Filed under: General comments
Thanks to the 6,900 visitors to my blog last year. It’s been a great year of needlepoint and am looking forward to my annual review. Stitching on each project is so focused that I enjoy reminiscing about the year’s accomplishments. I also like to consider what will excite me going into 2020. In fact, I got so involved yesterday with my new class that I forgot to finish and post this! For Lesson 1 of Making Stitches Work For You”, a 4-month design ANG Cyberworkshop class with Carolyn Mitchell, we get to make stitch samplers on paper or for me more practice on my computer. I came up with this yesterday 4.5″. I’ll make more another time. Before I stitch, I want to get around 25 bands covering 12″.
One of the most exciting and challenging projects of 2019 was writing up instructions for Crescent Journey. It is a 43-page booklet with 56 diagrams that I worked on as I stitched the design again in a “Beach” colorway. Linda completed stitching a “Neutral” colorway as she proofed those instructions. She provided great input. Now, there are 9 people from my ANG Main Line Chapter who decided to stitch Crescent Journey. Several are choosing their own colorways but “Neutral” was the most popular with 4 choosing that one. It’s divided into 12 parts. So, we are stitching it as a year long project.
My 12″ square geometric piece (largest and most complicated design to date) was begun after 2018’s ANG Seminar 3-day design class with Kathy Rees and got an Honorable Mention award in the non-professional original design category at Seminar in 2019.
Several of my Hearts for Hospice were published in Needle Pointers (January/February 2019 and July/August/September 2019 issues). It’s been great fun making the diagrams and seeing them published is fantastic! I learned how to diagram in Excel from Cynthia Thomas at Seminar in 2017 in just one day! It has taken time to get better with it (just as with most things) but I love doing it.
I tutored a woman who wanted to learn to stitch partly as therapy to recover from an illness and regain her hand dexterity. Since she couldn’t drive, I went to her house several times. I was glad to help and she kept getting better as she continued.
I got Third Place overall and a First Place for Stitch category in Needle Me’s needlepoint contest. By accepting the store gift certificate prize, I have, in the eyes of ANG, become a “professional”. This is the official ANG position:
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Winning prize money at a county fair is a gift for his/her achievement and excellence in his/her needlework. A professional makes money by teaching, judging, working for a designer to make stitched samples of her designs, or stitching a design for a client/a commission. The gift certificate from the shop falls under the same as prize money from the county fair.
So, after 10 years (2010-2019) of entering pieces into the ANG Seminar exhibit as a non-professional, I will start submitting pieces in 2020 with the professionals. I better step up my game!
And, to do that, I have begun the Canvas Master Craftsman Program through EGA. There are 6 steps. Step 1 was to show proficiency in 10 stitches using a provided design and in a monochromatic color scheme with only 5 values. I stitched three fish in yellows and passed with distinction. A good start indeed.
All the “new” pieces (first 5 listed) begun in 2018 were completed in 2019! That’s really amazing to find out. And, I got even more done too. One is from the “been sitting around for a few years” pile. The rest were started and completed in 2019. One of the reasons more projects were not started was because I was running out of bars! I decided enough was enough and wanted to finish what I had already started.
- Golden Friends by Toni Gerdes which is a counted design provided to members of the ANG Golden Needle Society. I got tons of compliments on it at the ANG Seminar this year. I carry my travel needlepoint supplies in there. So, I use it for
- Lotus Kimono, a painted canvas by Lee which is part of an ongoing project at my ANG Main Line Chapter to see how different stitch guides are written. I’m selecting my own stitches and threads. Watch for this in an upcoming issue of Needle Pointers.
- Winter Scene Sleigh, a painted canvas by Alice Peterson which is also part of the ANG Main Line stitch guide project.
- Patchwork of Peace, a counted design of the United States flag by Mary Clark Donegan, consists of 247 different blocks of reds, whites/ecru, and blues. I am using supplements by Connie Camp but on Congress Cloth and am using my own threads.
- A poppies Stitch & Zip eyeglass case.
- Sisters, a Nancy Cucci piece from a 2016 pilot class, is the only really old project completed.
- Crescent Journey in a “Beach” colorway.
- Tahitian Treat, my 12″ geometric design.
- A Dusting of Snow, a Gail Stafford 2-day class with my ANG Keystone Garden Chapter.
- A leaf, using Access Commodities’ Silk Luster Leaf Exercise Kit
- Marion Scoular’s Star Sapphire Four-way Florentine Box Insert from Needlepoint Now July/August 1999 – a project from my ANG Keystone chapter
- Hearts for Hospice – I stitched 5 hearts.
- Two of the Christmas Diamonds ornaments by Kurdy Biggs from the Needlepoint Now November/December 2015 issue.
- A couple of small ornaments I designed using a single stitch pattern.
- Love Paws for a graduation gift.
- A needlepoint contest at Needle Me using a line drawn canvas with 5 geometric shapes.
- Edward Scissorfish Scissors Holder with Cleo from Busy Lizzy leading several of us from my EGA Brandywine chapter (not stitched on canvas).
- EGA three fish for Step 1 of the Canvas Master Craftsman Program.
- And, a piece that I can’t divulge details at this time.
Not everything I began was finished. Here’s what I started in 2019 (adding to the list of uncompleted projects):
- A Toast to Tiffany, my ANG Seminar 2019 class with Kay Stanis.
- Barbara’s Patchwork, a monthly ANG Stitch of the Month from 1999, that my ANG Main Line chapter decided to stitch this year.
- Another geometric using 21 stitches for Step 2 of the Canvas Master Craftsman Program.
Of course, I obtained some projects (either painted canvases or instructions for counted designs) that went into my stash. I have not nor will I keep track of that! But, I did not seek out projects or canvases when I visited needlepoint store this year. I tried to get threads for some of projects that I hope to begin after finishing up what has been started. Speaking of needlepoint stores visited this year . . .
My travels took me to:
- Houston Texas for Needle House, Stitches in Time, Chaparral, and Chandail with Linda and Kristen.
- Hendersonville, North Carolina for Sandy’s X-Stitch On The Go (with way more to offer than just cross stitch).
- Rehoboth Beach, DE for a visit to Stitch Stash & the outlets with Buff and Kristen.
- Bermuda on a cruise with Jean Farish and Diane Hermann (who gave us all a magnet of Walking the Water’s Edge – I’d already taken that class with her). Bill, Buff, Kristen, and Linda were on board too.
- Rehoboth Beach, DE to lead my Chapter Project Book piece called Overdyed Spools to the ANG Delaware Seashore chapter.
- Alexandria, VA for the Woodlawn Needlepoint Show.
- Philadelphia, PA at Rittenhouse Needlepoint for a Bead and Ribbon class with Sandra Arthur.
I made some progress on the painted canvas Vases and my ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter has made this a project – so, it will be finished in 2020. But, I didn’t make much progress on these painted canvases: Swirling Leaves, Embracing Horses, JP Bird of Paradise & Bamboo, and JP Orange Orchid & Bamboo. Other projects begun as far back as 2011 include Stitches in Sterling, Tar River Trail, Rozashi – Patterns in Blue and Green, and Fire and Ice will still be there for me. Will I get back to these before beginning new projects? Maybe some but there are already fun projects and events scheduled for 2020 including:
- Continuing the EGA Master Craftsman Canvas program. Link: egausa.org/mccanvas
- “Making Stitches Work For You”, a 4-month design ANG Cyberworkshop class with Carolyn Mitchell beginning January 1.
- Woodlawn Exhibit in Alexandria, VA in March.
- New Jersey Needle Fest in May in Summerset, NJ and a Summer Getaway in July in Wayne, PA (both run by Needleworker’s Delight).
- ANG Seminar in Tuscon in August for another band sampler called Interchange and 21st Century Designer both with Linda Reinmiller.
Thanks for following along with me this past year and I’m looking forward to sharing my adventures over the coming year! Hope you have a healthy, happy New Year.
Filed under: Gay Ann Roger's, Countess of Granrham, Gay Ann Roger's, Lady Edith, Gay Ann Roger's, Lady Mary, General comments, Other People's Designs, Technique Issues
I asked Santa for Gay Ann Roger’s series of designs inspired by Downton Abbey including the Countess, Lady Mary, and Lady Edith. Hopefully, she adds a fourth based on the Dowager Countess.
And, I expect to learn a lot from Susan Sturgeon Roberts in her book, Tips & Techniques for Needlepoint. After some cooking, I will settle down with this.
Happy Holidays to all!
In reading over suggested materials from the EGA Master Craftsman Canvas bibliography, I have found a couple of interesting issues and will post about some of them. I’d love to get your input on these.
In Needlepoint and Beyond: 27 Lessons in Advanced Canvas Work by Edith Anderson Feisner, she says to always work into the stitches that have been previously done. That makes sense. It’s also been described as working from a clean hole into a dirty hole. That’s not always possible but an excellent tenet to follow.
Before I proceed, let me say she is using size 10 or 12 mesh interlock canvas and Colbert Persian wool in her examples. So, perhaps her next statement that I have some question about is not applicable to all fibers.
She says to catch just a tiny bit of the fiber as you work the stitch to lock the stitches together but do not split the fiber. Her reasoning is that, “This will prevent friction between stitching from building up and destroying the fibers.”
Do you think her finished pieces are being used as rugs or something being handled a lot? Because when would there be friction after you stitched and framed something?
I have always tried to keep the holes more “clean” by specifically avoiding catching the fiber from the previous stitch. I thought that was preferred. And, so, perhaps “it depends” on what you are stitching and for what purpose. In straight stitches like bargello, it might decrease the chance of seeing the bits of canvas on either side of the threads (sometimes referred to as teeth or dandruff). And, bargello patterns are often pillows or purses which would get wear.
Have you ever heard anyone recommend catching the fiber while stitching? And, if so, when, what fiber, and why.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts and comments.
Mt. Airy Learning Tree offers a great variety of classes throughout the year. I decided to take an Introduction to Zentangle class. I had been exposed to Zentangle by my ANG Keystone Garden chapter and stitched a design I had drawn (which got Honorable Mention in 2018 at Woodlawn). Candice had given us an excellent class but that was a few years ago and decided to give it another go.
Mindy Shapiro, a certified Zentangle teacher, provided a Micron 01 pen, a Micron 08 pen, a short pencil, a smudge stick (Pro Art Stump No. 2), and 4 cards (3.5″ x 3.5″ heavy stock with wavy edges and curved corners from Zentangle.com). There are no erasers because whatever happens is meant to be.
In just 2 hours, we covered the origins of the art form and got exposed to multiple patterns. The design on the left has Crescent Moon with auras (upper left area), Hollibaugh (pairs of lines passing under others; bottom right), Printemps (circular pattern with auras or dots; bottom left area), and Knights Bridge (grid; upper right area).
The one on the right was done in the last 30 minutes to expose us to a few more patterns including Florz (grid with diamonds at the intersections with shading as I did or it can have an aura inside each white space; upper left area), Printemps with Sparkle (leaves an open area in the circular pattern; bottom center area), and Static (zig zag with shading; upper right area).
Four dots are placed in the corners. Then, connect them. Mindy liked the wavy lines that I used to connect my four corners. The left design has a Z string and the right design a V string. A ‘string’ divides the large area. The smudge stick smooths out the pencil marks to create shading and depth.
It was a fun class. There was 9 of us and no 2 looked alike.
Filed under: General comments, Needlepoint Shops, Osterville Needlepoint Shop, Threads
The Osterville Needlepoint Shop in Mashpee, MA in Cape Cod has a great selection of threads and canvases. And, a wonderful staff. I don’t recall seeing Treenway Silk Cords and Ribbons. Love the color combinations.
Even after I said I had too many projects to purchase anything, I was invited to join the ladies to sit and stitch. Had it not been for my husband waiting in the car, I would have joined them. Two nice big tables, plenty of light, and such pleasant women. Another time! Good place for classes. And, lots more threads not seen in this photo.
Needle Me offered a summer stitching contest and while I was there getting a piece framed, Marcie had one canvas left. It looked enticing, wasn’t too big, and looked fun.
Here’s my entry. All I could think of was how many of the patterns from Sandy Arthur’s Shapes of Needlepoint books would I be able to incorporate. There are 4 ovals, 13 triangles, 20 rectangles, 5 circles, and 47 squares. The background is the woven stitch creating small diamonds. That makes 90 patterns in the 8 & 1/8″ x 2 & 1/8″ design area.
Having that much going on with stitches, I decided to use one color but with 5 values and intensities. The silk threads are Au Ver a Soie hand-dyed by Chameleon called Shades of Africa, Two Oceans. You can’t tell in the smaller shapes that all 5 values are overdyed threads. It’s not until I stitched the larger background did the overdyed effect show.
When I picked up my framed piece, I saw all the entries and there were some great entries. Well, the results are in and I came in tied for Third Place overall and First Place for Stitch Category. It was quite amazing to see all the interpretations of the small and simple canvas. Congratulations to Marcie on her 30th Anniversary and thanks for hosting the contest.
Needle Me offered a summer stitching contest and while I was there getting a piece framed, Marcie had one canvas left (the line drawn unstitched canvas is in the upper left corner of the image from her newsletter).
Please go to Needle Me (12 E Eagle Road in Havertown, PA) to vote for your favorites by September 28. I’m not going to tell which is mine until the results are announced.
Edward Scissorfish ran into a snag. Before I realized it, he had 7 belly scales on one side and 8 on the other. I slept on it for 2 nights and finally decided that Linda’s birthday gifts arrived to help me just when I needed them! The tiny little scissors, Rainbow Thread Cutters, helped me snip in the tiniest of spaces around the beads. And, the tweezers, Uncle Bill’s, helped me clean up the loose threads and pull off the beads. It took some work but am happy to say that Edward is once again symmetrical. Thanks again Linda!
Edward is ready for tomorrow, our second class with Cleo. A good number of my EGA Brandywine chapter members are working on this too.
Filed under: General comments, Other People's Designs, Stitch N' Zip, Threads
Having a small, easy piece to stitch and carry with me is great for trips. And, Stitch & Zip pieces fulfill both requirements. I found this eyeglass case in a corner of a gift store called Wonderful Things in Great Barrington, MA in May 2018. The only needlepoint in the store was a few of these. So, I had to pick it up! It’s called Watercolor Poppies.
I found a few threads appropriate for 14 count canvas in my stash including Vineyard Merino a violet M-1042 Dark Earth, 2 greens M-1065 Martini and M-1067 Foliage and 2 roses Silk & Ivory 161 Lida Rose, 162 Rosie O’Grady.
But, I still needed lots of colors so I found more Silk & Ivory in August 2018 while stopping at Point of It All (before ANG Seminar) including yellow 241 Maize, 2 shades of orange 213 Banana and 215 Clementine, 2 shades of pink 185 Cosmopolitan and 119 Grenadine, a red 199 Tamale, and 3 blues 198 ahoy, 36 Admiral Blue, and 69 Forgot-Me-Not.
Apparently, Silk & Ivory pills more depending on which end is threaded! If you thread Silk & Ivory one way, it pills. If you thread it the other way, it doesn’t. So, if you find which end splays more, you should always thread that end into the needle’s eye. I didn’t find any pilling issues but these are small areas and the canvas is 14 count. Good tip!
I found this tip in an earlier blog posting and it’s worth repeating: In order to get the top edge to angle like the rest, turn the canvas upside down and stitch left to right with the needle moving straight up, the thread ends up angled correctly (like basketweave).
I was surprised to see how the colors in the photo of the stitched example differ from the canvas colors.
I stitched more closely to the canvas colors.
Melitastitches4fun's Blog 
Filed under: General comments
Getting together to celebrate the holidays with Linda in January is nice because the hustle and bustle of the season is winding down. You’ve got to see Little Women (my husband enjoyed it too). And, dinner and drinks is always a good time.
Linda is an excellent needlepointer and quilter! She tried out a new design for a project bag for my Christmas gift. It is excellently crafted. Such beautiful fabrics inside and out. Love the colors. Two pockets on the outside (one on each side), 3 open pockets inside on one side and a zippered pocket on the other side. And, there is a matching thread bag, a must for any project bag. I’m very happy that Linda moved back to Philly and joined my ANG Main Line chapter. I always enjoy her company.
As Linda and Bill enjoyed Maker’s Mark bourbon before dinner, I was reminded that I had not posted the Blanton’s (my favorite bourbon) canvas that I got at Rittenhouse Needlepoint before Christmas.
So, I will place the Blanton’s canvas in my new project bag! A perfect fit and I will make this my monthly Stitch-in project.
Does anyone know if there is a stitch guide for this canvas? Does anyone have any threads or stitches to suggest?