In The Beginning!

Often times when we start to do a craft project we overestimate some things. It’s not that we mean too, it’s just that we tend to overestimate how easy or hard something is going to be. It’s one of those things in life that has unexpected consequences. Chiesa San Clemente, Lawrence Alma-Tadema Case in point the woman at my work that has never held a crochet hook let alone made something. She wants to make a baby blanket in two weeks with no knowledge of how to do a single stitch, let alone how long it’s going to take her. While her heart was in the right place (making a handcrafted gift), her skill set, knowledge and experience were far from where they needed to be for such a project. That lead me to thinking about needlepoint and other such crafts. There seems to be a handful of things that all beginners in crafts that deal with yard of various types tend to make. All of them can be overcome, but you need to be aware of them in order to do so. Therefore, for your awareness and consideration are the following points for your enrichment.

Know Where You’re At!

Skill Level: When you’re starting in needlepoint or most anything for that matter, you need to take a realistic evaluation to where you’re at. In needlepoint, it’s especially critical to know where you’re at. If take a look at the picture on the left, would you know how to make all of the color changes that are needed in order to complete the picture and give it it’s due? If you’re hesitated or your not sure, that’s ok. It tells you that you’re not at this advanced of a level. But it doesn’t mean you won’t be. You simple need to put in the hours of practice that is needed to get there. I know of nothing that doesn’t need practice, including when you learned to walk.
Length Of Time For The Project: If you want to make this picture for a gift, you can’t expect to get it done the night before. That’s an unrealistic expectation for yourself. If on the other hand you know that you want it in 6 months, that’s a far more reasonable expectation then having it done in 24 hours. Even the best of needlework artist can’t complete a project of this magnitude in that short of a timeframe.
Amount Of Supplies: Not all needlepoint kits are the same. You need to make sure what comes in the kit that you’re selecting to buy. Stores have changed how they have needlepoint kits, and often only the 3 X5 kits have floss (the thread for needlepoint kits). If however, you chose to go a specialist in the field, you’ll find that the floss is almost always included. (For an example, check out Chelsea Needlepoint).
Patience! If you’re new to needlepoint, you need to be patient with your skill set. It’s hard sometimes to remember that even Rembrandt and Picasso started out scribbling and Mary Lou Retton had to learn to walk. Give yourself time to learn and make mistakes. That means you have to be patient with yourself.

If you master these few things about being a beginner in needlepoint, you’ll find that in no time, you have increased your skills and are successful and you can move on to more advanced skills. So, enjoy your new craft!

Amount of supplies

11/2015 by Sarah Roussos

Handmade Crafts: Needlepoint.

Needlepoint is often considered to be one of those things that is dying out, this is simple not the case. When you work in the crafts field, you see the amount of turnover and passion that those that are ‘crafters’ have for their craft. They love what they do and most of them will cross from one craft to another without a second thought. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have a favorite, most do. But the point is still the same. Most do more than one type of craft and love doing it. Most also have more than one project going at a time and they love that as well.

There is a rising backlash in this area. People are tired of mass production in most anything. They’re tired of walking into a room and seeing the dress they’re wearing on someone else. They’re tired of not having a unique gift to give. And they’re tired of not being able to get the colors and sizes that they specifically need for any given item. Crafting solves all of these issues, especially if you’ve taken the time to learn more than one craft and as stated earlier, most people have.

Needlework is one of those crafts that allow for individuality and personal preference. It also solves the problem of duplicates, because you know what you’ve gotten before and you know if your best friend already has it. There are many options in the area of needlepoints that you can do. For your consideration are the following:

Holiday Needlepoint:

Holiday needlepoint includes such things as stockings, ornaments, belts and anything you wish to handcraft for a person. Included for your viewing is a Christmas stocking that will be an original for you and those that you give it to. It’s a wonderful start for those family traditions that are big on everyone’s list. Know that not all needlepoints are the same. They vary in the type of screens that are used, floss and even size. If you deal with an refined company, you’ll find that they will take a picture from you and make it a screen design so that you can have your family forever remembered. If you’re interested in custom needlepoint, ChelseaNeedlepoint.com is one company that excels in this area.

Functional Needlepoint:

Functional needlepoint is just like it sounds, it is one that you or the person that you give one to can actually use. This can be a belt, pillow or even a vest, anything that someone can use in their life. Not necessarily something that they have to wear, but it’s often the case.

Girl Before A Mirror, Pablo Picasso

Artwork:

Believe it or not, Picasso’s Girl Before A Mirror is something that you can get if you’re wanting to have classic art in your home. It can be yours if you needlepoint. You determine the size, type of canvas and the type of floss that you want and you create Picasso’s artwork in your home for your enjoyment. It’s fun, easy and relaxing, as well as a gift that keeps on giving. This piece of artwork will bring you to the next level of status in your home, for a fraction of the price that a real picasso would cost you, and you will have had a hand in it!

11/2015 by Sarah Roussos

3 Ways To De-stress Your Life

While it’s all to common to hear people say to go on a vacation to lessen the stress in your life, I’ve heard far more people complain about the stress that occurred while on vacation, so that doesn’t seem to work very well. This isn’t to say that vacations aren’t very fun or that you never have a great experiences, because you can and do. It’s simply saying that it may not be all that people create it to be.

The same can and is true for those that take yoga classes. Can you imagine conforming yourself into a pretzel? No thanks! Then again, there’s those positions such as plank, dog, tree and a lot more that won’t work for you either. The same is true for other exercises, while they are good for you (no argument there), they also may not be something that you care to do.

Yes, that’s the underlying case for most things. If you don’t care to do them, then they aren’t going to decrease the stress that you’re trying to handle. Hence the point of the ‘couch potato’. The way they relax is by watching a movie, football game or any number of other things that are on tv. That’s what’s relaxing to them. But consider that there are still multiple other things that you can do to help you relax that you may not have consider. And there in lies the point of this Every.rocks to give you 3 simple ideas that you may not have considered before, to help you relax!

Release Number 1: Needlepoint!

The first item for your time of rest and relaxation is needlepoint. There are certain things that you may not consider to be rest and this often is one. One woman I spoke with said she didn’t feel this was productive, because she always felt like she should be ‘doing something’. If you’re doing needlepoint, you are doing something. You are getting yourself to download and unload the stress that’s been in your life, by sitting still and doing something relaxing.

If you have the ability to count (the strands when you first start and the squares they floss will go into) then you have the ability to do needle point. Needlepoint isn’t hard and that’s the point isn’t it. When you want and need to relax needlepoint may just be one method that will work for you.

Release Number Two: Crochet

While you may not like needlepoint, you may like crocheting. Many people love both of these and the third one as well. Why? Because they’re relaxing. Both take practice and both bring with them a sense of release to those that do them. Never feel guilt if you’re making something. Know that there are greater goods that are coming from you doing them. Some chose to make chemo caps and give them away, while others make blankets and give them away. Some people just do things for their home and loved ones. What ever way you decide to go, crocheting can bring with it a sense of rest and relaxation.

If you’re thing that most people can’t do that with a handcraft, you’ll soon find out you’re wrong. The reason for that is this: most people that do crocheting can do it without looking or counting. Most of this art doesn’t require either or those things. In an attempt to set proper expectations, those that are beginners usually have to concentrate more. Not because it’s hard to crochet, but because it’s something new to them and for them. Once they’ve spent a little bit of time, they’re off and running and looking is no longer a concern. It’s part of why crocheting is relaxing, you don’t have to think about it.

Release Number Three: Knitting

Knitting is the final release that we’re going to cover. Knitting is like the other two in that you use your hands. Unlike needlepoint, you don’t have a canvas, but like crocheting, you do need to use a tool. In this case, knitting needles not a crochet hook. You can create most anything that you want with knitting. You can make hats, caps, sweaters, gloves and virtually anything that you can imagine, you can make.

Don’t stress yourself when you’re beginning. Whenever you’re learning something, give yourself a break. If you need to ask someone questions, you may want to find a yarn shop and take lessons or a group that will specialize in knitting. What you make shouldn’t matter, it’s the effort and time that you put into learning it that will always pay off. Like crocheting, it’s not hard, it’s just a matter of getting comfortable enough with your tools, and practicing enough that you get good at it. Can you do it? YES! It’s up to you though.

Conclusion:

Well that’s! If you’re thinking, “but there’s more”, you’re right there always is. So go find out what relaxes you and do it. But don’t make it a chore, that’s defeating the purpose. You need to be able to relax and unwind from the stress and pressure of each day. You work hard, now relax!

11/2015 by Sarah Roussos