Updated September 22, 2020.
Don’t we all have those moments when we look at the canvases in our stash and say “What was I thinking?”
Yep, me too.
But they shouldn’t be causes for despair. With all the great threads and embellishments out there, we can take that old canvas and punch it up to be something we’ll love.
That’s what Debra Moore Patterson is doing with this older canvas from her stash. She’s making it her new travel project.
She says: “It is “new” because I’ve had the canvas in my stash for about a decade after purchasing it at Annie & Co. in NYC. I thought it was too sweet, so I’m punching it up a bit by using the orange instead of gold, and I will add another border of the dark brown Very Velvet. Then, I’m going to have the finisher incorporate some of my stash of Hermes ribbons….I’ve got a stash of ribbons from my collecting Hermes scarves and bracelets (I have a problem…but in truth, they were almost all presents from DH).”
Thanks to Debra for letting us share this great idea with you.
When you look at canvases in your stash you don’t know why you bought think about:
- Can changing the color in some places help?
- Could I add a border or two to make it better?
- Can I repurpose part of this canvas to use in a small self-finishing item?
- Would it work for me if it were a slightly different size (see this post to see how I did this)?
- Can I only use the focal point and applique it to something else?
My current Sunday stitching project is exactly like this. I have two small cat canvases from Needle Crossings. One cat is black, so no problem there. The other cat, pictured above, is grey. Since my boys are both black, I’m changing this kitty to a black one. i’ll be framing the two together in a mat with two openings. This simple change is turning a miss into a hit.
I love this idea, I’m going off to look for a project that should get this treatment in my stash. You should too!
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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