Why Join a Guild?

I was a stitcher several years before I joined a needlework guild.  I was lucky to have access to a great shop that brought a few teachers for classes every year.  I was working full time and was tired at night and on weekends, and I (wrongfully it turned out) decided I didn't really need to go to meetings to learn new needlepoint techniques.

Then someone talked me into joining a couple of local needlework guilds.  I signed up for seminars and local classes with national teachers.  I discovered a bunch of like-minded, really sweet people.  I still remember their genuine horror when I showed up for a seminar and I DIDN'T HAVE A ROOMMATE.  Gasp!  They fixed that pretty quickly for the next one. 
Many of them are still my friends 30+ years later.

It didn't hurt that we went to some interesting cities, stayed in great hotels, ate good food and got to shop at stores I didn't know existed.  (Why we love to shop so much is a mystery but who cares, it's fun).

Granted, much of this was before my retirement, which has given me a chance to sign up for classes at shops and retreats that I could never get to when I worked full time.  It was also pretty much before the internet brought us cyber classes and online shopping.

Despite these modern innovations I still think guilds bring value to my needlework life.  Here are my reasons why every stitcher should consider joining a guild (or two or three):

1.  You can learn new techniques without spending a lot of money.  Thinking about trying something you've never done and afraid you might not like it?  A program, either at a meeting or from free projects available only to guild members, allows you to dip your needle, so to speak, into a new pool.  If you don't like it, no big deal - move on to the next thing.  If you do, you now have a base on which to make an intelligent selection for a project in that technique.

2.  Having trouble with a technique, chart, stitch guide, color, thread or anything else stitching related? There is usually someone, or multiple someones, who can help you.  We've all been beginners at some point and there is no charge for help - except that perhaps you could reciprocate in the future. 

3.  Want to see new things that you didn't know were available?  That's what "show and tell" and "social time" at meetings is for.  You may end up buying whatever it is but you get a chance to look at it first and get an opinion from the owner.   

4.  If you are a "stash-aholic," there is comfort in the company of others like you.  And perhaps the chance to sell or trade unwanted items among that company.

5.  If you like to give back in a more formal way than just showing up, guilds have plenty of volunteer opportunities.  There is no requirement to do anything, which makes volunteering a truly voluntary experience.  I've learned new skills by volunteering for my guild, like doing (extremely basic) websites and the ins-and-outs of online groups.  When I was working this knowledge helped me in my day job.

I encourage you to give your local guilds a try.  All it will cost you to attend your first meeting is time and the willingness to meet new people.  And you might end up with lifelong friends and new passions - not to mention a bigger stash and some great memories.

Adding a Border to a Painted Canvas

Halloween Night Collage - Eye Candy by Ruth Schmuff

I like checkerboard and geometric borders and sometimes I like to add them to a painted canvas.  

When adding this type of border you have to decide how big to make it.  While this is a matter of taste to some extent, you have to make sure the border is big enough for the canvas and small enough not to overpower it.     

I add a border by first counting the threads on the sides of the canvas.  Sometimes you get lucky and the stitch you want to use will come out evenly.  If it doesn't you have to decide how and where to compensate.  You can compensate around the corners - for example, if the stitch is over 5 but you have 4 stitches left after you count the side, you could put a 2x5 stitch next to each corner on that side.  Or you can work from the ends to the middle and compensate in the center of the border.  While it is tedious to count canvas threads, it will save a lot of ripping if you get to a corner and find that it doesn't come out evenly.

Halloween Night Collage was started during a Robin King embellishment class at Pocket Full of Stitches in Lubbock, Texas.  I asked Robin about adding a black and white border and she thought I should try it.  I counted the canvas sides to get the 5x5 Scotch stitches to come out without compensation.  There are black stitches in the top right and left corners and white ones in the bottom corners so it's not entirely symmetrical.  I think it looks great and so did Robin. 

This canvas looks fantastic without a border too - I've seen it stitched that way at Fancy Stitches in Cleburne, Texas.  You can see the original canvas here:



Halloween Night Collage -  http://www.tistheseason.org/b3368/

Adding a Background To a Painted Canvas

I stitched this cute mini stocking a long time ago.  As originally painted it has no background - it is completely white.  You can see the original canvas, titled Three Penguins (CHM 2911), at the Deux Amis Needlepoint website here:

http://deuxamisneedlepoint.com/main.php?g2_itemId=616 
 
When I saw the canvas I immediately thought that the penguins were sliding down a hill.  So I added the hill, the blue sky and the snow flakes. 

Adding a foreground to a canvas can give it dimension and add interesting elements.  I think in this case it also tells a story - about three little penguins having a great time in the ice and snow.