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.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Or Nué Star Lily with Brenda Kocher
We met some wonderful people, had a great time, learned a new technique, shared interesting information, and made good progress on the piece during the class, Or Nué Star Lily with Brenda Kocher (http://www.brendakocherdesigns.net/).
Many thanks to Brenda for teaching us this technique and sharing her knowledge, our extra pattern, the magnet, and the drawing for one of her patterns. Nancy & Lori won the drawings (canvas patterns I donated). And, several folks took some sampler patterns that I had gotten from grab bags at In Stitches Needlework.
I took a couple of photos yesterday. I generally don’t put people on my blog nor mention last names. So, class photos only went to our attendees. I did ask Linda & Lisa if I could blog their pieces because I wanted to compare 2 couching threads to 3 and how this looked on black compared to white.
This is mine done with 2 threads on white. I can’t see well enough on dark canvas even with the best light to enjoy stitching any project. And, I can’t stitch as fast with a laying tool. So, I went with the 2 threads. And, I like that the appearance shows off the couching aspect of the technique.
Lisa’s 2 threads on black.
And, Linda’s 3 threads on black:
Carol T’s suggestion to lasso the thread was wonderful. I had to have Rosanne show me how to do that again. I had the picture Carol provided for how do do that but stuff is so much easier to see when shown in person.
My allergy attack finally ended with the rain last night. What a difference that made. I stitched some more last night!
Lastly I want to share Linda’s stand – look at the magnet (along bottom edge) that holds all those needles – it attaches to the Evertite frames and Karen had a small magnet plate placed between the canvas and her thinner bars. Excellent for all those needles!
Back to my piece. I like that it is small enough project – I might be able to get it done on this rather dreary day.
I can see now why this is a wonderful way to use your stash of threads.
The Queen is coming along nicely. Her head was done in basket weave using 1 strand of Trebizond (light blue, color 602). The background is Crisscross Hungarian using Silk Lame Braid (dark blue, color SL15). I thought I just had to add the beads but I see the background needs the cross stitch. What thread should I use?
You can see that I altered this from a square to an oval which I think is more appropriate for a silhouette.
Bill & I attended our first but the Rehoboth Beach Museum’s Third Annual Needlecraft Exhibit this weekend. It was a beautiful weekend. I can’t post pictures from the exhibit. So, I’ll just share a couple of the area. This was our second trip to the area – very pretty, good food, nice area to walk around & shop (for Christmas gifts). There were a few good buys from the outlet shops too! But, this is about the needlework (although I didn’t get to do any stitching) . . .
I wish I could have gone for the discussion of famous tapestries (in April). But, I am glad to seen the pieces. This is a judged event and included beadwork, canvaswork/needlepoint, counted thread (blackwork, cross stitch, drawn thread, hardanger), sampler, embroidery, heirloom sewing, lace, and miniature. I saw award-winning work from the 3 ANG DE Seashore ladies that I know (I am sure I met more of the exhibitors about 2 years ago for the class I took with their chapter but I can’t recall all the names). All the work was wonderful.
Some of the pieces that drew my particular attention were:
– first place beadwork pieces: a flashy fish with an open mouth (that was lined) by Shirley H. & a geometric purse by Nancy T.
– first place canvaswork by Brenda C which was a trio of Carol Lake’s ‘Anasazi Song’, ‘Anasazi Dream’, and ‘Anasazi Spirit’ – was knockout
– first & third place pieces in embroidery were the same pieces incorporating stumpwork and silk ribbons to create 12 flower & butterfly motifs. Each one (by Jill N & Shirley H) was slightly different. We had to keep walking back & forth to see the subtle differences. Very cool.
– one of two first place miniature ribbons went to Theresa B for her 7-piece German sewing kit which included a wooden box with a stitched insert, a roll, a scissors sheath, 2 biscornu, a bookmark, and a needle case.
– first & third went to Geri W for her mixed media work on ‘Berkshire Revisited’ which was an ANG Seminar class taught by Debbie Stiehler in Philly and ‘Summer Celebrations’, a red white blue group of square designs.
– honorable mention for Roseanne J was of particular interest – I have got to do a grape design at some point & that was a pretty one, ‘Harvest Time’ a Laura Perin Cyberclass.
Even though they didn’t win ribbons, I was enjoyed seeing the 40th Anniversary heart by Brenda C in person. And, I finally saw the Needlework Studio piece stitched. I have a copy of it but am not sure where I got it – was it given to us at seminar in 2010 in Ohio?
And, it was so much fun to meet up with Brenda C & her husband for dinner. They selected a nice restaurant – great way to spend the evening. Looking forward to getting back to the area and meeting up again with them.
Here are a few pictures from the weekend including the view from our balcony (too windy to sit on it), Midway Par 3 golf course (which is a favorite of Tony Kornheiser from ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption (PTI), and a Civil War Baseball game from Dover Days in Dover, DE.
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