Just in time to post for the Memorial Day weekend! All the red rows are done now!
For the bottom row, the instructions called for 2 blocks to put the date and your initials and one block of basketweave. But, I didn’t want to do that.
So, for the first block (from the right), I basketweaved a star and the last block (on the left), I basketweaved a heart. Every flag needs at least one star. And, the heart is because I love stitching this piece and I love the USA. For the second to last block, I created a Staggered Mosaic Variation. Using a different color especially for the small cross stitch would make them more evident. The 3 patterns are diagrammed below.
Block 8 has an additional upright cross between the Half Rhodes for more coverage.
Au Ver A Soie 100/3 is a single ply highly twisted spun silk. Of the threads used so far, it has a different looking texture that I really like. It becomes more evident on longer stitches such as Block 11 (from the left) but can be seen with shorter stitches if you look closely as in Block 14 and 18. The Access Commodity website says that it would take 4 strands to cover on 18 count.
Starting with the block on the right (#1) moving to the left (#19), I used the following threads (1 strand unless noted):
1 – Needlepoint Inc Silk 502 (3 strands) and Needlepoint Inc Silk 503 (2 strands)
2 – Elegance E820, Au Ver A Soie 100/3 SMS 499, and Pepper Pot Silk 017 (1 ply)
3 – Entice E239 and Bella Lusso 764
4 – Pepper Pot Silk 018 (1 ply) and Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1005 (2 strands)
5 – Splendor S820 (2 strands) and Kreinik #8 Braid 5505
6 – Pepper Pot Silk 017 (1 ply) and Pepper Pot Silk 018 (1 ply)
7 – Silk Lame Braid Petite SP08 and Splendor S1005
8 – Soie d’ Alger 4624 (2 strands) and Bella Lusso 764
9 – Needlepoint Inc Silk 502 (1 strand) and Needlepoint Inc Silk 503 (1 strand)
10 – Splendor S1005 (2 strands)
11 – Au Ver A Soie 100/3 SMS 499 (2 strands) and Kreinik #8 Braid 061
12 – Elegance E820 and Kreinik #8 Braid 003V
13 – Pepper Pot Silk 018 (1 ply), Soie d’ Alger 4624 (2 strands), and Kreinik #8 Braid 061
14 – Bella Lusso 764, Au Ver A Soie 100/3 SMS 499 (2 strands), and Kreinik #8 Braid 5505
15 – Splendor S820 (2 strands) and Elegance E820
16 – Needlepoint Inc Silk 502 (2 strands) and Kreinik #8 Braid 421
and Pepper Pot Silk 017 (1 ply)
17 – Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1005 (2 strands) and Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1009 (2 strands)
18 – Au Ver A Soie 100/3 SMS 499 (2 strands), Silk Lame Braid Petite SP08, and Soie d’ Alger 4624 (2 strands)
19 – Needlepoint Inc Silk 502 (3 strands) and Needlepoint Inc Silk 503 (2 strands)
Looking forward to getting into the blue threads!
Happy Holidays to all and especially our military and veterans.
Congratulations to Kayla on her graduation! She followed in her father’s footsteps and has become a teacher. But, she shares her love of animals and especially of dogs with both her parents. So, I thought she’d appreciate this design. I already stitched her favorite animal, a family of 3 penguins! Bill and I wish her all the success and happiness life holds for her.
The design, Paw Print Love Paws, is a free image on Pixabay. There were several variations of the design online. I traced it and then adjusted slightly. The design area is not large (3&1/2″ x 3″).
I used Vineyard Silk Shimmer for the letters and paw print. L is stitched with Diagonal Mosaic, paw with Basketweave, V with Diagonal Cashmere, and E with Reversed Mosaic.
The background is Alternating Continental using Subtlety Y899.
The border is DMC #5 Perle 801 for the Continental stitch on both sides of Kreinik 1/8″ Ribbon 052HL laid and couched with elongated crosses using DMC Floche 433.
I should always get the finishing item beforehand. I love this frame but I needed to make the right and left borders wider. So, I added an additional border on each side and like it better anyway.
The Diagonal Victorian Step stitch in Block 6 (from the left) was tricky. I really had to move along stitching the unit which Connie conveniently highlighted in the diagram. And, even with that, I was very appreciative of seeing the compensation diagrammed for me.
I used just 1 strand of silk on Blocks 5, 6, and 9 which provided full coverage because of the stitches (Oblong Cross, Diagonal Victorian Steps, and Alternating Slanted Gobelin, respectively).
Starting with the block on the right (#1) moving to the left (#19), I used the following threads (1 strand unless noted):
1 – Pepper Pot Silk 018 (2 plus not laid) and Pepper Pot Silk 017 (1 ply)
2 – Silk Lame Braid Petite SP08 and Needlepoint Inc Silk 503 (2 strands)
3 – Kreinik #8 Braid 003V and Bella Lusso 764
4 – Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1005 (2 strands) and Elegance E820
5 – Splendor S820
6 – Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1009
7 – Pepper Pot Silk 018 (2 plys not laid)
8 – Soie d’ Alger 4624 (2 strands) and Kreinik #8 Braid 421
9 – Au Ver A Soie 100/3 SMS 499
10 – Splendor S820 and Splendor S1005
11 – Needlepoint Inc Silk 502 (2 strands) and Kreinik #8 Braid 061
12 – Bella Lusso 764 and Entice E239 and
13 – Soie d’ Alger 4624 (2 strands)
14 – Elegance E800 and Silk Lame Braid Petite SP08
15 – Au Ver A Soie 100/3 SMS 499 and Kreinik #8 Braid 061
16 – Pepper Pot Silk 018 (1 ply) and Pepper Pot Silk 017 (1 ply)
17 – Splendor S1005 (2 strands) and Kreinik #8 Braid 5505
18 – Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1005 (2 strands)
19 – Bella Lusso 764
This design is Heart of Hearts by Barbara Richardson from Needlepoint Now Jan/Feb 2019 issue in my thread choices. I’m stitching it for the ANG Greater Kansas City Needlepoint Guild’s Hearts for Hospice project.
I started stitching this on the Stitcher’s Escapes Cruise to Bermuda and finished it over the weekend. It’s easy stitching and travels well. Threads include: Rainbow Tweed RT59, Splendor S860 and S861, Burmilana 3910, and Gloriana Nightshadow Blue Med 202W4.
It’s been awhile since I pulled out Lotus Kimono by Lee (SPM 279) to work but we’re trying to wrap up our painted canvas stitch guide comparisons. One Main Line Stitchers Chapter member is stitching it based on a stitch guide from Fireside Stitchery and another from Amy Bunger. I am selecting my own threads and stitches.
For the red and blue flowers, I used long and short stitch from what I found in the Needlepoint Now July/August 2018 issue. I hadn’t seen it diagrammed on canvas with such short stitches. They are over 2, 3, or 4. And, I angled them according to each petal. The red is Needlepoint Inc Silk (NIS) Scarlet 501 and 501A, NIS Melon 571, and NIS Moonlight Pastel 877. There are 5 blues in the package of Chameleon Shades of Africa Two Oceans. The white for both flowers is Chameleon Spilt Milk 77. Chameleon is Au Ver a Soie hand-dyed in South Africa. I used 2 threads on the small upright bulbs but will use 3 threads on the red blooming flower and 4 threads on the blue blooming flower to see if I can create some depth. The large blooming flowers are not stitched yet. They’ll be next!
The gold around the leaves is Kreinik #4 Braid 002V couched with the same thread for the 2 small bulbs. For the 2 blooming flowers, Kreinik #8 Braid 002V will be couched with Kreinik #4 Braid 002V. I’ll have to get more Kreinik because all the green leaves need edging too. I still have to decide couching or outline/stem stitch for that part.
The stems are diagonal gobelin stitches using Gloriana Summer Foliage 096 (2 stands on the 3 right ones and 3 stands on all the left ones). Each side of the stems has an irregular Thorn Stitch. I modified the stitch from Jo Ippolito Christensen’s The Needlepoint Book, 2nd Edition to follow the canvas.
Jean Farish and her daughters put together a wonderful cruise to Bermuda. We had quite an impressive swag bag, including a magnet from Diane Hermann from Walking the Water’s Edge (I didn’t take her class because I already did and gave it away as a retirement gift). They reserved seats at shows for us and kept us well informed before and during the cruise of what to expect.
Everyone was so nice. We met folks from all over the US and Canada. I even ran into Kathy from Apple Needlepointers in central PA (who I’d met before when Carol T and others visited Nimble Needle of NJ)! Small world.
The conference room divided into 2 rooms. So, half was for classes and the other was a stitching room with great natural and overhead lighting. And, a great view.
On the way down, Linda and I enjoyed an afternoon of stitching. And, on the way home, it was fun to sit with Linda, Buff, and Kristen as we stitched. I always enjoy time with my stitching buddies! Both times, we chatted with others and admired the variety of pieces people were working on. I would have gotten there another afternoon but I was too tired to walk from my room after golfing. Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas is a huge ship! We hope we found a new member, Jennifer from northern Delaware, for our ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter. The weather was great. It got a little rocky out at sea a couple of times but I remember worse!
The food was good everywhere on the ship. They made good drinks. And, there was duty/tax free shopping on the boat. We happened to sit near the liquor store for our emergency drill on the first day and I saw they had Blanton’s! I can’t get it anywhere near me. And, I need 4 horses to get the full collection of horses (each has a lettered horse and a unique pose of the horse during a race spelling out Blanton’s). They actually found the 4 letters that I needed!
I didn’t get as much stitching done as I expected but Bill was with me and we wandered around some on our own, enjoyed a comedian, saw Ronn Lucas who is an incredibly talented ventriloquist perform (search YouTube for him and Jerry Lewis for the 2007 telethon – he did that to an audience member), explored Bermuda on a 4-hour van tour, and golfed at a beautiful long par 3, 18-hole course, Turtle Hill. I managed to bogey one hole! Bill was really happy to birdie or par half the holes.
This is Heart of Hearts by Barbara Richardson from Needlepoint Now Jan/Feb 2019 issue in my thread choices. I’m stitching it for the ANG Greater Kansas City Needlepoint Guild’s Hearts for Hospice project.
Several blocks required the the use of alternating threads which meant keeping 2 needles working. Since I prefer to finish out a thread, this was good practice. I don’t know why I haven’t been using 2 needles more often before this row but it seemed to go well enough that I’ll keep it up as I move to row 11.
Block 5 (from the right) required some careful ripping using tweezers. The dark Kreinik 061 had to come out because the checker board effect was so prominent that your eye was drawn to that one square.
Starting with the block on the right (#1) moving to the left (#19), I used the following threads (1 strand unless noted):
1 – Bella Lusso 764, Au Ver A Soie 100/3 SMS 499 (2 strands), and Pepper Pot Silk 018
2 – Entice E239 and Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1009 (2 strands)
3 – Needlepoint Inc Silk 502 and Needlepoint Inc Silk 503
4 – Pepper Pot Silk 017
5 – Elegance E820 and Kreinik #8 Braid 5505
6 – Kreinik #8 Braid 5505 and Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1005 (2 strands)
7 – Pepper Pot Silk 018 and Bella Lusso 764 (2 strands)
8 – Soie d’ Alger 4624 (2 strands) and Entice E239
9 – Elegance E820 and Au Ver A Soie 100/3 SMS 499
10 – Silk Lame Braid Petite SP08 and Splendor S1005
11 – Bella Lusso 764 (2 strands) and Splendor S820 (2 strands)
12 – Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1005 (2 strands) and 239 and Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1009
13 – Soie d’ Alger 4624 (2 strands) and Kreinik #8 Braid 003V
14 – Au Ver A Soie 100/3 SMS 499 (2 strands) and Kreinik #8 Braid 061
15 – Bella Lusso 764
16 – Silk Lame Braid Petite SP08 and Splendor S1005 (2 strands)
17 – Pepper Pot Silk 018 (1 ply) and Kreinik #8 Braid 5505
18 – Needlepoint Inc Silk 502 (2 strands) and Needlepoint Inc Silk 503 (2 strands)
19 – Planet Earth 6 ply Silk 1009 (2 strands)
Melitastitches4fun's Blog 
Filed under: ANG Seminar 2018, Budapest Ornament, General comments, Threads
Lorraine of Colour Complements gave everyone at ANG Seminar in 2018 a sample of her lovely hand dyed threads. I got a dyed green/gold DMC #5 Perle Cotton (my favorite fall colors). In the package was also DMC #5 Perle 500 solid green and Anchor Floss 392 solid beige grey. I’d already been getting her newsletter and love seeing her combinations of colors in all the threads she dyes. So, I was very happy to see it in person.
I came across her package of threads recently and just after seeing a stitch pattern in Painted Canvas Embellishment: An Idea Book by Carole Lake and Michael Boren called Budapest Stitch. The sample of the hand dyed thread was only 5.47 yards. So, I stitched the over 3 straight stitches until I ran low on thread and made a symmetrical shape (4 units × 4 units of the Budapest Stitch to form an inner square). Each unit looks like a mini 4-way star bargello pattern. The 5.47 yards got used up faster than what I expected. I wanted something bigger. So, I made an outer square with the solid green perle cotton which turned out to be a nice contrast.
At that point, I was still considering a round (4″) ornament or a square (3 & 1/2″) coaster. But, adding compensation stitches of the Budapest Stitch seemed perfect for a circle.
That left small areas for the Hungarian Stitch with just enough of the hand dyed thread to fill in 4 Hungarian Stitches on each corner creating some movement of color towards the edge. For the rest, I used 4 strands of the beige grey floss.
For the squares, I went to Sandra Arthur’s Shapes of Needlepoint, Series I for 4 x 4 square stitches. That size would allow some canvas to show thereby framing the fill-in stitches. I selected stitches that would allow me to use the solid green perle cotton and 2 strands of the beige grey floss. These three patterns seemed to be enough variety for a small ornament: Leviathan Stitch, V Stitch, and Padded Scotch Stitch.
Thanks Lorraine for the threads! This ornament was a lot of fun from a design point of view too. And, it’ll be fun to watch out for other stitch patterns that would work up with just a few threads.