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.

Grant's stocking part 3

The trees are two strands of Vineyard Silk in a Horizontal Brick stitch for the large dark green tree.  The snow on that tree was stitched with Silk Lamé Braid for 13 count canvas. The background trees were also stitched in the horizontal brick stitch using one or two strands of Vineyard Silk as needed to cover.

Santa’s bag was also stitched with two strands of light tan Vineyard Silk and one strand of Very Velvet for the dark brown.  The stitch was the Burden stitch, a quick and easy basket stitch.

Grant's stocking part 2

The border was great fun—I used my new favorite thread, Silk Lamé for the squares. The Lamé for 18 count covered beautifully on 13 mesh—the Lamé for 13 count would have been too heavy. I had the thought that most of my Christmas stockings have been stitched for adults or near adults and involved complicated stitches and things that might come loose with heavy use. With this stocking I was careful to anchor everything very well and to use stitches that could stand use and abuse for many years. The boxes are a tied mosaic stitch—the longest center stitch is cross-stitched with one short stitch. I continued the same stitch in Silk & Ivory for a more subtle continuation, stitching a rectangular area around the name in basketweave.

Grant's stocking

I’m at the very end of this project, obsessing as I usually do.

I have one doll’s eye to add (didn’t like the first blue), I would like to beef up the reindeer antlers (3 tries, 3 failures), the reindeer needs lips (but I don’t think the green they are painted is too appealing), and I found a missed stitch on a package bow (and brought the wrong thread to the store). After these little items are cleared up, I’ll add a quick two rows to the outside edges so that I don’t lose any of the painted area and it will go off to the finisher.

The sky was also basketweave in Silk & Ivory to give a quiet place for the eyes to rest. (to be continued...)

Christmas stocking #15 for Grant‏

With stocking #14 still on the back burner (I might be over my angst by summer), I decided to start stocking #15 and a little later, stocking #16 for Grant’s cousin Evelyn.

My criteria: I wanted 13 mesh, a design that would use a lot from my stash and would lend itself to decorative stitches. I also wanted to get away from the monster-sized stockings that have become the norm. These two will fit with the knitted or sewn stockings the kids’ parents have.

This canvas from the Susan Roberts trunk show fit the bill. It is going to be fun and won’t take years and a lot of ground tooth enamel.

The tip… I love Silk Lame’ Braid and I ordered all the colors for 18 count canvas. I found the perfect color for my quilted coat lining and I wasn’t willing to wait for an order for 13 count thread. I first tried doubling the braid using the mosaic stitch, but it was way too fat. I finger-laid one strand and it covered beautifully.

Now it’s time to channel one of my favorite stitchers, Miss Y, and get this stitched in record time.

Three French Hens

Three French Hens is my latest canvas in this series. I finished him just before I started Kat Z Witch, a model for an upcoming class (photos to come).

Here are a few of my favorite things:

• Weeks Dye Works overdyed cotton floss in two different colors for the greenery. I used the satin stitch for both, although the style varied.
• Size 11 beads for the holly berries. There’s no real rule about what size beads to use; I’ve used Little Charmers beads on some projects. They are a sort of “bead soup” with beads in various sizes, shapes and finishes in a single color way—lots of fun.
• Coronet Braid 8 and the fly stitch for the epaulets.
• Combining Petite Very Velvet and red Snow for the coat.
• My very favorite thing—Santa’s shoes. I used Patent Leather following the Slanted Stitch Pattern from “A Background Stitch Reference Book” by the Golden Gate Canvas Workers Chapter of the ANG. The trick was to stitch every other stitch to allow the Patent Leather to lie flat. Voila! Gucci loafers for Santa.

Tip: I stitched the red velvet first, then stitched the fur trim in French knots using white Petite Very Velvet. The result was a pink-tinged fur trim—the white velvet picked up red lint as I stitched. Next time I will stitch the white first and then the colored velvet, using a soft toothbrush to remove the white lint. I’ve decided to leave the pink in—this Santa is very self-confidant and can carry off a little pink. (Besides, nestled in the tree branches, I’m the only one besides all of you who will know.)