Hip, hip, HOORAY! It’s National Needlepoint Month and I have a super-fun surprise for you! To celebrate our favorite hobby, I’m hosting the 2020 Stitch Challenge!

What the heck is that?! That’s a terrific question and I’m ever so glad you asked!  The 2020 Stitch Challenge is my brand new needlepoint Challenge where you’ll stitch along with me as I share 15 canvas embroidery stitches that I think every needlepointer should know!  And there will be prizes… 😉

When does it start?

We’ll begin on Monday, September 14 with the Kick-Off Party and we’ll wrap things up on Friday, October 2.

Every weeknight at 8 p.m. CDT, Monday through Friday, I’ll share a new stitch with you.

But I won’t just tell you the name of the stitch. I’ll include the diagram plus a “how-to” demonstration so you can try it yourself. (And if you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I L-O-V-E to shower my students with lagniappe, so there will definitely be surprises for you tucked into each live broadcast!)

Let me tell you a little more about how it’s going to work…

First, you’ll want to sign up so you get all the juicy details.

Click here to get your name on the list.

Next, you’ll want to get yourself a piece of blank needlepoint canvas – either 13 or 18 mesh.

I recommend that it be 8″ x 8″. You’ll also want to mount it on stretcher bars. (It’ll take two pairs of 8″ stretchers to make a frame.)

Here’s a picture of a sample doodle canvas for you. (That’s what I call my practice canvas where I sample different stitches.)

Then, you’ll want to gather up some threads.

Any medium or light hue will work, so this is the perfect opportunity to go stash diving and use up some of those leftovers from previous projects. I do recommend using a single strand of something smooth, though. Think Perle cotton #5, PepperPot Silk, or Planet Earth Wool for 18 mesh canvas. If you prefer working on 13 mesh canvas, see if you can find some Silk and Ivory or Planet Earth Silk. (Perle cotton #3 will work on 13 mesh, too.)

And, of course, you’ll need a needle.

A #22 tapestry needle will fit the bill for 13 mesh canvas and a #24 tapestry needle will work very nicely on 18 mesh. A needle threader will come in super-handy, too. Here’s my all-time favorite one:

Wondering why should you participate in the Stitch Challenge?

Well, for starters, it’s gonna be oodles of F-U-N!

And it’s free!

So how can you resist a fun-filled, free mini-workshop that will help you build your needlepoint skills and add to your stitch repertoire?

I hope you can’t resist because it just won’t be the same without you. 🙂

Wondering what’ll happen if you can’t join me for every session?

No worries… each broadcast will be recorded and you can watch the replays at your convenience through October 4. I’ll post the recordings in the 2020 Stitch Challenge Facebook group, but they’ll be going away on October 5 when I archive the group.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t share this, too – you’ll get bonus points for showing up LIVE and checking in. How will I know that you’re there? Great question. We have a system worked out that we’ll share with you before we get started on Monday, so don’t fret about that. It’s really simple and anybody will be able to do it – even if you’re not a computer whiz.

What about those prizes?

There are some really cool ones and I’ll bet you’re wondering how you can win them? It’s easy peasy – just post pictures of your stitch samples on social media (e.g., Facebook or Instagram) using the hashtag #SerendipityStitchChallenge or #SerendipityNeedleworks. Each picture that you post will earn you points to qualify for some really terrific prizes that I’ll give away at the end of the Challenge. Here’s a sampling of what I’ve already gathered…

• rosewood laying tools
• needle minders
• silk ribbons
• tapestry needles
• stitch books

Alrighty – that’s all for now, my friend. Again, I hope you’ll join me for the 2020 Stitch Challenge. It’s gonna be AWESOME and I can hardly wait!! 😉

Until next week, happy stitching…

XOXO!!

PS: If you have any questions, please reach out to us at help@serendipityneedleworks.com. We’re always happy to assist!

Ellen Johnson

WOW! It’s hard to believe that we’re already to our last stitch family that we’re going to explore in this series of blog posts! Are you ready to dive into loop stitches? Terrific! Me, too.

Ellen Johnson

Ready to dive into some stitches that you can use to embellish your needlepoint canvases? Terrific! Me, too. Let’s chat just a minute about stitch families before we get started, though. When you understand how stitches are grouped in families (and how those families relate to each other), it helps make choosing the best ones for your projects much easier. I like to categorize canvas embroidery stitches into these five families: straight, slanted, crossed, looped, and knotted.

Ellen Johnson