The 100 Year Project

I can't get this chair off my mind.

The interiors are the work of Richard Pettit of the Archers. The upholstery is a reworked mid-century wool wall hanging from the French Artist Buberoff. The home owner, who I believe was the driving force behind this chair, was inspired by the infamous Gertrude Stein Picasso armchairs.

These chairs are often referred to as the Stein/Picasso chairs but they were actually stitched by Gertrude's wife Alice B. Toklas. Picasso sketched the artwork on canvas and then she stitched them. I mean, can you imagine?!! What a life! There is a nice background story about the chairs here.

Coincidentally, at the same time that I came across this chair, I just happen to be working on an ancient needlepoint that I started ages ago (and I mean ages). I picked up this project again because my younger guy has been pretty sick lately and has spent a lot of time in bed wanting me to sit by him. This is sort of a perfect project to do during those times. I am really enjoying the zen of the needlepoint, same as I do knitting.

This project is very close to completion. It will become a little pillow after I needlepoint the last bits.

So naturally putting these two things together, I've come to the conclusion that I need to needlepoint a Picasso chair cover (actually I have two benches that I want to do). There are some Picasso needlepoint kits available online but they tend to be not large enough and they are super, duper expensive (I saw one kit that was like 1200$).

This is what I'm thinking, at least right now. I can buy blank needlepoint canvas by the yard, purchase a Picasso poster I like and trace away! I know this will work because in college, my roommate did just this very thing for a summer job (she actually painted the canvas, but I won't need to do that). I have found a few images that I like here. The painting above is Harlequin Musician, 1924. 

One other possible cheaper option for creating the canvas template is a projector -which I believe I have (as part of Ethan's extensive electronics stash) in my garage.

I will be of course scouring the internet for a good source for wool thread because one thing is for sure with needlepoint, it can get really expensive. I'm planning on using 18 gauge canvas (I'm nuts!) because I like that stitch size but I could very well be 100 before I finish this project. 

Any thoughts, advice, suggestions? Do tell.

*Addendum note. See the next steps of this project here.