Back from Finisher

Good things come to those who wait or something like that. Today I received the finished White Santa stand-up and a Herringbone Eyeglasses case in the mail.  I must admit that sending items off to another state for finishing incited anxiety a few times, but in the end I am delighted I did so.

Marlene's Custom Pillows in San Francisco did a beautiful job on both pieces, used quality materials, were reasonably priced and finished both pieces professionally. Very happy. Even the back side of the stand-up is lovely. For more information on stitches and threads used on White Santa, click here.

Next, another beautiful job on the eyeglasses case. This was the second of these that I stitched from a class I took (way back in 2009) at my local needlepoint chapter. It was laying around waiting to be finished (the first one I finished myself, click here) and I finally admitted that something needed to be done - action should be taken. So off to Marlene's. I totally think it was worth sending out. Again, very pleased.

I've been moving full speed ahead on Christmas Flowers and really have to push as Christmas finishing deadlines are fast approaching! This weekend I'm hosting, "Stitching with my Peeps IV" and have been getting ready for that too and working on the raccoon and the pilot class piece and beginning the season of art fairs and festivals. More on all this in a few. Thank you for stopping by today, hope you have time to come back soon.

Christmas Flowers Progress

I have been having so much fun with this canvas. Finished the stitching on the "flowers" (all but the much needed tweaking and the stems) and am so tempted to break a Cardinal rule by attaching the button stacks to the centers pronto... before the whole thing is stitched....but alas I have resisted so far.

But I was anxious to see how the background shading would turn out. The stitch is listed as Mindy's Background Stitch and I just love it. It adds so much to a canvas including texture and interest and is fast moving. Another good thing about using this stitch,  particularly when there are so many breaks in the background area,  is that it's rhythmical enough so you can easily refer to what you've already stitched instead of having to go back and forth to a chart when you're jumping around the canvas.

Background threads used: Gloriana silk in Halloween Green, Needlepoint, INC silk in Acid Green Range and RG Splendor . These threads stitch like a dream. Also worth a mention is the green used in the black and green circle, Planet Earth's Silk. I have been wanting to use this thread ever since one of every color was purchased by DD as part of my Mother's Day spree. The sheen on this silk is beautiful.

I'm trying my hand at needleblending on the background too. I'm not sure if it can be technically called needleblending if you only use two strands. My understanding of needleblending is to use at least three plies so you can effectively blend, but two seems to be working here, at least to my satisfaction.  - I've only used two strands because the openness adds to the texture and also because the canvas is so beautifully painted it actually enhances the shading gradation. 

I did needleblend using three plies when stitching the center circle of the black and green "flower." But instead of following what I've done, I would like to refer you to Anne Stradal's blog for a tutorial and more information about needleblending. Anne is a master at this technique and she knows all the nuances, ins and outs and is a wonderful teacher.

Once I finish the upper background and stems, I'll move down to the stripey/polka dot areas. Maybe try out DMC's Memory Thread somewhere. Thank you for stopping by today, I'm always glad you're here with me.

I am not happy about

muddying up my blog with Blogger issues; however, I don't feel I have much choice in the matter. I tried to leave a comment on my OWN blog (and other blogs as well) this morning (in response to a comment) and was continually redirected to the sign in page. What's up with that? Blogger redirects me to the sign in page when leaving comments if I select Google Account when choosing a Profile. If I choose Anonymous, the comment goes through. It happens whether I'm using an IE browser or not. I tried seeking a solution through Blogger and was unsuccessful in finding a solution. Ugh. Frustrating. If anyone out there knows the answer why this is happening and can shed light on a solution, please leave a comment....that is if Blogger lets you. LOL!

Thanks. Off to less frustrating things....let's see, where did I put that bag of M&M's a.k.a. Stress Tabs!

Mindy's Whimsical Christmas Flowers

Here we go! I'm very excited to have started stitching on my Christmas canvas from Mindy's latest whimsical collection. The design size is approximately 8x8" and segmented so nicely that it should keep one's interest fresh and take no time at all to complete. Most finishers have late September deadlines for Christmas finishing and I'm going to try to get it done by then. : )

The first thing I usually do is make two photocopies of the painted canvas using one for future reference (many times painted canvas design details are covered up by thread before the area is actually completed, leaving you at a loss when you go to add beads, buttons or additional stitches). The second copy I use as a road map of stitches and/or threads. Yes it takes time to do all this but it moves things readily along when you get down to the fun part - stitching. On this particular design I have not designated all the stitches to be used and plan on repeating some and deciding others as I go along. Confession: To help me with stitch selection, I discovered and am using a stitch guide created by Tony Minieri and found in the June/July issue of my very favorite needlepoint magazine, Needlepoint Now.  Mr. Minieri's guide is for a similar canvas and I consider myself extremely lucky to have this available for ideas. He's a pro and I've only heard stitchers sing his praises for his inventive use of stitches and thread. YAY!

The threads, chosen by Mindy herself, are fabulous and so far I am loving them. Beginning the first circle using Planet Earthy's (PE) 6-ply silk in two shades of green and Bella Lusso's Merino wool has been a delight. The twist of the Silk has definition but lays very smoothly. The Merino wool is amazingly soft and strong. This is the first time I've used these two brands of threads and I am impressed. The white area was stitched in Alternating Mosaic using Perle Coton and is the "underlayment" if you will, for the button stack. The green circle area is stitched in basketweave and will eventually have sequins attached inside the two-tone green circles.

Next up is red and white polka dot circle. I'm using PE's silk in red for the Diagonal Plait (love this interesting and quick moving stitch) and the Rhodes using Petite Sparkle Rays in white.

On any given day....




Really? In Colorado?



in my neighborhood you're libel to see anything. Honestly. Well actually, the camels aren't in my neighborhood, they're "down the road a piece."  No,  not at the local zoo or nearest Renaissance Festival, they reside a few miles away and folk tale actually claims they once roamed wild in the Colorado mountains... back in the day. Imagine how surprised/delighted I was when seeing these baby camels just hanging out and grazing in the pasture like ponies. It took less than a year to grow into young adults. They spit you know, so don't get too close.

 



 

Proud Coloradan






Yes Virginia, there are camels in Colorado!





And then to spy the three Great Horned Owl fledglings on DD's deck was a total unexpected pleasure. Funny creatures to watch as they seem to arobicize their necks a lot. On this day they were practicing flying from the deck rail to the nearest bush. Sooo cute. The mother (or father) was perched on the edge of the house watching their progress too.



Weapon of Mass Destruction



Cute Comes in Threes



Thanks for indulging me today while I share with you some of the reasons why we love living outside of town. It never gets old in terms of scenery and surprises. In case you're wondering if I've been stitching...I have. I accidently left my camera with my photos of Christmas Whimsy progress at DD;s house this weekend and will post in a few days. Hope you have a wonderful week filled with lots of stitching opportunities and good weather. It's been hot here allllllll summer and I'm over it....weather Gods out there are you listening? I'm Over It. 









I've made....

...a little more progress but am not convinced this is exactly what I want. I'm actually trying to keep things simple this time, taking into account that this and the squirrel will eventually be finished into pillow tops.(The Very Velvet should hold up to that even if someone DARES to rest upon one which is doubtful...highly doubtful.) Having said that, it's a bit challenging keeping things simple in the needlework world don't you think? I often fall prey to the concept of trying to make things look fairly realistic which doesn't have to happen all of the time. It's a habit I'd like to break and feel comfortable with doing so.

Speaking of the squirrel I've had a notion that I could stitch him along with the raccoon....maybe instead of getting started on my aforementioned Christmas Whimsy canvas??? Well maybe I won't happen to have another set of 12x12" stretchers available. Just maybe the Christmas Whimsy is already on a set of 12x12"s. Just saying. :) In either case here are the threads I am planning for squirrel. Oh, wouldn't the tails be great done in turkey work? Did I really just say that and document it on the Internet. Oh No She Di'nt.

Well have a fun weekend everyone, relax and enjoy safely everything you do. I hope your weather is favorable for stitching too.....if it isn't yet, it soon will be.

I See You!

Quite a while ago I was on a spree at Pocket Full of Stitches located in Lubbock, TX. With mandatory stash enhancement efforts underway (once one foot set inside the door), this and a companion squirrel canvas by Melissa Shirley were mine. I've had both kitted up almost from inception but the timing wasn't right to take them both on....Now it's several months later, and at the behest and pleadings from my husband to break out the wildlife I'm embarking upon the raccoon.

There's no stitch guide unfortunately, but I do have enough books containing suggested stitches for fur, feathers and probably fins to fill half a fhelf. Given how little I enjoy turkey work, I'm going to do my best to avoid this obviously appropriate stitch choice by choosing warm and fuzzy threads instead. So far Rainbow Gallery's (RG) Petite Very Velvet fits the bill big time. First, it's very "pettable" and second there's no need to lay threads.....happy day. Yes, you do have to make sure this fun to use thread doesn't twist and the colors are somewhat limited but it's great for my purposes here. I'll also use a little Whisper, Fuzzy Stuff and Alpaca (all RG threads) throughout for the body, head and tail and have pulled RG's Splendor, Caron's Impressions and J.L. Walsh Silks for the leaves and background. Nothing gets set in stone with me making the decisions, however; it's pretty much trial and error....lots of error unless a professional has selected the threads and provided a stitch guide. One of these days I'll get the hang of making these decisions more quickly but in the meanwhile I'll plod along ever grateful for a well stocked stash closet.

Along with this piece I have been working on a pilot class project for the past month and a half that has been taking up most of my stitch time but is nearly completed. So I decided to get one of my newest acquisitions (Mindy's Christmas Flowers) up on the stretchers and will begin this and stitch simultaneous to the raccoon. I usually don't do this but I'm in the mood to live dangerously these days so I'm goin' in!

Now that I've whiled away the morning doing blog things I may as well just forgo everything else that needs my attention and get back to stitching. Sounds good to me. Thanks for visiting today, I'm really glad you're here.

At long last.....

I am so pleased to have something to show you. This was the Tug O' War bargello stitched earlier this year and designed by the late Jean Hilton. I wanted to do something with it other than hang it on the wall, and several readers suggested I make it into a serving tray. Wonderful solution! After trying unsuccessfully for several weeks to find a ready made tray that would be suitable in color and size, I eventually took it to a local framer and had a custom tray made. This was also suggested by a reader.

The most challenging thing about the whole process was finding the handles. Having no luck here in the Denver area locating this type of hardware, I turned to the Internet and in the end needed to send away to this company located in WY that had an extensive selection of beautiful hardware for various needs. I was very pleased with the level of service and quality of the products which were made in England.

The framing included using plate glass to prevent accidental breakage and then being sealed in silicone to avoid damage from any leakage should the tray actually be used. Because of the smallish size, my intent for the tray was for decorative purposes only but now it can be safely used.

Another project I am very proud of has been framed and already sitting in place on the sofa table at my daughter's home. Deco Cat was stitched and intended to be made into a large decorative pillow at first. I had purchased all the fabric and trim and set out to turn it into a whimsical creation. After cutting everything out I began sewing and soon realized that this was not going to work out the way I wanted it to. The problem is that the cat design is so large and in order to accommodate two or three mitred fabric borders and fabric covered cord, the pillow would have had to be HUGE to balance with the stitched design. I was so disappointed but managed to take it apart without damaging the canvas and skulked down-trodden to the framers. The framer transformed deco cat into a wonderful work of art (This piece was a Mystery Class by Ruth Schmuff and I wanted it framed like hers!)

Oh, I almost forgot, meet Tahoe the inspiration for my version of deco cat, enjoying a relaxing afternoon with my daughter reading magazines and sharing the sofa.

Thank you for visiting the blog today, I've missed posting and look forward to resuming normalcy as life has been anything but normal lately. I have several new projects to share with you including getting started on a canvas from my Mindy's Needlepoint Factory visit.

Santa is Stitch Finished

Last writing I said in so many words that I was nearly finished with White Santa, that I was going to get to gettin' with the tedious turkey tufting and then on to the background, rounding out with a few other minor finishing details and I'll be done. Well all that happened it just took weeks instead of days. One might begin to think I'm slowing down or something. No, I'm not. It was just wishful thinking that I could get this done sooner than later. Yes, that's what it was.

I very much enjoyed working on White Santa especially with all the various stitches involved providing a number of learning opportunities, I enjoyed them all.....well almost all. The turkey work pretty much bogged down the project for me. I do find it a bit tedious but hold out hope that it's just me and the way I execute the stitch. I take 4 passes with the needle and a lot of holding everything out of the way. Using 3 strands of Medici doubled over I was thankful there wasn't that much of it on this piece. If you have any tips or suggestions to make this stitch a little easier or work up more quickly, I'd love to here from you.  Maybe you blog and have addressed turkey work and would like to leave a reference or just want to share how you handle this stitch. Thank you in advance for any advice.

In contrast, one of the stitches I enjoyed and surprised myself with was the double bullion used on the mustache. The stitch guide provided excellent instructions making it very easy to do. At first apprehensive whether I was up to the task, after a few practice stitches I got the hang of it and am still amazed that it turned out as nicely as it did. I wanted to demonstrate this technique but needed a third hand to hold my camera so I will attempt to explain the process in my own words and hopefully you can visualize this.

First, using 2 strands doubled over and knotted, secure the thread away and come up through the canvas pulling through the length of the thread until it stops. Hold the needle between your right pointer and thumb and begin twisting clockwise until the strands have a very tight twist. Grab the twisted thread at the center point of the length of thread with your left hand and then with your right hand plunge the needle down through the canvas one thread over stopping just short of the needle going all the way through and keeping hold of the thread in your left hand and the needle in the right. With the twisted strands still in the left hand begin to twist them counter-clockwise until the threads are tight. Now gently begin to pull the the needle all the way through to the back of the canvas and as you continue pulling the bullion begins to form on top of the canvas. Once you've pulled the thread all the way through, bring your needle back up through the canvas where you want to secure the loose end of the bullion and secure it catching a thread on the underside of the formed bullion. In my case, as instructed I made my bullion curve to form one side of the mustache and then repeated the process on the other side. I was impressed as to how easy this was.  I am really proud that I was able to satisfactorily execute the mustachio thanks to the explicit, step by step instructions provided within the stitch guide.

Another interesting technique was used on the bag. The stitch is reverse basketweave but to me it looked more like a T stitch. Either way it creates the textural effect of a burlap bag and is perfect in this application. I also want to mention the pant legs which were stitched with rows of basketweave and French knots on one leg and turned one quarter turn on the other, again creating a great textural effect.

All in all the stitch guide, created by Susan Portra, made stitching this canvas as fun as it looks. Providing new challenges balanced by bursts of the familiar kept my interest peaked throughout the project. This, probably more than anything can motivate me to continue and finish my projects. Even though White Santa took longer than I expected I thoroughly enjoyed it. It will be finished, not as a stand up as first thought as the background is too "open" and IMHO needs more support, but instead as a 3-d rectangular block decorated to look like the front of a Christmas package. As always thank you for stopping by to visit today and I hope you'll come back soon!

Mindy's Needlepoint Factory

Like many needleart "enthusiasts" whenever travelling I check online for new-to-me stash enhancement opportunities. This time was no exception and did I ever get lucky visiting Mindy's Needlepoint Factory. Have you ever been??? OMG I didn't want to leave... ever.  But not to worry, I took a large part of the shop contents home with me thanks to my enabling husband and daughter....like I needed any encouragement.

Located in Eugene, OR in a quaint double-decker "marketplace", it is a dream setting for any ultimate stash enhancement experience. There's food, interesting shopping, food, fountains, and beautiful spring flowers on display the likes known only to the Pacific NW (or maybe Holland or Utopia). Beauty abounding and stimulating the senses while compelling a girl to reach for her debit card, I thought, well if I'm going to lose the nest egg, I may as well have something to show for it. I'm goin' in!

Upon entering Mindy's magical, so this is what lies beyond the pearly gates, shop you're immediately struck by the unexpected. Clothing? Trim/braid/ribbon? Buttons galore? Not just any buttons or trim and braid but special, special examples of every unique design and color imaginable and in abundance. The array of color and volume alone were mesmerizing; Mindy is most definitely all about color and creativity.  Make no mistake you've not seen anything like this before, and then suddenly you realize this needlepoint shop is the creation of One Gifted Woman. Add in a measure of incredibly nice and service oriented and we have a winner. Road Trip!

Back to earth, I was there as my Mother's Day treat from my daughter. My mission was to choose a canvas representative of Mindy's known talent. I was familiar with her work, always admiring and drooling over her Asian themed designs expertly painted with precision. I'm happy to report that I found just the right masterpiece. Make that masterpieces, after all who among us could confine themselves to just one of her works of art. I love the colors, design and the Chinese coin and tassel on this one. Nice touches all. I'll be adding more about my Mother's Day spree in a later post, and wanted to make sure you knew that these few shots of Mindy's place is just the tip of the iceberg, there's another 2/3 of the store not in view!

Also, I couldn't omit letting you now what a delightful lady Mindy turns out to be. She is so gracious and was so very generous with her time in assisting us and other customers. Expertly pulling the threads for my canvases, it would have taken me hours. And the threads, I can't wait to tell you about the threads. Although you'd never guess it possible by looking at her, Mindy has done this for 30 years and it is second-nature to her.  A devoted mother first, this talented artist and shop owner has created one of the most innovative and original shops this blogging needlepointer has had the pleasure to visit. Although well worth the trip from anywhere, if you cannot go in person, visit her at her website, Mindy's Needlepoint Factory and enjoy!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!





1971



Thank you for stopping by so I can say hello on Mother's Day! Today I hope you find yourself enjoying an exceptionally loving day with your children and/or with with your own mother. You deserve it! I wanted to share my bouquet with you, it is filled with fragrance- roses, carnations and stock interspersed with lovely pink hydrangea. Thank you DD, you are beautiful!


I've been away for a while visiting Washington State and Oregon with my husband. The Pacific Northwest is a beautiful part of the country and I hope to visit often as there are so many amazing things to see and experience. I rented a car with plans to tool around antique malls and needlepoint shops while my husband was working but unfortunately the first 10 days I was under the weather with some bug I undoubtedly picked up on the airplane. Bummer. I wasn't able to get as much stitching done as I had hoped. Traveling by plane doesn't allow to bring a lot along, but I did get got some areas done on my White Santa Nutcracker and will post this soon. Actually I have nearly completed it and am beginning the tedious turkey work and then on to background.

Our daughter arrived for a visit last weekend as a special treat for my Mother's Day. We ended up exploring the countryside alongside the Columbia River while driving to Portland, OR. The backdrop of a snow covered Mt. Hood was gorgeous and unrivaled!  Pendleton, OR is nearby too and we must have seen literally hundreds of sheep, all ages, sizes, sheared, unsheared. Lovely creatures to see on the green hillsides.



We feasted on Dungeness crab and even had sturgeon fish and chips. There were numerous antique malls along the way and we tried to visit them all. However, the highlight of the trip was a few hours south of Portland in Eugene. I had always heard about Mindy's Needlepoint Factory but never dreamed I'd get there but my enabling family was bound and determined to treat me to a day at Mindy's....who am I to disappoint? OMG it was amazing. Read about it in my next post.





Seeded, bugled, done!

I've had this done for a while but have a new computer that includes new software to get used to; Photoshop to be more specific and I have yet to learn how to use it. I think I need a tutor, honestly. I am lucky to get these pictures up at all. The color is a little off. Humph.

Anyway, after making the final decision for the beading on this piece I ended up eliminating the turquoise flower beads. They were good in color, but not really fitting for this design. The objective was to fill in the original non-stitched area which was done using bugle and seed beads; two seed beads then one bugle then two seed beads. Naturally I began the process before ensuring I had enough of each bead type in my stash. And naturally I didn't. But a quick trip to the LNS and I was lucky enough to restock with Sundance Designs #17B seed bead. I had enough of the bugles. YAY! The rows of beading really added to the oveeral texture because (even though it's not as visible in the photo) the dark shades used in the beading accentuated this part of the design but didn't detract from the overall flow. Stitching this piece was thoroughly enjoyable and stress free which, after all, is what stitching is supposed to be all about. I love bargello and there is a lot of it on the web these days. I recommend it for relaxation and a quick sense of accomplishment! Next step...off to the finishers.

Bodice, Bell and Belt

I am thoroughly enjoying this project; it's very compartmentalized (unlike me who is all over the place usually). The center chest area was next and I really liked the lacy effect of this stitch, Four-way Continental. It's easy and quick and adds texture even using floss. The grey outline is perle coton.

The jacket bodice was outlined in gold Neon Rays (regular Continental on the right and reverse Continental on the left side, you need to enlarge the photo to view it). The inside was filled in with Criss Cross Hungarian in white Neon Rays and Continental stitches in floss in between. The sleeves are the same stitch again reversing on the left. Another fun textured look.  The bell is mostly Basketweave but the outside of the bell was padded 3 times! Then diagonally long stitched in Balger braid #8 to cover. The belt buckle to the right is Smyrna Crosses and tent stitches; using doubled over Balger #8. The white part of the belt is outlined with Neon Rays and then padded once with perle coton and covered over with a vertical long stitch in 5 ply floss, stitched over twice.

Santa's mittens were padded once with perle and stitched over in long stitch with 5-ply floss. Cuffs on the sleeves were French Knots in 2 ply Medici in grey, then a row in 1 white and 1 grey strand, then all white. Cute!

I didn't get to stitch today but plan on tackling the fur on the jacket and hat in the next day or two. I still haven't practiced my Bullion either. Santa seems to be coming together pretty quickly. I think I like this as a stand up instead of framed or as a pillow...but I'm always open for suggestions. Many thanks for stopping in today!

White Santa and a little history



Who's watching who?

 I've been house/cat sitting at my daughter's home while she is in India. She lives about 10 minutes from me so it's easy to go back and forth between houses. It's been lonely though and I am so thankful for having the time to pursue all my favorite past times. Excuse me a moment while I brew a fresh pot o-Buckery and toast a bagel. (I could live on bread alone even though there are wise people out there that say otherwise.) Oh, and remove this curious kitty from my lap.

I haven't ventured very far away from either house in a week and have another week of "time to myself" to go. This type of reclusive lifestyle allows me to indulge and I've been stitching up a storm, surfing the net and looking out the window. I also made a turkey pot pie, mmmmmmmm! Just for me!

One day back at my house and feeling industrious I decided I should tidy up my stash room.  While sorting through my queue drawers I came across this canvas and stitch guide all kitted up and ready to go.  It's a nutcracker called White Santa, an awesome project I purchased some time ago. There is a little history with this piece as I first saw it stitched about 15 years or so ago and have coveted it ever since. Imagine the thrill when coming across it at my LNS.

I saw it stitched by a master stitcher and one of my favorite people of all time. Her name was Katherine (Kay) and she didn't begin needlepointing until she retired from the NYC School District at age 65. I met her when she was around 80 years young, highly active in AAUW and living with her 90 year old sister in South Carolina. Neither girl ever married, no doubt a contributing factor to their longevity and freedom to pursue their numerous interests unencumbered. Both of these fabulous women lived into their 100's and have since passed. I was very fortunate to enjoy the company of both brilliant woman for 10 years and am forever grateful our paths crossed. One day Kay gathered a huge bouquet of gardenias from her back yard and presented it to me; I carried it from room to room enjoying the fragrance for days.

White Santa is a canvas by designer Damarj whose painted canvases were often accompanied by thread and stitch guides created by Susan Portra, as is White Santa. My personal experience is that these painted canvases and guides are not that easy to find though you still run across them from time to time.  But if you do happen upon one you'll see they're beautifully painted.

When the stitch guide was created in 1990 there wasn't a vast variety of threads available and much of White Santa was to be stitched in floss. I have made my own substitutions.  Because the majority of this project is stitched in all white threads, Ms. Portra wisely begins with the face and from then on guides us to stitch from top to bottom to keep the stitched thread pristine.

This first photo is of the stitched face minus the mustache. I used Mandarin Floss, 5-ply in basketweave whenever possible. The eyebrows are french knots. The nose is padded with perle coton and then stitched over vertically with more floss and back-stitched.

In the next photo you can see the padding process for  Santa's hair using diagonal rows of perle coton then overstitched in the opposite direction with 2-ply stranded wool (I had a hank of Medici on hand). I am saving the mustache for last because it calls for a large bullion stitch and I need to practice first.

Santa's cap is first outlined in gold Neon Rays and then stitched in the Byzantine stitch using white floss, and then white Neon Rays for the tent stitches. The gold stars are Balger Braid #8.

Next up: the bodice, sleeves and bell.



Tug O' War

stitching is complete. I just love this Jean Hilton design. One of the best things I learned here is that there is so much you can do with color that might not be expected. I always thought that graduating shades of color made the bargello flow, but in this example I didn't have all the shades available in my stash and decided to improvise by choosing colors that worked together and only using maybe 13 thread colors instead of the originally called for 17. I like it, which in the end is all that really counts but realize there's always room for listening to the "opines" of others.

In Jean's booklet she talks about using large areas of unstitched canvas as part of the pattern when "laziness overwhelmed me..." instead of filling in the background.

Now while I loved this concept, I thought my piece might need a little something else in the unstitched areas. Realizing that bargello patterns are already "busy" one should not try to add a lot of distractions that may take away from the overall design. Distractions like beads. I really wanted to put beads on this thing, there are so many options, but when I started hand placing them on the canvas, just to see, there were very few things I could add that turned out to enhance the overall look.

Now I'm not sure if this will be my final choice for embellishment, I am leaning toward using these clear turquoise flower shaped beads, but only where you see them. The colors work, but I'm not accomplishing what I set out to do which was to fill in those unstitched areas. Why bother really? well because it's kinda different....wait, examining the photo I just thought of something more I could do. More later.

Judy Harper

I am so sorry to learn about the passing of Judy Harper. I knew her as a witty, highly intelligent talent with a hilarious sense of humor. There was so much to learn from this accomplished lady and it's really sad that she left us so soon. According to Judy she had so much more work to do as she always gave us her all.

Life's lessons were her specialty and I absorbed everything she told me and was always in awe of her energy. We met visiting each others' blog when she let me into her funny world where we both had fun with our bantering and commentary. Judy was both wise and frank and I will miss her and all she had to offer the stitching world. God bless you Judy and happy landings winging your way into the arms of your beautiful Madeline. 

I found this beautiful tribute here:   http://hosting-tributes-24744.tributes.com/show/Judy-Harper-90878584. 

(H)owling!

with joy since I finished stitching the clip-on owl ornie yesterday. The canvas by Labors of Love Needlepoint is so well painted and fun to stitch it "flew" by. Also, Toni Minieri has done stitch guides for many of  the different birds available. I decided to stitch the back side with 2 threads throughout where the front side body and wing were stitched with a single strand of Burmilana. I think the front looks a little more feathe-rlike than the heavier back. It's really not that noticeable in either case. My next thought is "Do I want to attempt to finish this myself?" Will keep you posted.

The feathers included are to be placed on the tail only, but I am tempted to place them elsewhere on the bird. Maybe over the wings? on the back? Again time will tell. A clip is also included making it very easy to clip onto the Christmas tree or elsewhere.  The finished size is 4"x 5" not including tail feathers; a nice size to clip on a larger house plant or any where really.

Many thanks to my dear friend Melanie for gifting me this delightful owl with all the trimmings!

Bargello on My Mind

Thank you all so much for your kind words of support; I am very appreciative you took the time to comment, it helped a great deal. As you all knew it would happen, the sun is shining again and things are getting back to normal. YAY!

I went back home on Sunday only to return to town on Monday night thanks to a predicted 12 additional inches of snow in the forecast and waaaaay below normal temperatures looming. I realized I would be stuck for several days if I didn't leave. Anyway this time I brought some stitching with me. I grabbed a bargello project that's been in the hopper for several months (years more likely) and have been stitching as if I were on vacation or something. Stopping only to come up for air and food.

I admired, okay coveted, this booklet of incredible bargello designs created by Jean Hilton, for a long while and found it (miraculously) for sale at one of my needlework chapter's tag sales. Score! I had seen the cover piece, "Down the Garden Path", finished once and had my sights set on doing it. Long ago I pulled threads for it only to later raid the "kit" a number of times leaving me short on what I needed. Most everything in the booklet is stitched in perle coton #3 and round metallics on 18 count canvas (lots of color choices on 18 ct).

I did, however, have almost everything kitted for another interesting design, "Tug O' War" which, because of Jean's thread and canvas color choices, seems to have a southwest flavor. I did some creative substituting (why else keep a stash closet half the size of a small bedroom), mounted the canvas and just began stitching. That was on Tuesday and here is where I am today. To me, there's not a lot to demonstrate here and maybe not even a lot of interesting chatter but let's not let that stop me.

While there are a number of wonderful books around on the topic of bargello, written by artists far more knowledgeable than I, for me it's pretty much establishing a pattern of long and short stitches, repeating it in graduating shades of color and voila an incredible piece of stitched art emerges.  The real talent lies in those professionals that design patterns and experiment with color variations; I just follow their lead.

Not so fast, it sounds a lot easier than it is, actually. Just when you think your only requirement is to methodically stitch along daydreaming, you suddenly realize, wait that doesn't match up. What's wrong now??? Miscount...typically. But for me it's usually I didn't study the pattern closely enough, if at all, and there was a subtle pattern adjustment that went unnoticed...until it was too late. Such is the case here, see the central part of the design? well it has a break in the colors. Oh sure it looks easy to spy now, but if you're cruising along bargello-style, you miss it and I did. Oh well, in the words of Porgy and Bess, "Wintertime and the ripping is easy."

As it turns out it is a good thing I have this positive feeling about ripping out because in my substitution of threads I crossed the line. Thinking it was the color that only counted in bargello I totally ignored that the texture of the threads counts every bit as much. In the full photo (notice the light blue and light peach next to it) of my unfinished piece you can see that instead of using perle coton (because I didn't have that color on hand) I chose to use a stranded silk. Huh? Well the colors were right but now that I see this nearing completion, frankly those silks stand out like sore thumbs. Perle coton has a delightful sheen and it's twist reflects texture adding to the overall beauty of the design. It's actually perfect for bargello, no laying of threads although you do have to make sure you keep dropping your threaded needle to prevent any extra twisting. So soon I'll be off to my LNS for the appropriate colors of perle. Clearly I should have actually read all of those aforementioned books on bargello instead of just looking at the pictures!

I think I would like to have this piece finished into a portfolio of sorts to carry larger pieces of my needlework projects. The finished design size is approximately 9.5"x10.5". As always, thank you for taking the time to visit today, I wish you hours of joy-filled stitching and am looking forward to next time!