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.

Ark races - second leg

I'm not sure how clearly you can see this, but I have tried two different threads for the same stitch.  One of them will be ripped out....  One side is Trebizond in the perfect colors, but I don't like the loft or the sheen.  One could argue that the roof of the Ark is wet and therefore shiny, but I want a somewhat more rustic finish.  I switched to 2 strands of Soy Luster which I love.  The strands lay perfectly flat, the color works and the roof doesn't overwhelm the windows.

Now back to the Ark race!

Ark races

I'm having so much fun with this canvas because there are so many different pieces to work on--I can't get bored!

For the main deck of the Ark, I've used an overdyed thread and a random width, random length Cashmere stitch.

The snakes are a simple padded satin with the top layer a Gloriana silk floss.

I will admit to obsessing over the turtles.  I started with the idea of beading them in their entirety, but I would like to finish this piece with my sanity (mostly) intact.  I did bead the black lines and then the obsessing began.  I tried a Kreinik #12 for the gold section of the turtle on right, but felt that it was too flat.  I left the basketweave with that thread on the two sides of the turtle.  For the center, I cross-stitched each thread for a higher profile.

For the turtle on the left, I bumped up to a Kreinik #16 and simple basketweave.  The result:  6 of one, 1/2 a dozen of another.  Maybe the next time I have turtles to stitch, I will bead them.  Maybe.  But only if Brenda Hart makes me.

Noah's Ark

At the end of Brenda Hart's whirlwind set of classes, I started Noah's Ark, beginning with the two largest pieces, the main ark itself.  So far, I'm working primarily in silk, using 2 to 4 ply.  For the squares, I'm choosing a stitch for each block color.  I've been  happily scouring Brenda's books for ideas for all of the ark.

I'm still in the honeymoon stage with this big project, with ambitious plans to bead a couple of fun areas.  And I've already decided to have a Plexiglas box built to house the finished Ark.  Alas for my poor brother-in-law's stocking....

A smaller project

I have (mostly) finished the Easter March and its stitch guide.  I have moved on to my 3D turkey, but I was itching for a new small project.

I raided the ACOD trunk show for this shoe canvas and tried the new Painter's Thread for the main part of the shoe.  I bought a designer ring of the Painter's Threads at market.  I had no idea what they were or how they could be used, but they were too beautiful to pass up.

The thread is YLI Shimmer Blend Ribbon that has been hand dyed.  Each of the 25 colors is named for a famous painter, therefore Painter's Threads.

I loved the thread--it will work on 13 or 18 mesh, can be finger-laid and is beautifully shaded.  Use the thread and you can ignore shading!  I'm going to try it next for tassels.

For the rest of the shoe, I used Coronet Braid for the gold areas, ruched and couched Neon Rays + for the green and used Petite Frosty Rays and the blanket stitch for the purple.  Now all that's left is a bit of background and French knots for the jewel. (I did consider ordering a flat back semi-precious cabochon, but luckily my web connection was too slow.  Then again, maybe I will....

Easter March part 3

Stitching the little girl in the Easter March brought back fond memories of dressing our girls for Easter Sunday and the Easter egg hunt that always followed.  For myself as a child and for our girls, egg hunts continued into the high school and college years, where fooling the eye and the brain became a diabolical game.

This little girl's hat is stitched in two sizes of the Double Nobuko.  I tried appliqueing River Silk for the ribbon, but no matter how subtle my efforts to attach the ribbon, the result was not good.  I used the same ribbon in an Outline Stitch for the final result.

Her hair was stitched with 2-3 strands of Lorikeet using a long bullion needle and the Bullion Knot.

I didn't care for the way the dress was painted mostly white, so I took the richest pink and stitched the dress with two strands of one of my favorite threads, Floche.

This happy little blonde is even able to ignore her little brother, who is kicking up the back of her skirt.