Getting Started on Wild Love

I carved out a little bit of time for my own stitching these past few days....finally. I've been so bogged down with getting my trunk show ready for shipping that I've been able to think and do nothing else. I wanted to start working on #212 Wild Love. I love the colors in this piece and the green leopard border just looks like fun. Since it's on 13 mesh canvas I reasoned that it wouldn't take up too much of my time to stitch, and I'll have to say that it is working up rather quickly. I made the drive into Houston to pick out threads at my favorite LNS. They had just started carrying a new line of silk threads called Vineyard Silk Classic. It's 100% silk, has luscious colors and has 30 yards in each skein. I picked out three shades of pink and three of the greens. So far I've completed the center pink area. The letters are worked in the darkest color called Paradise, #C-005. The L and the E are stitched in Giant Scotch while the V and the O are stitched in Giant Diagonal Scotch. The background, behind the letters, is all stitched in Horizontal Double Baby Brick (over 2). The lighter areas use the lightest pink, #C-173 and the medium colored areas use #C-174. So far one skein of each color is all I've needed and actually I have some of each color left over. I'm starting on the green border now, working the pale green background using #C-064 and in a Basketweave stitch. I'm thinking of adding beads to the leopard print. I'll check out the bead selection later this week and let you know what I finally decided.

St. Claire - Close Up

I do believe that the hot, humid weather has finally arrived on the Texas gulf coast. This is it until around Halloween. Of course the heat drives us inside making this prime stitching time. I'm nearing completion on my St. Claire and wanted to share one last picture before I finish and then send her off. I plan on making her into a small stand up that I can keep by my work table.

All I have left to do is finishing up on the background. I decided to use a 3 Way Cross Stitch, filled in with Tent Stitches. The thread is one of Kreiniks Milkpaint Colors, #0534. On the right hand side of the canvas you can see that I've only done the tent stitches. This leaves a checkerboard effect until you go back and add in the 3 Way Cross. The halo is stitched with Petite Sparkle Rays, #PS27. I first made five "spokes" fanning out around her head. These are done in Buillion Knots. Then I filled in the rest of the area with tent stitches.

I've just finished adding a companion piece: #213, St. Francis of Assisi. He is a well loved saint and is the Patron saint of animals and the enviroment. Many gardens, mine included, feature a statue of St. Francis. Stay tuned and I'll post a picture of him soon.

St. claire: Patron Saint of Needleworkers Update

I haven't done nearly as much as I promised, blame the lovely spring weather. But I will share what I have completed so far. I finished her monstrance by adding the "light" in the center. The area is square in shape so I choose to work it in a Woven Cross stitch. I used one strand of Tiara, #T117. The Tiara is a soft twisted metallic thread and gives a nice shine to the stitch. If you've never worked this stitch before a good example is shown in one of my favorite books,The Needlepoint Book, by Jo Ippolito Christensen. (page 285) It looks more complicated than it really is so give it a try. The rest of my work has been on her gown. I'm using two shades of Splendor, #S826 (lighter) and #S827 (darker). Since I have some shading in her gown I work with two needles at the same time, one with each thread. The gown is stitched in your basic Mosaic stitch.

The Dog Lives.....Barely!

Yesterday I finished working on my Skating Santa. As I put in the final stitches I realized it was time for me to pick my daughter up from her work. When I returned 20 minutes later I found the chewed up remains of my pen that I had use to make stitch guide notes in the bedroom. Not a good sign.... I had left the door to my studio open. I dashed into my studio and glanced around, everything looked alright but then the dog was acting rather guilty. When I inspected my just finished needlepoint I saw that the dog, bad thing that she will forever more be, had indeed enhansed my work. It was my own fault so I couldn't really yell at the dog. Word to the wise, never leave needlepoint on the floor with a sign on it that says "Eat Me".

Fortunately Santa only required minor surgery to be good as new.

You can see that I worked his beard and moustach in a couching stitch. I used one strand of Matte 18 #MO19. Couching goes really fast (I use two needles) and is one of my favorite ways to stitch beards or long hair.

The trim on his hat is done with Fancy Fur #FN62. I just made a series of straight stitches and then went back and fuzzed the thread up a bit.

All that is left now is to order the music box for his insides and then have it finished as a small stand up.

Santa Progress

It hasn't all been baking cakes here, I have done some stitching on my Skating Santa. I finished the red tunic and moved on to his pants. I used a black Burmilana (#3892) and a Mosaic stitch. Next I filled in the white part of his skates with Petite Sparkle Rays (#PS21). I have a silver thread for the metal blades but I haven't stitched it yet. After the skates I moved up to his face.

I like the Kreinik Silk Mori #3042 for his skin and #3045A for his cheeks, a simple Basketweave stitch is used. His eyes are stitched with the same black Burmilana as the pants and each is a Smyrna Cross. His nose got the same treatment using Kreinik Silk Mori #1057 but I wanted it to be a larger (higher) bump so I added a few more stitches to build it up. I just made a few stitches of the same thread for his mouth. The hat is stitched in Double Baby Brick using Neon Rays #N118, and I'm thinking of using a small white pom-pom for the white ball at the tip of his hat. I wanted the mittens to look warm and fuzzy so naturally I used...Fuzzy Stuff, what else! I've stitched half of his right mitten. The green color is #FZ17. There isn't much left to stitch so I should be finished by the time I take another picture. Let's hope anyway.

Progress

I got a bit worked on my Skating Santa last night as I sat in front of the TV and enjoyed my favorite drivel. We have Netflicks so I can rent all kinds of great shows from the BBC. They have so much better stuff over there I don't know why we can't have better quality shows here.

Anyway back to my stitching. Last night I worked on his red tunic. Since all the parts are red I picked out two shades of Splendor, #S911, the lighter bright Christmas red and #S820, a darker crimson red. The sleeves are worked in Nobuko with the slant running from lower left up to the right and the larger area is also in Nobuko but I rotated the canvas so that the slant is going the opposite direction. Not clever or original but effective. Hopefully I'll finish the red tonight and perhaps his black pants. Can't have Santa running around without his pants finished! I'm still considering how I will work his beard, ponder, ponder, ponder.

Mardi Gras Heart

While at the January TNNA Market I had a shop owner stop by my booth to inquire about my Calendar Heart Series. They wanted to offer this series to the stitchers in their area. I told them they could take my stitched models to use as a selling tool. Then they asked if I would design a special 13th heart as an exclusive bonus heart for those who signed up for the entire series. Being the accommodating person I am , I agreed. The shop owner wanted the special heart to be a Mardi Gras Heart and said that she would send me samples of the purple, green and gold colors she wanted to use. Good to her word she sent me three skeins of DMC floss, #333 (purple), #700 (green), and #444 (gold). I got busy and completed my sketch of a Mardi Gras mask embellished with feathers and beads. My sketch is on the right side of the picture. The next step was to paint one on canvas, that's obviously on the left side. I took my canvas to the local shop to pull extra threads and pick up the beads I wanted to use. I'm going to use the DMC floss that was sent for the feathers at the top of the mask. I wanted the mask to have a bit of sparkle so I picked out Petite Sparkle Rays in a matching yellow (PS27). The purple ribbon will be worked in two shades of Fyre Werks, #FT24 (lighter) and #FT31 (darker). Along the bottom of the mask is a row of green beads. For this I selected some emerald green Mill Hill Beads, #02054. On the top and in the center of the mask is another larger "jewel". I couldn't find any bead or button that I thought look right. I decided on the faceted Mill Hill Crystal Treasures, #13016. I'm going to put one of these on top of a 8mm. green or gold sequin. The only thing left to pick out was a thread for the background. I decided that a soft white would highlight the mask without overpowering it. I don't know what stitch I will use at this point but I'm thinking I might use one that will allow me to add a small gold stitch in it. Of course, every thing looks and sounds good before you actually start stitching. So many times I have changed my mind in the middle of the project because it just didn't have the right look. Now it's time to get to work.

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.

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/