Filed under: ANG Central Jersey Chapter, ANG Chapter Book Projects, ANG CyberPointer's Chapter, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Orchid Lady by Mary Knapp, Starburst by Patricia Hartman, Summer Fireworks by Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes
I realize I never posted Starburst by Patricia Hartman (from the 2013 Chapter Project Book that was an ANG Main Line Stitchers project) or Orchid Lady by Mary Knapp (an ANG Cyberpointers project from 2021) after they were framed at Repenning Fine Arts.
Both are counted projects completed with the same thread line called Beautiful Stitches from Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes in Australia.
The ANG Central Jersey Chapter is doing Summer Fireworks by Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes this year as one project, and I had enough threads left to complete it and match these other 2 pieces.
I didn’t use museum glass, and that makes photos difficult. Both were stitched on a black Congress Cloth and have a light gray frame.
Summer Fireworks by Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes was done on white Congress Cloth and placed in a 5″ x 11″ black frame (by me). I laced it to magazine board. Foam core would have been too thick. It came with plexiglass. I used it and still got a decent photo. The stitches are slightly raised but don’t look like they are getting squished.
Since the photos are not showing the color on the first 2 as well, here they are before framing. Stitching on black makes a totally different look.
Goal #10 for 2025 is completed and framed.
I have a recent EGA Brandywine Guild project that is easy, portable, and would be perfect for the leftover threads! Ann-Marie also has a companion piece, Autumn Fireworks (also free instructions). That sounds like I am adding another project to the 2025 goals which is something that I was trying to avoid. We’ll see what happens.
Filed under: ANG Chapter Book Projects, Embroidery Guild of America, Needlepoint Shops, Nimble Needle, Overdyed Spools THaP, Petite Projects
My closest needlepoint store is Nimble Needle in NJ. Karen relocated to Merchantville a few years ago, making her a 20-minute drive for me. She has a great variety of everything, gives a 10% discount for ANG and EGA members, and always has the threads I need in stock. As if that isn’t good enough, I was even more thrilled when Karen showed me Overdyed Spools with her store name stitched where the spools originally would have been!
Patti, a customer and current President of EGA Colonial West NJ chapter, stitched it for Karen. Apparently, Patti has stitched a few of them as gifts. This is an EGA Petite Project, free to all members. It’s also a free project for ANG Chapters through the 2017 Chapter Project Book. One skein of Watercolours is used, and the thread is manipulated to create the color flow in the upper left and lower right corners.
It seems to be more popular with EGA than ANG, and I’ve seen several exhibited at Woodlawn (one of which was Patti’s with spools as seen in this 2022 post: https://melitastitches4fun.com/2022/03/31/woodlawn-needlework-exhibit-2022/). In this one, the spools have been replaced by a name tag and even made into a picture frame. Karen is going to attach it to a small project bag. I love it. Patti’s stitched another great one and Karen said I could post this!
Filed under: ANG Chapter Book Projects, Embroidery Guild of America, Flutterby by Kurdy Biggs, Rings on Her Fingers with Kay Stanis, Seminar 2021-Chicago
It’s been awhile with the finisher but worth the wait. The Mauve Pansy that I stitched for the EGA class Rings on Her Fingers designed by Allison Cole and taught by Kay Stanisis has Flutterby flying around it which is designed by Kurdy Biggs from ANG’s 2017 Chapter Project Book. There is an iridescent yellow lamé behind the canvas and an acrylic stand is inserted from the bottom.
Filed under: ANG Chapter Book Projects, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Starburst by Patricia Hartman
What I am calling the companion piece to Orchid Lady by Mary Knapp is Starburst by Patricia Hartman. They are both on black Congress Cloth using Heather as the key overdyed thread in my kit from Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes from Australia. The others at ANG Main Line Stitchers are stitching Anne-Marie’s design, Celestial Twist, with her threads.
Oddly enough, the same 4 threads are all I need for this piece and I have plenty.
I love the movement of the 4-way bargello pattern. Very appealing design. It was in the ANG Chapter Project Book in 2015 and we did it as a project but I didn’t have time then. So, now I’m doing it. It looks like it’s bursting out from the center!
Filed under: ANG Chapter Book Projects, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Orchid Lady by Mary Knapp, Starburst by Patricia Hartman
Part of the fun with ordering threads from Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes in Australia was to see what solid colors she would pick to go with the overdyed thread we selected. Even though I am not stitching Celestial Twist with the others at ANG Main Line Stitchers, these threads will work for 2 projects on my To Do List which are Starburst by Patricia Hartman and Orchid Lady by Mary Knapp which will be done on black Congress Cloth. Hopefully, I have enough for both projects. They will look nice together.
Having had the Color Theory class with Susan Hoekstra recently, I tried to figure out how these threads work together. According to the color wheel, I have 2 split complementary colorways combined and yet not a tetrad. I see the overdyed thread (called Heather shown along the bottom and right side) as red-violet with green and yellow. By adding the red-orange, I see a split complementary formed with red-violet and green which I personally would not have seen as working together. But, if the red-orange is used sparingly, it will add some interest and may just be what I have heard referred to as the “poison” color.
Before I can start though, I need to finish one in progress piece. But, I can start to plan which threads will go where in Starburst. That’s the larger of the two pieces and the one I have wanted to do longer than Orchid Lady.
Filed under: ANG Chapter Book Projects, Embroidery Guild of America, Flutterby by Kurdy Biggs, Rings on Her Fingers with Kay Stanis, Seminar 2021-Chicago
I wanted to showcase the Mauve Pansy that I stitched for the EGA class Rings on Her Fingers designed by Allison Cole and taught by Kay Stanis. Rather than making it into a ring, I selected Flutterby designed by Kurdy Biggs for ANG’s 2017 Chapter Project Book so that the butterfly would be flying around the pansy.
I switched the canvas color and threads from lilac to yellow and blue. My stash came through nicely with threads including Waterlilies 017 Blue Lavender (instead of Gloriana), ThreadworX 710161 (which was a little heavier than Kreinik #4 but worked well), Kreinik Petite Facets 014, Neon Ray’s N98 (rather than Panache which I had in the correct color but hated working with it), Silk Lame Braid Petite SP174 (instead of Treasure Braid), and Sundance Beads Size 11 Color 356.
Then, I enlarged a couple of holes, put the wires through the holes, and whip stitched them to hold in place. Lastly, the 6 strand Colonial Knot was added and covered up the little bit of wires that was showing in the center.
It may take a while to get it finished but it will be done as a stand up on an acrylic stand. My other Seminar piece, Annette’s Bouquet, is at the framers and will also take a while because the frame is temporarily out of stock. But, I am not in a rush for that either. I find it very gratifying to have finished both Seminar pieces.
I was happy to help Marilyn Owen by proofing her instructions for the Chapter Project Book piece called Herringbone Happening. And, I am pleased to announce that I received an Honorable Mention ribbon for this at Seminar this year! Marilyn’s is on display as well and is stunning.
The threads and beads came from my stash. I used Spendor (Aqua S-880 and Bronze Porcelains S-974, S-1085, S-1131), Vineyard Silk (Butter Cream C-184), Trebizond (Aquamarine TRA701), and Kreinik #8 Braid (Antique Gold 221 and Citrine 3280).
Filed under: ANG Chapter Book Projects, ANG Keystone Garden Chapter, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Chapter Book Project, Jeannie's Windmills
Another season begins at ANG Main Line Stitchers tonight! I am leading the Chapter Book Project, Jeannie’s Windmills by Pat Mazu. I’ll also use my tips for my other chapter, Keystone Garden. But, they don’t need it until October. So, the timing works out great!
I had gotten most of it done before seminar but it still took 2 or 3 evenings to finish it. And, several hours today writing up my tips including lengths of threads needed for the crescents, windmills, and bargello. Now, I am all ready. Here are some of the key tips:
• A gold sparkle canvas probably would have looked pretty since a lot of canvas shows.
• I attached each bead horizontally because the bead appeared to be tipping backwards and was showing more of the beading thread than I wanted.
• There is a discrepancy and an omission in the diagram.
– The discrepancy is between the crescent placed in the upper left corner of the chart and the diagram of the crescent seen in the upper right corner of the chart. The left image shows Stitch 1 – 2 being one thread apart and an extra stitch that would be numbered Stitch 17 – 18. The diagram and how I stitched it was to allow for 2 threads to separate Stitch 1 – 2.
– The omission is that Stitch 15 – 16 is not shown in the diagram of the crescent (upper right corner).
– Batiste fabric attached just before the small crosses are added allows the threads to move from one to another without being seen.
Very bright & colorful design & not too tough to stitch.
We meet at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, on September 8 (always the second Monday of the month) at 7:15 pm. GPS: 203 North Valley Forge Road, Devon, PA. For those who can, please join us for dinner at 5:30 pm (ish) at Minella’s (320 W Lancaster Ave).
Filed under: ANG Chapter Book Projects, ANG Keystone Garden Chapter, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Chapter Book Project, Jeannie's Windmills
Both my local ANG chapters, Main Line and Keystone, are going to do the Chapter Book Project, Jeannie’s Windmills, by Pat Mazu (http://needlepoint.org/CPB/images/Project-4—Jeannie’s-Windmills.jpg). And, I volunteered to lead it for each group.
I picked up the threads from Karen at Nimble Needle – love the ANG 10% discount she gives! Even so, I’ll keep track of the amount of thread needed & we may make mini kits for folks to keep costs down. We can get 5 kits from the bag of beads. And, we’ll split up a spool of beading thread. It doesn’t seem like this piece will use a ton of thread. And, as Pat suggests, this makes a great stash project. Some may opt to go that route.
Initially, I was going to jump in with both feet today until I decided to practice the crescent stitch. And, I’m glad I did. I kept missing the 3rd hole because I couldn’t see it do to the angle & because the thread covers the hole from the bottom. So, I practiced until I finished this little guy (2″ square).
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