Sheep are the natural subject for hooked mats made with wool. This little design is more playful than realistic because the wooly part of the sheep is outlined in bright colours. The faces are hooked simply in solid black. The landscape is a mixture of soft medium to light greens highlighted with the same colours […]
Nancy has been a crafter since she could hold a pair of scissors. Sewing and needlework became a passion in elementary school. She is a journalist by profession and when as- signments take her from her home office, she also takes the time to cruise around thrift stores and find new treasures to re-purpose. She […]
My Hramavik – Thunder Spirit design is the result of three sources of inspiration: a Belarusan motif pattern, the Trianglepoint stitch technique and the colour palette proposed by A Needle Pulling Thread. A few years ago, I came across a book from our Toronto Guild of Stitchery Library entitled Trianglepoint by Sher- lee Lantz1 . […]
This design owes its inspiration to Carla, the publisher of A Needle Pulling Thread! She took this won- derful photograph of some flowers she had purchased at the Farmers Market, and asked me if I would use my talent to convert the picture into a design for the magazine. I accepted the challenge – and […]
You will have noticed that the last two International Santas have contained a good injection of humour, and this Canadian Santa continues the trend. During their design process I was going through some major personal challenges. Thankfully, designing cross stitch patterns is a good form of therapy for me. Humour lightens my heart and I […]
Lucy Garvin and Sherry Del Rizzo have both appeared in A Needle Pulling Thread magazine on their own, Festive 2008 and Summer 2010 respectively. They imagined it would be a fun and creative for our readers if they joined forces to create a special feature. When they met, Sherry and Lucy were both members of […]
I was approached in February 2010 to take part in Corsets: Fabulous Fashion Accessories*, a fashion show held at the Fall 2010 CreativFestival in Toronto, Ontario. Over the years as a Costume Builder, I have sewn many corsets. The corset fashion show gave me the ideal opportunity to try something different and knitting a corset […]
In the spring, everyone, Canadians especially, quickly don their capris and shorts. But the weather can still be cool. Knee highs allow us to take full advantage of the sun, and still protect against that chill. The side lace panels remind me of tulips, the perfect springtime flower. The ribbing was added front and back […]
Spring is close at hand and it is time to celebrate the season with projects that remind us of flowers and warmer weather. These little wallets from collage designer Donna Funnell of Milton, Ontario, will come in handy as change purses or make perfect gifts for friends who need a business card case. These are […]
When my daughter started kindergarten I enjoyed volunteering in the classroom. It was so much fun working with the students. One day the teach- er pointed out a special chair she had chosen to call the “Star of The Day” chair. She explained that each day a student would get a turn to sit in […]