Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Tootsiebubbles: Pinwheels & Whirligigs
Our last ANG Mainline chapter meeting was organized so that we could practice Sprats Head & Amadeus for Pinwheels. But, not everyone is stitching that to use those diagrams so I wanted a program for everyone. I was glad to see so much participation.
For those not stitching Pinwheels, members not able to attend, & any of my blog readers, I obtained the ornament directions for everything from the ANG website. You need a 4″x4″ or 5″x5″ piece of canvas & some thread.
Go to Stitch of the Month:
- For an Amadeaus Hearts ornament, http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2012/aug.php
- For Sprats Head ornament (stitch 4 in a square), http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2011/jul.php
ANG has started providing periodic web extras (http://www.needlepoint.org/magazine.php). The finishing and tassel making instructions can be downloaded:
- Point-to-Point joining technique
- Betsy’s cord and tassel making instructions.
While you are there, why not try the November 2013 web extra:
- Star in the Meadow – A Petite Stocking designed by Pat Mazu.
Mine were stitched using diagrams from the Pinwheels directions. And, I used the tassel instructions from The Needlepoint Book by Jo Ippolito Christensen because I had it stitched before those website directions came out.
Filed under: A Berlin Work Cardinal with Susan Hoekstra, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
The flowers grew fast & I was able to take a finished cardinal to show my ANG Mainline Stitchers & ANG Keystone Garden Chapter (a 2nd area chapter I joined) this week. Everyone loved Susan Hoekstra’s piece which is from a small pilot class our Mainline chapter did for her 2014 Seminar class.
The flowers are a turkey work variation that I really enjoyed doing. Next time you see this it will be ‘finished’ – what to do with it?!?
Filed under: A Berlin Work Cardinal with Susan Hoekstra, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
In case you have not seen the previous posts, this is Susan Hoekstra’s piece which is from a small pilot class our chapter did for her 2014 Seminar class. The background is an Irish Stitch Variation. There is only one place where I messed up and unless you look carefully, I doubt you will see it. It ended up being contained to a small area. The outside border frames it nicely. I’m so close now – it is exciting to see it grow!
Instead of studying for my error, please read my previous blog. My sister and her husband need your vote to have a chance at grant for their embroidery business. The deadline is Nov 15. So, please take a moment now! Your vote can get them to the next step. Thanks so much.
Filed under: General comments
Since this is a photoblog, I am also sharing an apron they made for me for Christmas – I love roses! Don’t they do beautiful work? I would really appreciate your help to get them to the next step in the process. Thanks so much for your time. Melita
Good luck Anita & Steve – love you too, Melita (going to vote now!)
Filed under: A Berlin Work Cardinal with Susan Hoekstra, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
It took a few shots to get a decent close up of the bark and it is still not as easy to distinguish the pattern as seeing it in person. Darker threads don’t help either. The far right seems looser than the next few & then the pattern changes for half the trunk but then end up more like the right side.
Filed under: A Berlin Work Cardinal with Susan Hoekstra, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
Back to Susan Hoekstra’s piece which is from a small pilot class our chapter did for her 2014 Seminar class. It is working up nicely. I am getting practice laying threads with the cardinal. Once I really looked at what I had stitched in class, I saw I had deviated slightly from the pattern. So, I had to rip out and restart his stomach. It was great advice to compensate after doing the main area.
It amazes me but I find stitching in a class environment nearly always produces rework. Apparently, there are too many distractions for me to focus. Do you find this happens?
The tree trunk pattern turned out differently depending on how I stitched it. I doubt I’ll ever know why the differs occurred. The far right seems looser than the next few & then the pattern changes for half the trunk but then end up more like the right side. Odd! But, I like it – it is uniquely mine.
Isn’t the cardinal pretty!
I may not have found any needlepoint stores in Vermont but I am finding interesting needlepoint pieces in antique stores (first 3 I have no further info on them) and a sampler (a common pattern from Springfield, VT area for a family record sampler done by a 13-year-old, Martha Harkins) and a quilt at the Bennington Museum. It is a 150 year old quilt done by Jane Stickle with 169 five-inch blocks, each in a different pattern, containing a remarkable total of 5,602 pieces, all surrounded by a unique scalloped border. The quilt is in perfect condition & only on display for a limited time each year.
This trip saved me money & from having more unfinished projects! But, I was very fortunate to see such nice work, especially the quilt.
Filed under: A Berlin Work Cardinal with Susan Hoekstra, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
Back to Susan Hoekstra’s piece. Remember this is a class to pilot for her 2014 Seminar class. Between the instructions she gave us in class and the written booklet, I am not having any problems. I added some extra satin stitches for better coverage & showed her the difference. Susan said she’ll revise her booklet after we give her feedback as we progress. So, we’re working hard to make this a fantastic class.
The greens grew fast! Where will my needle be flying to next?
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Tootsiebubbles: Pinwheels & Whirligigs
I made quick progress on the pinwheels except when I had to cut out 3 rows on one of the smaller Bargello sections when I discovered that I missed the second dark row. Oh well, cutting out is quick enough. And, those rows aren’t as long as on the other Bargello section.
I found it easier to write down the step pattern for the first row of Bargello as a way to keep track of where I was I stitched. I have not done much Bargello & find the counting fraught with potential mistakes. How do you keep on track?
Getting the lighting right for the picture is very tough. I think this truer to my colors than the first blog posting.
I was almost done with the wild flowers when I saw Janet Perry’s Nuts about Needlepoint’s blog about an ‘open water stitch’ that would work for my river. She said it is a slight variation of a stitch David McCaskill used for an ANG Stitch of the Month. So, in addition to the waves, I added some water using Water n’ Ice. It’s WT1, a translucent thread, perfect for a reflective surface. However, I had quite a time with that thread fraying.
The ANG Yahoo Group and private emailers came to the rescue (thanks so much) and suggested various products:
Thread Zap II (to sear the end)
Fray Check
Fray Block
Nail polish (I don’t own any!)
Given some terms to search, I also googled and came across Beeswax and Thread Heaven (their website offered a chart comparing several products). I had picked up some beeswax a few years ago. So, I tried several methods to test the various products. But, it probably will vary depending on what type of thread you are working with to find what works best for the situation. I found beeswax, Fray Check, and Thread Heaven was working ok at the start but not for the length of the thread. I never tried Fray Block. And, I didn’t have Thread Zap so I tried a match and found searing the ends worked best. Also, using a larger eye in the needle seemed to help stop the drag. So, I invested in the safer battery operated gizmo. It helped as did using shorter lengths of thread.
I stitched 3 rows for the framer to cover with the mat leaving the design area 6″ x 6″. And, yeah! I’m done!! I might get Mylar for under the water to increase the reflectiveness of the water. What do you think?
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