Needlepoint over the years

Saturday's here and it's a fine, bright morning.  Decidedly chilly, but then it's January so I'd be daft to expect anything else.  It's the sort of day when I think I ought to traipse down to the allotment and potter about, pull up some weeds, tidy up generally.  But - but - the radiators are on, I've the remains of yesterday's quiche to scoff for lunch and frankly I don't feel like shifting my well padded backside.  So, instead I've been looking through what's saved on an old SD card I found in the bureau, among the stacks of to-be-sorted paperwork, receipts, biros, greetings cards and other clutter.  There are lots of photos on the SD card that I'd forgotten I'd taken, including ones from the Knitting & Stitching Show in Harrrogate that I went to a couple of years ago.  (Will definitely book that for this year.  Such a terrific show and always so much to see.)  Anyway, I thought I'd show you some of the pictures I'd saved.  Not of Harrogate - maybe those will be tomorrow - but of needlepoint I've done over the years.  

I got into needlepoint ages ago, as a result of seeing Kaffe Fassett's work.  I loved his vivid use of colour, the layering of patterns, his inventiveness with a craft that'd up to then had seemed very staid and boring to me.  You didn't need a lot of specialist equipment, which was appealing.  Canvas, a blunt large-eyed needle and a good selection of tapestry wool.  I could happily spend hours stitching, trying out colour combination and coming up with my own patterns. 

You can incorporate embroidery threads into your needlepoint, also metallic threads like the silver I used in this red stripy mini-cushion.  

I came up with this fish pattern, and have reproduced it time and again in cushions, table mats and spectacle cases.  

I worked this grid pattern out on graph paper before starting to sew it.  I like the bold, modern look the design has.  

Finally, my Klimt inspired design.  Taking elements from his work and putting them together in this slightly mad cushion cover.  I think the red background brings all the different elements together, so they're not just a scattering of random shapes and colours but part of a unified whole.  

I hope you found something of interest there.  I'll have another trawl through the SD card and see what else I can find.  Bye, and I hope you enjoy your weekend, whatever you're up to.