"Columbus Heart” class with Robin King

As I’ve said before, I started needlepoint as a “full coverage” gal. Every intersection had to be stitched and with lots of thread. I’ve slowly evolved and Sharon G pushed me into the next stage (but that’s another blog) the other day.

Robin started this terrific class by having us stitch the heart background with just 2 ply of Splendor. 2 ply! And it worked.

This canvas and Robin’s stitch guide have a lot to offer. You stitch with a varied selection of threads, ribbons and beads. I was introduced to YLI Line Clear Beading Thread and I think I might be changing my beading thread from Prism. I love clear beading thread because it’s practically invisible, strong, thin and it works for all bead colors. Prism can stretch, however, and the YLI thread does not appear to. However, it is so clear and thin that it vanishes before your eyes and it is tricky to knot.

Robin included a lot of surface embroidery stitches, taking me back to my childhood and learning crewel embroidery. The Beaded Pattern Couching she introduced us to was a hit with everyone (she referenced a recent issue of Needlepoint Now and a Brenda Hart piece as her inspiration). She also used the Crescent Stitch in more than one area. I’m not afraid of many stitches, but this one has always intimidated me (other people may fear Random Long and Short, among others). I suspect that by the time I have this piece finished I will be a master of the Crescent Stitch.

One part of the class that I really enjoyed was Robin sharing her “doodle canvas” as I call it. You could see the various stitches she tried until she found her “Eureka!” stitch. It gave me hope as one who is learning to write stitch guides. Even the best sometimes have to try a stitch that may not work. It was also informative to see how the same stitch could look completely different when worked in a different thread or thread combination.

This piece will definitely be a class piece at my store this September.

Friday’s TNNA Class

My teacher was SuZy Murphy (the famous needlepoint author) and she is so much fun! The canvas she used is called “Santa in a Martini Glass” by CBK and the threads were donated by Rainbow Gallery. I would recommend this guide and canvas for an advanced beginner level class.

We worked with a couple of difficult threads (they unravel), Flair and Water N Ice. I whipped out my trusty Thread Zapper and shared its wonderful cutting/melting effects with the class.  I loved everyone's reaction--"Wow".   And, being a candidate for Teacher’s Pet, I promised Suzy she could have mine after my class on Sunday. 

Tomorrow morning at 8am (groan) I am taking a class from Robin King, needlepointer extraordinaire and producer of Amy Bunger's DVDs.

Evelyn's Stocking part 1

I still can’t believe I have stitched (almost) two stockings in such a short time. The process has definitely gotten me going, upping my productivity—and recharging my creative batteries.

Like Grant’s stocking, Evelyn’s is from Susan Roberts and is on 13 mesh. There is enough detail and whimsy to keep a stitcher’s interest and to allow for fun stitches.

I started in the toe of the stocking where most of the toys and presents are. Here are some of my favorite things….

The purple package to the right was dressed up with the addition of purple vertical stripes in metallic. The trees are Sprat’s heads, another stitch name I just love (sprat n.
1. A small marine food fish (Clupea sprattus) of northeast Atlantic waters that is eaten fresh or smoked and is often canned in oil as a sardine. Also called brisling.
2. Any of various other similar fishes, such as a young herring.)

The elephant with the clown on his back was such fun. Nothing fancy here but the clown’s collar, Petite Sparkle Rays that was ruched (another great-sounding word) and couched down.

The rolling Santa toy has a beard and mustache done in random long and short stitches. The tree is also random long and short, using the same overdyed Vineyard Silk in the garland border.

The lion and his cage remind me of antique toys. The roof filigree is done in French knots, reversing the direction for each side. The thread was Sprinkles (cut with my Thread Zapper). The wheels were satin stitched using just 2 ply of Splendor, breaking the wheels up into sectors. I got the idea to lighten up my thread from a canvas stitched by Brenda Hart. She used just 2 ply on 18 count for her piece; forgetting for a moment that I was working on 13, I followed her lead. I was surprised at the result. The center of the wheels are Smyrna crosses using the same Sparkle Rays I used for the bars (to be continued).

Grant's stocking is finished!

Grant’s stocking is finished and on its way to Grant. This was great fun to stitch. The simple design lent itself to lots of different stitches and threads.

Evelyn's stocking is off to the finishers next, so stay tuned for that final result.

Petei Nativity Scene

I'm almost finished with Evelyn's stocking; in between sessions with that canvas, I worked on this little one by Petei.

A few years ago we had Petei's trunk show in our Michigan store and I bought the entire Nativity set for my stash.  I had seen it finished at a market in Dallas, stitched with stitch guides by John Waddell.  Of course, I had to have those, too. 

I have started with Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, figuring the Wise Men, shepherds and various critters can show up later.

I made a few of changes to John's stitch guide involving my choice of threads.  For the sky, I used a thread that didn't exist when the guides were written--Vineyard Silk Shimmer in Night.  It covered the 18 mesh white canvas beautifully and was much easier to use than the Gold Rush 14 called for.  I substituted Vineyard Silk for Madeira silk because I didn't have Madeira and I didn't want to have to strip and ply a thread.  I know that a lot of the same threads are called for in the entire set and I am trying to keep this easy and quick.

John called for the Serendipity stitch, one I can't believe I had never tried before.  I found the easiest way to stitch it was to start with the Mosaic stitch as if I were stitching a Framed Mosaic.  I then added the second set of stitches.  This is definitely going to be one of my "go to"All in all, I know I am going to have fun following John's stitch guides as I work on this collection.

Grant's stocking part 5

There was a lot of basketweave involved in the little design areas, but both bears were done in French knots and the cardinal was stitched in Perle cotton for the dark outlines and red Fuzzy Stuff for the random long and short stitches on the body and wings.

Although I chose this canvas for the mesh, the size and the simplicity of the design, I really enjoyed stitching it.  Instead of the year + (okay, years +) I take contemplating, ripping out and re-stitching my usual 18 count Tapestry Tent stockings, I finished this stocking in 7 weeks.  (And I didn’t stitch in the store, just for an hour or two at night. Alright, I did finish the sky with 4 hours of basketweaving while watching the Masters.)  I love this Santa’s sweet face, the doll pointing the horizon out to the horse, the bear looking down at the doll, which is in turn looking at the cardinal, and the calm face of the reindeer.  I know this stocking will have a happy home and will be part of many wonderful Christmas memories.

Time to start Miss Evelyn’s stocking….

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.