In the first part of this series we discussed where you can find exciting trims, fabrics and other soft goods to finish your needlepoint. Today we’ll talk about where to find metal and wood items. We’ll also discuss some creative repurposing ideas.
This series was inspired by a reader who wanted to know where to find bun feet to finish a stand-up.
Belts
If you want your needlepoint belt to have leather ends, you are probably better off sending it out than trying this yourself. Leather requires special needles on your sewing machine and may burn out your machine’s engine.
If you want to make your belt unusual, look for stand-alone belt buckles (learn more about them in this article). There are many sources for this from souvenir shops to eBay and trimming shops. Make sure when you find one that it can be put on belts with holes. most can. Your finisher should be instructed to use your buckle.
There are belts you can make yourself, called ribbon belts. Backed with ribbon they are thinner and can be sewn with your regular machine. They use D-rings for buckles. You can find these, often packaged as “belt kits” at most fabric stores. If you aren’t familiar with them, they are the fastenings on canvas belts.
This article has basic instructions for stitching and finishing ribbon belts.
Loop key fobs are made similarly to these belts. You can find kits for making these at crafts stores. Here is an article about making them yourself.
Purses
Purses can be of almost any style from the simple fold-over clutch or open-top tote to complex bags with metal tops and clasps. Once again if you want leather on your purse, look at having it professionally finished. However great purses can be made with fabric or Ultrasuede and a few simple items.
To give your bag stiffness, you’ll want interfacing. Skirtex, from Part One is and excellent choice. If your bag has a flat bottom or needs additional stiffness use 14-count plastic canvas as your interfacing.
These days magnetic snaps are most commonly used to close purses. You may also want grommets, if your purse is a drawstring style. Another high-end touch is little metal feet that go on the bottom of the purse.
Those items will be all you need to finish a soft purse made from fabric and needlepoint. If your bag is structured though, you will need to get a purse frame. These are the metal parts that include clasps that go across the top of the bag. Generally the top of the bag is sewn into the clasp. Look for tutorials on creating a purse. i did a Google search an this and found many videos and tutorials. Some were for coin purses, but larger bags work the same way.
Purse Depot is a comprehensive site that has all the supplies you need to assemble a purse, including the more complex items, such as purse frames. They also carry items for making belts.
Wooden Parts
From letters on a stick to feet for your finished stand-up, many needlepoint items require wooden parts to finish them.
If your need sticks, you can go to your local hobby store or to a model-making store and find wooden dowels in many diameters. They are usually fairly long, so you will need to cut them to fit.
Woodworking supply stores, such as Lee Valley Tools have amazing collections of all kinds of items for making your own furniture. They are an excellent place to start your search.
Also look for suppliers who make items to create wooden boxes and other small items. These will have parts in the correct scale for you.
One hallmark of professionally finished items is that they often have fun extras that elevate the design. Here’s one place where your imagination comes in handy. When I visit craft shops I’m always looking for items to add to my needlepoint. Could that sparkly floral “spray” sit at the base of your stand-up. Does your dollar store have Christmas trees with miniature ornaments that could be added to your needlepoint tree? Would a charm add something to the needlepoint in a ready-made frame? Are there papier mache items that could have needlepoint as a top once they are painted and decorated? I love looking for things like this and stockpile them for the future. The Painted Pony angel pictured here has a mouse charm down by the lion’s paw because of Aesop’s fable. Other places that are great for finding these small items are dollhouse stores, bead shops, and even hardware stores. Upcycling and repurposing are big trends these days. But needlepointers have been doing this for decades. Teo of my early projects repurposed other items to make ornaments. The Love Tassel ornament created the tassel by using long fringe for a dress. The Bargello windsock used knitting rings for the top sand bottom of the design. My finishing bin has items such as trivets, photo albums, and boxes with glass inserts, all waiting to be upcycled to hold needlepoint. That’s just the beginning. Why not drill holes in baby blocks and stack them to make the base for a new baby announcement? If you can’t find those bun feet why not sand down large wooden beads or cabinet knobs to be flat on one side. Once decorated they will be perfect. The joy of this is the hunt to find items that will finish off your design creatively. This article gives you more ideas for this. Once you add your creativity to the items you find for finishing you can get great results! Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her familyCreative Repurposing
About Janet M Perry
Mary Kay Cammack says
Thank you for this great resource! I probably have just missed it, but what is used for the form for a standup shape, i.e. cube shapes, box shapes, ovals.
Thanks!
Janet M Perry says
Great question. Since I don’t do finishing much myself, I don’t know. Would anyone who does know tell us?
Keep stitching,
Janet
Libby says
Is there a pattern for the angel tree topper?
Janet M Perry says
The angel is not large enough to be a tree topper, I have it framed in a 5×7 frame.
The canvas is from Painted Pony.
Keep stitching,
Janet
Libby says
Thank you. Used to do a lot of needlepoint along time ago, just getting back into it.