For the 2024 ANG Seminar exhibit in the Original Design category, I sent in my Fireside Sampler created for Step 6 of the EGA Master Craftsman in Canvas. But the ANG judges moved it to from the Original Design category to the Adaptation category because my artist statement included a photo and description of how I revised my 20-year old design. The second one is considered an adaptation of the first one. Had the original design not been mentioned, it would have remained in the Original Design category.
It is my second year being in the professional category. It did not get a ribbon from the ANG Seminar judges (it had gotten a 3rd place ribbon from Woodlawn judges). It scored well enough.
The score that is particularly confusing is for Workmanship/Technique because I lost 6 points while the critique has no negative comments regarding this area. It states: “The brick work in the fireplace surround shows immaculate thread control. This indicates a full understanding of the stitches chosen, thread pull while working each area, and control of stitch tension. The inner fireplace bricks and andirons are also finely worked, and the satin stitches creating the logs are even in both tension and thread twist maintenance. The long stitches used for mortar between individual bricks are well controlled. There are no loose or sagging stitches in this area.” So, why did I lose 6 points? It makes no sense.
There was no comment on why Finishing/Presentation lost 2 points. I’m just curious.
I can agree that the size ratio of the mirror is small compared to the size of the candles. I’ll also agree that the flames are very intense and a slight change in temperature of the flames would have added a more realistic appearance to the design. However, I can’t see that because the bottom flame row is very symmetrical, it detracts from the effort taken to add interest in the top row.
I was really pleased to see the judge felt it was a well-written artist’s statement and helped them understand just how much thought went into improving upon the original work and the efforts taken to create depth perspective on a flat surface.
And, I was happy to read, “I commend your thread blending efforts on the rug . . the result is worth the time and effort. Well done.” Again, a positive for Workmanship/Technique.
Once again, here is my Fireside Sampler.
Lynn from Fireside Stitchery has asked to display this in her store. She wanted a fireplace in her store! I just hope nobody wants instructions. It would take a lot of effort. I left it at the store after I discussed this at our Main Line Stitchers chapter meeting.
The Valley Forge Quilt Show will be held Friday October 18 (10 am – 5 pm) and Saturday October 19 (10 am – 4 pm) at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church (132 E Valley Forge Rd, King of Prussia).
Donation of $10 requested. There will be over 200 quilts on display to marvel at. Plenty of shopping at a boutique, vendors, Grandma’s Attic, and a table full of treats.
If you can stop by, you won’t be disappointed. Do some early Christmas shopping, make an appointment in advance with a quilt appraiser (for a charge), and take a chance (or two) at a gift basket.
I’ll be there Saturday before my canvas painting class at Fireside Stitchery with Stephanie, the designer of Spellbound Stitchery.
Heart Swirls by Janet Zickler Casey was a half-day class (8:30-11:30 am). In such a short time, we only got about 1 strand done per area. I heard it takes 30 minutes to teach a stitch and that’s about what we got through. We did spend extra time on the second and third areas (moving left to right). So, we didn’t stitch in the 6th or 7th area.
Once home, I found stitching the Alternating Reverse Gobelin Rectangles in the 2nd area was easier moving vertically rather than horizontally. Once I got the rhythm of the stitch, I moved horizontally on the bottom half.
Compensation was a little tricky in a few spots, especially in the 5th area. But, in several other areas, it seemed like I picked the perfect spot to start because the compensation worked out great.
The 7th area called for a Woven Scotch Variation with long laid threads moving diagonally from NW to SE, but in such a skinny area, I didn’t like it. So, I selected the Mosaic Stripe, which usually uses 2 different threads, but I used the same 3 threads that were used in the first area. Once I got stitching, I realized the right side needed to be higher by 2 canvas threads to match the left side. The over 2 stitches in the Mosaic were with Very Velvet, and the over 1 stitched was done with Neon Rays+ stitched twice because it sunk down, disappearing between the thicker Very Velvet stitches. I filled in with the gold Fyre Werks but not stitched twice because they appear sunken in the first area. I’m very happy with the substitute stitch.
Most of this was finished during the National and American League Division Series games. It is with a heavy heart (pun intended) that we watched our Phillies lose. They had a great first half, mediocre second half, and a disastrous finish. You’ve got to be red hot like this heart in September, not June.
The Kansas City ANG Seminar heart magnet was also perfect to use with this piece. I had a couple of needles working, and so both magnets were helpful.
FYI: I found my KC clip magnet in a pocket of my purse. Now I can’t find a felt bookmark I made for myself. But I found the gold sequins for my butterfly in the cushion of my chair as I recovered a needle threader for the umpteenth time, which is now connected to a beaded fob, so I don’t lose it again. Only one needle went missing during this project. The saying should be, “You find some, you lose some.”
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Fibonacci Swirls by Olivia Hartshorn
Linda is leading our ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter on Fibonacci Swirls by Olivia Hartshorn (from Needle Pointers Mar/Apr 2022).
I have finished the C Areas on canvas (top) and Congress Cloth (bottom). I am controlling the flow of the overdyed threads trying to get a flow of color that will accompany the swirls that are stitched last. We’ll see what happens.
I am ready for our next meeting this coming Monday.
Filed under: Books in My Library, Embroidery Books, Making Needlecraft Landscapes by Mary Carroll, That’s Not Needlepoint (It’s Inspired Art Created with Your Needle), which is by dede Ogden
Neither of these are “stitch books” because they are focused on creating projects, but both show you how to apply stitches to create a realistic design.
Making Needlecraft Landscapes by Mary Carroll has 32 landscapes, and stitches are provided to make them. The color photos, diagrams, and detailed description of stitch placement are great.
I did post previously about the other booklet, That’s Not Needlepoint (It’s Inspired Art Created with Your Needle), which is by dede Ogden (2011) and represented by Fleur de Paris, Inc. It’s not intended to be complete charts or diagrams to finish the various painted canvases but to offer suggestions for types of elements found in seascapes. The first canvas discussed is Seahorse Spyglass 18073 and is still available (and so is a stitch guide by Tony Minieri). Other canvases discussed are still available from a variety of sources including Undersea Fish 1373, Glass Aquarium Tropicals Green Fish 18015, Glass Aquarium Tropicals Blue Fish 18034, Undersea Garden 1378, Seahorse Pillow 18056, and Enchanted Mermaid Dream 18050.
The Casalgudi stitch is discussed, although I can’t understand where it’s executed. The photos could be better. And, without padding, it’s probably better called a wrapped stem stitch. The Railway Stitch makes a good background stitch. Sue has an interesting Bead Cup Stitch and shows how to expand an overlapping cross stitch to fit fluctuations in the width of seaweed.
Filed under: Books in My Library, Needlepoint and Beyond 27 Lessons in Advanced Canvas Work by Edith Anderson, Needlepoint Books
In a previous post, I pointed out a chapter in Needlepoint and Beyond 27 Lessons in Advanced Canvas Work by Edith Anderson Feisner entitled Variations in which she describes varying a stitch by size, by direction, by proportion, and by combination. In fact, she stitched a small landscape in all white using all variations of only cross stitch.
Since I am working on attaching stones, shells, and various objects, I read the chapter on Stones, Beads, and Found Objects. In addition to detached buttonhole which Dawn Donnelly discussed in her class at the ANG Seminar, Treasures from the Great Lakes, needleweaving is also described to hold a shell.
In the Texture chapter, Edith ranks 25 stitches in 6 categories from smoothest (basketweave) to roughest (Turkey).
The book covers a lot:
Well, I started in the center, filling in around the center motif, skipping the next area, filling in the next area, skipping the next area, and stitching the Smyrna border. I made sure to start the next length of Wildflowers in the same color as where I ended in order to maintain the color flow of the skein by always cutting in a stretch of purple. I thought random colors would be better because too much color matching might actually detract from those lovely swirls and corner mock Chilly Hollow motifs.
This part was almost finished during the baseball wildcard playoff games. It really worked up quite easily once I got into the rhythm. When I did get off a couple of times, I saw it quickly. That wider area with the Jessicas is probably going to require more concentration.
I do love a good counted piece and seeing it take shape. At least so far, I prefer completing all of one stitch rather than a quarter at a time.
I wanted the search terms to pick up fix, repair, mend, torn, or ripped, which accounts for the title.
Katie C on Needlepoint Nation shared that one of her canvases has a small tear. She asked for any tips on how to fix this spot.
She got such good responses that I need to save them. I just hope I never need to try these.
Felice F said, “You might consider cutting a small square of canvas and placing it underneath so when you stitch the area, you stitch through both canvases.”
Michael J said, “For tiny spots like this, you can use a piece of dental floss. At least an inch away start an away knot or waste knot with the dental floss in same line that is broken. Weave in and out. Go past your affected area about 1 inch. Your dental floss will become your new thread. Finish off by burying your tail and end with waste knot that will be covered.”
Susan K P said, “Many years ago, in a class, the instructor had us cut the canvas on purpose. She then had us pull a single thread from the selvage, and weave it in about two/three threads below and above the cut…… making sure we ended up on the reverse side. Snip it with scissors and stitch. This is the same method to repair cuts on linen or other fabrics like that. It is simple, easy, and quick. No need to to cut and attach a square to your canvas or pay someone to repair it. Same thing can be done to a damaged, yet stitched, canvas or fabric. It is also the method used to repair hardanger that has been cut incorrectly.
But what ever method you do….. please don’t use glue on that expensive canvas with the expensive fibers. Unless you have access to a “restoration” type product, the chemicals in the glue can damage the canvas and can cause the fiber colors to change.”
Thanks to those who shared their knowledge. Do you have any more suggestions?
Had it been in the middle of a large area and not doing a tent stitch for a pillow, I think I probably would have selected a Smyrna, Scotch, or Rhodes to cover that one small rip.
Filed under: All That Simmers by Sundance Beads, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
I’m glad I worked on All That Shimmers at my ANG Main Line Stitchers Saturday Stitch-in because Kristen was there. She’s already stitched it.
Underneath the purple flowers, I just couldn’t use the magenta overdyed thread. Kristen helped me pick DMC floss 327 to be the shadow underneath the flowers. Much better.
Once home, I pulled out the raffia and thought it was plastic! But Kristen used it on hers, and it looked nice. I also googled it and found out it is from the leaves of a raffia palm tree. Luckily, as I threaded the needle, it ripped down the center, which thinned it, and I like. It’s a very stiff thread, but I was able to anchor it in the stitching underneath the flower.
The raffia opens up to 1.25 inches wide and is very thin. So, I actually only ripped off 0.25 inches.
I’ll throw it into my stash, but I can’t say I’ll be seeking out more of it.
In order to get the 15 mm wide ribbon (BE Ribbon-Retro Avocado) threaded for the leaves, I needed an 18 Tapestry needle. I enlarged the hole and still had to work to pull it through (left long ends). I didn’t want to rip the canvas. I only ran it under the yellow Frosty Rays. Then, I did the veins and secured the ends of the ribbon with that thread.
Lastly, I tent stitched the red in the center and covered the gold ends.
We’re letting folks catch up, and the red center flower will be discussed at our November meeting. It’s looking good!
We’re using a stitch guide by Sundance Beads.
Filed under: Books in My Library, Desert Island Stitches, Volume 1 - Ideas for Small Spaces, Desert Island Stitches, Volume 2 - Ideas for Creative Borders, Needlepoint Books, Painted Canvas Embellishment: An Idea Book by Carol Lake and Michael Boren
These books by Carole H Lake and Michael Boren are intended to aid stitchers of painted canvases. But, they are stitch books, making them relevant and useful for selecting stitches for any project.
Painted Canvas Embellishment: An Idea Book
There is an excellent 5-page introduction of general thoughts, including choosing threads and stitches.
The pages on thread characteristics are not exciting, but I have skimmed them at least once. I underlined “chainette” in 8 places (2 are noted as discontinued – maybe more than that by now). It would make a good reference if you’re threading up an old project that calls for discontinued threads so you know better what to substitute.
Stitches cover faces, fur, clothing, foliage, snow, wings (good for my butterfly that I’m working on but not posting about until the big reveal for my ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter), stars, motifs, small areas, medium areas, very large areas, backgrounds, borders, lines, shading, combinations, and beading.
Desert Island Stitches, Volume 1 – Ideas for Small Spaces
It covers tent stitches in the first 2 pages. Can you think of 12 patterns? They did! Then, they go into diagonal stitches, oblique stitches, straight stitches, and cross stitches.
Desert Island Stitches, Volume 2 – Ideas for Creative Borders
These borders are arranged in 6 sections: continuous borders, mitered corners, center miters, log cabin borders, corner motif borders, and center motif borders. I love the reminder to combine several narrow borders to make a wider border. That makes me think of Autumn 3-Ways by Toni Gerdes and 5 Vases with Curly Bamboo by Sharon G.
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