I used Jean Hilton’s Stimulating Stitches to put together a matching design to Pat Mazu’s Diamond in a Square which will go into a pair of bookends. Many of Jean Hilton stitches would work fantastic for this thread effect.
The main design in the upper left corner shows 4 plaited rays radiating around the corners which left room for a Jessica circle with Rhodes stitch in the center. And, I was able to fit 3 butterfly double fans into each of the columns.
I’ve been exploring shading with my ANG chapter and decided I had to take Patricia Mazu’s Diamond in A Square which is being offered through ANG’s Correspondence Courses (http://www.needlepoint.org/CorrClasses/classes/diamond-square.php). Pat describes it perfectly as an adventure in creating an overdyed thread effect.
What I really like is learning how to control the color as it moves through a stitch pattern. I knew that I’d have to do her pattern & then try it on my own design to see if I really understood it. I did have to modify her design slightly to fit into bookends. These make a wonderful opportunity to create a companion piece with my design. The first design is done! And, I’ve begun the next.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Tootsiebubbles: Pinwheels & Whirligigs
The background to the pinwheels is Alicia’s Lace, one of my favorites. I read somewhere that basket weave or tent stitch should be added to a piece so your eye has some place to rest. In the piece, I believe Alicia’s Lace serves this purpose because it is non-directional. The x inside the diamond is a little sparkly but difficult to photograph. I used Accentuate and it is such a thin thread that it is a little tough to see even in person.
Crescent River returned from the framer. I used The Great Frame Up in Wayne, PA this time. My husband, Bill, & I with one of the employees spent quite a bit of time selecting it. Bill has a good eye & commented that the grooves in the frame made the piece continue outward on all sides just like I hope you think when you look at the piece – it spans a vast area but you are seeing just a small part.
And, by now, it should have floated down to Woodlawn for the 51st annual exhibit! They want an artist statement but only allow 50 words & I have a lot more that I could have said but settled on this:
I kept seeing a river from the sky in my mind. The crescents added motion to the waves of the river on a hand painted surface of blue. The bumpy, random mix of Smyrnas and Rhodes became the rocks banked on either side by grass or eyelet flowers.
Looking forward to March already. It is always a fantastic show with hundreds of pieces – each one just fantastic.
Postscript, no ribbon at Woodlawn but 3rd place ribbon at ANG Seminar 2014 in Chicago!
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Tootsiebubbles: Pinwheels & Whirligigs
Another snowfall added to what we had changing our weekends plans AGAIN. Unfortunately, we’ll have to get together with our friend for his birthday later. On the positive side, I got all the pinwheels done!
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Tootsiebubbles: Pinwheels & Whirligigs
In Tootsiebubbles, there are 636 Smyna Cross stitches which I have done with Toasted Marshmallow (SNC 255) Silk ‘n Colors from The Thread Gatherer. It is a hand dyed, 100% silk, 12-ply floss. I took about a 24″ length and placed 2 plies in each of the 4 quadrants before I started stitching. That way, the flow of the over dyed plies is identical in each section. Had this been a 6-ply thread, that would not have been possible. The idea came to me right after I finished the first quadrant. Now that I am done, I am not sure anyone would actually notice though. Oh well!
In between the crosses are straight stitches with 4 threads of Splendor (S818).
By the way, never count the number of stitches in a piece until after you stitched them. 636 Smyrnas sounded overwhelming but I did them in 2 batches and added the straight stitches to get a break from them. And, they actually worked up quickly.
In Old Town Needlework, the third and final store of the day, I spent most of my time selecting Vineyard Merino threads for Bargello Techniques (which will be the subject of another blog). But, I found this counted cross-stitch design of Monument Valley from Doherty Designs which is on the Arizona-Utah border. It was like the scenes and colors we saw in Sedona.
For $5, I had to get it. They had Aida cloth and DMC threads in the kit for $24 – pays to have stash! There are only 12 colors. The colors were so vibrant in person – I may try to stitch one my photos. There is a magnet sitting in the middle of the booklet in the photo. I was impressed with the Grand Canyon when we saw that a few years ago & this is just as or more impressive of an area.
Filed under: Christmas Cactus, Christmas Ornaments, Other People's Designs
My second stop in Arizona was Quail Run Needlepoint where I picked up a Christmas Cactus ornament. Particularly appropriate because we spent Christmas in Arizona & had sent a picture of Bill standing next to a big cactus saying it was our Christmas Tree this year. We were amazed at how big they grow. Later, we did see a few decorated ones. Eventually, we’ll have a decorated cactus as a memento. Perfect!
I found the most incredible thread for it too – Sea Grass (104) from The Thread Gatherer. It is flat & thin – will really elongate the natural shape of the cactus. Then, the gold Rachelette (A47) will criss-cross on top of the Sea Grass. Not that I needed much for the gift boxes but I picked up Sparkle Rays (PS03) for the yellow gift box and ThreadworX #8 braid (710541) because I doubted I had any bright yellow or blue in my stash. While I knew I had enough reds to choose from, I never tried City Needlework thread (#45), a Chinese silk.
The Quail Run seal matched the brown bag and was a perfectly fine presentation. The edges of the canvas were taped. And, I got a 10% ANG discount. They had the books, charted designs, painted canvases, Watercolours, and Waterlillies. So far, 2 wonderful stores!
I found a note that this piece is called “Western Star” by Katrina at Quail Run. Katrina doesn’t have an internet presence. She lives in the mountains of Colorado & comes into the store periodically and sells her painted canvases.
It will make a wonderful remembrance of Christmas in Arizona!
While in Arizona, I visited 3 needlepoint stores! At BeStitched Needlepoint, I picked up a pretty pineapple design & Belle Soie, a silk floss, that I have not tried before. The design is a Liz Goodrick from Susan Roberts Needlepoint Designs.
I thought it was interesting that the store only had painted canvases. No books or charted instructions. And, no Watercolours and a half-dozen Waterlillies. Plenty of other threads such as Vineyard, Planet Earth, etc.
They sewed the fabric border on the edges before I left the store, gave me suggestions on how to stitch it, and packaged it up so pretty that I have to share that picture too! When I unwrapped it (which just happened today because we shipped some souvenirs home & I have been swamped at work), I notified that the black and white fabric border (which may be called bias tape? Even though not tape material?) matches their bag! Of course, I realize these touches come at a cost (no ANG 10%).
Melitastitches4fun's Blog 
Filed under: General comments
I do like finishing some pieces on my own in various ways mainly because I do not have much wall space left. And, one of the stitches I use is the whip stitch to finish the edge without blocking. It works good for small pieces to go in such things as ready-made frames, bookends, or box tops – it doesn’t create a thick edge & won’t ravel. As long as I don’t pull threads too taut, the canvas doesn’t get distorted. But, I still haven’t used the stitch often enough that I have it memorized. So, this is my stitched example that I can pull up anytime to refer to it. I have to work it left to right. And, it is better to start and/or end on an edge – not a corner!