Drakula from NeedleDeeva is finished!

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

I met all deadlines last night.

Finished Drakula at 8PM. Generated the FedEx air bill, typed the instructions letter to M's Canvashouse, and said "bon voyage" to my newest Creepy Character from NeedleDeeva. He arrives in Lexington today and begins his transformation into an ornament. He is so cute; I really fell for him. I had the best time designing his Halloween Couture cape and top hat. The bow tie really completes the ensemble. His eyes glow in the dark as well as those fangs. His eyeglasses are Kreinik Hot Wire, and again, I used the lasso technique.

I met another deadline, too. The new NeedleDeeva website went live yesterday. I re-vamped the site, and gave it that special touch which the Deeva deserves. Here's a screen shot of the home page. The website link is www.needledeeva.com

My last deadline was outputting Amy's e-newsletter June 2011. Got it done and it is now online. I slept good last night. Hmmm... I wonder why?

The last character in the NeedleDeeva Creepy Characters series is
Ghost (ND 0467-F). Right now, I am calling him Mr. Jazz Hands. LOL. He will be my traveling companion to the Columbus TNNA Market. I will stitch him in the car while Jill drives; Amy will be stitching her Thanksgiving Banner, too. What a scene that will be!

Today's list of things to do begins with tidying up all of the Creepy Characters threads. (Looks like a minor explosion happened as the deadlines were approaching!) Then, it's time to begin writing the Creepy Characters stitch guides. First will be Hooty because his information needs to be sent to Needlepoint Now. Second will be Fraidy Cat because I will be teaching his class at the TNNA Fall Market in Baltimore, MD in August 2011. The rest of the Characters will be done in alphabetical order.

Well, time for more coffee. Enjoy the day. Hope you meet your deadlines. Thanks, Robin

Kreinik Hot-Wire & Catch Up

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

Sorry to be so long from blogging. I've been enjoying the great progress Peggy has made on Sarcoph A. Gus.

Thought I would take this time to catch up from my trip to California. You will read about it in the February 2010 e-newsletter, but I'm going to share some more photos with you.

Here's a panoramic view from the Hotel I stayed at in Glendale, CA. Talk about a room with a view!

My first Teaching Destination was at Needle In A Haystack/Montrose, CA. Jody Budman is the owner of this wonderful Needlepoint/Knit Shop. I taught the NeedleDeeva Heart #150G. A great time was had by all. I met Jody's husband and their daughter-in-law. Nice, nice people! They really made me feel at home.

My second Teaching Destination was at A Stitch In Time Needlework/San Marino, CA. Alison Hodgkiss is the owner of this wonderful Needlepoint/Knit Shop. I taught the Early Bird (Zecca ZE-107) at 3PM and the Harvest Fairy (MSD DM-09) after dinner. All of the ladies were very kind. Nice, nice people. Here are two photos of her shop. Yes, I was in sunny Southern California.

I was able to preview the new upcoming Kelly Clark's Little Witches which will begin as an exclusive from A Stitch In Time Needlework. Look for their Needlepoint Now ad announcing the series this summer. Seeing Alison's designs and stitches makes me want to sign up for this club.

I had the best time at both of these locations. It was a dream come true. I have been talking with other needlepoint Shop Owners about teaching at their locations for 2011 and 2012. Exciting times, indeed.

OK... now for the rest of the story...

Did you know I have been stitching the NEW NeedleDeeva Halloween Club pieces which will be released in June 2011 with my Stitch Guides?  Yes, I am. Woohoo! There are 8 new designs; cute, cute, and more cute. I'll be sharing these previews with you first. (Another bonus for following the Needlepoint Study Hall blog.) I also have been looking at the new Kreinik Hot-Wire and found some places to use it on these Halloween Club pieces. It is the Kreinik size 16 Braid with a wire center. Too fun. Here's the link to the Kreinik website so you can see the 9 colors.

You all know I have successfully used (as seen on this blog) the DMC Memory Thread.  It's good stuff... now with even more colors. I'd like to share with you one method of inserting the Kreinik Hot-Wire into your canvas. Because it is size 16 Braid with a thin wired core, you might have a bit of difficulty poking it through the canvas; especially through areas with surrounded stitching. This method worked for me; hope it will be helpful for you.

The method I used was the Lasso Method. First, I put on my Cowboy Boots, Cowboy Hat, and got the Lariat handy. (Just kidding... wanted to see if you were paying attention.) But, I did make a Lariat of sorts. Here are some photos of the process I did.

I made an enlarged hole in the canvas with my Laying Tool.

Then I took a strong thread and threaded it into the needle; making a Lariat. Notice the Loop End is close to the Eye of the needle.

Then I put the Needle into the canvas.

Placed the Kreinik Hot-Wire into the Lariat.

Gently tugged on the ends of the Lariat which pulled the end of the Kreinik Hot-Wire through the canvas. 

Here is a photo from the back of the canvas.

 The Kreinik Hot-Wire is now pulled through.

From there, you would whip-stitch and secure the cut end of the Kreinik Hot-Wire to the back of the canvas.

I felt this stuff was good enough to share. I said to myself, "Watch out... she's gonna blog." Oh, I just laughed. Sure have missed everyone. We'll chat again soon. Thanks, Robin