Filed under: A Berlin Work Cardinal with Susan Hoekstra, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
This class will be rescheduled. More information will be provided at a later date.
Please join Main Line Stitchers on Saturday DATE TBD from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm for:
A Berlin Work Cardinal an ANG Seminar Pilot Class with Susan Hoekstra
Susan Hoekstra is a needlepoint designer and teacher (for the picture, please go to http://www.foxview.com/UpcomingEvents.htm). Susan organizes and participates in The New Jersey and New England Needle Festivals, is currently enrolled in the ANG master teacher program at the Senior Master level, and is piloting this for the 2014 ANG Seminar in Chicago.
‘A Berlin Work Cardinal’ offers a chance for the needleworker to work with a variety of Berlin Work specialty stitches in this one day, Intermediate Advanced class. This quintessential Illinois design focuses on the Cardinal and circles around to include the indigenous violets done in Raised work. The focal point of the Cardinal helps your eye flow around the piece to encompass the tree branches, trunk and violets. The fluidity of the branches creates movement within the piece.
There are two types of threads used in this piece in order to maintain historical accuracy – silk and merino wool. ‘A Berlin Work Cardinal’ is stitched on 18-count canvas measuring 12″ x 14″. The finished size of this delightful piece is approximately 11″ x 8 3/4”, including the cross stitch border.
Class Fee/Details: Class cost is $20 which covers the cost of the room and travel expenses (Susan kindly waived the teaching fee). This portion is non-refundable unless the class is cancelled. Once 25 students enroll, the cost will drop to $10 (cash refund at class). You may find a substitute to take your place in class. Please arrive at 8 am to get set up.
Kit cost is $70 which includes the instructions, threads, and 18-count white mono canvas with design drawn on canvas. If you can’t attend, you will NOT get the kit. Please bring cash or check (made out to Susan Hoekstra) to pay for the kit at class.
A deposit of $20 (non-refundable) is required to reserve your spot.
Register Now: Make your check for the $20 deposit out to Melita Glavin and mail it to: 4331 I Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124. Please include your contact information (email and phone number). You must pay for the kit at class by cash or check.
Location: St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. GPS: 203 North Valley Forge Road, Devon, PA; Free parking
Lunch for students is not included. To replicate the ANG Seminar experience for Susan, we will have a 2-hour break for lunch (class runs from 8:30-11:30 and 1:30-4:30). You may bring your own lunch, we can order ahead and get take out from Primo’s Hoagies, or you may go wherever you want for lunch (such as nearby Minella’s). Not everyone will have to do the same thing for lunch!
Proficiency Level: Intermediate Skill Level; Pre-stitching Required: None
Guild Membership: Not required to be a member of ANG or the ANG Main Line Chapter
Please note: Students must supply their own stretcher bars (one set of 12” and one set of 14”), laying tool, regular stitching supplies (scissors), and lighting/magnifier/frame weight/stand if desired. Please arrive at 8 am to get set up. We are expecting as many as 30 people to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to pilot this ANG Seminar course.
Questions: Please contact Melita Glavin at glav257@yahoo.com.
This is on a first-come-first-serve basis. So, register now to learn this technique!
On behalf of ANG MLS Board, we look forward to seeing you in September!
The night before my shopping excursion, I met with the ANG Flower City chapter. It was a wonderful visit. I think I sparked some interest in the Correspondence Courses. And, I got to see Hiogi (Kay Stanis design) stitched along with many other beautiful pieces. There was a really wide variety of techniques, including knitting represented by about 2 dozen folks! Next time maybe I can sit and stitch for a while.
As we headed out from my aunt and uncle’s in Rochester towards my brother in Naples, I managed to find a new threads for my stash at:
Golden Thread Needlearts in East Rochester. They had Rainbow Gallery’s Silk & Cream described as their ‘Backgrounds Line’. It is a single ply (so, no laying) and is a 50/50 silk/wool blend. Andrea was very excited about the newest trunk show for Elizabeth Bradley. Isn’t the rug amazing! It can be hung on a wall (albeit a large one) or placed on the floor as it was going to be displayed. All kits are designed to be worked with a Victorian cross stitch which covers well and produces a thick, hard-wearing piece without distortion. And, it is not necessary to work it on a frame. I was tempted to get a single square to work up as a pillow. But, I just took the catalog (for now). They have a nice variety needlepoint including instructions for the Brenda Kocher design that our chapter is going to stitch in the fall (Tootsiebubbles: Pinwheels & Whirligigs). And, I saw a stitched Angel of Hope signed by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum (I stitched it for my sister and is the subject of an earlier blog). I did get a counted cross stitch of a lilac. There is a very interesting wiki page on the annual Lilac Festival held in Highland Park in May. Growing up south of Rochester in Avon, I have enjoyed the beautiful local flowers.
AND at:
Expressions in NeedleArt in Canandaigua NY. The threads are ThreadworX and it is hand overdyed Kreinik (I got several colors in #8 and #12 braid). I never saw a plastic thimble before – very comfortable. Lori was kind enough to let me photo her in the store which has a great selection of threads and the painted canvases were amazing. I have to get used to using thinner threads or open stitches to allow the canvas to show through because there are soooo many beautiful canvases. There were tons of counted instruction booklets, books, and tools.
Last but not least, 2 doors away is Liberty Cottage, a Folk Art Stitchery store. I got a fantastic tool which will allow me utilize threads for 2 punch needle projects that I bought some time ago and have yet to complete. I was thrilled to get a lesson from Suzanne who also allowed me to photo her standing next to her beautiful hand dyed wool fabric. She covers rug hooking, tatting, rag rug weaving, and many other crafts. I was tempted to stop in to see the Sat class on penny rug making but we had celebrated at my brother’s wedding a tad too much!
All the stores offer quality products with a good variety of stitching techniques to choose from and classes to learn – the area is very fortunate!
So, I completed the Rochester trifecta in one day! I enjoyed chatting with all the ladies and look forward to future visits. I really need to stitch faster or retire and stitch more. Then, I can visit more chapters and more stores!!
I added grass along the river bank using Watercolours (222 Sierra and 165 Granite). The Granite has a gray-green overdyed thread making the transition from rocks to sparse grass. Then, I blended various portions of Sierra which has a nice variety of greens and yellow.
I used stitch pattern 14 from Stitch Landscape from the grass category. But, it ended up having a pattern and I wanted a more random effect. So, I just added half crosses in the open areas. The top half of the stitched grass has the pattern and the bottom includes the random stitches.
You won’t find a neat back because I skipped around a lot with various portions of the color to avoid bunching colors together. And, I pulled out my paints again and painted the canvas green because some (not a lot) canvas shows through.
I’ve got the rocks done using an overdyed thread, Watercoulors Dark Suede (247) & Ash (218). The darker threads are nearer the water because wet rocks would be darker than the dry rocks farther from the water. And, the smaller rocks closer to the water are Smyrna and Elongated Smyrnas while the larger rocks farther away are various Rhodes (from Jean Hilton’s Needlepoint Stitches, pg 45 and 47, respectively).They are just randomly placed without any planning. I would look at the area as I progressed and try to pick the next stitch for the area and vary what I picked. But, they weren’t always a perfect fit and so there are a couple of half cross stitches over 1 thread here and there to cover the canvas.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Christmas Ornaments, Christmas Trees, Melita's Other Completed Pieces
I am ready for Christmas in July! Christmas Trees has a little roundness or puffiness on the front & is flat on the back (a nice deep blue cloth matching the cord edging. A nice touch was to edge the silver top with silver! Very classy. Thanks to Karen at Nimble Needle for arranging for the finishing.
I have discussed this ornament previously (https://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/christmas-trees-finished/)
How cool – Scandinavian Stitches came to Philadelphia today for “Finns and Swedes in America since 1638” Celebration at Penn’s Landing. I met Lynda and got her permission to blog this photo. And, I picked up this Christmas Bag with the Nordic Hearts design.
The single-ply, cotton threads are very interesting. They are called Danish Flower Threads. You can feel the roundness of them especially when you feel a single-ply DMC thread. Read all about them at http://www.scandinavianstitches.com/thread.php?nav=thread And, if it doesn’t knot as they say, that’ll be very cool!
I am thrilled to see that Pat Donaldson thought my stitched pilot piece was good enough to include in her booklet of instructions! The project was lots of fun. Read all about it: https://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/patchwork-quilt-ang-correspondence-course-pilot-project/
I met Annie this week & with her permission am posting this picture. I’m holding my purchase (got 10% ANG discount) which is the second picture-threads! The small bags are ’embellishment trim’ by Sundance Designs. They call the line, Sparkles, and describe it as a unique metallic tubular material. You can couch it, twist, turn, stuff, scrunch, or stretch it! Looks like fun times ahead.
And, the other is a beautifully selected bag of threads (for Hanukkah or winter) from Thread Candy Studio. Great combo of blues, purple, & whites.
Between my cell phone & the iPad provided by the hotel in the room(!), I am able to blog from NYC!
Filed under: General comments
My husband remembered that I wanted the Kreinik Silk Home Collection. I read about it months ago & told him it would make a great birthday present! And, I’m thrilled with 10 skeins per color family of the Silk Mori that he gave me yesterday. A couple of other nice gifts, dinner with friends, and a week in NYC coming up soon! It makes increasing numbers and increasing aches less painful. Now, to ponder the possibilities about what to do with these. They would certainly lend themselves to more Or Nue projects.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Or Nué Star Lily with Brenda Kocher
That’s a wonderful feeling! Take a class, learn a technique, and finish a piece. All in 3 days! Amazing. Now to framing . . .
Thanks again Brenda & all my classmates. Hope to see everyone’s at some point.
Melitastitches4fun's Blog 