More Halloween!

You have probably seen a ship in a bottle, but what about a skull in a bottle?  This is really spooky!

Christmas snail

This snail from Kirk & Hamilton was really fun to stitch.  My favorite things:  Ribbon Floss satin stitched over a perle cotton chain stitch for the raised brown stripes and the T-stitch worked in size 8 Kreinik in Moonstone.  (Sharon G once said that silver thread in an open stitch seems to age better than other colors in open stitches.)

After speaking to a couple of my finishers, I have started my annual panic.  Finishers say they are getting buried early--one has even moved their finishing deadline for Christmas back by 2 weeks.  Either we are all getting smarter and finishing earlier (unlikely, I think) or we are stitching like mad!

So, don't be a snail, get stitching!

Haunted House Finished

Just got the haunted house back from the finisher. It is quite a hit in the store!

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.

Columbus 2011 day 2

Some of my favorite canvases so far
* A 3D crow by Melissa Shirley on 13 count canvas; he comes with a hat and a monocle.
* Also from Melissa, gorgeous orchid purses and fanciful startfish
* From Kelly Clark, 6 witch’s hats that are so wonderful, you want them all. They come with a stitch guide, too.

* Dede Ogden has painted two views from a sitting room. My favorite is a view of the Eifel Tower through the window of a pied-à-terre.  It reminds me of trips to Paris when we rented an apartment instead of staying in a hotel. The second view is from an elegant New York apartment with a fabulous view of Manhattan.
* Labors of Love has new clip on birds to add to our collections, all of them colorful and fun.

I started the day with a fun class taught by Cynthia Thomas. The canvas was a Halloween House by DC. I’ve had a couple of customers stitch the canvas and I wanted to see what Cynthia could do with it. She taught us a technique borrowed from gold work for two of the lollipops that I can’t wait to try on other canvases. Her stitch guide and instructions were, as always, top notch.

Tips from Cynthia:
* When working with Planet Earth Opal or Vineyard Silk Shimmer, use a larger needle to keep the metallic from coming up short at the end.
* Cynthia demonstrated how to separate Lorikeet, a 9 strand overdyed wool that gives many of us fits. She started by teasing the ends of the thread apart—you can see that it separates into bundles of three. The best way to pull the strands loose is to hang a weight (like the one from Puffin Co) from the end. The real key, though, is patience.

New threads—at least for me
* Rainbow Gallery has introduced 17 new colors for Silk Lame’ for 18 count and new colors for Neon Rays +. The very coolest new Neon Rays + is a white sparkly ribbon that glows in the dark.
* YLI has an organic cotton ribbon floss that comes in the 26 Painter’s Thread colors. I love the texture—a little primitive—and can see ruching it for great effect.

The Ark part 5

I've been watching the Dodgers play the Cubs at Wrigley Field, stitching away at the main roof.  (Da Cubs are losing.)  Next, to mix things up, I'll finish the turtles and snakes on the main deck.

I am stitching the teal roof line in two long rows of continental.  In several 3-D classes I have taken from Ruth Dilts and Joan Lohr, I learned a very important tip.  Keep your finisher happy--stitching corners that will be bent by splitting the stitches at the corner.  Stitching the teal areas in basketweave would make bending the canvas more difficult.  Hopefully, the continental rows will allow for a clean, crisp edge.

Easter March part 2

I'm finishing up the Easter March--this is a photo of the flowering shrub at the lower right of the canvas.

In each 4 x 4 flower I tried: 1) 4 size 14 beads, 2) 2 x 2 Cross Stitches, 3) 2 x 2 Upright Crosses and 4) Smyrna crosses (not shown).

The beads would have driven my class nuts and I don't think the effort was at all worth the effect

The Cross Stitches would have overwhelmed the shrubbery; the Smyrna crosses were even more overwhelming.

The winner was Upright Crosses. Another option would have been a single size 11 bead placed in the center hole.

Time to write the stitch guide!

Needlepoint Decorating

I played hooky from the shop yesterday and a wonderful time touring 4 homes in our historic district. They were all beautifully decorated for the holiday season, but one house in particular stood out for me and my fellow needlepoint addicts.

The owner of the home had stitched quite a collection of needlepoint ornaments and she displayed them in imaginative ways.  Ornaments were hung from cabinet knobs, door handles and hung on the side of lampshades.  I’ve also seen wreaths and garlands that were adorned with needlepoint ornaments.  Whether you have a huge collection of needlepoint ornaments that more than fill a tree or you have just begun your collection, you can spread holiday cheer throughout your home.

Happy Holidays, Michele

Christmas March part 4

The moon is one of the last items I stitched.  I needed Santa's stitches to help anchor the Kreinik #8.  I used an open stitch called the Four Way Continental D from SuZy's Lite Stitches.  I tried filling in the open spaces with Accentuate and decided that the open version was much better.

Happy Thanskgiving!

Christmas March part 3

I toyed with the idea of stitching the bear entirely in cut turkey work, but with so much else going on (and not wanting to spark a rebellion in the class) I kept it simple.  He is stitched mostly in Petite Very Velvet using basketweave.  The hat has style, though.  It is stitched in the Diagonal Knitting stitch with satin-stitched tassels.  French knots separate the tassels from the ties and there is fur (faux, of course) trim to add warmth and elegance.  You could also add a bead in place of the French knots for a more dressy effect.

Let the Christmas March begin!

 It seems like weeks since I had a chance to sit and stitch. I told a customer that I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, only my tornado dropped me on an Island named Amelia, in a small mountain of packing boxes.

A couple of nights ago I finally set up my stitching nest in the living room. I have a comfy spot in front of the television with my System 4 stand and my Dazor lamp.

I picked up the Christmas March again and did some touch up work on Santa's coat. I then worked on his candy cane staff. The first step was to stitch a chain stitch with perle cotton #3 "inside the lines". Step 2 involved satin stitching the cane with a very light cream Flair. In step 3 I used a red and a green Petite Frosty Rays for the candy cane stripes. The colors I chose were more muted than the traditional bright red, white and green. I managed to loosen up a little and stitch the stripes in a less than precise fashion. This Santa has a hand-crafted candy cane to go with his patchwork and patched coat.

My boss is letting me go early today, so I'm going to sneak in some more stitch time....

Evelyn's stocking finished!

Evelyn's stocking just came back from the finisher and it looks great!

Here are some of the stitches I used:

Jump through loop is the fur on Santa's coat.

Woven stitch for the stocking hanging on the mantel.

The mantel and surround are stitched with Spring using the Basket Weave on Top stitch:

Evelyn's stocking part 4

The nutcracker is tent stitched with cross stitches for the buttons and an elongated Smyrna cross for the belt buckle.  His beard and hair are French knots on a stalk.

The garland is stitched entirely in French knots using Tone on Tone Vineyard Silk in Landscape.  The berries are also French knots using a red #16 Kreinik braid.

I was taught a long time ago that white-white stocking tops usually draw your eye first, a bad thing when the stocking should be the focus.  I used Natural Silk & Ivory and the Nobuko stitch for the cuff.  The name and the area around it are basketweave.  Trying to carry a specialty stitch with its compensating stitches into small areas results in a mess, so the area around “Evelyn” is just plain basketweave.

Next week - stitches I used on this project.

Now on to the new project--I’m thinking Halloween.

Grant's stocking part 4

The reindeer was stitched in Encroaching Gobelin using a combination of Silk ‘n Cream, Vineyard Silk and Silk & Ivory, matching the colors painted.  I then used a Bunka brush to make her furry and blend the stitches.  The next step involved trimming the fuzz with my Turkey tufting scissors to make the surface even.  Her ruff is Angora and the Encroaching Gobelin stitch.  Angora won’t stand up to a Bunka brush (I’ve tested it myself), so I used a soft toothbrush to bring up the fur.

The reindeer’s basket was stitched in Perle cotton #5 using the Cross Stitch with Beads stitch found in Suzy Murphy’s latest book “Suzy’s Mini Stitches”.  I used the darker brown for the long horizontal cross stitches and replaced the beads with small upright crosses in light brown.  I thought about stitching an open topped-basket with a wire rim, but thought again of wanting a stocking that a child wouldn’t have to use with care.

My newest project

I felt such a relief when I finished my sister’s Tapestry Tent Christmas stocking. When it came back from my finisher I was so inspired that I went back to work on her husband’s stocking, also by Tapestry Tent. I counted the maximum number of days until the December finishing deadline and even tried to psych myself out by stitching my initials and the year 2009 in an inconspicuous place. When even I realized that I was exceptionally crabby each night as I stitched (mostly basketweave due to the level of detail in the painting) I ripped out “09” Next year, Dennis.

I had been casting around, trying to find an inspiring piece when I realized I had one in my stash. I had kept an elephant canvas from a summer trunk show. Part of a large scale nativity set, I thought I would finish it as a pillow. It will look lovely with my Tap Tent 3 monkeys and my Trubey palm trees pillows, completing my exotic family room theme…when I finish stitching them. (Did I mention that I am not a serial stitcher or that I have HOW MANY unfinished/not begun canvases?) I put the elephant on stretcher bars and moved it from room to room just so that I could look at it. Wait a minute I thought, I’m off the hook for that %^&** Christmas stocking (all my stockings have a cursing phase towards the end). I immediately started pulling threads and planning stitches.

I started with the blanket, ultimately ending up with the Checkerboard Cross in overdyed Kreinik and Sprinkles for the turquoise section. For the purple section, I used the Cross Stitch with

Beads from “Suzy’s Mini Stitches”, substituting Sprinkles cross stitches for the beads because the beads stood out too much from the surface. The oblong cross stitches are done in Burmilana. Still to come—lots of tassels and hot fix Swarovski crystals—and basketweave. The irony is that I had burned out on Santa on the motorcycle because there was so much basketweave to do. As I found myself stitching the elephant’s headpiece in basketweave, looking at more basketweave to come, I realized I was stitching another Tapestry Tent canvas. Even better—I’m going to stitch the entire nativity set. Oh well, at least driving myself crazy is a short trip.

Needlepoint monogram on canvas tote

I stitched this 6” x 6" 14 mesh Barbara Bergsten canvas during a couple of television shows—HGTV, of course. I love this as a teaching piece because each stitch is stitch-painted so that once you put the first color in a square, the pattern is easy to see and follow. I used Vineyard Silk as recommended in the stitch guide and it covered very well. I have said in the past that I thought VS was too skimpy on 13 mesh, but it is perfect on 14 mesh. I will use this design for a class in our Florida store in November.

I was going to use this to tote Morgan & Gracie’s leashes and such around, but it’s way too nice. I guess they’ll just have to wait for something else to come along to replace their grocery bag.

King Arthur continued

The base is a very subtle stitch I found in one of Brenda Hart’s books. It’s a lantern stitch turned sideways. I worked the lanterns in Flair and the background in 8 ply of Splendor.

I made up the sword handle stitch (who knows, though, someone may have invented it first). It’s a variation on the Fern Stitch with the center of the Snowflake stitch, surrounded by tent. The tent direction was reversed in the upper left and lower right quadrants. I used the Fern stitch again, this time with Fyre Werks for the light gray areas of the blade.

The gold medallions hanging from the twisted cord (Kreinik #16 and Perle Cotton 5) are an Octagonal Rhodes in 2 shades of Shimmer Blend Ribbon. After I made my twisted cord, I unraveled one end and carried each thread to the back and anchored it. I couched the cording down and unraveled the other end, again taking the tails to the back and anchoring them. It was time consuming and nerve-wracking, but gluing the tails under the cording is wrong on many counts.

As we all know, one is the loneliest number, two starts a collection and three or more means you are a collector. Time to choose my second large nutcracker!

King Arthur large Nutcracker

Yes, I’ve been away from my blog for a while. This Michigan winter was so long (snow from November to April) that I stitched more canvases than ever. Now they are coming back from the finishers and I have time to write a bit before the Florida snowbirds start coming in droves.

I love the JB nutcrackers because their faces are usually fierce, just like the Steinbach nutcrackers I collect. King Arthur was finished quickly, not only because he is on 13 mesh, but because the canvas lent itself to large stitches. The large stitches were a real treat, since I am usually poring through my books looking for very small stitches for 18 mesh canvases.

The King’s crown was stitched in Kreinik gold braid #16. I broke the points and the base into individual sections, combining whatever stitches fit the area. The base is made of two rows top and bottom of Smyrna crosses alternating with the Mosaic stitch. The five rows in between were stitched with the Crossed Rice Stitch from June McKnight’s book of border stitches. I glued the rhinestones in place and anchored them with Jessica stitches.

His hair, mustache and beard were stitched with Silk & Ivory. His hair is done in Encroaching Gobelin over 4 and his mustache is the Stem/Outline stitch. For the beard, I stitched Plaited Gobelin, illustrated in “The Needlepoint Book” by Jo Christensen.

His cape, cuffs and coat border are stitched in white and black Angora in Giant Brick. I still haven’t decided whether to brush the fur with a soft toothbrush. And yes, Ruth Dilts and Joan Lohr were right (and why wouldn’t they be)—you can’t use a nap brush on Angora—it shreds it.

The center section of gold was done in reverse Mosaic with a full Mosaic centered down the middle and the sides ½ Mosaic stitch.

The main body of the coat is a 3-part stitch. The main stitch is a Mosaic in Silk & Ivory. The second part of the stitch was done in Patina, 2 stitches framing each side of the Mosaic, leaving a blank intersection. The third part is a cross-stitch done in Kreinik #12. The sleeves are stitched in alternating rows of vertical slanted Gobelin over 2 in Silk & Ivory and vertical tent in Kreinik #12.

Lollipop back - more on crystals

When I got my lollipop back from the finisher, I was really pleased with the results. (Click on photo for more detail.)

First, the finisher had used a pink Lucite stick for the lollipop--smaller in diameter than the painted one that came with it, something I liked very much. Also, the pink went really well with the Swarovski crystals I used for “bling”. Since the Lucite comes in varying lengths (up to 3 feet) and in 3 different colors, it opens up all kinds of options. Longer lengths will allow for finished pieces of varying height, and I can just imagined how wonderful a needlepoint star would be for a little fairy princess.

Second, I loved my crystals. I used SS.20 rose pink ones for the dots on the canvas. I have learned a few more tips about working with hot fix applicators. Although the crystals are firmly affixed on the finished piece, I found that you have to apply them after the nearby stitching is complete or the leverage from trying to fit stitches under and around them will pop them off. Also, the directions that come with the applicator result in burned fingers, at least for me. Instead of trying to place a crystal in the right sized tip and then flipping it to attach the crystals, I found that placing them on the canvas or stitches and then applying the hot tip to the crystal gave the perfect result, even allowing me to move the crystal slightly for perfect placement. After counting to 10, the crystal is fixed in place.

It looks like I might have to stitch the entire set of lollipops—and then there are the hearts for Valentine’s, the stars for the 4^th and the….

Halloween March needlepoint back from finisher

The Halloween March canvas is on order and headed to the Bristly Thistle.

Here’s my finished pillow—I had so much fun stitching it and our pillow finisher did an incredible job matching the fabric and trim to make the canvas truly outstanding.