Anna Pearson's Needlepoint Blog

Been so busy the last few days;  Valentine's Day last week and three family birthdays, Shrove Tuesday with delicious pancakes yesterday and Chinese New Year yesterday (19 February).  Have also finishing off an additional colour way for the Tudor design - although the backgrounds are skip stitches rather than solid basketweave they still seem to take for ever! Saffie's 1st Birthday present stitched in Myanmar Each Lunar New Year has a special animal with a 12 year cycle, Rat, Cow, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey Chicken Dog ad Pig.  The upcoming year is the year of the Goat and my Myanmar newspapers told me that red underwear (especialy bought for you as a gift) would be extremely lucky.  I shall have to visit Keturah Brown, the lovely lingerie shop in Primrose Hill where I know she has some particulary pretty red items! As needlepoint designs some would work far better than others and I as a 'Rat' would definitely give mine a miss!  Other sym

As I have always admitted, travelling to new places meeting new people, enjoying their way of life and, in particular seeing their crafts is one of my greatest joys.   Our trip to Myanmar, Burma that was until their independence in 1948, was no exception. The people were so helpful to us and always had a smile;   the countryside that we visited was green and lush with many lakes, the great Ayeyarwady River which acted as the   main artery for transportation of goods and of course the magnificent temples all over the countryside but particularly in Bagan. Myanmar has borders with Thailand, China and India so the food is a great mix of these cuisines, coupled with the extremely rich soil that produces the most wonderful selection of both fruit and vegetables.   I couldn’t resist a photo of a road side vegetable stall, a vibrant cacophony of colour, smell and variety in a village we passed through However, as always I particularly love seeing the crafts that are enjoyed by t

Travelling is one of my passions, I love to visit different countries, meet their people and often I am fortunate to get ideas for new needle point designs!  But on my trips I always take some stitching with me, in fact being seen to stitch often starts an interesting conversation with local people and fellow travellers The following suggestions are for family holidays not for needlepoint retreats or specific courses when one can expect good light,, calm surroundings and uninterrupted stitching time, when of course one takes more demanding designs and one's full battery of equipment! Over time I hope I have learnt some important does and don'ts especially having just returned from Myanmar where I was able to make these notes Do let me know of tips you might like to share! Plan in good time! Allow time for any standard kit to arrive, longer for one with special colours or threads requested. If taking instructions only, allow time to get the right coloured canvas and threads tog