With Christmas finishing deadlines in shops long past, you might find yourself scrambling for interesting canvases you can stitch quickly and finish yourself. I love these small canvases from Blue Dogwood Designs. For less than $30, you get a hand-painted canvas and a 2″ square frame with a ribbon for hanging. Because you buy directly from the designer, you’ll know if something is available when you order.
The cardinal is one of 17 designs. Instead of using the frame that came with it, I used a Studio Decor frame to fit our tree better. I cut the canvas to fit after it was stitched. The background is bare canvas by intent.
As you can see the design is quite detailed, even though it is small. Many of the designs are simple and use only a single color. These would be outstanding projects for beginners. The designs include ones for babies, seasonal designs, religious symbols, holidays, and general designs. Because they are inexpensive, you might consider buying some to keep in your stash for quick gifts.
I finished stitching the design using threads from my stash in a few hours. I like that the design’s border forms a second frame inside the ornament frame. It’s going to be a lovely gift.
The frame, above, has a tab for closing the back and a ribbon for hsnging. The different colors and styles coordinate with the needlepoint design. To finish, pop off the back, cut the needlepoint to fit and replace the back.
About Janet M Perry
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 family
Leave a Reply