Noah's Peacocks from Kelly Clark

I spent my Sunday afternoon working on my second pair of animals for Kelly Clark's Ark, Noah's Peacocks.  (I had to do something while I watched the Cubs lose to the Pirates.)

As I usually do, I started by Googling photos of peacocks and peahens to see what effect I needed to create.  Since the animals are small pieces, I can go all out on the main characters.

Most of my time was spent beading, using four different colors of Sundance beads.  I am working on a beading class, so I tried a few different threads and techniques to stitch the beads.

For the threads, I tried Splendor in lime green to intensify the color of the lime green beads, one strand doubled through a beading needle.  I also used YLI invisible thread, also doubled through a beading needle.  For other pieces, I have used Sundance beading thread.  The net:  they all have their place.  Using a silk thread (or a colored beading thread) allows you to manipulate the color of the beads you are using.   (From what I have read and heard in classes, silk is preferred over cotton floss.)  The advantage of a clear beading thread is that it can be used for all colors of beads, obviating the need for a different color thread for each bead.  Some say the nylon threads stretch over time, but I have not experienced that.  However, if I were stitching a piece that would get a lot of use, like a purse, I would use beading thread, like that offered by Sundance.  I love using beading thread when I can because it is so easy to use (nylon thread can drive you nuts).

On the peacocks, I used the "lasso" technique, I went through some beads twice, and I went through some beads only once.  I have come to agree with the experts at Sundance that the "lasso" technique is seldom required.  Its purpose is to keep the eye of the bead from showing and further secure a bead.  However, even if I went through a bead only once, if I used a tight tension and adjusted the bead angle with my needle, the beads stayed in the proper position.  Also according to the Sundance experts, if you are concerned about truly anchoring a bead, going through it twice is more effective than using the "lasso" technique.  I also stitched some of the tail "eyes" by anchoring the first bead, a middle bead and an end bead by going through them twice; the rest were only stitched to the canvas with one pass-through.  Basically, you should use the technique that makes you most comfortable with the end results.

If you are truly worried about losing a bead from a finished piece, you should stitch under the bead with the appropriate colored thread before beading.  I'm not that paranoid...yet.

My new Cockatiel - from Labors of Love

This beauty from Labors of Love is just another fun canvas in an addictive series. They stitch up in a flash and are so gorgeous on a tree.

For this one, I added one strand of Fuzzy Stuff to Silk Lame', using a long and short stitch for the top feathers.

The top two wing sections are stitched in Nobuko, again with Silk Lame'. the lower wings are done with a Random Satin stitch.

For the lower body, I used the Fern stitch.

My next project--stitching all the Kelly Clark Ark animals, starting with the cheetahs.

I'll be watching the Cubs game this afternoon while I stitch away.

Happy 4th to all!

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.

Landscape Stitches Book

We just received the new book from Little Shoppe Canvas Company, "Landscape". This is the first of a series of books to be published, each based on effects for a specific category. "Landscape" includes stitches for clouds, flowers, grass, mountains, sand, shrubbery, sky, snow, soil, stone, trees and water.

I saw a rough draft of the book at market and placed an order on the spot. Now that it is finished, I love it even more and here's why:

• the categories for natural scenery stitches are all things we stitch often
• the book is small and lightweight, but packed with ideas each category includes a great variety of stitches, many of which are not in other books that recommend an effect each of the stitches is numbered and shaded for multiple layers
• each category includes important factors to consider when stitching for that landscape effect
• stitch hints are provided for each category to optimize stitch and thread choices
• each chapter begins with a stitching example that shows how to create a specific effect using a combination of threads and stitch.

This book is a welcome addition to my personal library of needlepoint books.  We have them in stock now.

The Ark Monkey House

Hooray!  Except for the part where I ran out of my silk floss, the Monkey House from the Ark is complete.

I love the stitch I used for the red walls--I found it in Jane Zimmerman's "Canvas Embroidery" Volume One.  The inspiration stitch is a "variation of basic Scotch alternated with elongated Cashmere".  I reduced the row height by one stitch, used 3 strands of silk and the result looks like wood shingles.  The best part is that I only had to rip out one previous stitch to replace it with what I think is the perfect one.

Back to the rooftops of the Ark!

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.

Ark part 4

The great thing about working on the Ark is that if you can't think of the perfect stitch for an area, you can stitch something else while your brain works on the  problem.  The other great thing is that 6 of us are stitching this together and we are bouncing ideas off each other.  The solution for the diamond area kept eluding me.  I tried stitching a Rhodes the same size as the nearby black rectangles in the pale green.  Boring!  A fellow stitcher suggested a black beaded rectangle in the center.  Since I was going to bead the painted rectangles, this turned out to be the perfect answer.