colored pencil in front of the tv. First with coloring books and then I started making outfits on my croquis and coloring them in Fun, but not portable like your needlepoint. Have fun,
ah, Montreal, I was last there so long ago that the delightful flight crew asked my kids if they wanted to visit the cockpit – kids were too sophisticated but I wasn’t…..THERE’S a lovely custom that I’m afraid has gone forever. We practiced our French, stayed in McGill University housing with a little kitchen and took the Metro everywhere and had fantastic food……and I remember a street of great fabric stores, and bagels….
have fun!
Ceci
I actually do like needlepoint pillows :O). I have one started that has been started ummmm counting….. well years covers it. It all started on a trip to a craft store many many years ago that was having a big sale on needlepoint kits. When I left the store I had four yes four kits! I had never done needlepoint in my life LOL. My are all florals. I work on it now and again and I do plan to finish all four of them in my lifetime. :O) I don’t find it difficult to do, though I think I could have picked easier ones since they were my first go at it. Its great on a car trip because I cannot read in the car (makes me car sick) but for some odd reason i can do needlepoint or quilt. I once knew the name of a online store to order wool needlepoint thread/yarn very reasonable but I would have to do some digging to find it again! Good for you trying out new hobbies.
It’s delightful to see your expanding your fiber horizons. I am enjoying the ride. It is something I have done many times over the years and it keeps our creative juices fresh and moving. Let me know when you are ready to try bead weaving, my latest journey! It’s fun to stretch creatively. We all know we love to sew but there are so many other expressions of fiber love.
Pretty colors! I have never done needlepoint, but it looks so pretty, I’m tempted. Very, very tempted…I do spend a lot of time waiting, traveling, etc.
I love love love this! Have fun with it!
Needlepoint pillows…love them…perfect heirlooms to hand down or give as presents. I still have the ones I made 40 years ago. Your colors are so exciting and modern but I never knew people separate M&Ms by color?
This nice needlepoint designer lives around the corner from me. Her designs are mod. http://www.jennyhenrydesigns.com/
This looks so fun! I better not think about it too much… I need another hobby like I need a hole in my head! You’ve got some cool trips on the horizon! Montreal is one of my favorite places to visit. 🙂
Cross Stitch was my go-to for a while – never did a needlepoint though.
I like the flags, definitely not Stepford Wives LOL.
Enjoy your Montreal visit – PR2010 was a long time ago !
I LOVE needlepoint! Hadn’t done any in 30 years but then saw an advertisement for Alex Beattie’s Creation series from Ehrman Tapestries and I was hooked again! There are six in the series, one for each day of Creation. I envision a really cool wall gallery with each in individual frames. What stitch are you using? And how do you like the frame and where did you get it? Is it bulky to use? I am doing the basketweave stitch and that distorts the canvas quite a bit – am thinking I need a frame to help alleviate some of that distortion.