Santa gets his full face & a red-hot hat this weekend! Even though I had spring fever from going to the Philadelphia Flower Show, I got a lot done – mostly Sunday because my feet needed the rest after walking the convention center. It sure felt like spring even with the chill in the air on Saturday. Wonderful weekend!
The Tied Oblong Cross Stitch on the Diagonal for his hat was tough to get the hang of & compensate. So, I did have to concentrate but it looks great. The hat has a very rich & full look with the Petite Very Velvet for the crosses, Kreinik Ribbon for the ties, & Sundance Beads.
I’m really happy with my sky even though Monet’s palette had more yellow in the clouds than these. When I selected the overdyed thread, Crescent Colours Frosty (120485), it really looked blue & yellow. But, when it separated to fewer threads, the colors diffused.
I had used thread blending and thread shading techniques before but after seeing how Lois Kershner combined thread blending with thread shading (as described in ‘Landscapes: Design & Stitching Techniques’) for her ‘Pajaro Dunes’, I knew I’d found my sky. I removed the few rows of Irregular Running as Giant Parisian variation in favor of the Horizontal Brick Stitch. The technique for thread shading works with most stitches but not with the running type of stitch.
I subdivided the portions of the sky into 6 levels of color in the sky. One skein had slightly darker blue portions (skein #1) than the other (skein #2). So, I cut out the portions that were dark blue from skein #1, light blue from skein #2, and light yellow from either skein.
Section 1 – 3 threads of dark blue
Section 2 – 2 threads of dark blue, 1 thread of light blue
Section 3 – 1 thread of dark blue, 2 threads of light blue
Section 4 – 3 threads of light yellow
Section 5 – 2 threads of light yellow, 1 thread of light blue
Section 6 – 2 threads of light blue, 1 thread of light yellow
I had bought 2 skeins of the floss (each 5 yards) – plenty – so I thought! Well, I ended up with just five 6-inch yellow pieces and one 6-inch light blue piece. That was close!!
Whenever I go to see Santa at the mall, I always look at his beard – to me that makes all the difference. It’s got to be white & full just like this one! I wonder if my finishing Santa’s beard this tonight is causing the upcoming snow event?
I took the Metallic Ribbon Floss, stripped 2 thin strands, layed, & couched them between the segments of the beard. Perhaps I pulled too tight but I could see holes and/or some of the sketch & they are covered up now.
Filed under: ANG Seminar 2010, Melita's Adaptations, Monet's Poppy Field, Poppy Field
I can’t remember where or when I fell in love with Monet’s Poppy Field in a Hollow near Giverny (1885). But, I am convinced some day I’ll capture it in needlepoint. No, it won’t be Monet’s Poppy Field, it’ll be my interpretation of it. But hopefully, it’ll be something I can gaze upon & feel it take me to a patch of that long grass.
My first attempt was all about testing stitches. I really like the Whipped or Laced Running Stitch (Elegant Stitches by Judith Baker Montano) for the light blue on the right. I didn’t care for it as much for the 2 greens to the left of that area. I also liked the stitch Serendipity used in the top blue-green portion for the distant tree line & Rococo for the dark green bushes in the middle (both are from Stitches To Go by Suzanne Howren & Beth Robertson). It’s size is 4&1/2″ x 4&1/2″ & too square.
The quest continued for stitches in my second attempt. I had it in my mind that a large stitch pattern base would work for the poppies & then thought random french & colonial knots would make the flowers on the field appear random but it became too dense. I did like the Knotted Stitch on the upper left & a similar stitch with less slope for the area to the left of the center dark green bushes called Diagonal Roumanian. Then, I created a variation of Kennan for the area left of the center dark green bushes. These stitches came from Stitches To Go by Suzanne Howren & Beth Robertson. It’s size is 4″ x 4&1/2″.
I felt pretty good about stitches & decided in this attempt I better test some colors & threads. To combat the density of the poppy field, I switched to a thinner thread. It was better but it wasn’t right – it seemed flat & lifeless. So, I put it away for a long time deciding further experience was needed before I could improve the piece. It’s size is still 4″ x 4&1/2″.
Always on the look out for new threads, I tried a variety of threads. I also tried some different stitches. I liked this version much better, especially the poppy field because I used various shades. David McCaskill’s suggestion to use a canvas with the blue tint to it improved the piece as well because areas show through, depending on the stitch/thread. While I saw improvement, I wasn’t sure where to go next & decided to put it away – again. It’s size is 4&1/2″ x 4&1/2″.
Then, I saw the class teaching design & stitching techniques for landscapes advertised for the 2010 ANG Seminar taught by Lois Kershner. I wasn’t familiar with her work but could tell by the description of the class it’d be perfect for me to help figure out my poppy field. So, I attended my first seminar. Now, I am armed with knowledge from her class as taught by Pat Rusch. Will my fifth attempt be my last? It is full size (8″ x 9&1/2″) still on blue canvas. As you can see, I didn’t get much stitched during class because I was studying the techniques in the book and reconsidering threads & stitches – again! Wish me luck!!
At the ANG Seminar in October 2010, I took this half-day class taught by Janet Zickler Casey called Santacicle. I love icicles & Santas – so, I gravitated to this project.
There isn’t a lot of stitching that I could get done in 1/2 day. Yet, Janet discussed how to stitch all the sections – so, it moved at quite a rapid pace. Some of the beard was done during class & then worked on when I first returned from class. Since then, I got distracted on other projects. There are some new threads for me to work with such as Metallic Ribbon Floss which is what I’m using now to cover the Perle Cotton on the beard . . .
The coasters in the bottom left corner of my pending projects picture needed to be cut in a round shape. But, I didn’t want them fraying or looking unfinished. So, I decided to stitch up to the design in a blanket stitch. That also allowed me to cut right up to the edge.
These will go nicely with the napkin ring holders I finished previously: (https://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/napkin-rings-pieces-of-eight/)
In case people ask, the coasters came from AC Moore and they come in different shapes:
Hexagon: http://www.acmoore.com/p-25204-acrylic-paper-weight-hexagon.aspx
Circle: http://www.acmoore.com/p-25213-acrylic-paper-weight-circle.aspx
Scallop: http://www.acmoore.com/p-25203-acrylic-paper-weight-scallop.aspx
Square: http://www.acmoore.com/p-25209-acrylic-paper-weight-square.aspx
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, General comments, Needlework in Progress, Pieces of Eight
Looking again at my works in progress pile, it doesn’t look as big as I thought it would. Yet, there is work to do in everything you see. Since I like immediate gratification, I decided to work first on the 4 southwestern-colored octagons (top picture, middle left) from the Pieces of Eight project we did last year at our ANG Chapter.
And, it’s first because I want to give it (bottom picture) to my framer (Dan at The Framers Workshop in Philadelphia) who I’ll be seeing this weekend to drop off the 2010 SOTM for framing. I got lucky finding a 5″x5″ matte in the brown frame. I just added a few stitches along the edge & into the unstitched corners (a Byzantine filler).
I can’t remember who gave me the suggestion of “Four Corners” but thanks. That is the only place in America where 4 states touch. And, they are Utah, Colorado, New Mexicao, & Arizona.
Come join us at 7:15 pm on the 2nd Mon of each month just 30 minutes from Center City Philadelphia & 10 minutes from King of Prussia. Or contact us at: MainLineStitchersChapter@needlepoint.org for more information.
Last year’s mantra was “Connect” with other needlepointers & I’ve done that!! Over 36,000 hits in just under 1 year. I met some wonderful people at my first ANG Seminar, won a 2nd place ribbon, & a national award! It was amazing. And, our Chapter meetings have been well received.
As 2011 is set to begin, I have to decide what to do to make 2011 half as good as 2010! I don’t do resolutions as they can be so elusive & I am left with guilt & disappointment. Well, my husband & I went shopping just before Christmas for fun! When I got the last 2011 Monet weekly planner/calendar, I realized that I want to focus on my needlepoint adaptation of Monet’s Poppy Field in 2011 – that is going to make me most happy & be the most fun & that’s why I stitch. The 4-day class I took at Seminar was Landscapes so that I could make my 5th (& last?) attempt at this piece. Since returning from Seminar something keeps getting in my way.
And, I’ve decided that’s my mantra for 2011 – “Focus and Recommit”. While I’ll focus on the Monet piece I also want to recommit to the 18-month Tudor Gold class that I began 8 months ago. I’ve also decided to free myself of a few almost finished projects – not all of the ones stored in my messy cabinet – just those ones that are cluttering my immediate vicinity. Below is a picture of my most recent pending projects.
I’m glad I saved my college friend (now a life coach), Ann Daly’s newsletters. They are going to help me recommit, prioritize, & do what’s important to me – FOCUS! Many thanks to my BFF, Ann, for all her wonderful insights & encouragement. I gain nothing financially from her work just free guidance from a good friend’s newsletters. Since most of us don’t live in Austin, TX, check her out at www.anndaly.com !
Best wishes for a Happy, Healthy New Year!! Melita
Faced with 2010 running out of days, I decided to use straight stitches on the inner portion of the border. Initially, I stitched them at an angle like the outer border but it was too heavy-looking compared to the open black area (you’ll have to take my word for it because the picture really didn’t show it well enough to post). So, I slept on it, ripped it out, & switched directions to minimize the effect of stitching in that area. The threads kind of fill in the shaft between the canvas threads making the white stitches less prominent. And, it worked up quickly so I can get to the last border!!
Quite by several accidents, I find myself really liking this variation on the SOTM. I used a different color family for this portion of the outer border by accident than I think the directions called for. And, instead of stitching both inner & outer portions, I completed the outer portion first. The outer portion used even less couching than called for by alternating every other row – worked out perfectly: 4 in the longest thread, 3 in the next smaller, then 2, leaving 1 small cross stitch in the corners. I like how it looks in the darker thread with white showing through.
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