
That’s the title of a wonderful post on Kreinik’s blog. It’s a natural reaction when we see a lovely piece of needlework.
We already stitch, we know how hard our medium is. We could even be former practitioners of other needlearts, as I am.
Kreinik asked noted teacher Ann Strite-Kurz about this and reports on her answer. It’s wonderful look at the difference between charted needlepoint and painted canvas.
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
This is a question I get all the time, and it depends entirely on the quality of the instructions for a charted piece. I write all of my instructions as if a beginner, someone who has never done a charted piece, sees the cover or a model, falls in love and wants to do it. As a self-taught stitcher, before I became a designer, I encountered plenty of charted designers who did not share this philosophy! I will not share their names in a public forum, but let’s say that a less determined stitcher would have given up long ago – so many pieces that I had to rip because the main graph didn’t match the instructions, or the diagrams didn’t match the main graph, etc. These experiences are always at the back of my mind as I write my instructions. When asked I have recommendations for beginning counted canvas stitchers. There is a logical progression between designers, and designs for every taste. But it all goes back to the initial impression, what grabs the stitcher in the design. The rest is up to us as designers, to write the very best instructions we can, so that the stitcher can finish the piece. And I would probably recommend that a cross stitcher, who is used to working from a chart, begin with counted canvas work before attempting painted needlepoint. What they learn from the counted work will translate to the needlepoint, and they might have a better chance of interpreting a stitch guide with some counted canvas work experience, or even coming up with their own stitches for the canvas.
Debbie —
Boy are you right about this! I’ve seen it to and it could part of my problem with most counted stuff. I love how you take us fromthe beginning in all your pieces.
Thanks for putting it so well!
Keep Stitching,
Janet