Anna Pearson's Needlepoint Blog

Painting by Hugh Barnden ‘It is how you feel about your home rather than the way it looks’ an interesting comment read recently – when I got to think about it, it makes a great deal of sense.    It is the personal things, the items you have collected on holidays or trips to the country or treasures handed down from your family - and of course things like your needlepoint either made by you or your children or friends given as special gifts. Certain colours in rooms give me a thrill, in a previous home we inherited a deep blue bath (having always said there was only one colour for vanity wear – white) it was tempting to replace it but I decided to work with it, so pleased I did, teaming it with Moroccan tiles and this painting. Our present bedroom is shades of soft blue, the reason for many of my needlepoint designs being shades of the same colour.    Calm, peaceful but full of stitching memories that give me pleasure every time I go in.   Besides two...

With Christmas and all the family festivities and then my being away – fortunately in the sun – I am afraid a blog hasn’t been written recently; however being away from the computer (at least some of the time and the Wi-Fi wasn’t too dependable) I was able to revisit some of the things that happened last year and to plan detail for the next few months. Last year my excitement with coloured canvas, lacy stitches to make full use of both elements and shadow stitching showing a painted design grew.   On the trip I managed to finish ‘Basket Weavers of Road Town’    I have mentioned this piece before, inspired by a painting by Jill Tattersall who went out to Tortola in the BVIs in the 60s with her family;   some years later she painted a series recalling the early days. In Tuscany the group project was the house logo, a pair of pheasants under an olive tree worked with silks and metallic and in Calabria where everyone is able to choose their design I worked a...

Recently back from our third visit to Borghetto Calcinaia following much the same programme as in our previous visits and with three new people to join those who had been before. Special interest holidays work well, needlepoint and stitching are no exception, all the participants have a passion in common and I find needle pointers love flowers, gardens and visiting interesting art museums and quaint villages. They also enjoy their food and sampling recipes and fresh ingredients’ from the area.   A win win situation. Possibly the most important feature of the trip is the stitching project on offer; ideally everyone working on the same design – even if some details are adapted – works so much better with cross fertilisation of ideas and swapping of threads.    On our previous two visits we have worked on panels by the Del Robbia family – a famous family of potters from the area who produced their panels in the 16 century.This year we chose the attractive logo from th...

I love sayings and one by William Morris has always been one of my favourites ’Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful’. Another l saw and adapted was ‘Stitching makes a house into a home’ With the start of Autumn, leaves falling, the clock going back at the end of the month (at least in the UK) now is the time to think of needlepoint projects for the winter evenings. For many years I was a consultant decorator mainly working with private clients on their homes so I am very aware that your stitchery should enhance, add character and work best for you.    We all know that beautiful stitchery takes time and when done deserves the best possible making up. Before suggesting an idea I always research a reliable maker up;   Please do the same – I can and do have pieces returned from both the US and European countries but having a finisher that you can discuss ideas with is best. So to go back to William Morris’s quote I ...

I believe that the vast majority of needle pointers have an ever growing stash of threads; at least that is what I am told by all my students. Sometimes it is small quantities left over from a project, sometimes it is a thread that inspired them to buy it but they have never found a place to use it. For this reason I have designed a number of projects where these threads can be used to great advantage.   Just the other day one of my students told me that she was working the painted rug, The Scented Garden (34 x 46 inches) without buying a single thread. One point I should make is the background, on a large project such as this it is important to have sufficient thread of the same dye lot to complete the work – this stitcher has calculated that she does have sufficient. So, what are the other projects that lend themselves to this halo burnishing exercise?   There are really small projects such as spec cases, one kit we do is Kaleidoscope.   Lots have been ...