Melitastitches4fun's Blog

I used the distant trees/mountains on the right to explore 3 more stitches.

There is the Pine straw and mulch at the bottom of the tree on the left and around a tree on the right.

There are several grasses and grassy clumps. The tall grasses didn’t encroach enough on the right side. I think part of the problem is that I separated the threads, so most look laid, and 2 of the 3 greens are too close in color to each other. Plus, I kept rows too uniform and horizontal. Then, on the left side, I didn’t separate threads, angled more, and encroached more, and it looks better to me.

This was a very useful class. I still have areas to test more stitches at a later date.

Lesson 3 of Gail Stafford’s Landscape Features class moved us through water, distant trees, and bushes. I tried out 3 water stitches, 6 stitches in the distant tree line on the left, 2 bushes on the left, a large bush, and 2 trees on the right.

Two grasses are stitched on the right, but we will cover even more ground as grasses are up next in Lesson 4 (pun intended)! And I’ll probably do something in the distant mountain range on the right. I didn’t notice it until I posted this photo. I still have a lot of areas left!

Lesson 2 for trees and leaves of Landscape Features by Gail Stafford is done.

The tree on the far left has padding thinning at the top ends and is covered in diagonal gobelin.

The branches on the far upper right are padded and covered with straight gobelin done horizontally for the branches bending down and vertically for the top branch that lies horizontally. 

The center tree employed the outline stitch layered using Watercolours on the base and then Simply Wool too make it a well rounded trunk!

I did not add leaves to the line drawing on the left because I did not want to cover the sky. The leaves moving counter clockwise from the right are double layered cross, Smyrna, upright cross, cross/giant cross, large/small diamond ray, and Dutch stitch. 

The ANG Cyberpointers Chapter online workshop, Landscape Features: A Notebook Class Kit, with Gail Stafford, is only 4 weeks. So, I want to focus on this, although I am sure Gail will answer questions afterward.

I left the bottom and a couple of areas unpainted.

I tested more sky stitches and thread weights (3 strands along the bottom and 2 strands higher up). They all lie on the true diagonal.
Bottom right is Nobuko (smaller)
Bottom left is Diagonal Victorian Step (middle size).
Top left is Triple Nobuko (largest)

I used WDW 1161, 2109, and 1155 some areas 3 strands, some 2 strands, some combinations of 2 colors.

Not painting some areas didn’t make much of a difference even with 2 strands because the strands are laid on the diagonal. 

My ranking for the order of the stitches that I like for a sky are Nobuko is best (there is no direction to the pattern), Triple Nobuko is second (I see columns formed by the holes where threads go in and out but I do like the horizontal flow of the pattern), and Diagonal Victorian Step is third (ridges and the holes are too evident).

The kit for Gail Stafford’s Landscape Features: A Notebook Class arrived about a week and a half before class is scheduled to start on May 3. Gail held a Zoom class on Saturday to talk about how the online class works through through groups.io. Four lessons drop on the next 4 Fridays. Yes, I was double booked on Saturday! Linda and I found another room to join the Zoom call during our Stitch-in.

I got to see a few people I haven’t seen in a while and knew several people from other online classes (Mary and I have taken at least 4 online classes together), and Sharon from NJNA. There were a few new people to Cyberpointers, too.

This was the Workshop description from the host chapter, ANG Cyberpointers:

Create your own reference notebook in this class designed for the individual who wants to explore stitches and overdyed threads and their use in landscape designs.  The focus of the course is to use a variety of stitches and overdyed threads to create stitch samples of sky, water, trees, leaves, and bushes for future reference.  The kit includes a line drawn canvas with two landscape designs.  This allows the participant to try sky stitches in the sky area, water stitches in the water area, and other stitches in appropriate locations.  During the class, participants will paint portions of the canvas to prevent the canvas color from showing in certain areas and allow the stitcher to use threads that give less canvas coverage.

You can doodle stitch on these diagrams or create a mini landscape. As Gail said, once you buy the canvas, kit, and instructions, you can do whatever pleases you. I do have paints, but markers will work just as well and be easier.

Looks like fun. I am ready!