I can’t believe we have a whole month to wait until the Halloweenies Haunted House canvas arrives at our doorsteps. Of some consolation is the availablilty of the Kelly Clark designed Katt Z. Witch canvas in mid Janurary. It fits right in with the house and characters to come in the Halloweenies Home Study program. Robin King will be teaching a class with Katt Z. at TNNA Market on Friday. The canvas along with Robin’s stitchguide will then be available to us. Maybe we can get started on that. In the meantime, I already have my stretcher bars ready for the Haunted House. It is a large canvas so I plan to use Evertite Stretcher Bars. This canvas will be on bars for at least a year (or more), so the canvas may loosen up as the seasons change. Evertites are thick wooden bars with a built in stretcher mechanism. If you mount your canvas straight and tight to begin with, all you have to do to restretch your loose canvas is titen the screws in each end of each bar. The Chilly Hollow Adventure has an excellent review of them. http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2009/11/evertites-review.html Thank you Jane.
Evertites are the best way to keep your canvas as tite as a drum without ever having to remount the canvas. It can take 30 minutes to untack and then restretch a canvas of this size. That’s a loss of valuable stitching time! If you thought you would stitch the Haunted House on a scroll frame you may want to reconsider. I can tell you that Amy Bunger has planned some interesting dimentional stitches for the Haunted House and it will not work very well to roll it up on a scroll bar. It would be better to work at a table with a frame weight holding your framed canvas steady. That also leaves both of your hands free to tackle those decorative stitchs. This might take some getting use to, but in the end you will have a better Haunted House. I believe most of the people who have signed up for the Halloweenies Home Study have requested Evertites be sent to them along with the Haunted House canvas. If you have never used them, please read the directions carefully before you put the bars together and attach your canvas. It is not as straightforward as you would think. But it is not that difficult either.
Stay tuned for news from Robin about her class at the TNNA market this weekend. Can’t wait.
My pleasure. I updated that article to add how to disassemble them once the stitching is finished. Never occurred to me that I needed to know that but they are different and the first time is confusing. After that, well, it is like learning to ride a bike and they really are great if you don't mind heavy stretcher bars.
ReplyDeleteHi Peggy,
ReplyDeleteI picked up my Evertites locally, so I am ready and eager! I am wondering if others have problems with their backs when working on large stretcher bars. Perhaps I am doing something wrong, or my posture is incorrect. any tips!??
thanks,
Kathy
Kathy, I rotate my canvas a lot to make it easier to get to a section without reaching far across the bars. I just do what it takes to get the stitching area in a good spot for my back and arms. It doesn't always work but ease of stitching is the goal. I know some people like to keep the canvas top up all the time. But if it makes is easier, just rotate the canvas and rotate the stitch diagram.
ReplyDeleteJane, thanks for the tip on disassembling the Evertites. They can be damaged if taken apart before unscrewing the corners.
ReplyDeletethanks Peggy!
ReplyDelete