In the article I wrote about lighting I forgot to mention something about lamp shades. When you're using a higher watt bulb you want a lamp shade with a fabric interior, not plastic. Even if you are using a larger shade the risk of having the plastic heat up is greater than I think is worth it for a less expensive shade. The shades I have for the lamps with the 80/200/250 bulbs have an interior lining of silk (the outside is linen).

I heard from customers about a variety of questions and comments. One comment was in regard to fluorescents and the problems of fading. I am by no means, an experent in this - I can only tell about my personal experiences. The lights we use in the store are classified as natural daylight bulbs but they also have a non-UV component to them to reduce fading problems with our inventory. While it doesn't eliminate the fading entirely it does help. I don't know about the UV properties of the task lights that use daylight bulbs so it would be something to check out if you're going to use fluorescent lights as a main source of lighting.

A great comment came from Anne in the Northwest: "I've been using Holtkötter lamps for stitching for years now. They're great!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I now have five in three rooms, all versions of the candlestick series.  They're super all-around lamps, attractive and with the dimming system good for everything from mood to task lighting. The halogen bulbs make it easy to tell colors apart even at night, something I had real problems with with incandescents, and the light is more flattering to people than flourescents." Anne went on to tell me she thought they were well worth the money. They are pricey lamps but the quality is certainly there to make it worth the extra expense. Thanks for the comments Anne.

How Do I Figure Out How Much Fabric I Need For My Project?

This is a question we get asked many times each day at the shop. Whether it's for a counted-thread project or needlepoint knowing how much fabric you need for a design means knowing a few things before you buy your fabric. The things you need to know are:

1. What is the stitch count of your design? This is the number of stitches, whether it's a cross-stitch design, needlepoint, Bargello, Hardanger, Blackwork or whatever. Most charts will tell you for example that the piece is say, 180 x 260 stitches. If it doesn't provide this info you will need to count it on the chart.
2. What count and type of the fabric will you be stitching on (e.g. 18 count Aida, 36 count linen, 24 count canvas)?
   
3. Are stitching over 1 fabric thread or 2? For Aida & Aida weave fabrics you're generally stitching over 1 fabric "block" which for lack of anything better we'll continue to call a "thread". The other fabric commonly stitched over 1 is needlepoint canvas. For linen and evenweaves you could be stitching over 2, which is the most common in charts, or over 1 thread.  Keep in mind certain techniques like Bargello and Hardanger may have a chart that shows the stitching over each fabric thread. Be sure you know how to read your chart for this component. We'll call this Fabric Threads to use it in our formula.
   
4. How is the stitched pieced going to be finished? Will it be a pillow? An ornament? A framed piece with a large mat? All of these have different requirements for the margin you'll need to add. For an ornament, stocking or pillow you should only need 1-2 inches per side. For framing it's anywhere from 2-6 inches per side - it depends on how big your mat is (2 inches is for no mat). Remember to double this when using it in the formula since you need that margin on both sides.
   

Debi and I are off to Nashville next Thursday for the TNNA market there. It's where we meet up with our Society of Soie Surfine buds (which includes our Needlework Mafia gang) as well as lots of other friends. This is mostly a counted-thread market so there'll be a lot of new designs being released. With funds being tight these days we won't be bringing as much back with us, but I'll write up a note about what's new at market and we can always order anything we found there and didn't bring back. The piece I think people are looking forward to the most is Carriage House Samplings' Autumn at Hawk Run Hollow, which Kathy Barrick is releasing there. You can see her progress on her blog. It's going to have a different form factor from all the previous HRH designs so I'm looking forward to seeing the stitched model.

With the Olympics starting on Friday I know that I'll be spending more quality with my TV/DVR and Stitching in tandem. I had thought about doing an "Olympic project" and trying to do it just during the games, but my Zecca bird purse is almost done and calling to me. And there are several other projects in the started phase I need to work on. So perhaps my stitching & games combo will be about finishing up a project or two. What a wonderful idea - actually finishing a project I've started! Hopefully you'll have some time to stitch as well and if you're an Olympics fan, enjoy the games at the same time.

Happy Stitching,

Cathe
Cathe's Personal Blog
...and Debi, Leila, Jennifer, Mary, Ali, Mary Frances, Caroline, Sherry, Susan and Margaret