Blue Dogwood Designs is a lovely hand-painted canvas company with many designs that are simply great for beginners. One of my favorite things about them is that they have several free needlepoint ornament series, each with a theme. This year’s series just finished up and it’s so clever and such a great way to learn new stitches.
The 2012 ornaments are called Zornaments. Each month is a different shape. On the template for the ornament is drawn a bold Z. One or more stitches is recommended for the design, which can be stitched in any colors or threads you like. EAch month’s instructions are complete on a single page to print out.
I love them because they are clever, modern, and unusual.
Two other series are also available on their stitch guide page. The 2011 series, Tangled Rose is a stitch sampler with six squares done for each month’s. There are dozens of stitches here. Although threads and colors are specified, you could change it with ease.
Each square is fully charted with clear multi-colored diagrams.
The 2010 series uses a number of different leaf templates that are filled with one or more stitches.
THe 2012 and 2010 series require that you trace the design onto canvas yourself. This post has instructions on how to do this.
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
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