The backgrounds from Love, 5th in the series from the Cabochons Series by Susan Portra, were fun. Once I got to this point, I just had to finish!
I did change the upper left stitch from vertical rows of French Knots to Basque Knots from Elegant Stitches by Judith Baker Montano. I’ve been intrigued by that stitch since seeing it in the book but never had a place to use it until now. Getting the tension consistent is key. The 4 strands of floss were recommended for French Knots, but I didn’t like the 4 strands of floss for the Basque Knot. It lacked definition (left 2 columns). And, the color was too dark to see the knot. So, I switched to the perle used elsewhere in the piece and am much happier (right 2 columns). I practiced it and was finally getting it. The 2 columns on the left side show them further apart on the left and closer on the right. The 2 columns on the right are both further apart, which I do like better..
The backgrounds are done.
That left the beads and cabochons to add. I managed to break a bugle bead to squeeze it onto the bottom right row of them. It is still a tad long, but leaving it empty was glaring. Several of the rimsets are bent, and one bead package was missing them entirely. So, I’ve ordered more. Placing the prongs into holes is key to getting the top of the rims close enough to the canvas so that the cabochons aren’t loose.
Goal #21 is completely stitched with beads and cabochons applied.
I’ve already got Joy, the first in the Cabochon series, fully kitted and ready to go onto the bars. Perhaps I am excited about doing these because they are easier than other pending projects! Do you find yourself putting off the tough pieces in favor of easier ones?
Filed under: Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Love
Since Love was the only fully kitted design from the Cabochons series by Susan Portra, I started with this one. Goals 21-28 from my 2024 Year in Review and Look Forward post was to kit some of these and start stitching them. Then, I acquired more of the series and it became Goals 21-31. I am making progress kitting them. More on that another time.
For Love, I lightly drew the heart outline from the template that’s provided using a red Micron pen (archival).
I’ve taken this along on several road trips and gotten a little more done each time. I don’t need a stand for it since it’s on 10″ x 10″ stretcher bars and no laying threads, so it makes a great travel piece.
There are four background stitches left. I Love it (pun intended) and that the Philadelphia Phillies won their season opener!
Filed under: Other People's Designs, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Charity, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Desire, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Faith, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Harmony, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Hope, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Joy, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Love, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Passion, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Peace, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Purity, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Rapture
From my 2024 Year in Review post, I had said,
Goals #21-28 for 2025 are to kit the eight pieces in The Cabochons series by Susan Portra that I have acquired and at least get started stitching them (to make this a realistic goal).
Final Goal #29: Don’t get any more goals!!
Well, I need to update this as follows:
Goals #21-31 for 2025 are to kit the eleven pieces in The Cabochons series by Susan Portra that I have acquired. Thanks to a recent Ebay auction, I obtained 3 more.
Final Goal #32: Don’t get any more goals?? Or, should I just let this one go?
All of the kits have the bead packs. One of the designs has all threads (Love), and four of the pieces came with canvas. Oddly enough, one of the designs doesn’t say to use Rhapsody, but I’ve got to use Rhapsody in all of them. I was able to find 5 skeins of the now discontinued thread, Rhapsody, on Ebay and/or at Janna Needle Art. However, I will have to modify the threads to match the replacement color of Rhapsody I selected for 5 of the designs.
There are at least 2 in the series that I am missing: #11 and #12. I don’t know what they are called and have a search on Ebay to alert me if any Cabochons are posted. Does anyone have any idea what they are named and/or does anyone have them to sell?
I don’t think I posted the ones I got from Alex-Paras NeedleArts. Here are those and the other designs – all now ready for kitting.
To date, I have:
I bought some threads for four of the kits that are using the suggested Rhapsody thread from Karen at Nimble Needle in NJ. She gives a 10% discount to ANG and EGA members. And, she had the current issue of Needle Pointers available for people to look through right next to the front door. Nice of her to support ANG!
I do have to substitute DMC for Anchor and substitute for two discontinued Fyre Werks but I think there are Fyre Werks Soft Sheen threads that will work.
As I search for colored 18 count canvas and work on kitting them all, I will start on the Love design, which is done on white canvas and came fully kitted.
Filed under: Amanda Lawford's Christmas Angel
I blogged about Amanda Lawford’s Christmas Angel that I started in September 2023 periodically until I finished it in January 2024 https://melitastitches4fun.com/category/amanda-lawfords-christmas-angel/. In summary, it was for a woman who had started it 40 years ago and wanted it finished, but she just couldn’t find time to stitch and preferred to spend her leisure time elsewhere. So, I stitched it and she sent me a photo of it finished. I would have loved to see it on top of the tree, but I was happy to get any photo! It turned out great. She was thrilled, and so am I. Ignore the little piece of the background above her left wing that, for some reason, will not be erased even with Photoshop.
Filed under: Needlework and Textile Guild of Media, Other People's Designs, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Faith, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Love, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Peace, Susan Portra, The Cabochons, Rapture, Tiny Weaving
One of my Christmas presents this year was a Susan Portra design, one of The Cabochons, called Peace.
It joins 3 more in the series that are in my stash, including Rapture, Love, and Faith.
And, the Tiny Weaving kit comes complete to create 2 different types of woven tapestries. But, more on that another time.
I didn’t quite finish stitching Bill’s card case. Hopefully, tomorrow.
I picked up this Sewing Stitch & Zip (SZ 126 by Alice Petersen) in July 2019 from at Sandy’s X-Stitch On The Go in Hendersonville, NC. I finally got around to it when I decided to create dual sided business cards for Linda this year. I stitched the ultrasuede lining into place with invisible Sulky thread.
She can leave some at quilt stores to advertise her Valley Forge Quilt Guild and our ANG Main Line Stitches. The quilt is one of her award winners at this year’s exhibit. And, the needlepoint piece is her colorway for my design and the ANG 2024 Stitch of the Month, Crescent Journey. I think the neutral colorways look great together.
Staples makes creating business cards easy and affordable. If your organization is looking to spread the word, they are a great option because they fit easily in a member’s purse or wallet. Be sure to use both sides. I have personal cards and chapter cards.
Filed under: Explore and Design with Debbie Rowley
I realized that I didn’t post my Diamonds, Triangles, and More design probably because I wasn’t sure what I would do with it. I still don’t know but wanted to share it anyway.
The class, Explore and Design, with Debbie Rowley began in February earlier this year and I read through our booklet upon arrival and dove right in! I detailed my progress within the groups.io platform during the 6-session class throughout March and April. I mostly did this piece just to play with the variety of stitches in the booklet Debbie provided. It was a very extensive booklet. So, I have almost no repeated stitches. The motifs in yellow are larger than I usually stitch which is why I choose them. I used a thin thread to see the motif better. I might like this better if I used a colored canvas because canvas does show. I also learned that a continuous Herringbone border does not work our perfectly! Trust me I tried – more than once.
I am very interested in getting to my garden path, Flowers Along a Rhode. I have it diagrammed and just need to find time to start stitching.
Silken Sonata by Jim Wurth is done. I do love a counted project! Thanks again, Linda.
Compensation with 4-way Continental was tricky in the small areas.
The overlay stitches were new for me. It took me 2 tries to get them right. I looked at the piece the following morning and thought 2 were wonky. After carefully looking, I realized that 2 were wrong one way and 2 were wrong a different way! The smaller Jessicas are 3×4, and the large ones are 5×4 (which was oddly difficult for me too-not sure why). So, the overlays are off center on the large one, which is what messed me up. But, I got it. Those eyelet holes had to be that big to get the threads to lay around the hole.
Normally, I see Jessicas and think about filling them with beads. Now, I can about filling with 4-way Continental (or other small stitch) and/or overlays.
Silken Sonata by Jim Wurth is fun to work on. Jim must have been influenced by Jean Hilton. Between the Smyrna outline stitches and the multiple sized Jessicas, you can’t help but think of Jean Hilton.
Those 4 large Sprats Heads worked up quickly and look great. I hadn’t used Hi-lights before and probably won’t again because it is discontinued but I liked it. The Coronet Braid (size 8) I probably won’t use again because I didn’t like it. It’s stiff, and I didn’t like the feel of it. It’s polyester and rayon. But, it is iridescent and looks good.
Just look at all the fall colors in the tote!
Between the by Mindy bookmark canvas and the lovely fall colored threads, I am set for autumn. I can choose between DMC and Presencia Finca Perle! I’ll have plenty of thread left over for other projects.
The PHL is a cute magnet since I live in Philly.
Linda presented everything in a perfectly arranged, very handy tote. Quite the birthday bonanza!
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