My needle-y affections have turned lately to all kinds of needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, and especially crewel. I've never actually done crewel, but it has really piqued my interest and some recent online thrifting led to these juicy items showing up in my hot little hands:
This masterpiece is already framed and perched in my kitchen, making an excellent addition to the Wall of Fish and Jello. Which I suspect is soon to evolve into the Wall of Fish and Needlepoint.
This kit was too good to pass up. It just cracks me up, and I think the "I finally got it together" would make the best cubicle gift ever. [Sorry you have to cock your head to look at it - no matter how I rotate the image, blogger keeps uploading it this way. ??]
Another kit I had to have. I'm dying to tear into this for the kitchen. There's something about making something from a kit that is so appealing to me right now - I'm craving the complete removal of any thought or even creativity. I just want to sit there and get the satisfaction of filling in the whole canvas without having to think about a thing. (I know, kind of weird. Maybe I need a vacation.)
This kit comes with acrylic yarn, and I was thinking of swapping it out for new wool yarns, just because I don't know how great the quality of the seventies-era acrylic will be. But then my mom told me horror stories of moths eating wool crewel pieces, which made me think maybe that's not such a great idea either.
Anybody out there have any advice on hanging wool artwork on the wall and/or working with thirty/forty-year-old craft materials? Because even though I crave mindlessness, I don't want to be bummed when I'm done.
Thoughts??
3 comments:
fun! (and i hear you on the crochet/knitting). we had an awesome book (that is probably still in our cube) from Better Homes and Gardens that I remember having some neat crewel patterns (you could work them with red heart or something). It has a big butterfly on the cover, if it's still there.
as for working with old yarns..yeah, i'd probably swap it for something newer, but maybe an acrylic blend, to keep moths away. personally i've never had a problem with moths (especially inside a frame?)but it does seem to be the fear. if you can find a michael's, i think they actually have acrylic yarn in small doses near the embroidery floss. not that you don't already have enough access to that.
Do you have a lead on any stores in NYC can you buy the thinner yarn used for Crewel.
hey Greg - try Annie Co. Needlepoint, on Madison Ave somewhere in the 80's I think. Or Rita's Needlepoint on East 79th. good luck!
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