Recently I bought several of the Petei nativity figures on eBay. I love Petei designs and have stitched many. I have so much to stitch that the fact that some were stitched and the rest partially stitched really appealed to me.
Mary, one king, and Baby Jesus were finished. The shepherd just needed his eyes added. Joseph and one king needed mostly their coats done. The final king only has his background stitched.
Working on and thinking about these canvases got me thinking about buying unfinished canvases in general. You often find these for fantastic price on eBay. That’s because families don’t know what to do with UFO’s.
Her are my guidelines for buying these:
Check all the pictures carefully. They should show you what needs to be stitched. If it’s more than you would like, pass it by; you won’t stitch it. If it’s an overdye, pass it by; it’s hard to match unless the thread is included.
Does it come with threads? If there’s enough to finish, great. If there isn’t you have thread, not stitched areas to use to find matches or substitutes.
What stitches did they use? Can you match them or find stitches that coordinate?
Is the background stitched? Many of use struggle with completing backgrounds. If there is a stitched background, it’s a big plus.
Before you mount the canvases on stretcher bars, cut out any partially stitched areas if you do not have matching thread. On Joseph, this meant cutting out a bit of the coat and a few stitches on the beard. Because I did not think I could match the hair color, I cut out enough so that the beard would be even and stitched in a slightly different color.
That’s Joseph, all stitched and off to the finisher. I’ll have a new Holy Family for my nativity displays this year. I’m working on one of the kings in the car today.
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
I love your updates! Thanks very much for the great info you provide!
I go to rummage sales and often find completed canvases (not framed or finished). It breaks my heart to see all that hard work dumped on a table with sheets and towels , marked at $.50! I will more often than not bring them home – I have quite a collection now. One day I’ll decide what to do with them…..