More New Needlepoint Canvases

Some looks come and go. And then, some come back again and again and sometimes even again. Never have I felt so certain of this as when I learned that the needlepoint canvas, Marigolds, is not actually from a few decades past, but rather, a few centuries past. At first glance I assumed the inspiration hailed from the psychedelic '70s with its vibrating colors and concentrated energy. How wrong I was.

 

In fact, Marigolds faithfully reproduces the detail of a gorgeous 17th-century tapestry, housed at Scotland's oldest inhabited domicile, Traquair Castle. This style of flat graphics and bold color play once saturated the walls of British nobility. It reappeared in the hippy decor of late 20th century homes and is now finding a place in my 21st-century New Yorker's humble abode!

Purl Soho's amazing collection of hand-painted, historical canvases comes from the Crewel Works Company. Crewel Works is dedicated to the intensely accurate reproductions of designs found in 17th and 18th-century British needlework. Their aim, and ours, is to provide people with the opportunity to create their very own family heirlooms.

Marigolds is a 13.5-inches x 16-inches, 18:1 mesh, hand-painted canvas. It was stitched up using 1-ply of Brown Paper Packages' 3-ply, Swiss, silk-wool blend, Trio. This plyed needlepoint yarn is among my favorites with its hearty, yet lustrious finish. The wool provides a strength to last through the ages, while the silk gives off a beautiful sheen and smoothness while stitching.

• Trio 136 Bittersweet
• Trio 214 Quince
• Trio 52 Citron
• Trio 183 Leprechaun
• Trio 177 Raisin
• Trio 201 Lion
• Trio 62 Spinach
• Trio 155 Apple Martini 
• Trio 112 Espresso
• Trio 15 Honey (3 skeins)
• Trio 216 Marmalade
• Trio 94 Margarita

Toile Bird is another new, historical gem now available at Purl Soho. Toile fabric, or Toile de Jouy, originated in France in the late 18th-century. Traditionally, toile fabrics have repeated patterns displaying detailed, pictoral scenes, such as a young couple swooning lakeside or musicians playing a tune under a gazebo. This charming needlepoint canvas narrows in on one detail of a classic toile fabric. Toile Bird, with it's cream background and single contrast color, is a timeless canvas, perfect for a gift, as a pillow or a wall hanging.

Toile Bird is one of the many Birds of a Feather canvases. Their line is broad reaching and endlessly inspiring, from contemporary ABC samplers to quirky fairy tale illustrations. There is truly something for everyone!

Toile Bird is a 6-inches x 6-inches, 13:1 mesh, hand-painted canvas. This Toile Bird canvas was stitched up using 2 strands of Gumnut's 2-ply, Australian, hand-dyed, wool yarn, Blossoms. Blossoms' animal fiber content gives it a nice natural elasticity which makes working with it quite forgiving for both beginners and old pros. This yarn blooms a bit, as it's name implies, making the canvas wonderfully full and lush.

• Blossoms 961 (3 skeins)
• Blossoms 999 (2 skeins)

Comments

[Michele]

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but $114 for a needlepoint canvas and it doesn't even include the yarn? That's a little pricey, no? It's a beautiful design (love the marigolds!) but it's way out of my price range.

[elisa]

i'm astonished that it's 17th century. goodness! what goes around. the toile is delightful x

[penelope10]

Love the needlepoints you have pictured!
I have always loved this craft, and recently felt inspired to pull out one of my many canvases, and stitch away!

[purl bee]

Hi Michele-

Thanks for your comment - you're not being a jerk! Plenty of people wonder about the costs of needlepoint canvases so here is an explanation. All of our needlepoint canvases are individually hand-painted. In order to reproduce an image onto a canvas, much time, patience and skill is required on the part of the artist. The care taken to make these canvases is evident as soon as you start stitching; each intersection on the canvas has been purposefully assigned and painted a specific color in order to accurately represent the given design.

If you've never done needlepoint before but want to try it out, you may want to look at some of our smaller canvases which are less expensive, but offer the same level of quality and detail. You can find all of our painted needlepoint canvases right here: http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/74-needlepoint-painted-canvases

[ct car service]

I like your Toile birdl canvass design I hope I can get a pattern.