More Halloween!

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

The Happy Witch

This is the second panel of 5 from Julie Mar & Friends, with the stitch guide by Patricia Dee.

Sometimes I am a stickler for mirror image stitches, i.e., one side has the stitch slanting in one direction, the opposite side slants in the opposite direction.  I loved Pat's choice of the Souffle stitch for the Happy Witch's cloak, but I wanted the left side to mirror the right.

Usually, you just need to turn a stitch diagram a 1/4 turn to get the mirror image.  You can see that this doesn't work with this stitch.  So here is Reverse Souffle, "for your alleged pleasantry" as one of my beloved high school English teacher used to say.  (She would introduce herself at the beginning of the year--"My name is Mrs. Null, it rhymes with dull."  She was anything but dull.)

Count Dracula by Julie Mar

How handsome is this guy?  Widow's peak, bedroom eyes, cleft chin, and there's something about that smile....

This is one of 5 canvases in a series by Patricia Dee of Julie Mar Designs.  You can choose individual characters or, as I did, buy all 5 with the stitch guide and the ceramic painted knob.  They make up into a very cool lidded box for Halloween.

I tweaked the guide a bit to make it my own...and these are a few of my favorite things.  I found a great Mandarin floss color for his pasty face; the candle flame is a glowing Fyre Werks; the candle is stitched with a Renaissance thread and the dripping wax is made of French knots using an over-dyed Kreinik.

Next up--the Happy Witch.

Haunted House Finished

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

Last Creepy finished

I just finished my last Creepy in the series (I finished the owl and the fraidy cat earlier).  It was such a pleasure to follow Robin King's stitch guide--it's like letting someone else drive so you can enjoy the scenery.

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!

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!

The Spider Queen

After my latest stocking was finished, I said I was working on lots of ornaments.  The Spider Queen was a Sunday afternoon project (I didn't say they were all Christmas).  Again, what's not to love about this series with stitch guides by Robin King?

Robin was so good about incorporating many threads in each piece and also making sure that these threads get used on multiple Creeps.

My favorite stitch is the Elliot Stitch.  Done in two shades of lavender, it gives a feminine touch that belies the fierce look of this black widow.

Creepy Frank finished

Look who just came off the rack ... er ... stretcher bars--Frankenstein from the Creeps series by Needledeeva.

My favorite things--Robin King's wonderful choice of composite stitches and the great way his sweater looks.  He's dressed perfectly for this fall weather.

Spooky times with Brenda Hart at the Bristly Thistle

We had a wonderful 3 days with Brenda in October. Strangely enough, there were more than a few Halloween canvases in the store!

Brenda will be visiting us next March 16-18 2012.

Creepy Devil

What a handsome devil we have here.  This is the latest release of "the Creeps" from Needle Deeva, with stitch guide by Robin King.

I only made one change--I stitched the stars in glow-in-the-dark Kreinik.  "The Creeps" are addictive!

Third Witch Hat

My new ghost magnet is celebrating the finish of my 3rd Kelly Clark witch hat.  I am using the stitch guide that is available for the hats, with a few twists of my own.

For the background, I used 2 strands of Splendor and 2 strands of Accentuate for a brick stitch on the hat and skip tent on the brim.  My favorite thing: using beading thread from The Collection to couch the Kreinik Hot Wire and braid.  Whether I pierced the couched thread or looped over it, you can't see the couching stitches.

Tip:  Place the crystals for the spider bodies (I used hot fix Swarovski crystals) before you bead the legs.  (Do as I say, not as I did.)

Creepy Hooty Owl finished

My Hooty Owl canvas is finished and will be back soon to hang on my Halloween tree.

Hooty and Robin King (and NeedleDeeva, of course) were featured in the most recent issue of Needlepoint Now.  You may have noticed that the current canvases differ in color from the one Robin stitched.  It's not uncommon for production canvases to vary from the pre-production canvases, causing bits (or more) of havoc for the stitch guide author.

I chose to follow the colors Robin used, especially for the background.  This meant that I had to use a full coverage stitch--basketweave.  I used Silk Lame' and needed a card plus part of another--so make sure you buy 2 10 yard skeins or cards if you decide to change the canvas background color.

I can't wait for the next "Creep" to arrive!

Kelly Clark Pumpkin Hat

I've been indulging myself by stitching both of the recently released "Creeps" from NeedleDeeva and the 6 witches' hats by Kelly Clark.

I had reached the last step in the stitch guide for the Pumpkin hat by Kelly and I felt I was all thumbs.  No matter what I tried, I couldn't combine 7mm ribbon, ruching and beads in a way that made me happy.  Many bad words were used.  In desperation, I drove OTB (Over the Bridge) to the nearest Michael's for an easier embellishment solution.  I searched the ribbon section, almost giving up, when I spotted 2 possibilities:  a 3/8" black gimp and a 5/8" black gimp with black velveteen ribbon running through it.  Not having had the foresight to bring the canvas, I bought both of them.  I ended up using them both--the narrower gimp on the hat brim and the wider gimp under the pumpkin...ghoulish couture realized.

While in Michael's I also gathered what I would need to make a black feather wreath like the one Robin King is shown holding in the latest issue of Needlepoint Now.  Having put a Styrofoam wreath form,  black spray paint, 6 black feather boas, extra bags of black feathers and silk ribbon for the hanger in my cart, I did some mental arithmetic.  Adding in the time spent not stitching, I decided I should look for a ready-made wreath.  To hedge my bets, I bought 2 boas (I can always wear them in the shop in October) and some extra black feathers in case the purchased wreath is skimpy.  When I arrived home, I went straight to the computer and found the perfect wreath.  From JoAnn Fabrics, it is 19" in diameter and 50-% off  I can't wait to decorate for the howlidays.

Creeps from Needle Deeva

As many of you know, the first canvas in "The Creeps" series by Needle Deeva has arrived. I saw all the finished models at the Columbus market, fell in love and will (selfishly) be stitching the complete set for myself. I had intended to show this as a new canvas in progress, in my stitching rotation, but I had so much fun I finished it in no time at all. The extremely talented Robin King wrote the stitch guides that come with each canvas. Her guides are always very clearly written and illustrated and I always learn something new--a new thread, a new stitch or a combination of the two. My favorites from the Pumpkin were the two composite stitches. The best part about this 9 month club is that you can pick and choose your canvases without signing up for all of them. And of course, you can always go "back in time" if you change your mind and pick up an already released canvas.

Kelly Clark witch hats

We have Kelly Clark's trunk show in the shop and I am treating myself to the six witches' hats and the stitch guide created for them. I have started with the Pumpkin hat, adding a few of my touches to the piece. I am adding the large flat beads to the hat brim, as suggested in the guide. Because the stitch is a full coverage stitch, I am leaving the center stitch open to allow me to place the beads properly. I had a great time looking for beads and such on the Fusion Beads website (www.fusionbeads.com). They lured me in with a 20% off weekend sale and I stocked up on all things that glitter, especially in Halloween and Christmas colors. And the stash just continues to grow....

Mile High Kitty

I'm working on 3 large projects and I needed a quick, fun piece to fit in my "scheduled" stitching. This pretty witch and cat kept me entertained.

The sky is one strand of Impressions in the Irish stitch with Swarovski hot fix crystals for the stars. (That's not a red crystal, its a clear one caught in the sunlight.)

I used the Neon Rays + white glow in the dark thread for the ghosts and Kreinik glow in the dark for the green in the cat's eyes.

The witch's hair is Petite Fluffy Fleece, couched down with one strand of Splendor.

I love the witch's necklace. I used a product that is new to me--the clear beading thread from The Collection. I have always used Prisms and Sundance beading thread, but I'm open to anything that makes beading easier. The Collection thread was easy to thread through the needle eye and easy to knot. It behaved very well and I will definitely use it again (and again).

I ran the thread (doubled through the needle, knotted and anchored) through Sundance size 11 real metal beads. Once I had the right number of beads for the necklace I sank the needle at the other end of the necklace. I then came back up and tied down/anchored the necklace every few beads. Finally, I came up a third time and ran the needle and thread through the center of the entire string of beads. Voila! Bling!

Haunted House by DC Designs

I had to stitch something just for me, something with a stitch guide, something on 13 mesh--I have been stranding and laying too much silk on 18 mesh canvas.  I went to my June market class stash and pulled out "Haunted House", canvas by DC designs, stitch guide by Cynthia Thomas.  Perfect!

Derek of DC Designs (he is Amanda Lawford's son) started his needlepoint canvas career with the mission of bringing fun, affordable canvases to market.  He has truly succeeded.

Cynthia Thomas is an expert at creating stitch guides and a wonderful teacher.  It was a delight to just let her guide my needle.

Since a stitch guide is a guide, I wanted to try some "new" threads and to substitute anything else for stranded silk.

I used the new glow-in-the-dark Neon Rays + for the skulls and bones.  I found it to be very flat on 13 mesh and in retrospect, would have used it for the moon with a basketweave stitch. I love that the thread is very white and sparkly and does glow in the dark.

I stitched the moon with Brown Paper Packages' Stardust in white.  Skeined, it looked very thin to me, but it was very fat on 13 mesh.  I would use it for the skulls and bones, if I were stitching this piece again.  This is another thread whose brightness and sparkle I appreciate.

In my attempt to take a vacation from stranded silk, I substituted Planet Earth Silk and Neon Rays for a couple of the silks.  I'm not a fan of Lorikeet, so I went with Gloriana silk floss for the grass, still staying in the Gloriana family.

For the icing on the cake, I added Swarovski hot fix crystals for the skulls' eyes.  JAB makes wonderful skull buttons in XL that look great if you stitch over the painted skulls.  Just be aware that the buttons are somewhat fragile--be careful sewing them on and don't use them on an item that will receive abuse (think pillow fights).

I'm not sure what I will be stitching next, but I feel as though I have had a very relaxing and fun break.

Halloween Cat needlepoint project

I've been stymied by the Christmas March, so I worked on a couple of my Petei Nativity figures and this cute little Halloween cat.  She fits on top of a hinged china box by Julia's Needleworks.  There's a little bat painted on the inside of the china box.  This was super quick and easy.  I used Vineyard Silk and a Jacquard stitch for the background, Fuzzy Stuff and the random long and short stitch for the cat, and Petite Very Velvet for the bat.

"Mine" needlepoint design by Sandra Gilmore

After finishing two Christmas stockings in record time, I decided to get into the Halloween spirit.

"Mine" by Sandra Gilmore of Once in a Blue Moon designed this very cute canvas that had been languishing in my stash for a couple of years.  I had started the Jacquard stitch for the sky and then left it as a UFO (UnFinished Object) for over a year.  I was inspired to pick it up again when we had the Patty Paints trunk show in Florida.  I purchased two of her sparkly pumpkins with the idea of having 3 coordinating pillows made.

I had intended to leave the tent stitches in between the Jacquard blank, but I don't know how exposed canvas holds together over time. I first tried a Kreinik #16 for the tent stitches, but the color was wrong and the braid too fat.  I had a Neon Rays that was a good color, but the thought of stitching that much with the slippery devil of a ribbon took all the fun out of that section of canvas.  I settled on Treasure Braid, taking two stitches over the exposed star areas.  I liked the richer shade and its lower profile.  I haven't decided whether or not to add star buttons or to leave it as is.

The cat's eyes (and the pumpkin's) are Kreinik glow-in-the-dark braid with 005HL for the black slits.  Her nose and gray outline are tent stitched with Very Velvet.  I love the stitch I used for the cat's fur.  I found it on a blog "Melita Stitches 4 Fun."  It is shown, with permission by David McCaskill, in her blog about her sunflower canvas.  I had toyed with the idea of using a different stitch for each section of the cat, but I love the overall pattern I got from using just this one stitch with black Silk & Ivory.

The pumpkin was not painted with a glittery finish, so I used Gold Rush 14 to tie it to the sparkly canvases by Patty Paints.  I used the Nobuko stitch for the main body, but I didn't love stitching it (the Gold Rush was hard to pull through) and I think I could have chosen something that would look better.  However, these camvases are just for fun and I could hear my friend Linda using her favorite line when I want to rip something out--"What are you NUTS???"

Next up:  the purple polka dot pumpkin.