Clip on Peacock from Labors of Love

I have a special love for this peacock ornament - there are several peacocks on our island and they even have their own Peacock Crossing sign.

I got very close to the birds one Sunday and realized that this canvas was missing the feathers from the head. I used small gauge wire and crystal bicone beads, forming the "feathers" and then stitching them to one side of the bird. Too much fun! I knew there was a reason I took all those jewelry making classes--and bought all the tools.

Peacock crossing!

Corn snake & skull witch hat

I've almost finished the Kelly Clark witches' hat series. I used the stitch guide as a jumping off point and then went my way.

I experimented with the 2 small skulls on the brim, beading them primarily with clear size 14 beads and Kreinik #4 glow in the dark braid. The effect was okay, but not great.

Effect I loved from the guide: French knots stitched with Boucle'. This would be great for trees, shrubs, moss, hair and more.

Effect I hated: French knots stitched with Boucle'. Lots and lots of knots and bad words, oh my!

Purse finishing

This colorful purse and canvas by LEE were put together by our customer Pat Collins.

Pat had a terrific idea for finishing.  The bag is canvas, but she wanted it to have a more rigid side.  She purchased an acid-free self-adhesive mounting board slightly larger than the canvas.  We attached the canvas to the board and then inserted the canvas and board into the purse opening.  The result is a canvas side that will not bend or fold.

Good thinking and so easy.

October Heritage Ornament from Kelly Clark

Here's number 10 in Kelly Clark's heritage ornament series. I replaced the beads with Swarowski crystals for more bling.

I've enjoyed this respite from creating my own stitch guides, but I am itching to see what's new at market and see where the artists' visions can take my needle.  Tune in next week for news from Phoenix!

Another Creepy finished!

I'm starting the New Year in a rush--stitching Mehitabel the Witch from NeedleDeeva in less than 2 days. And I took plenty of time off for football and food!

I didn't have Lorikeet in Bright Orange on hand, but I did have it in Narcissus Dark, an overdye.  The result makes me smile--it's a reminder of my youngest daughter's latest (beautiful) hair coloring effect, called Ombre'.

Many stitchers hate using Lorikeet because it can be hard to separate the 9 strands of wool.  The trick is to start separating about 3/4 to 1" from the end, teasing the strands apart.  Then it's a simple matter of pulling each strand from the end.  Really!

Now, what about the name Mehitabel?  It is a Hebrew name meaning "God rejoices", but it is most well known as the name of a fictional cat.  Author Don Marquis started writing newspaper articles "ghost written" by a cockroach named Archy whose best friend is a cat named Mehitabel.  (Thank you Google.)

Happy New Year and Happy Stitching to All!

May heritage ornament by Kelly Clark

This is the May Heritage ornament from Kelly Clark--it's for my husband and self-proclaimed web lackey Chris. I'm trying to decide what to have monogrammed on the back to make it really special. At the rate I am finishing these, I'm going to need another tree next year.

Happy New Year!