Not a fancy frame for the flag. Off-white mat and wood frame with a slight reddish tint in it. It’s not under glass.
But, getting a good photo is so tough. For this piece, my natural light works great for the color of the threads but reflects on the frame in a couple of places for an inconsistent look. Outside in the sun, the frame either reflected a lot or shows up as a dark brown. Outside in the shade, the reddish color in the wood shows up better but only on the upper edge and right side.
The framer is whoever does the work for Needle Me in Haverford, PA. Nicely done.
Needle Me offered a summer stitching contest and while I was there getting a piece framed, Marcie had one canvas left (the line drawn unstitched canvas is in the upper left corner of the image from her newsletter).
Please go to Needle Me (12 E Eagle Road in Havertown, PA) to vote for your favorites by September 28. I’m not going to tell which is mine until the results are announced.
Lotus Kimono by Lee (SPM 279) is a project that we discussed differences in two stitch guides at my ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter. And, I’ve finished it!
At our Saturday Stitch-in Time in August, I finished the black seam lines using a variation of the Tramme (or Trame) stitch. I laid 2 long threads of Elegance E801 and selected a 1 x 3 cross stitch to go on top using one strand of Splendor S801. It appears that The Needlepoint Book by Jo Ippolito Christensen would have you stitch the crosses first and then run the long tramme stitch under them. I preferred an elongated cross stitch (not spaced apart from each other) to alternating gobelin stitches so you could not see there were 2 laid threads and because I seemed to pull too tight with the gobelin stitches which pulled the long laid thread out of the well towards the shared canvas thread.
For the center of the flowers, I matched the painted canvas by using the same threads as the large leaves in a simple basketweave stitch. Both the French knots and the beads suggested by the stitch guides seemed too prominent considering how lightly I had stitched most of the canvas.
The gold along the bottom and side sleeves was also a tramme of 2 long laid threads of Kreinik #12 Braid 002V and one strand of Kreinik #4 Braid 002V with gobelin stitches placed evenly apart. I didn’t have the same problem pulling the laid theads out of the well probably because the #12 Braid is a thicker thread than Elegance.
The Kreinik #12 Braid 002V was couched with Kreinik #4 Braid 002V all around the leaves and flowers.
Now, do I flat finish the kimono and mount it, get a custom cut mat, or hang it through the sleeves? So many options! Thoughts?
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, ANG Stitch of the Month, 1999, Crescent Journey, Melita's Designs, Vases, Sharon G
September 9 (always the second Monday of the month from 7-9 pm) starts another year for our ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter. Please join us at Starbucks in Wayne, PA (218 Lancaster Ave). We’re excited about this year’s programs.
One of the counted projects is ANG’s Stitch of the Month (SOTM) from 1999, Barbara’s Patchwork. I selected threads that DMC calls Topaz (Color A) and Raspberry (Color B). We need each in light, medium, and dark values. I got an extra value of Topaz just because I might want it. We’re getting instructions each month. So, I’ll wait and see if I want to add a Kreinik for some sparkle. This will be a 5″ x 5″ design area.
The second counted project that 8 people signed up for is my design (6″ x 6″), Crescent Journey. Linda stitched a “Neutral” colorway as she proofread what I wrote up for directions as I stitched a “Beach” colorway. It’s a 43-page booklet with about 60 diagrams. Now, these folks are my first pilot class! One of the most interesting things we learned from this piece is how different values in different areas of the piece make the focal point change. The grayscale really helps show this. I’m excited to see how everyone’s choices of colors work. At least 3 people are changing some or all the threads. This too is a monthly project. I divided it into 12 parts.
The third project is a painted canvas, Vases with Curly Bamboo by Sharon G. It was from a class that several of us took with Sharon at Nimble Needle of NJ a few years ago (2012) and never finished. We have stitch guides to compare including those written by Sharon G, Amy Bunger, and Tony Minieri. This will be discussed every other month to give people a chance to stitch a vase before discussing the next one. The last month we’ll review the background and border. My first vase was done (March 2017) following the Sharon G stitch guide. The little bits done on the other vases was done in class. I’m so glad we’re going to get back to this canvas. Loved it then and still do. Even if everyone is not stitching this, we are learning how different stitch guide writers approach the same painted canvas. We are not copying the stitch guides. Each person has their own or can take notes regarding the other stitch guides.
Filed under: Uncategorized
This has been a very fun piece to stitch. And, I am done in time to post for Labor Day.
While stitching 247 squares did feel insurmountable at the start, breaking it into smaller sections helped. And, stitching other pieces in between kept this feeling fresh.
The border is a simple slanted gobelin 3 x 3 using Kreinik #8 Braid 002 (just a little more than 1 spool).
Thanks again to Mary Clark Donegan for writing the original book (it’s a great stitch dictionary), to Connie Camp with Nashville Needleworks for writing the supplement booklet (fully compensated squares made stitching this much easier), and all who serve in the military.
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