Melitastitches4fun's Blog

Tumbling Stripes by Marilyn Owen

A few years ago, ANG Cyberpointers offered Tumbling Stripes by Marilyn Owen and has remained in my To Do pile since. Well, ANG New Jersey Needle Artists decided to kick off 2024 with that project. Several folks stitched different coloways, and we got to see them in person at yesterday’s Holiday Luncheon at The Grain House in Mendham, NJ. Jacqui will be leading us over the next few months.

Although the event lasted until 3:30 pm, Show & Tell and business was conducted in between courses so several people could leave a little early and beat the worst of the weather. Bill came up with me and hung out at the Library where the chapter meets (he’s familiar with the place) and got lunch across the street. We did encounter snow on leaving but then as we neared Philly, it turned to rain.

I especially enjoyed seeing that several folks finished Crescent Journey and a few more are getting them framed. I really am happy that so many NJNA members participated. We had 3 round tables of 10 per table. Very good to see and talk with everyone.

Our assignment for Tumbling Stripes is to gather threads and baste. The first thing that I did was review the Cyberpointers’ notes and their photos. I saw Gretchen from Cyberpointers stitched one as an ornament without the borders, which would be 86 canvas threads or almost 5″ on 18 count or 3.5″ on 24 count Congress Cloth. So, I went to my canvas stash and what should appear on the top of the pile, but a small piece of Congress Cloth just begging to be used. It measures 6.25″ x 7.25″. Away to my bars, I flew in a flash to find 8″ x 8″ Evertites awaiting a project. [My Christmas decorations are inspiring me!] You might think that’s not going to work, but you lose 1/2″ across the sides where you attach the canvas with tacks on Evertites. So, one side was fine. I don’t have 7″ Evertites and am not going to buy them. But, I can lace one side. That was something I learned from Kay Stanis in A Toast To Tiffany (an unfinished project). I didn’t note what thread to lace with. So, I doubled Londonderry Linen 80/3 which worked great.

Despite my references to the Jolly Old Elf, I didn’t want more Christmas ornaments. I wanted to think spring. I wanted to use yellow because Jacqui is leading this. She gave a great Zoom talk on the value of using yellow in designs.

So, I went dashing over to my threads. In a wink of an eye, I had pulled my coloway! Actually, that was more involved because:

1. I had to sort through a pile of threads. I wish I could be completely organized but it’s never going to happen.

2. I don’t have a lot of yellow threads. So, I am borrowing the yellow Splendor from the Christmas Colors Designer Collection. And, I have to use DMC Floche, a cotton thread. That’s good a good sheen to it.

3. I needed 3 values of blue and found that in a bunch of threads called Pearsall’s by Tristan Brooks. It’s a discontinued line of silk threads. There are 3 values of Azuline Blue, although the light and medium are very close. The last time I used Pearsall’s, I found it difficult to handle. I’ll have to thin out the Silk Lame Braid in order to use it on Congress Cloth, but the color is great.

Pulling threads from stash is usually challenging, which makes spending time organizing them a waste of time – right! ? ! Do you find stash useful or a hindrance?

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