As I was reading through the Fall 1994 issue [...]]]>

A customer came in the shop and wanted to purchase canvas and thread for a pillow she wanted to make like the ones featured in a 1994 Veranda…well I found a post featuring these fabulous designs by Sol Kent and I am truly in love with them!!!

As I was reading through the Fall 1994 issue of Veranda last night, I came across an article on the Atlanta home of the late Sol Kent.

Now, for those of you not familiar with Atlanta, Kent was the legendary fashion director of the late, great, and much missed Rich’s department store. (You remember hometown department stores, don’t you? Those stores that were owned by pillars of the local community? The ones that had clothing departments, book departments, bakeries and tearooms? The stores that were gobbled up by Federated and are now forced to wear the moniker “Macy’s”? I thought you would remember!) Not only did Kent have an eye for fashion, he was a connoisseur of design and antiques as well.
He adored doing needlepoint, but homespun handiwork and corny canvases were not for he! In accordance with his polish and flair, Kent became proficient in creating geometric and graphic works of needle art. In fact, Kent avoided designs that had curves and round lines in them. His refined idiom included squares, rectangles, diamonds, and hexagons. Kent knew what he liked and he stuck with it for years.

Unfortunately, Kent is no longer with us, and I have always been disappointed that I never had the opportunity to purchase one of his pillows. I do remember many years ago when my mother told me about Kent and his passion for geometric needlework, and I believe this influenced my taste in needlepoint design. When I do find the time to engage in a little needlework, I seem to only work on geometric designs. These are the designs that speak to me, courtesy of Mr. Sol Kent.

(Image at top: A few of Sol Kent’s canvases. Note how a few of the canvases feature a “XIX” and a “XI”- these are the nineteenth and eleventh letters in the alphabet, which are also Kent’s initials.)

Check our calendar for details!!!   BUG CALENDAR

Terry is an ANG Master Teacher who has been designing and teaching for more than twenty years. Her experience in watercolor painting and training in architectural [...]]]> Terry Dryden is coming to The Bug…here is just ALITTLE bit about Terry!!!  Terry will teach “SAFARI” at The Bug…details included in this post…

ABOUT TERRY

Terry is an ANG Master Teacher who has been designing and teaching for more than twenty years. Her experience in watercolor painting and training in architectural and landscape design have inspired her designs, which range from floral to geometric, using unique color and textural combinations. She is nationally recognized, teaching at ANG and EGA Seminars, and also teaches at regional guilds and needlework shops. Her designs have appeared in NeedlePointers Magazine as does her ongoing column “In Stitches”.

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TERRY’S RESUME

Certification:  ANG Master Teacher

Education in the Needlearts:

• ANG Master Teacher Program
• Attended numerous workshops and correspondence courses: most recently with Barbara Grass, Jim Wurth, Debbie Stiehler, Betty Chen Louis, Lynn Payette, Susan Reed, Phillipa Turnbull, Barbara Richardsdon., and Joyce Lukomski
• General Education: Studied Art and Architectural Design at U.C. Berkeley and Extension.

Needlework Teaching:

• Correspondence course – ANG Education Directory 2006-2010
• ANG National Seminar 2009, Milwaukee, WI
• EGA Regional Seminar 2009, Florham Park, NJ
• EGA Regional Seminnar 2009, Nashville, TN
• ANG National Seminar 2008, Indian Wells, CA
• ANG National Seminar 2007, Baltimore,  MD
• EGA Regional Seminar 2007, Florham Park, NJ
• EGA National Seminar 2006, Richmond, VA
• ANG National Seminar2006, Tucson, AZ
• EGA Regional Seminar 2006, Dallas, TX
• ANG National Seminar 2005, Nashville, TN
• ANG National Seminar 2003, Lexington, KY
• Workshops for San Francisco Bay Area shops and guilds.
• Workshops for chapters and groups throughout the United States
• Cyber Classes offered through NeedleArtworks 2006-7

Publications:

• NeedlePointers Magazine, January 2005, African Eve
• NeedlePointers Magazine, May 2005, African Sunset
• NeedlePointers Magazine, September 2007, Hydrangea Window Garden
• NeedlePointers Magazine, May 2007 – March-2010, In Stitches column

Affiliations:

• National Embroidery Teachers’ Association
• Golden Gate Canvas Workers, ANG (San Mateo, CA)
• San Mateo Area Chapter Guild, EGA

Service:

• Golden Gate Canvas Workers: ANG, Served as V.P. Programs, Secretary, and Treasurer 2003 - 2008
• ANG Master Teacher Program: Vice Chairman 2008 to present

Exhibitions:

• Invitational Exhibits, ANG National Seminars, 2001-2009

SAFARI

DESCRIPTION: SAFARI is a collage of images: images of giraffes, zebras and cheetahs; Africa baskets, Kuba and Kente cloth patterns; and tribal masks. Slubbed, nubby, pearl and stranded silks, as well as strands of cotton Sea Grass are all used to create this “image collage”. We will study the original images to learn how the beautiful African cloth, basket and mask patterns were re-interpreted. We will also discuss why certain stitches and thread textures were chosen to create the images of giraffes, zebras and cheetah. Slubbed, nubby, pearl and stranded silks, as well as strands of cotton Sea Grass are all used to create this “image collage”. As a final touch several African trade beads are added to the Bobo Plank Mask to create dimension.

GROUND FABRIC: 18 count eggshell mono canvas with design drawn

DESIGN SIZE: Finished design is 10” X 11” X 1/3”

PROFICIENCY LEVEL:  Intermediate

CANVAS/KIT COST: $148.00

INSTRUCTION/TEACHER COST: $165.00

LUNCHES: $20.00

class limited to 10

50% deposit required

CALL THE BUG TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT  334-270-0064!!

Friends & Hosts

or to The Bug lately to see all the wonderful threads!  Rainbow tweed, Neon Rays Plus, Accentuate, Poppies and much more!

Also for those of you that were not able to make [...]]]> I have been knee deep (sole deep) in snow and new threads!  If you have not been to Alabama lately to see the snow

or to The Bug lately to see all the wonderful threads!  Rainbow tweed, Neon Rays Plus, Accentuate, Poppies and much more!

Also for those of you that were not able to make it to the last “Don bug me” stitch in I have some photos from that day!  Lee looks pretty serious about stitching her RUG but I am uncertain what Robin is doing ?? Maybe the 7th inning stretch for the stitcher!

Having difficulty uploading photo of Robin but will post as soon as I get the kink worked out!!

COMPARING BEADING TECHNIQUES

You may remember that I used a single ply of DMC cotton floss from the strand of six to attach the [...]]]> Have you been thinking about beading?  Uncertain of which technique is the best?  Check out one of my favorites “Jane” of Chilly Hollow!  She had a recent – like today- post about beading!!

COMPARING BEADING TECHNIQUES

You may remember that I used a single ply of DMC cotton floss from the strand of six to attach the beads on the tap pants canvas.  I stitched beads in place like they were tent stitches, going through each bead twice with my single thread.

For the bra, I tried another technique. This time I cut a much longer single ply of DMC cotton floss and doubled it in my beading needle. Then I took a tent stitch through my bead.  I came up a second time in the original “up” hole and then put my needle down in the original “down” hole.  I pulled the thread down but not all the way.  I left about two inches on top of the canvas so I could carefully separate the two strands.  Holding them apart with one hand and with a finger from that hand on the bead, I carefully pulled the thread down snug.  This is called a lasso technique or a loop.  You essentially tie the thread down and then put in a second stitch that has one leg of thread on each side of the bead.  This makes a little framework around the bead.  Beads are very wiggly things and you do want to secure them as much as possible.

When I looked at the two pieces, the tap pants have a few beads out of position.  I’m not sure if that is because I stitched the tap pants first and hadn’t realized it was best to work from the bottom of the design up on the diagonal yet, or if the way I secured the beads was better.  It certainly took me longer to attached the beads on the bra but they do seem a little more secure.

I think it is worth it to experiment on your own with these two ways of adding beads.  If I ever totally bead another large section of a painted canvas, I will probably use the loop technique, but it s very slow.  Whatever technique you do, remember to snug the beads down tightly.  We are used to have a somewhat looser tension in making tent stitches but when you are attaching beads, you have to pull tight so that there is no slack in the threads.  Slack in the threads means the beads will wander.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollown