This month, I am excited to introduce three new colour combinations to the shop. These palettes were dyed to capture the fresh, bright feel of spring by blending deep teals with vibrant greens. Whether you are starting a new project or looking for the perfect accent for an existing design, these hand-dyed threads offer a level of detail you won’t find in mass-produced kits.

What’s New This Month

• The Palette: A professional mix of teal blues, chartreuse, emerald, and spring greens.
• The Product: Three new limited-edition fibre colourways, hand-dyed here in my studio in Canada.
• Availability: Small-batch quantities! Once these dye lots are sold out, they are sold out!
• Best For: Adding unique depth to foliage, water scenes, or modern abstract designs.

I hand-dye all of my small-batch hand-dyed embroidery floss in my studio in limited quantities. Because this is an artisanal process, these colour combinations cannot be replicated. To ensure you have enough thread to complete your project with a consistent look, I recommend purchasing enough thread for your entire project at once.

April Featured Colours

• Colour #107: A mix of darker blue and emerald green. This is a great artisan-dyed green for adding natural depth to your work.
• Colour #108: A blend of teals and bright chartreuse. This variegated colour needlepoint thread adds a bit of “pop” to more contemporary designs.
• Colour #109: A combination of spring greens and aqua. These look excellent when paired with my existing colours #64, #70, or #71 to create a coordinated look.

Designed for Your Next Project

Many crafters enjoy needlepoint but aren’t always sure how to choose the right materials or where to begin. My goal is to provide no-fuss needlepoint patterns and threads that take the guesswork out of the process.

By using these limited-edition fibre colourways, you are getting a one-of-a-kind product that delivers a much more interesting result than mass-produced threads. 

High-quality projects deserve high-quality materials. These hand-dyed threads provide a professional, unique finish to your needlework that you can be proud to display.  

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I’m thrilled to share some of my favourite needlepoint projects that have emerged this year, including a variety of exciting new designs coming next year. I find it hard to believe how quickly time flies and we’re now approaching the end of the year! This year has been a busy year filled with creativity, collaboration, colour and lots of inspiration.

My Favourite Needlepoint Projects for 2024

This year, I introduced several delightful projects, including four stunning mitten designs: Circus, Mystical, Cozy Autumn, and Candy Stripe. These mittens have quickly become favorites for their unique styles and vibrant colors, perfect for keeping warm during the chilly months. Additionally, I launched two charming ornaments: Autumn Fire and Candy Cane, both available as thread kits with PDF downloads in the shop.

A special shoutout to Freda Murfin from Freda’s Fancy Stitching for her beautiful design, Colour Me Brilliant. This piece showcases a bold and colorful collection of Colour Complements threads, making it a standout project of the year!

Looking Ahead to 2025

Our creative journey continues in 2025, once again focusing on colour and stitches! I’m particularly excited about a new collaboration with Kam Wenzloff, the talented designer behind the What A Hoot series of owls. We’ll be introducing four NEW canvas designs, with the first debuting in February.

Thank You for Your Support

I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your continued support throughout this year. It means the world to me! I wish you all a fun-filled holiday season.

Remember, the shop remains open throughout the holidays, and I’m always just an email away if you have any questions or need assistance.

Here’s to a creative and colorful 2025 filled with wonderful needlework projects!

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My annual inventory reduction SALE is on. All my perle cottons and floss are ON SALE

Perle cottons – sizes 5, 8 and 12 $5.85/skein reduced to $4.00/skein
6 strand cotton floss 10 meter skeins $4.60/skein reduced to $3.00/skein

Floche is reduced from $7.00/skein to $5.50/skein (25 meters)

Embroidery Sampler Thread Kits $20.00 reduced to $18.00

Our Welcome Gnome series of six counted canvas gnomes @$28.50 reduced to $25.00 – includes the PDF pattern!

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Perle cottons in three sizes – 12, 8, 5 = 20 meter skeins $5.85 NOW $4.50

6 strand cotton floss $4.60 NOW $3.50

Check out the SALE section while you visit.  I’ve recently some ribbon hangers, a few buttons

AND

Some skeins of Black DMC size 5 perle cotton, color #310 along with a size 5 darker brown.

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Today is Mardi Gras! As we revel in the vibrant and colourful celebrations of today, I thought it would be very fitting to revisit this beautiful needlepoint project that captures the essence of this colourful carnival celebration.

Designed by Susan of Dragon Lady Designs, this colourful, regal, unique needlepoint piece was featured in the March/April 2021 issue of Needlepoint Now. The colour combinations you see are a true testament to the artistry inspired by the spirit of Mardi Gras.

One of the exciting aspects of creating a needlepoint project inspired by this day is the opportunity to play with various colour combinations. Traditional Mardi Gras colours include purple, green, and gold, symbolizing justice, faith, and power. However, this project’s versatility allows for personalization, encouraging stitchers to experiment with bold, vibrant colour choices that resonate with the festive spirit. In this case, we used a few muted, “non-traditional” colours to help blend everything today.

This project was designed exclusively with Colour Complements threads. The inspiration for this masterpiece can be traced back to the influential Jean Hilton, with Susan having had the privilege of taking a class with her many years ago.

The result is a needlepoint creation that beautifully embodies the festive and lively atmosphere of Mardi Gras!

Creating this Mardi Gras-inspired Design

Mardi Gras is stitched on 18-count mono canvas. Susan used an aqua-shade canvas. However, the flexibility of the pattern allows stitchers to use any canvas from their stash, making it a versatile and accessible project for all. The colour palette is a key highlight, featuring multiple hues that truly live up to Mardi Gras celebrations’ “colourful” reputation.

The thread kit contains all the threads required to stitch the heart except a very small amount of Kreinik braid.  Stitchers can incorporate any metallic thread from their collection, opening the door to endless possibilities for creative colour combinations. There should be sufficient threads to complete TWO hearts as all the stitches use less than 5 meters/5.5 yards.  Many use less.  Perhaps double-sided!!

Whether you frame it or follow Susan’s example and turn it into a hanging ornament, the Mardi Gras needlepoint project offers versatility in its final presentation. Designed with the advanced beginner/intermediate needle worker in mind, this project is a delightful undertaking for those looking to enhance their needlepoint skills while capturing the festive spirit of Mardi Gras.

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It’s that time of year again! Time for my ANNUAL SALE! Several popular colours are now on sale at reduced prices. Colours are available in three sizes of perle cotton – size 5, 8 and 12 AND 6 strand cotton floss.

What’s On Sale

Perle cottons reduced from $5.85/20 meter skein to $4.50/skein. Cotton floss reduced from $4.60/skein to $3.75/skein. Colours on sale are marked in the top right of the photo with a “SALE” button. Not all colours are on sale but many are.

I also have some clearance charms and ribbons in the SALE section. AND some solid black DMC #310 skeins and a dark rich brown one-of I accidentally dyed at reduced prices.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American customers. Enjoy your day!

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Colour #56 uses both a warm and cool colour palette to create this uniquely different shade. It is a blend of golden brown, yellow and teal. While this colour combination is an excellent choice for fall-themed projects, it will go well with a summer palette, as showcased in our upcoming palette of the month.

The brightness that comes with the yellow shades makes it the perfect shade for fun summer patterns. However, the hint of rust and turquoise mutes down the finish, making it also great for fall projects and patterns that are more “subtle” in their appearance. 

In the past, I’ve shared several samples using Colour #56. If you type “56” into search in my website’s top right-hand search bar, all sorts of samples will come up. These include a bargello design, a Temari design, and some hardanger to name a few. All will give you an idea of different palettes that work with this colour.

The combination is unusual with the addition of a shade of teal, but it reminds me of a desert palette, so keep this in mind if you have a southwestern-themed canvas framed up.

For a fall-themed palette, I could see combining this with Colour #57 (browns) and Colour #29 (pale brown). Try adding some solids in yellows too.

Why not pick up Colour #56 and develop a palette for your next project? What do you think of our warm and cool colour palette?

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Today, we’re featuring this beautiful Temari Ball with a lime background. You may have recalled we shared other temari balls that were similar, but instead with a black metallic background. Our latest design highlights something that’s softer and vibrant!

Inspiration Behind This Lime Background Temari Ball

Verna made note of how I am very fond of lime green. In fact, it is one of my favourite colours! I LOVE using it in my needlework because in my view, it gives that “pop” factor to the palette.

When I think of lime I almost always think of a Fall palette and specifically Halloween for the purple and lime green combinations we see at times. Spooky!

It’s also a great palette for spring inspired projects.

When I sent Verna threads I had combined Colour #64 and Colour #69. Colour #64 is a blend of lavender, aqua and green AND works well with a wide variety of palettes. I had not initially thought of a background of lime but Verna likes to surprise me and WOW, did she. I LOVE the lime green background and feel it really enhances the colours in the threads.

The pattern is Verna’s version of Barbara Seuss’ “Sunflower Design”.

While many of you may not be interested in attempting Temari yourself, perhaps this palette will inspire colour options for your next needlework project. I think you may want to add Colour #69 to your palette, especially with LIME GREEN!

As always, I encourage you to play with colour.

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Today, I’d like to share another example of creating embellishments with nylon lace. It draws from some of the work we initially featured, which illustrates how to use lace and nylon lace in crazy quilting. Both draw from very similar techniques, but you’ll see how different the outcome can be in this post!

When I began crazy quilting many years ago, I didn’t know the best options for lace. I picked up a lot of nylon lace in thrift stores and had some in my existing stash. I quickly learned that my preference was cotton or rayon laces as they accepted the dyes I used efficiently, so I had the option of dyeing them if I wished.

How to create Embellishments with Nylon Lace

In the example above, I applied the lace over a seam with the majority width of the lace on the top of the seam and only a tiny portion on the bottom.

I often use a fusible to ensure my lace stays in place, then apply my embellishing, further securing it. I took advantage of the designs within the lace and added French knots in the center of the florals.

I added cross stitches in between and detached chain and straight stitches at the top. At the bottom, I added half circles in the chain and stem stitch. Embellishing was completed with scattering beads.

Once again, my rose motif is in the top right corner, completed in the workshop I took. In the bottom right, I’ve overlaid a seam with a ribbon and embellished it with various silk ribbon roses/leaves and gathered ribbon flowers. The background fabrics are cotton and hand-dyed silk.

It is a busy section of a block! So, if you have some nylon lace in your stash, hopefully, I’ve provided you with an idea of how you may use it.

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Welcome to 2023!

Each year I start planning well in advance for the following year. I assess what works and doesn’t throughout the year and make changes accordingly. Here are some of the different needlework projects we’re going to be featuring in 2023.

I know many of you struggle with choosing colour palettes for needlework so my blog posts this year will focus even more on COLOUR and specifically various palettes! After all my business world is all about colour.

What Needlework Projects Are Coming Up For 2023?

For 2023, I will carry on with stitch videos so you can “see” how each of the variegated colours appear when stitched. I’ll continue with Kathleen’s wool applique circle sampler and my crazy quilting stitching ideas.

While I plan to continue the Colour Feature Series this year we will be focusing on one colour combination offered in the shop each month versus several colours. I will be discussing more colour choices and colour theory but not in great depth as there are many books available on the subject. Check back later this week for our January feature colour!

Welcome Gnome! Series

If you liked our “What A Hoot”: series, you are going to love our “Welcome Gnome” Series! I am SO excited to introduce my collaboration with Marilyn Owen. If you are a member of the American Needlepoint Guild, you will most likely be familiar with Marilyn. Marilyn has designed a series of counted canvas GNOMES. The gnomes will be published in each issue of Needlepointers, which is the American Needlepoint Guild publication, a total of six gnomes! Each gnome has a custom thread kit which will be available for purchase in the Colour Complements shop. Ladies, you do not want to miss out on these – they are adorable!! Stay tuned for the first gnome on Wednesday!

Mittens

I introduced the Twelve Months Of Mittens series in 2022, offering various stitch choices for stitching mittens. Most of these were based on one or two stitches. The series inspired me to design and stitch a number of mittens, one of which was published in the November/December 2022 issue of Needlepoint Now. I ended up designing more mittens which I will be displayed on the blog throughout the year. I’ll be including the colours and stitches I used, and I might even make up some thread kits so you can stitch your own. They are, of course, COLOURFUL!

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