I finally stopped at the Starbucks in Malvern. I am thrilled to be able to say that Coffee Cups is being displayed prominently there! It is the Starbucks in Malvern at 260 Old Morehall Rd (a stand alone location). When you walk in the door, it is on the wall to your right. That was where I was hoping it would be put. I really wish that coronavirus hadn’t have forced our Starbucks in Wayne with our conference room to close. I’ve got to start looking for a new location. Some members are starting to get their vaccine & are anxious to meet in person again. But, I am glad Coffee Cups has a new home.
The manager, JC, was on vacation but I told the girl who waited on me that I was one of the group who stitched the Coffee Cups & she was interested in knowing more about it. She was particularly interested in how long it took us to do it.
So, stop in & check it out.
Filed under: ANG Seminar 2018, Designing Geometric Sampler with Kathy Rees, Tahitian Treat
The online version of the March/April, 2021 issue of Needle Pointers magazine is available now for ANG members at https://online.fliphtml5.com/bjsk/apin/#p=1
What a wonderful surprise to see my design, Tahitian Treat, on the cover page! I knew it would be in the issue. Marilyn O created great diagrams in Adobe Illustrator from what I had sent her in Excel.
The actual piece was away from me for almost a year! After returning from ANG Seminar in late September where it got an Honorable Mention award, it went in February 2020 to the Woodlawn exhibit and got a 3rd place ribbon. However, the month-long March exhibit turned into a delayed exhibit due to coronavirus. After the show concluded in July, it went to northern NJ with the New Jersey Needle Artists member who picked it and others up. There it stayed all fall and by early December, we finally arranged a hand off half-way between our homes. That day, I repacked it and sent it south to Marilyn to photograph for the article. When she finished, it was before Christmas and it got stuck for over a month on the return trip in the USPS distribution center in Philadelphia. After multiple requests, I finally got it back on January 29, 2021! One year ago this weekend we visited Woodlawn-just before everything shut down.
I felt like this should have been a step in and of itself in Cora’s design by Gay Ann Rogers.
There was lots of counting that I did 99% correctly the first time. Perhaps the lesson I learned is that correct stitching can be done by focusing on the work rather than trying to stitch and watch TV.
It’s all cross stitches, double-running, and backstitching reminding me that counted cross stitch patterns are not easy just because they are all x stitches. I have several cross stitch designs in my to do pile that would be challenging.
I don’t know how I missed posting A Dusting of Snow once I got it framed (June 2020) from a class I took with Gail Stafford through my ANG Keystone Garden chapter in June of 2019. It seems appropriate to post it now as the last snow (I hope) melts away.
Gail created the piece based on this photo. I’d say she nailed it!
Update February 2024: I gifted this piece to my doctor, Valerie B, of many years who retired.
I finished about 8 inches (about 2 inches per hour) of Band 9 of Rainbow Ribbons during our ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter Stitch-in Saturday and the rest on our rainy Sunday. The Milanese stitch was tough to compensate unless I just started on the inside edge and worked to the outer edge using 2 needles as I went along. Then, it was easy.
Band 10 is a simple Slanted Gobelin with back stitches but I decided to switch to a Fly stitch done on the true diagonal rather than a typical oblique angle because this piece has a lot of Slanted Gobelin already and the back stitches were not looking as good. The final appearance is identical.
This design is by Kam Wenzloff (Nov/Dec 2019 issue of Needlepoint Now) that our chapter is doing as a year-long project using Color Complements threads. I’m ready for our March 8th meeting on Zoom.
Filed under: Gay Ann Roger's, Countess of Granrham, Other People's Designs
The Countess of Grantham, Cora, was actually the first in the series of her Downton Abbey inspired pieces.
Cora is an American and the only one who has just white, black, and a touch of brown. Looking back at various outfits she wore during the series, she didn’t wear as many colored outfits as the daughters.
The center motif, Step 1, is completed. The double-running stitches in black Kreinik for the petals and outer border remind me of black work. It really keeps the thread hidden underneath. And, I used long lengths moving out from the center in opposite directions. I find that very helpful in open areas. It was easy to follow the path because I did it with the TV off!
I continue to find it interesting to see Gay Ann’s designs develop such as when she repeats a stitch but in a different color and number of repetitions. And, Gay Ann is not afraid to leave some open canvas which I find can be difficult. This piece was broken up into 4 steps but I could not stop!
I am glad my phone has the ability to flip a photo and make a mirror image because I couldn’t see where to put the three long diagonal silver stitches in the center opposite sides. Looks easy now!
There are 4 columns of Tied Mohair that called for Planet Earth Fun-Fuzz-Funn but I had Rainbow Gallery Fuzzy Stuff which was fine. However, the pattern called for long strands of the darker color tied with the lighter color. I didn’t see that until I stitched them all dark. I should have taken a pictures of all the iterations I went through. Next, I stitched 2 of them as instructed. Bill & I liked the 2 dark ones better than the combo. So, out the combo came. Then, I stitched 2 of them with just the lighter thread. Bill liked either but when I showed him the picture, he agreed with me that the lighter gray was better. I stitched 9 columns to figure it out. Luckily, they were not a large area or a complicated stitch.
Gay Ann was by inspired by this photo of Lady Mary for her design.
Lady Mary is the second in the Downton Abbey series by Gay Ann Rogers. These are 6″ x 6″ and the center waffle stitch covers a 2″ square. It’s probably the biggest waffle I’ve stitched. The overstitching with the third thread (silver) was brilliant. And, then how she made it appear as a medallion with the slanting stitches was interesting too.
Again, careful counting is required. Not too much had to get restitched. Cross referencing to other areas helps.
Step 2 is finished and so is this piece! It was a very enjoyable project. In this step, there is only one variation of mine but it was by choice. The single brown Plant Earth thread between the couched long Pepper Pot Silk diagonal stitches seemed to get lost. So, I used 2 threads between and to tie.
Gay Ann was inspired by this photo for her design.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, ANG Stitch of the Month, 2020
I’m making good progress on the Star of Stitches by Kathy Rees which is an ANG Stitch of the Month for 2020 and an ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter project.
We skipped a space and so for the fourth stitched area, it consists of Cashmere stitches in different sizes (2×4, 2×6, and 4×2). I didn’t care where the colors fell in this area.
For the fifth area, Milanese stitches are used in three different ways. I switched from the overdyed thread to Neon Rays+ in Area C so that the contrast was better and because Neon Rays+ had been used in the opposite area.
The sixth area presents the waffle stitch which usually is a square, large or small. But, it can be compensated. Kathy provided excellent diagrams showing the precise compensation.
Moving right along! Hard to believe that 6 months have passed since we started this project. I’m all ready for our Monday night Zoom meeting.
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