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Our wonderful petit point artist, Carol
Herter.
Carol worked her first Petit Point picture when she was a teenager, put
it away, and didn’t look at it again for several years. Then about 30
years ago, she rediscovered the picture, started stitching, and has been
stitching ever since. Located in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, Carol usually has at least 2 pictures on the go, she
takes them with her if she travels, as she finds it very relaxing. Carol
worked at a bank for 34 years and helped her husband on the farm but always
found two or three hours a day to work on Petit Point. She has exhibited
pieces in the local exhibitions and has won prizes for every piece entered,
mostly firsts (and a few seconds!). Now that she is retired, Carol has more
time to spend on her craft. She enjoys giving pictures to friends and
family and finds it a joy to visit someone and see her handiwork hanging on the
wall. Now Carol has agreed to provide her talents to the world.
Carol gives us a little insight into her craft:
"I start each piece by finding the middle of the silk gauze to
be worked. I stretch the gauze either on stiff cardboard, small wooden
frames, or the larger pieces on a wooden stand. This keeps the work tight
and wrinkle free while working. I like to work from the center of the
piece, to the right side, up to the top, down the left, and across the
bottom. There is no set order to do the stitching but because each stitch
is counted from a chart, the work needs to progress from one spot. The
background is usually not done except on scenes, so it is important not to carry
threads across areas where no stitches will be. Thread is carried across
the back of the picture, no knots when starting each color. All petit
point is worked on silk gauze. Larger pictures, where the background is
completed, are worked on heavier product called cordova. These pictures
are all hand stitched and each stitch is counted from a chart.
It is important to keep the tension even to make a
smooth picture. Details come about from using color nuances. This
adds richness to the picture.
Framing: Never fold the canvas, it will leave creases
that might not come out when framed. Treat the picture with care: it could
become a priceless treasure. I recommend using double mats. This
brings the glass further from the stitches and highlights the picture
better. Choose matting that complements the picture, not your home décor
(they could be one and the same but don’t detract from the picture to match a
wall). You can choose regular glass, non-glare glass, or portrait
glass. Regular glass is, of course, the cheapest. Non-glare glass
will make the stitches look fuzzy but if you want to eliminate glare, this is
the way to go. I used to frame everything in non-glare but have since used
portrait glass and even regular glass. If you are hanging the picture
where there is not a lot of window glare coming in, it really doesn’t
matter.
Protect
your investment. I prefer to have my pictures professionally framed as I consider
them works of art and want them displayed in the best possible way.
Pictures must be stretched before framing, so that
the small holes are in a straight line. If it is not done properly, your picture
will end up being lop-sided.
Sorry, but I do not sell the patterns for my pictures.
It would be a violation of copyright laws. Most of my pictures are made from
patterns that I have purchased from catalogues from the various companies, some are stitched from cross-stitch patterns that I have adapted, some are
obtained from the internet, some have been ordered from Germany, but all are available from some source.
If there is a particular one you are interested in, I could perhaps put you on to the source of the pattern.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance. Glad to help.
People have asked what kind of machine I use to produce
my petit point projects. I just hold up my 2 hands.
Enjoy!!"
Carol
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Q: Are the Petit Point pictures 2 thread or 3 thread? Are they
stretched ready for framing or are they already framed?
A: All the pictures on my site are done in 3 thread Petit
Point. The pictures are not stretched, mounted, or framed. When I am working on a piece, I keep it
stretched so when I am finished, they are just about ready for framing. Most just need a little additional
stretching to make sure the lines of the gauze are straight. I am fairly fussy when
framing so when I take a picture to be framed, my framer makes sure they are
square. He usually does not charge me for stretching, as it is not much of a job.
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People constantly ask Carol
Herter, our wonderful petit point artist, "Why, after putting so much
time and effort into creating these beautiful works of art, would you part with
them?" Carol replies that she
loves her craft very much and finds it a great way to "relax."
After 30 years of "relaxing," she is running out of room to display
her treasures and would now like to share her talents with the world. We
will post the "hours of relaxation" Carol
put in, for a few of her larger projects.
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