Mermaid Eyeglass Case

In case you don't remember this is a piece I stitched on the way to the January TNNA show. I just got the finished piece back this weekend from Summer Truswell of Truswell Needlework Design & Finishing. Summer is a new finisher (to me) who came highly recommended by another blogger. I sent three pieces up to Summer and they all look stunning. She is wonderful to work with and did a super job on all three pieces. I'll share pictures of the other two in the next few days. The one you are looking at above is #84, Neptune's Daughter. This is one design in a group of nine door tassels. I've had stitchers finish these out as hanging ornaments and even as a piece to slip a wedding bouquet inside (bouquet holder I guess). I'm always misplacing my glasses and decided I needed something pretty to place them in. I may have to stitch several cases because as my eyes have aged (you notice it's only my eyes and not me) I find I need to leave a pair of glasses in numerous places around the house where they are within easy reach.

I'll try to get a picture of the Christmas Wreath and the Bunny Pillow up tomorrow.

Happy Easter

Easter is such a fun holiday. I have bunnies all over the house, bowls of yummy candies and wooden eggs in the yard. And thanks to a rather mild winter my yard is a riot of color with everything blooming. I've even seen my first hummingbird. When I was young my mom would make up beautiful Easter baskets for all of us, then we would race through her garden filling them with the eggs she had hidden earlier. Some years we would get a baby chick or a bunny. I doubt the poor animal thought it was such a good thing. The picture shows one in my Two of Us Series, #74, Easter Time. In this one I've used lots of the Just Another Button Company's buttons in the border and the girls hair. I have a total of seven in this series covering most of the holidays and there is even one for a wedding. Happy Easter everyone.

Is Max Really A Cannibal?

One of my daughter's favorite books as a child was Max and The Chocolate Bunny, written by Rosemary Wells. I was reminded of this when I designed and stitched Max, #108. He is one in a group of five bunny egg's. Each egg is 4 x 5 inches in size. The first year I took the finished Max to the TNNA show I had a shop owner confide in me that she thought it seemed slightly cannibalistic, a bunny eating another (chocolate) bunny. I'd never thought of it that way.

March Starts Me To Thinking Of Spring

March is my favorite month. First and foremost it's my birthday month, but it also means spring is around the corner. To celebrate the coming of spring my husband has added a new flip book to my website. It's filled with my favorite bunnies. He actually tried to teach me how to make one of these but it was a total joke. I finally gave up and bribed him with a batch of homemade rice krispie treats. Take a look: http://www.happyheartdesigns.com/ I hope you enjoy looking through the book.

The picture above features three of my favorite stitched pieces. On the right is Easter Time, #74. This is a design from my Two of Us Collection. The base was made by Sharon Hall of Mountain Shadow Studio. http://www.mtnshadow.com/ The piece in the middle is #75, Spring Equinox. I painted a small clay pot for the base, then filled it with moss and placed plastic Easter eggs on top. It's easy enough for anyone to do. The piece on the left is Happy Spring, # 167. Janet Perry of Napa Needlepoint http://www.napaneedlepoint.com/ did the stitching for me and made a stitch guide as well. I think she did an excellent job. I bought all the pieces for the base at my local hobby shop. I had my husband drill a slanted hole in the egg and then we used a screw to attach the wooden egg shape to the small base. After that I just painted it in bright cheery colors to match. And Viola.

Hurrah ! Project Completed.

What a great feeling to finally get something finished. Some of you stitchers seems to be like those statues that have multiple hands, working through projects at an enviable rate. Not me, I start then sputter to a stop, life getting in the way, then pick it up again and continue onward. My one main rule is that I don't allow myself to start a new project until I've finished the last one. At least it can't be said of me that I have a drawer full of unfinished projects. Last night I put the final stitches in on my Dancing In The Moonlight canvas. I really only had the bunnies noses and eyes to finish and then the two bows around their necks. I used two shades of Tiara on each bow. Tiara isn't my favorite thread, the cut piece seems to fray too easily. Even if I use a short thread I only seem to be able to stitch with half of the thread, maybe it's me. First I outlined the bows using a wrapped-back stitch and then I filled them in with basketweave. So now it's done and I can move on. One picture shows the bows up closer and the other is the final project.

Dancing In The Moonlight - Border

I'm still working on this piece which I intend to give to my sister...this year! Thankfully her birthday isn't until November and even I should have this finished by then. I wanted to add a border and personalize it for her. With that in mind I added the saying:
"Sisters Are Blossoms In The Garden Of Life." inside the top and bottom borders. I was surprised to find that when I did a Google search for Sister Sayings that it came up with a huge selection of sites to view. I guess you can find anything on the internet. On the right and left sides I added a series of flowers and hearts. After I finish the border I will have to go back and stitch the bows around the neck of the bunnies. Then I will actually be finished and will send it off to be transformed into a wonderful pillow for her huge white bed. My dear sister will then spend the rest of her life protecting it from her brand new kitten.

Current Project

Today I'm playing hooky and not painting orders from the show. Everybody needs a break now and then. On the way home from the Long Beach show I happily sat in the back of my husbands truck and stitched, well I napped a bunch too. I brought with me a piece that I've been wanting to stitch for some time. #76, Dancing In The Moonlight. I love bunnies and this is one of my favorites. It shows two bunnies dancing in the pale light of a new moon. I started by stitching the background. I wanted to try Bargello and decided on a heart pattern. There is a row of hearts standing upright and then a row of the hearts with the bottom point up. It took me a while (and some reverse stitching) to work out the dividing row that is between the two rows of hearts. I started by setting up the outlining frame work using a darker shade of blue Impressions., #7053. Once that was in place it was very easy to go back and fill in the center of the hearts with the lighter shade of blue, Impressions #7075. The pattern leaves a blank canvas thread in the dividing row. This can be filled in with a bead or a third thread choice. I wanted something shiny and used a pale pink Kreinik thread, #12 braid #9200.

The bunnies were simply done in basket weave and I will go back and fuzz up the thread to give them some texture. Before I stitched the bunnies I outlined each one using a wrapped-back stitch. After I fuzz the bunnies I will stitch the bows around their necks. The moon is stitched using a Framed Mosaic stitch. The mosaic stitch is done with a more intense yellow color, Splendor #S999 and the framed part is a softer yellow, Splendor #S943.

I got a little bit of the grass started. I'm using a Jacquard stitch. The single dividing stitch is done in a dark green thread, Splendor #S829 and then I'm filling in with Frosty Rays, #Y081.

The design image size is 7 x 7 inches and I plan on finishing it as a pillow for my sister.

A larger view of the design can be seen on my website: http://www.happyheartdesigns.com/

Exhibitor Move In Day

I love set up day, it's so exciting and fun to see all our friends. We arrived early as instructed but found that others had the same idea. Still all went smoothly and soon our boxes were dropped off at our booth. The convention center is so different on set up day, it's like looking at an animal from the inside out. The bones are there but no meat. Tomorrow morning when we walk in it's totally different. The carpet is down, plants and seating areas are set up, booths are assembled and full of gorgeous canvases and threads. It's really too much to take in at one time, all three days are needed to see everything. I love to walk around just before the opening bell. I can look at everything and visit briefly with the different exhibitors before the crowds arrive.

It takes several hours to set our booth up so that everything is just right and by the time we finished we were famished. We went across the street and had a wonderful lunch at Parker's Lighthouse. We sat outside under sunny, clear blue skies, ate lunch and watched the yachts go in and out of the harbor. This afternoon I'm relaxing and working on a new piece. It's one of my earlier designs but one I haven't had time to stitch yet, #76, Dancing In The Moonlight.

It shows two bunnies dancing in the pale light of a waning moon. I'm trying a Bargello stitch for the background. It's one I worked out on the drive here and while bouncing along in the back of our truck...not an easy task. It's hard enough to count stitches much less hitting the right hole with the needle.

Anyway, this Bargello stitch is a heart pattern. I'll share a picture as soon as I can.