Filed under: Dare to Design With Orna Willis
I got started stitching last week so that I could take this to stitch on this upcoming Saturday at New Jersey Needle Fest, a day long stitching event with 120 stitchers and 8-10 vendors. Yes, back to back stitching weekends!
Overall, it’s a 5&1/2″ square. If I hadn’t designed it myself, I would have a hard time believing that everything I have planned to stitch is going to fit! However, that’s what happens when moving from 8 count paper to 18 count canvas.
Instead of a lot of ripping, I tested the stitch and threads on a waste canvas. The #8 Kreinik worked ok for the knitting stitch bottom far left but was too thin coverage for the mosaic bottom right. I also decided that you could see the knitting stitch better with the Planet Earth. I tested Kreinik #16 upper right which happened to be in my stash but felt it was too heavy for an area that I doesn’t need attention. So, I bought #12 which looks great. I wanted to establish the border to decrease counting errors. Now, I can stitch the focal point.
Filed under: Dare to Design With Orna Willis
I won’t go through all my iterations of stitches that I selected or color combinations I tried for this painted design. But, the key pieces ended up being a frame outlining the triangles (Knitting stitch and Mosaic stitches in light and dark purple) and connecting them. The center diamonds have 2 or 3 shared components (Wavy, Smyrna, and Nobuko stitches). The colors help tie them together. The base that the diamonds fit into are same except the color of the crescents and half Waffles differ. Little changes made a big difference. Oddly enough, a small Smyrna in place of the 4 red straight stitches in the center diamond looked awful. The other thing that allowed me some freedom was remembering the lessons from Orna Willis‘ class Color Inspirations. I didn’t need to replicate the exact design but I did need the balance of colors. So, I am done and very happy! I just hope the threads work with the stitches. On to her next lesson which is playing with variations of Jessicas!
Filed under: Bellpull - Gunner P
I realize now I never shared the bellpull my mother stitched in Feb 1991. Maybe because I didn’t know anything about it other than I liked it!
Well, I found it when I was googling Gunner P Design kits because a woman on Facebook found an old kit. I found the image of the bellpull in an old listing and this info about Gunner Pedersen, a Norwegian embroidery business. Fascinating history at
Filed under: Dare to Design With Orna Willis
We have been painting triangles filled with smaller shapes using watercolors. These triangles were to be filled with smaller shapes. I’ve been going bold with color selections. Then, we tessellated, turned, flipped, and manipulated them. The results are amazing!
I designed my initials into this one. See how different the effect is when you combine them differently!
More of other classmate’s pieces on Orna’s blog at
https://ornadesign.blogspot.com/
Filed under: Dare to Design With Orna Willis, General comments, Needlepoint Junction, Needlepoint Shops
Michele has a lovely store, Needlepoint Junction, on Hilton Head Island. So many threads and so well stocked. It’d be a joy to kit a project there. However, I have too many now to start another one. I didn’t even take a picture of the painted canvases (displayed on easy to flip through swinging big boards). But, you can get the idea of what a wonderful selection she has from these pictures. It looks like a wide variety of gorgeous supplies for knitters too. Worth a stop in person or online at needlepointjunctionhhi.com & enjoy!
Instead of another project, I added to my book collection. I got my second book in the Sandra Arthur Shapes of Needlepoint (Series III with corners, hexagons, ovals, and parallelograms). These shapes should help immensely with my ‘Dare to Design’ class with Orna Willis. By the way, right now, we are water painting to get a mix of shapes and colors involved to see changing focal points.
We had our first session with Orna Willis who is teaching us how to design. We start out placing shapes in triangles.
Put them together and we have the start of a design!
And, combining them makes even more.
On another adventure with Orna. This is a 6-month class where we design our own geometric piece! I’m sure that Orna will make the process fascinating and fun. We have own own private Facebook group.
I picked up the kit yesterday and it includes:
- 45 threads (Soie Perlee, Trebizond, Kreinik 1/16 ribbon, Kreinik #8 & #12 braid, Planet Earth 6-ply silk, Silk Mori, Neon Rays, Gumnut Yarns, Needlepoint Inc Silk, Silk ‘N Colors, Waterlilies, and Watercolours) in wonderful colors. There were 3 or 4 options to choose from. They came in a 2-sided hard plastic box. Orna packages are always lovely. But, I wanted to spread them out to easily see them all.
- 11 packets of beads in various sizes and colors
- 3 pieces of canvas
- 24 watercolor pens and 3 brush tips (again, I wanted to spread them out to easily see them all)
- Desert Island Stitches, Vol 1 for small spaces (which I didn’t have and from skimming it today, it’s a great reference)
- Grid paper, a notebook, packet of blank stock paper, and a ruler
I’ve enjoyed looking over everything and am excited for class to start soon! It all fits in 5 of the plastic, stackable trays except for the grid paper (from the Container Store). And, I have made room in a cabinet so I can get to it easily.
Filed under: Come Design With Me by Orna Willis
This came to be named Come Dance With Me by the members of the class because of all the wonderful colors. Orna explained her process as follows, “I work with colors like a dance. I take two steps in one direction and then at least one step in the other. I like to start with strong colors and after I’ve worked with them I counter it with calming colors.”
In mine, there are a couple of unintentional differences because I counted wrong but I actually prefer less movement in the scalloped border. And, there are a couple intended differences including using only 2 threads of DMC floss 4124 for the orange French Knots so that the overlayed Bijoux would lay flatter (thanks to Linda’s suggestion – it’s always good to talk concerns over with her) and one French Knot for each middle area on the outermost border because two seemed too scrunched. I’m very happy with what I learned from Orna Willis through her thought process, the amazing threads, and stitching the design. Thanks Orna. All done and ready for her next design class!
Filed under: Come Design With Me by Orna Willis
This is a remote class mainly to follow how Orna designs a piece. And, it’s been interesting because she explains her thoughts as she goes along by sharing success as well as sections unstitched. As with many of Orna’s designs, there are amazing colors being incorporated. We got a kit of threads in the mail, lessons via email, and follow conversations via Facebook. I’m picking up a variety of wonderful tidbits including her preference for brown canvas because it fades away as you stitch better than white, eggshell, or sandstone. This is most of Lessons 1-3 completed (missing some French knots).
Filed under: Embracing Horses
Embracing Horses is a design by Laurel Burch. I just got back from a 3-day class at Nashville Needleworks with Laura Taylor. This piece is a stretch for me because it is so large. I’m working on 22″ x 16″ bars! The stitch guide that Laura put together is great – also challenging which is one of the reasons I took the class. It’ll be fantastic. There are different stitches than you find in books. I enjoyed Laura as a teacher – she demonstrated everything, checked on our progress, and had interesting tidbits to share! All my classmates were such nice ladies & fantastic stitchers. A wonderful 3 days.
Bill & I had a blast doing the bourbon trail in Kentucy. And, in Nashville enjoyed Johnny Cash Museum and Willie Nelson Museum. Then, with Linda enjoyed the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Old Opry! Nashville is a fun city. We’ll be back!
And, Connie has a fabulous store – three rooms! There she is with my stitching buddy, Linda. Look at all the canvases and threads!! Truly amazing. I got lucky & won one of the 2 gift certificates ($150 off next year’s class went to a local woman). The $50 gift certificate was promptly spent on a LOVE canvas (not pictured here) that I’ll use as my travel piece for my next trip.
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