Instead of traveling this year (thanks to coronavirus), I decided to get several pieces framed with museum glass. One of them is the Lotus Kimono. I had the mat cut to the shape of the kimono by Dave at Romeo’s. The frame is ‘antique distressed gold leaf’ and the green fabric mat has just a touch of texture to it. Love how this tuned out.
The piece was featured in an article of ANG Needle Pointers (Jan/Feb 2020), A Tale of Two Stitchers, along with my chapter member Beth’s piece who also selected her own stitches and threads. It’s fun to see different approaches to a canvas.
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?
It’s been awhile since I pulled out Lotus Kimono by Lee (SPM 279) to work but we’re trying to wrap up our painted canvas stitch guide comparisons. One Main Line Stitchers Chapter member is stitching it based on a stitch guide from Fireside Stitchery and another from Amy Bunger. I am selecting my own threads and stitches.
For the red and blue flowers, I used long and short stitch from what I found in the Needlepoint Now July/August 2018 issue. I hadn’t seen it diagrammed on canvas with such short stitches. They are over 2, 3, or 4. And, I angled them according to each petal. The red is Needlepoint Inc Silk (NIS) Scarlet 501 and 501A, NIS Melon 571, and NIS Moonlight Pastel 877. There are 5 blues in the package of Chameleon Shades of Africa Two Oceans. The white for both flowers is Chameleon Spilt Milk 77. Chameleon is Au Ver a Soie hand-dyed in South Africa. I used 2 threads on the small upright bulbs but will use 3 threads on the red blooming flower and 4 threads on the blue blooming flower to see if I can create some depth. The large blooming flowers are not stitched yet. They’ll be next!
The gold around the leaves is Kreinik #4 Braid 002V couched with the same thread for the 2 small bulbs. For the 2 blooming flowers, Kreinik #8 Braid 002V will be couched with Kreinik #4 Braid 002V. I’ll have to get more Kreinik because all the green leaves need edging too. I still have to decide couching or outline/stem stitch for that part.
The stems are diagonal gobelin stitches using Gloriana Summer Foliage 096 (2 stands on the 3 right ones and 3 stands on all the left ones). Each side of the stems has an irregular Thorn Stitch. I modified the stitch from Jo Ippolito Christensen’s The Needlepoint Book, 2nd Edition to follow the canvas.
This is Lotus Kimono by Lee (SPM 279) with the Lily Pads (right upper and lower green areas) and Trumpet Leaves (left olive green areas) stitched.
I wanted similar but different stitches for these areas. And, I was ok with some canvas showing through. In fact, I thought it would be better even though the threads I selected match the canvas so well. So, for the Lily Pad, I selected a stitch that lies on the true diagonal, a Double Woven Plait. The Trumpet Leaves has more of an angle. So, I settled on Herringbone Ground I. Both stitches came from Keys to Canvas Embellishment by Julia Snyder.
I didn’t break the pattern crossing the shifts in colors. I just used the thread closest in color to most of the canvas for that single stitch. So, the Double Woven Plait was always over 3 x 3 and Herringbone was always over 2 x 3. I’m not going to go into what stitches either stitch guide recommended except that one is full coverage and the other is very open.
The veins are done in outline/stem stitch with Splendor S801 Black in upper right corner, Gloriana Elizabethan Green 117 in upper and lower left corners, and Kreinik #8 Braid 002V.
Remember, this is the piece that other Main Line Stitchers Chapter members are stitching based on stitch guides from Fireside Stitchery and Amy Bunger. I, on the other hand, am selecting my own threads and stitches. Join us tomorrow night at Starbucks (218 Lancaster Ave) in Wayne, PA and see in person how we’re coming along on our canvases.
I looked through a half dozen books and settled on the Balloon Stitch from Sharon G’s Simply Essential Needlepoint Stitch Explanations for the background. Perhaps I was influenced by her saying it has a bit of an Oriental flare to it and suggested it for a kimono. Several Lantern stitches from Keys to Canvas Embellishment by Julia Snyder were nice options too.
It’s a dark blue thread, Impressions, which makes seeing the pattern a little difficult in the photo (used 1 thread). The black collar, cuffs, and hem are just a Satin stitch using 4 strands of Splendor.
Interestingly, one of the stitch guides recommended a lovely open composite stitch. It looks really nice but since it is for a background, I wonder if it might distract the eye from the focal point. So, I selectd a completely filled in pattern that will certainly remain unobtrusive.
My ANG Main Line Chapter got canvases, threads, and a stitch guide from Fireside Stitchery and one from Amy Bunger for 4 canvases. Three of us, Buff, Linda, and myself, selected Lotus Kimono by Lee (SPM 279). I selected a second canvas but it will have to wait. I didn’t get the other 2 canvases because I don’t have time to do every project (bummer).
Linda and Buff are going to bring the threads and stitch guides they got to a couple of meetings and discuss the differences or similarities. It’s an excellent learning experience even for people not stitching the piece.
Today at Rittenhouse Needlepoint with input from Linda and Buff, I picked my threads. We had a great time looking at all the threads. Thanks again to both!
I’ve got Splendor S801 for the trim; Elegance E801 for the black seam lines; Kreinik #4 and #8 Braids 002V for gold; Gloriana 185, Gloriana 048, and Silk ‘n Colors 1068 for the trumpet flowers; Gloriana 288, 096, and 117 for the lily pads; Chameleon Shades of Africa Two Oceans (Au Ver a Soie) for blue lotus flower; Needlepoint Inc Silk 877, 571, 501A, and 501 for the salmon lotus flower; and Impressions 7011 for the navy background.
Apologies to the staff at Rittenhouse because I had a dozen combinations of greens out before I settled with what I have now. They didn’t want me to put the threads back! I’m so fortunate I had that many options.
I’ve been looking over my books tonight to select stitches. I’ll be doing the background first. Does anyone want to make a suggestion? I have 2 in mind but would love to know what you’d select!
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