Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, ANG Stitch of the Month, 2016
This year’s ANG Stitch of the Month (SOTM) from ANG is Feuilles d’ananas, by Susan Hoekstra (Pineapple Leaves) – A Study in Values. I was so tempted to do it in Susan’s colorway too (see it at http://needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2016/SOTM201601_Introduction.pdf). But, as soon as I saw the materials list, I knew that there were plenty of skeins of Needlepoint Silk from Mae Van Damm’s stash in a wide range of scarlet reds. Sure enough, I had 5 values & enough to offer them to our members at ANG Main Line Stitcher’s chapter.
So, I took them to Fireside Stitchery before our January meeting and found 6 Pepper Pot Silk colors and 2 Kreiniks to go with them (thanks to Linda for her assistance). I have them listed below. A couple of folks are going to do the piece in the reds. We all agreed it is a pretty design.
I had an easier way to stitch the 4-way Amadeus but glad I stitched it both ways. I could really see a difference! On the left, you see the easy way (stitch first the entire left side and then the entire right side) leaves a gap in the center which could be used if I went back and placed a thread or a bugle bead down the middle. But, I stitched it the way Susan charted it (one stitch on the left and matching stitch on the right with continued alternating sides one stitch at a time as it is built).
And, the 4-Way Arrow Amadeus was done for the meeting too!
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Filed under: ANG Correspondence Courses, ANG CyberPointer's chapter, Spirit of Jean by Kathy Rees
I’m glad I had time to get back to Spirit of Jean by Kathy Rees and finished in time to send for a critique! I used some threads from Mae, a past member of my ANG Main Line chapter; thus, the name, Spirit of Jean and Mae.
I expected both sides of the dagger Amadeus to have the threads line up and match. But, I am thrilled that the brown matched in the middle because the dagger is created by stitching the top half and then the bottom half up to meet the top half. I left the top one partially stitched and you can see the finished one on the bottom.
After I got started on the background, I realized I would run out of the thread which I then found out had been discontinued. So, I headed to Nimble Needle where Karen had more WDW straw (which surrounded the center waffle) and a different Thread Gatherer Silk to choose from. Both would have worked but Karen reminded me WDW is cotton & I had started with a silk which has a better shine to it. So, I evened up the 2 sides instead of ripping out & finished with the new silk.
The threads I used were:
Kreinik 080C, 031
Weeks Dye Works (WDW) Straw 1121 but The Thread Gatherer Silk ‘N Colors Toasted Marshmallow SNC255 or Shepherd’s Moon SNC097 was used when I ran out of WDW 1121.
WDW Bright Leaf 1227, 1333
Waterlilies Umbria 204
ThreadworX 130
Watercolours Raspberry Sherbet
Gloriana Fall Foliage 077
Neon Rays N26
Filed under: A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That by Linda Damiani, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
Instructions for “A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That” by Linda Damiani was in the stash we got from Mae V-D, a member of the ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter who passed away in 2015.
A couple of members of our chapter remembered Linda was from our area but had moved away. I was able to locate her & I called her. She moved away from needlepoint to other crafts but was happy to grant us permission to copy & distribute the instructions once again to our members.
Again using Mae’s canvas and threads, we stitched 2 projects from the booklet.
A true stash buster using miscellaneous threads grabbed randomly. See how each looks slightly different using the same threads?
And, there was a lovely Florentine Star that I choose to do off center rather than locating the star directly center and making it a full 4-way bargello pattern. I had such fun doing these that I did them in multiple colors.
Going back 4 years (where did the time go?), I see I never blogged after seminar about the classes I took.
I typically take a notebook class in order to learn & not have too many unfinished pieces following seminar. My first class was with Sharon G (Garmize) who talked about an “Anatomy of A Stitch Guide” including concepts regarding color, texture, scale, and perspective using some pieces students were willing to share.
Then, I took a 2-day class with Catherine Jordan for the Ruby Beauty – A Keepsake Box. It was a blast working with paint. We painted the canvas and box. The 3 bumps are pieces of Tyvek that were placed under a hairdryer to shape them that we then cut out to whatever shape we wanted and painted. We stitched it into place & then stitched around it. It was all “finished” by the end of day 2!!
Lastly, “Tar River Trail” which is a landscape piece from Gail Stafford but remains no further since class ended. I thought it was a great class & have meant to get back to it but time has flown by!
Filed under: General comments
Thanks to everyone from 88 countries who took the time to come and read my blog in 2015 (especially Brenda & Sue). According to WordPress, I had a total of 20,000 views with 370 hits in a single day! Read all about it at https://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2015/annual-report/
I followed my 2015 mantra, VISION, by using some of what I had in my stash but I brought in more new pieces some of which were finished & others were added to my stash. But, I’m happy looking back at what was accomplished. I finished 13 projects including 4 of my own designs (2 are not going to be shown here until they appear somewhere else which is very exciting), 2 goldwork pieces (1 ANG seminar class project and 1 ANG Main Line Stitchers class project which were with great teachers and I learned a lot) & 7 charted designs. I finished Walking the Water’s Edge with just 12 hours left before we rang in 2016! That’s more pieces than I realized I had done. Not only did I enjoy stitching them but also learned a lot.
Now, I am getting back to Spirit of Jean (hope to finish in Jan). And, I will spend time on another of my own designs and a small painted canvas. Since each one needs a particular mindset in order to do it correctly, I think I’ll go back to FOCUS as my stitching mantra in 2016. I think that has been a guiding principle since 2014 anyway. And, I don’t have to focus on the same piece every day until it is done. Rather, I look at focusing on finishing a particular section when I sit to stitch. That way I am accomplishing exactly what I want to do on a given day.
I did have to rest my hands for a couple of days because I was getting quite a bit of pain from too much stitching. So I spent the time cleaning up my camera & computer folders. And, I see I have been remiss in posting various stitching related items. So, the next couple of weeks will be catching up – starting with scissors. If you don’t have the proper tools, stitching is more difficult. I’ve been using the Friskar scissors for a couple years now (since Marilyn O recommended them). And, I have given them as gifts. But, I love the curved Gingham scissors I picked up using part of the gift certificate I got this year from my ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter for my efforts on projects & newsletters. It feels safer clipping closer with the curved blade. Both scissors are so sharp.
Filed under: A Hilton Holiday - DebBee's Design, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
Our December project for our ANG Main Line Stitchers was A Hilton Holiday. I finished mine before the meeting in order to show everyone. I love how it turned out. It was a free design for signing up for DebBee’s Designs emails. I used the suggested threads.
Melitastitches4fun's Blog 