The ANG Central Jersey Chapter (CJC) had to change the Autumn 3-Ways Workshop with Toni Gerdes to an online class and I picked up the kit on November 19. It teaches fabric applique and needle felting. I love the matching needle minder.
Well, I didn’t want to ruin my iron again. So, I took everything with me to my November Main Line Stitchers chapter Stitch-in. I had the leaf outline cut out, the leaf window, and felt cut ready to go. The fusible web went on the felt (pressed not ironed onto place on the canvas) and then on the fabric (pressed onto the felt). Linda assisted me in the process and the applique turned out great and the iron is fine. Thanks Linda for your help and to Toni for easy to follow instructions.
The buttonhole stitches were easy enough! The stems and veins go in after the 3 leaves are done.
The needle felting leaf could have been done next or later. So, I worked on the stitched leaf instead. Got part of that leaf done and then needed something easy to stitch and worked on the borders for several stitching occasions away from home.
The class notes and 2 videos that were sent out in advance of our first Zoom class which is Thursday Feb 9 at 7 pm have been watched and read. While I would have enjoyed seeing Toni in person, her instructions are excellent and I am enjoying the piece.
Filed under: ANG Central Jersey Chapter, Autumn 3-Ways with Toni Gerdes, Ginkgo Leaves, Other People's Pieces
Since the CJC-sponsored Autumn 3-Ways class with Toni Gerdes was cancelled due to Toni’s plane cancellation last month, I visited the chapter at their November meeting to pick up the kit. Since class had already been postponed a year due to covid, it will be on 2 or 3 Zoom sessions for questions. Toni’s directions are good and we’ll be getting lecture notes too. It would have been nice to have a 2-day in person class but this will work out fine.
Toni’s kit has a line drawn canvas, 2 needle felting needles, foam, felt, lovely fall colored threads, teeny tiny beads (Delica Suze 15). I don’t recall ever using Sparkle! Braid or Soy Luster and know I haven’t used Painters Threads. I love trying out new threads. Oh boy, Fusible Web is included! I hope my iron survives this. We had over a dozen different fabrics to choose from. All were lovely but I selected the original used in Toni’s design. Considering this design has been out at least since 2014 (copyright date), it’s amazing that she still has swatches of the original fabric. I love the needleminder she included which is the same as the design! So cool.
The chapter will be stitching Festive Fireworks from the July 2017 issue of Needle Pointers magazine (https://melitastitches4fun.com/?s=Festive&submit=Search) in June/July 2023. So, I took my framed piece to show them. At least one person discussed changing the colors to a Mardi Gras theme. Sounds intriguing.
I also took the 5 colorways of Crescent Journey, the 2023 ANG Stitch of the Month. The materials list and guidance for selecting threads will have to wait until January (probably the 3rd due to the holiday). They and I will be visiting ANG PA’s Keystone Garden in December and NJNA in January. Thanks so much to Linda, Lisa, and Kristen for allowing me to hold onto their stitched pieces for a local tour! They were a big hit and I discussed the lessons learned about looking at values as much as colors. The Neutral seemed to be the most popular. Beach at Night got alot of discussion because it looks so lacy but stitching on black was a concern.
While many of the CJC members worked on their month’s project, I basketweaved the background of Ginkgo Leaves, a Lee canvas. I will probably stitch on this again at my ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter Stitch-in on Saturday.
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