Marilyn designed a name tag that identifies all our various ANG Distance Learning programs/roles including Stitch of the Month for herself, Chapter Project Book for Sue, Cyberworkshop for Chris, Workshop by Mail for Cathie, Pilot Stitcher Coordinator for Vicki, Distance Learning Coordinator for Denise, and Correspondence Course for me.
I got the stitching done a few weeks ago but was a little hesitant to do the finishing although she also provided instructions. So, this morning (with my husband out golfing & the TV off) I spent time going over the directions, made a trip to Jo-Ann’s (for sewing thread to match the backing), and put it together this afternoon! Marilyn was kind enough to send us all the same color green Congress cloth, Skirtex, fleece, and 4 pony beads. Chris was also fantastic to send us all the same color green Ultrasuede for the backing.
I had never heard of or worked with Skirtex before which is a stiff interfacing but is still flexible. I love it – it is very light. And, I discovered that it served well as a place to begin the thread. That way it wasn’t anchored to and carried through any of the back of the stitching which could show through the front.
Then, I cinched lacing stitches into the Skirtex to make it taut and take some stress off the Congress cloth (shown loose in the picture so show how I stitched). I don’t think I’ve worked on Congress cloth until now. It was stiffer than I expected more like monocanvas just a larger count (24 threads per inch). 18 doesn’t sound that much different from 24 but my eyes think so! I’ll stick with 18-count canvas but I can say I have worked on Congress cloth & could if needed.
I mitered the corners differently. Marilyn’s were done as described in The Needlepoint Book” by Jo Ippolito Christensen but I don’t think it makes a difference in this case. It just folded my way so easily.
All the lacing stitches went into place easily enough. You just can’t pull too tight because Skirtex is flexible and it could bend. Marilyn reminded us to pack it carefully – she thinks of everything!
The Ultrasuede is fantastic to work with. When I made Marilyn’s Ort Box, I used something like suede that I picked up at Jo-Ann’s but the edging frayed. This was fantastic & had no fraying edges. And, I used the Fiskars Razor Edge scissors (that I learned about on the ANG Yahoo group email list) to trim the sides to fit. Those scissors are wonderful – no wonder they have been around more than 130 years. I used an overcast stitch about every 4 threads as Marilyn recommended. No need for a fancy stitch because the edge will be covered by a decorative braid.
Since I really don’t like anything around my neck and wanted it as light as possible, I didn’t use any fleece (for a softer look) although that is light as well. I did add the extra piece of Ultrasuede as pocket on the back for my room key. That still should be light.
Because I don’t have a machine that makes braid, I was glad to find a green braid at Jo-Ann’s that will work fine & I’ll attach it another day. I probably won’t post the front of the name tag until seminar. So, look for the ladies with the green tags & say Hi! It’s wonderful to put faces with names.
It is just a little over a month away before we’ll be in Chicago! And, I am so happy that I sat down & did this today because my pre-work arrived today! It is possible that by stitching the background ahead of time, we can finish Michele Roberts'”Faux-berge” Orange Tree Egg during class. I sure am looking forward to seminar!
Filed under: ANG Keystone Garden Chapter, Triangle Santa Ornament by Peg Dunayer
With the polar vortex swirling, what better time than now to be stitching Triangle Santa from Needlepoint Now (Nov/Dec 2007) designed by Peg Dunayer. It is the Christmas in July project from my ANG Keystone chapter. It is a cute little ornament that is a fantastic “stash buster”. My threads are:
Red: Sampler Threads Claret 0310 (shoulders) and Cherry Wine 0330 (hat)
Dark blue eyes: Needlepoint Inc Silk 823
Flesh: Kreinik Silk Mori 3042
Cheeks/nose: Kreinik Silk Mori 3045
White beard: DMC Perle 5
White moustache & brim of hat: Fuzzy Stuff FZ15
I couldn’t decide on Cherry Wine or Claret for the red overdyed thread from my stash. So, I put both in the project bag. When I stitched the hat, I decided the lighter Cherry Wine would be better & thought 3 threads provided enough coverage on the 18 count canvas.
Then, I stitched the beard and layed a few base stitches to give the brim of the hat some depth. I am probably going to do a different stitch than the satin stitch that is suggested but am still thinking. Any suggestions anyone would like to offer?
When I went back in my bag to get thread for the shoulder, I grabbed the darker Claret quite by accident. And, I saw a note that 4 threads are recommended for use on 18 count. In the meantime, I’d seen an article on “dandruff” and decided this was an example of that. You can see the hat has speckles of white canvas showing through but the shoulder has almost none.
So, I went back to the hat and added 2 threads of the darker Claret on the hat outlining the Byzantine stitch. Then, to lighten up the shoulders, I outlined them with 2 threads of the lighter Cherry Wine. A definite improvement and lesson learned about thread coverage.
Filed under: Uncategorized
The sandals/canvas are designed by Birds of a Feather (BF413). They are size 39 European or an 8 in US. I did the stitching and have donated them to the auction for this year’s ANG Seminar in Chicago. They will be available at the silent auction. So, if you are a size 8 OR are looking for a gift idea for a friend or family member – start asking now who wears size 8 & make these a birthday or Christmas gift. I hope you take a look for this item at the silent auction!!
And, Rittenhouse Needlepoint donated the finishing – didn’t they do a fantastic job! Thanks again to them!!
This stitched design used both blues. It works! But, I must say, it happened again. I had a heck of a time following my own pattern. It didn’t help that my color markers were random. But, I finally decided it was better to work the dark red rows along the middle then do the light red above it before tackling the blues.
Liz provided great insights into Bargello. This was a fun project & the booklet will remain a great resource.
I finished the last of the two sections, 3 and 8, to place them in bookends. I enjoyed the project although I did find following the patterns more difficult than I expected probably because I was too distracted by work and by watching TV when I stitched. But, they turned out fine. It certainly wasn’t the instructions from Liz Morrow – they were clear and very detailed. It is a great resource on Bargello. And, I have been inspired to try my own small design now! That’s as much my goal for doing a project – learn & grow.
The pattern had either an M or a W depending on which way I inserted the design. Since I gave these to my husband, Bill aka William, it appears as follows:
I like the collage type frames & decided that these individual pieces would look great in one. And, it saves me a ton of money. Framers do excellent work but they are so expensive.
I still have 2 more square designs to stitch & they will fit in bookends! Yes, I still have more of them (I couldn’t resist the sale).
Sections 1 and 5 worked up quickly. Although again, I zoned out on Section 5 when I didn’t make the stitches of row 1 and row 2 the same stitch. But, the pattern is still staggered as it is supposed to be.
Filed under: ANG Keystone Garden Chapter, Color Delights by Kathy Rees, Melita's Other Completed Pieces
The ANG Keystone chapter in Buckingham, PA that I joined this year has 2 fantastic Program coordinators, Trish & Candy. They stitched models of each program by the start of the year. There are 7 projects for the monthly meetings, 3 Saturday projects, and a couple of “finishing” classes! I’m tired just thinking about getting all that ready. People sign up in advance. This is a very active group! Although I doubt anyone does all the projects.
This month is the first project I signed up for because it was designed to help you pick threads for a particular overdyed thread with 2 complimentary colors. Kathy Rees has several small projects at $10 that makes them great for a quick small project at 4″x 4″.
I don’t have many overdyed flosses & wanted to use my stash. So, I used the first one I came across. As you can see, I manipulated the ThreadworX overdyed floss 1138 by cutting out the aqua blue. Then, I only had a purple Neon Rays N99 and Kreinik #8 in purple 012HL. They were supposed to be contrasting colors but I think it looks great. I selected DMC #5 in dark green 500 and light green 502 to contrast with DMC #5 in medium dark purple. The solid floss was DMC floss 550 dark purple and beige 613.
Not only is it important to pick contrasting colors but also a variety of values (light, medium, dark) for contrast. Now, what to do with it? Maybe I have a box with a 4″ x 4″ opening.
A couple of interesting things happened with this section. Liz’s booklet is very detailed and has great information to help you design. But apparently, I am just not in the right frame of mind to be following written instructions because I just realized that this was to teach a mirror image pattern. I read these directions when I started the section 2 weeks ago but once I got to the right side and read, “Feel free to do your own thing here!” – I sure did. It couldn’t be further from a mirror image.
And, when I filled the center diamond, I thought this pattern was fine.
I was stitching is horizontally & it seemed ok.
But, when I rotated it left as it is supposed to be displayed, it looked terrible! The white stripe just popped right out & it became all I could see.
So, I had to carefully remove the white in the center diamonds. But, I liked the white, single stitch. Then, I replaced it with the darker thread used on the top & bottom stitch of the center diamond. And, now I am happier.
While I didn’t capture the spirit of the “mirror” image, I do like pattern on the right. I find it interesting that I do like this patter because I usually prefer symmetrical patterns but this is not symmetrical.
And, I’m not sure why but I think I like it better horizontally than vertically. What do you think?
I just thought that maybe this is linked to something I haven’t read about yet. So, I just flipped through the remaining chapters. I see that Section 5 is about staggered patterns and Section 8 is about overlapping patterns. I am quite sure this is an example of overlapping patterns. It has three parts unless the very top counts as a fourth. Even though the top has some denser red, it doesn’t seem heavier than the bottom probably because of the very top white area.
Thanks to Jury Duty today, I finished the red background on the coin purse! It feels great to be stitching again. But, it is back to reality tomorrow. If I worked 24/7 for a week on various obligations (work & non-work), I might get caught up. However, I will make sure I get some stitching in every day – I’m not going 3 weeks without that relaxation again!
I will have to get this lined. It makes a great project to throw in my purse & stitch without much concentration. I still have the larger matching clutch to work on.
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