My Main Line Stitchers chapter has been working with open canvas projects more this year. So, this month’s exercise will be to create our own pattern. I selected Pattern 37 from Jean Taggart’s Laid Fillings for even weave fabrics. 
The key is not only to start and end threads under other threads but move around the canvas under threads that are already in place. To show this, I placed a flashlight under the canvas. 
Here’s my pattern. 
Getting a different look.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Pansy Secret Garden by Laura Perin
My ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter is stitching various designs from Laura Perin’s Secret Garden Collage series for our spring project. I couldn’t decide between California Poppy, Daffodil, Daisy, and Pansy. So, I bought several & am starting with this one.
I had a harder time remembering to stop for the small squares on the outer border than all the counting required to get the smaller areas outlined correctly! But, it is correct. And, Area 1 is done!
This is the best photo I could get because the colors of the boxes are dark blue & purple with a splash of green. We have been in a deep freeze (for Philly) & thinking about spring helps!
I forgot to post this & since writing that, I made progress on the pansy. This section reminds me of cross-stitch days when I had to pencil off what I stitch as I stitch it. Slows me down but increases my accuracy. Spring is even closer now that daylight saving time is here!
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
These just arrived from needlepoint.com ‘s recent give-a-way! It includes Claudia hand painted cotton threads (3-ply), a brand I have not seen in Pennsylvania! The selected Impressions & Mill Seed beads match perfectly. I am Programs Chair for ANG Main Line Stitchers in Devon, PA (outside Philadelphia) & will figure out how to share this with them. Thanks needlepoint.com!
Although I have been a member of the ANG Main Line Stitchers for years (since about 2003), I just finished our chapter name tag.
I was told since we meet near a suburban train line that runs into Philadelphia, that’s how they came up with the design.
I’ll be “finishing” this one myself. When I cleaned up, I found the necessary instructions & supplies except for ultrasuede which I just ordered from eBay.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, ANG Seminar 2014, Cloth Ornaments
When I was at Designers Desk in Geneva, IL at seminar, I picked up extra cloth ornaments as Christmas gifts for Board members of my ANG Main Line chapter. These were all the various heart patterns that they had for sale. I couldn’t share them until after our Christmas dinner meeting.
We also did a polyanna Christmas “steal” with lots of various needlepoint related items & I got a gift certificate to use at Needle Me in Havertown, PA!
More gift tags! Since the ANG Main Line chapter meeting is Monday, I doubt I’ll get any more done.
Medieval Mosaic 
F-106 
Jacquard Palace Pattern 
Ribbon 
Shrubbery 1 
Sand 12 
Since I can’t remember where I found it, I don’t know the name of it. 
Nellies Needlers at Woodlawn first introduced me to gift tags when they stitched them to raise money (https://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/woodlawn-roadtrip-2014/). So, I suggested to my ANG Mainline Stitchers that we stitch some over the next year to give to the gift shop to raise money as our next charitable project. We selected A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children where one of our members (Marnie) worked.
Marnie has volunteered to take the stitched patterns and make up the gift tags. So, these are my first tags.
This one is also going to be the basic pattern of the water for my next original design. I saw someone use the pattern on Facebook’s Needlepoint Nation for snow and liked it immediately for water! It is the Snow 20 from Stitch Landscape which is almost identical to the Water 25 pattern except that water is completely symmetrical but I prefer the asymmetrical Snow pattern because water is more unpredictable. No wonder I saw water even though it was “snow”!
Here are the rest:
Double Hungarian Ground 
Pavillion Boxes 
Original Helen’s Lace 
Checker Filling 
Tied Windmills 
Mosaic Square Modified 
Sirna Star 
Milanese 
Triple Cross I 
Byzantine 
Sand 25 
Soil 11 
These make great purse projects! Get time waiting at a doctor office, 10 minutes of lunchtime, when ever & where ever!!
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).
Filed under: A Berlin Work Cardinal with Susan Hoekstra, ANG Correspondence Courses, Bargello Techniques by Liz Morrow, New Jersey Needle Festival
I can’t believe it has been 3 weeks since I stitched enough to blog about it! I put work & all obligations aside today to go to Susan Hoekstra’s New Jersey Needle Fest and had a great time. Thanks to Rona & Mary for asking to put at the same table with me – nice to sit with them again this year.
I had begun my Crescent River there last year & that is finished now. So, I took that & got lots of nice compliments on it. And, Susan showed off the Berlin Cardinal (her design) which I had stitched and had the Nimble Needle finisher do as a pillow. That is the pilot class our chapter did for her so she could be ready to teach it at seminar.
Bargello Techniques was a great project to take because it is a small project & worked in hand (the way I am doing it, section by section) – no need for a stand, etc. ! I had started it before I got there & when I wasn’t walking around looking at all the wonderful projects (another sold out event & that is 120 people), I was stitching this section. Vendors had some pretty things but I have so many WIP or ones I want to start that I resisted buying anything.
When I got home, I kept stitching & finished it (slightly bleary eyed). But, I am thrilled to be able to share Section 2 (adjusted to fit my space). Thanks Liz for saying, “If you don’t come out exactly the same, that’s OK! Just continue your pattern & fill in to the bottom.”
You’ll also see a needle in this picture because Mary gave me one her new favorite needles – an edmar gold-eyed needle – that is smoother to the touch than other needles and slides through the canvas. Very nice needles. But, you may not find any because Mary & especially Rona must have bought the store out! Thanks again for sharing them!
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