Happy Halloween from The Creeps

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

Happy Halloween.

Today's theme is about the Creepy Characters. Purr-fect timing, don't you think?

To review for any new blog readers... the Creepy Characters were a Halloween club/series I stitched/wrote stitch guides for NeedleDeeva. They were offered through many(!) Needlepoint shops, and joyfully, many(!) folks stitched them.

Here are the ones I stitched:

Pumpkin, Devil, Frankenstein, Spider Queen, and Mehitabel
Creepy Characters by NeedleDeeva
Each canvas comes with a stitch guide by Robin King.

Drakula, Fraidy Cat, Hooty, Ghost, and Bones
Creepy Characters by NeedleDeeva
Each canvas comes with a stitch guide by Robin King.

Perhaps you saw their ad in Needlepoint Now?

Add to your Halloween Tree... today.

Or, when Leo & Lana were my helpers during the Creeps photo shoot.

No photo shoot is complete without Leo.

No photo shoot is complete without Lana, too.

Let's not forget the Creeps Apron. Talk about merchandising potential. LOL.

The Creeps apron was a hit during TNNA.

Recently, I have seen photos of some of the finished Creepy Characters stitched by others; both shop owners and customers alike.  I had to share. (Having a proud parent moment, if you will...)

Stitched by Palma Seljan

Stitched by Judy Greer / Needles & Threads of Ruxton
Finishing by Baltimore Needleworks

Cute arrangement by Judy Greer.
Finishing by Baltimore Needleworks

Stitched by Melinda Murphy

Stitched by Pat Thompson
Finished by West Coast Finishing

Stitched by Pat Thompson
Finished by West Coast Finishing

Stitched by Michele Herron
The Bristly Thistle

Stitched by Lori Mazza/ Waste Knot Needlepoint
Finished by Mountain Shadow Studio

Stitched by Lizette Walker Thomas

The Creeps were proud to inspire Lizette's first Halloween Tree.

Be sure to send me your finished Creeps photos. I will post them to the Creepy Characters' Facebook page as well as onto the NeedleDeeva website and Facebook page.

Have a safe Halloween. Until the next time...

Boo! Robin

Ribbons at Woodlawn 2012

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

I have never been to Woodlawn but would love to go. My stitching designs, however, have been to Woodlawn, and won ribbons, too. Many thanks to Lori Mazza from
Waste Knot Needlepoint in Arlington, VA for sharing these photos.

I met Lori (owner of Waste Knot Needlepoint) several years ago when she took my
Katt Z. Witch class at TNNA. Since then, she has taken a few other classes of mine including the 3D Cake class (featuring DMC Memory Thread techniques) and the Fraidy Cat class (from the Creepy Characters by NeedleDeeva).

Longtime blog readers are probably familiar with both of these pieces, but for those new to the blog, here is a more direct link to review:  3D Cake and Creepy Characters.

I recently saw Lori at TNNA/Columbus market and she showed me her photos w/ribbons from Woodlawn. How exciting. Here is a summary from Lori.

Here are the pieces I entered into Woodlawn.  They all were in the commercial multi-stitch canvas category...  

I got a 1st place on the cake and an honorable mention on Fraidy Cat... 

As a shop, we put in 31 pieces for our customers and received 16 ribbons out of 31 entries.  

Congratulations to Lori and all of her wonderful stitchers at Waste Knot Needlepoint.

Let's enjoy her photos:

3D Cake by Associated Talents • CD1200
Stitch Guide by Robin King for DMC
Stitched by Lori Mazza /  Waste Knot Needlepoint

Fraidy Cat by NeedleDeeva • ND 0467-H
Stitch Guide by Robin King
Stitched by Lori Mazza /  Waste Knot Needlepoint

Antique Toy Alphabet by Alice Peterson • 3043
Stitched by Lori Mazza /  Waste Knot Needlepoint

Witch by Susan Roberts/Tapestry Tent • AP-430
Stitched by Lori Mazza / Waste Knot Needlepoint

Love the wooden finishings on Fraidy Cat and the Toy Box? Those were done by Sharon Hall at Mountain Shadow Studio located in Denver, CO. Your needlepoint shop can send your work to them for finishing, too.

Hooty Owl was also stitched by Lori and finished by Mountain Shadow Studio. Don't they make a handsome pair! Lori is certainly ready for Halloween.

Hooty Owl by NeedleDeeva • 0467-i
Stitch Guide by Robin King

Seeing one's stitch guides come into reality...  and winning ribbons... is so thrilling. Thank you, Lori for sharing your work our blog readers.

Until the next time... Hugs, Robin

The Devil's Face • ND 0467-B

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

Before and After of The Devil
Creepy Characters by NeedleDeeva

Ever wonder how I stitch a face? I found my work-in-progress photos of The Devil (ND 0467-B) from the Creepy Characters series, and thought I would share them with you. Now, what is that saying?... the Devil is in the details? LOL. Enjoy the show.

I think he is quite the handsome guy. NeedleDeeva did an awesome job designing this cutie for the Creepy Characters series. Contact your LNS if you'd like to stitch him. You can see the participating retailers on the NeedleDeeva website. The Devil canvas (ND 0467-B) comes with my stitch guide, too. 

Until the next time... Thanks, Robin

Decorating Ideas for Halloween

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

As Halloween time approaches, the stores are now filled with wonderful trinkets and decorations to augment and display our needlepoint.

Consider the Halloween trees. Great for hanging all of your wonderful ornaments. Check with your Florist Shops (those who decorate all-out for the seasons) as well as online (Palma alerted me to this one from Pier 1 Imports) and your local craft stores, discount and Hallmark stores. I now have 7 Halloween Trees and am always looking for more.

I made my first Halloween Tree. Took a great-looking branch when doing tree trimming, and put it into a Halloween painted bucket which had been filled with sand and gravel. My ornaments looked right at home.

The Feather wreaths are available, too. I googled black feather wreath and came up with many options from Party City, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Target, Etsy.com, etc. Here's 2 photos of the Creepy Characters on my black feather wreath.

Speaking of Feather Wreaths, be sure to read Michele's blog, Needlepoint Tips and Techniques. She weighed the options of DIY versus Purchase Ready Made for her new Feather Wreath. Smart lady.

Need special trinkets? Look at your local craft store or scrapbooking store. Here is what I found at a recent trip to Michael's. Yes, now is the time to add to your stash. Don't forget the Fabric shops. The Halloween Fabrics are great for table skirts or mantle scarves.

I am honing my enabling skills... learned from the best... Jane/Chilly Hollow. Go see what you can find. 'Tis the howling season. (Thanks, Michele for the great word!) And, if you come across something fabulous, be sure to let me know.

This is Lana's first Halloween. She's very interested. Until the next time.... Robin

The Pumpkin and The Jacquard

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

Today we are going to do a Show & Tell about the Jacquard Stitch. One of my favorites. So much so, I used it on The Pumpkin. His face was prime real estate, and I wanted visual impact... drama, if you will.

Originally, I was considering the Irregular Jacquard Stitch. Nothing screams Halloween like the Irregular Jacquard Stitch. Irregular meaning the stair steps are skinny, fat, long and short... all at the same time. (Pssst... Irregular is code talk for Random.) You can see it on the outfit for the Witch. She is my perennial stitching partner.

However, since I wanted the WOW factor, I decided to go with the "regular" Jacquard Stitch. First thing I did was plan my pathways on the computer. Seeing it in front of me started to make sense. Sure do love Photoshop!

Then I stitched the Tent Stitches with the ThreadworX overdyed Kreinik. Good stuff.

Then I filled in the Diagonal Satin Stitches. Kind of gave him an intense, vibrating look. Just the right amount of drama from the first Creepy Character from NeedleDeeva.

Well, that's all for now.  Hope you are having a good weekend. I'll be back with more stitching photos of The Pumpkin (ND 0467-A). Until the next time...

Thanks, Robin

The Pumpkin and the IDenti-Pen

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

The Pumpkin (ND 0467-A) has been sent out and I am going to share some behind the scene photos I took while I stitched him.

When working on the background, I noticed the Orange Dots were not placed exactly where I needed for the stitch I chose. Fear Not! I got out my trusty IDenti-Pen and marked out the Orange Dots in question.

Here are some before and after photos.

You can get the Sakura IDenti-Pen from your Local Needlepoint Shop. I used the one which had the Dual Points (Fine and Extra Fine)... just perfect for your every needs. The IDenti-Pen is both a Permanent Marker and Waterproof. This is very important for your needlepoint. (Be careful with other markers: not all Permanent Pens are also Waterproof.)

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Robin

Hooty Owl in Needlepoint Now magazine

Hi Everybody.... Robin here.

Subscribers to Needlepoint Now magazine should be getting their copy September/October 2011 issue pretty soon. And, when you do... check out  the back cover. It's Hooty Owl from the Creepy Characters series. Then, look on page 12. There is an article about NeedleDeeva and me, as well as the complete stitch guide for Hooty. 4 pages! How exciting.

Judee/NeedleDeeva initially designed Hooty Owl (ND 0467-i) for the magazine subscribers, and for all Owl lovers, too. I really enjoyed stitching him. Some of the interesting threads I used were Fuzzy Stuff and Petite Very Velvet for a fluffy-soft Owl look.

There are beading, ribbons and Slide Bullion techniques. Needlepoint Now will be posting their technique video of the Slide Bullion, but here's the diagram from my stitch guide. I used Kreinik braid and frayed the end in order to grab one of the threads. Then I took the remaining braid bundle and slid down the pole... creating the Slide Bullion for Hooty's Feet. This is a fun technique and I used it on other Creepy Characters, too. Have you used it yet? I would love to hear from you.

Contact your Local Needlepoint Shop to order Hooty Owl or any of the Creepy Characters. Each can be purchased individually or the complete series. (On page 16 of the magazine, you can see the Participating Retailers, as well as on the Creepy Characters page of the NeedleDeeva website, too.) Well, back to printing out the 175 Devil (ND 0467-B) Stitch Guides. He's next to be sent out.

Enjoy, Robin.

Photo Session with Lana, Leo and the Creeps

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

Has everyone survived the hurricane? Irene was a doozy. Glad she's gone. So sorry for all of the damage and lost lives. I did enjoy spending my moments with Jim Cantore on the Weather Channel. He's dreamy. And, did you know he is Vicky De Angelis' cousin? How cool is that?

While I am waiting to hear if TNNA is going to select me for teaching at Phoenix 2012, I have been tending to other deadlines. I am designing an ad for NeedleDeeva/Creepy Characters for the November/December Needlepoint Now magazine.

I had two helpers during the photo shoot: Lana and Leo. This was their first "official" photo shoot.

Lana was very busy checking out all of the props.

Lana loved the Feather Wreath.

Leo chilled. He knows how to work the camera.

Initially I set up my tall Halloween Tree for the Creeps backdrop but changed my mind to a different tree. Yes... I have 4 trees (!) plus a black feather wreath so it was easy to change things out. In fact, I ended up using my Martha Stewart Halloween Tree. Looks good. You'll see the ad in the magazine. Later, I might be able to preview it here and on the Creepy Characters Facebook page, too.

Here's a picture of the tree with all of the Creeps. Many of you will be participating in the full series... others of you will select your Creeps to do. Either way, it's a fun time.

I'll be back soon with the TNNA teaching update... fingers crossed. Thanks, Robin