Product Description

Since its original publication in 1976, The Needlepoint Book has become known as "The Black Bible" -- the one resource every aficionado of needlepoint needs to own. Completely revised and expanded, this updated edition includes your favorite features, plus:

* A 16-PACE COLOR INSERT WITH ALL-NEW PROJECTS * A CRASH COURSE ON THE NEW FIBERS UPDATED INFORMATION ON MATERIALS, AS WELL AS HOW TO WORK WITH AND CARE FOR THEM * DOZENS OF NEW STITCHES AND A CHAPTER ON THE POPULAR OPENWORK STITCHES * MORE THAN 1,300 ILLUSTRATIONS * 369 STITCHES! DIAGRAMS FOR ALL PROJECTS SHOWN

The Needlepoint Book covers all the information you need to learn needlepoint and improve your technique -- in a single comprehensive volume. You'll find section on:

* CHOOSING THE RIGHT PROJECT * TRANSFERRING DESIGNS * ELEMENTS OF GOOD DESIGN: COLOR, PROPORTION, AND BALANCE * LEFT-HANDED NEEDLEPOINT * FINISHING TECHNIQUES * CLEANING NEEDLEPOINT * AND MUCH MORE!

The Needlepoint Book is a complete guide to the craft, and the only book you'll ever need as a reference to become an expert at creating exquisite works to be treasured forever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16083 in Books
• Published on: 1999-02-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780684832302
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Jo Ippolito Christensen has been needlepointing for more than thirty years. She is the author of Teach Yourself Needlepoint; Needlepoint: The Third Dimension; The Needlepoint Scraps Book, and others. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Preface

For centuries needlepoint, also called canvas embroidery, was worked in one stitch -- the Tent Stitch -- in wool on canvas. The women of many countries did this traditional version of needlepoint in addition to the distinctive ethnic embroideries of their societies. As the earth has grown smaller in the last quarter of the twentieth century, the lines between these ethnic embroideries have blurred. The yarns, threads, and embellishments of these beautiful art forms are being mixed with different needlework techniques to some degree or another and are being done on needlepoint canvas! Some of them are amazingly simple, yet elegant; others are so complex that advanced skills must be developed in order to execute them. Unfortunately, it is far beyond the scope of this hook to give detailed instructions on all of these forms of needlework. I have tried, at least, to introduce you to the predominant methods of this new needlepoint.

This book is directed to you, the student of needlepoint -- both in the classroom and out. Nearly fourteen hundred illustrations are included to help you over the rough spots. Procedures that are considered difficult -- or at best hazy -- are clarified in this book. Techniques such as blocking, framing, and applique are explained in many steps. Nothing is left lo your imagination.

Chapter 1 gives you a variety of information on equipment, fibers, yarns, and canvas. The equipment needed for needlepoint is neither complicated nor horribly costly. However, the choice of a wrong marker, for example, can ruin your work, so having the right equipment is all-important. A thorough discussion of all the things you will need is given in Chapter 1. Your options in selection of equipment are listed; even though I have told you what I think, the choice is still yours.

The different kinds of needlepoint are discussed. Again, you decide what appeals to you. Choices crop up again in the selection of canvases and yarns. A section on canvas, fibers, and yarns will help you decide.

Chapters 2 and 3 tell you how to get started and help you progress toward more difficult undertakings.

Over 370 stitches are explained with both photographs and drawings. A guide to the drawings leads off the section. If a stitch is worked in steps, the steps are clearly indicated on the drawings. Numbers tell you just where to begin and where to go next. Often there are two, three, or four different drawings of one stitch to make it crystal clear. Some suggestions on how and where to use the stitches are included.

Common errors in working the basic stitches are pointed out in the text. Hints on how to avoid or overcome these errors are given. Suggestions are sometimes made for more than one approach to working a stitch.

If you really feel that designing your own work is what you want to do, Part 2 is for you! Often, getting an idea is the hardest part for some people. Others think that actually drawing the design is hardest. Still others have trouble with the color choice.

The basic art principles will help you in making your own design, Both right and wrong choices are well illustrated in drawings. A discussion of the color wheel aids you in color choices. Helpful hints are given on adapting designs from other sources. Try your hand at your own design -- you might surprise yourself.

Nothing is more important than proper finishing. Mediocre stitching can be overlooked if the finishing is perfect. And even flawless stitches won't be noticed if one is preoccupied with poor finishing. But nothing can beat the winning combination of error-free stitching and exquisite finishing. This book can help you achieve both. Please do not lose sight of the idea that this is FUN. If striving for perfection makes it work, just have fun!

Your needlepoint can be both useful and decorative. The color plates and a long list give you ideas on what to do with needlepoint -- besides the obvious pictures and pillows.

Jump in with both feet. Try making an heirloom. Let the many color photographs inspire you to make beautiful and admired works of art. I hope you will come to love needlepoint as I do!

Copyright © 1976, 1999 by Yolanda M. Christensen

Customer Reviews

A new and improved Black Book!
Like most stitchers, I've used "the Black Book" for years. The new edition is a must-have for anyone who does needlepoint. All the good stuff you've used in the past is still there - lessons on how to begin, the tools of the trade, hundreds of stitches and how to use them, and fnishing instructions. Part of the reason that Christensen has been such a universally used resource is that her step-by-step instructions on how to do different stiches are easy to follow. As wonderful as the old edition was, this new one is even better. Not only are there more stiches - and very useful ones - but the information on tools and materials has been drastically revised. One of the most significant changes that caught my attention is that unlike the previous edition, Christensen is now recommending routine use of frames. Of course, this is consistent with what most of us have been doing for years. Christensen makes some general observations about the new types of threads available and how to use them, but she doesn't discuss them in detail. This is probably a wise choice since the vast variety of threads has been constantly changing and will no doubt continue to do so. My one complaint is that when selecting projects to show in the book, Christensen has very deliberately chosen to drastically limit the number of projects that have holiday themes, particularly Christmas. This seems like a strange choice since you only have to walk in to any needlepoint shop to know that Christmas projects make up the bulk of the business. Other holidays, including those of different religions and traditions are also popular. Personally, I almost never stitch anything but Christmas stockings and ornaments, and most stitchers I know are the same. Other than this personal bias, however, I have found the new edition to be an excellent improvement on an already great book.

Superb, with lots of detail!
I had borrowed the 1976 edition from the library and found it very helpful and a useful reference. But a friend gave me the 1999 edition for Xmas. It is superb!

1) The photos are great -- all the needlework looks like true works of art. The 1976 edition pieces photographed look hopelessly amateurish by comparison -- not to mention garishly 1970's!

2) The author goes into much greater detail about the varieties of yarns and their properties, as well as stitching techniques. There are also MANY more photos on the various steps: blocking and finishing, evaluating your designs, colors, etc.

3) Finally, the author has further annotated the stitches section to include her comments (in addition to the stitch diagram, photo and stitch properties chart (yarn hog, good backing, etc.). She had notes (e.g. "this is a stand-alone stitch") in the prior version, but she does this to a far greater extent in this edition, which I find helpful.

One thing, however, I would have liked to see in this book (perhaps alongside the bibliography) is a resources list, perhaps listing the American Needlepoint Guild and its classes for design and color, etc. Perhaps also a point made that ideas can be gotten in needlework classes at your local shop, etc.

All in all, though, this book is truly an investment for anyone doing needlepoint!

A MUST FOR THE "NEEDLEPOINTER"!
I have loved needlepoint now for over thirty years. Probably one of the greatest things my mother gave me was a beginners needlepoint class when I was eight years old. I basket-weaved away for many, many years. Then, I discovered this book. It took my love for needlepoint to new levels of creativity. There are so many easy to follow directions for stiches that I had never seen before. This book brought out a new and creative aspect to my stiches. From the brand new beginner to the heartend veteran, this book is a must have! I have several other guides in my needlepoint library, yet I always come back to this one.