Filed under: Books in My Library, Needlepoint 202 by Ruth Dilts, Needlepoint Books, Shapes of Needlepoint Circles, Squares, Triangles, Rectangles - Series I by Sandra Arthur, Shapes of Needlepoint Corners, Hexagrams, Ovals, Parallelograms - Series III by Sandra Arthur, Shapes of Needlepoint Diagonals, Horizontals, Verticals - Series IV by Sandra Arthur, Shapes of Needlepoint Diamonds, Hearts, Octagons, and Stars - Series II by Sandra Arthur, Tisket, Tasket, Lots and Lost of Baskets by Sandra Arthur
Books are always appreciated! And, I’m sure I’ll enjoy these.
In May 2012, I donated quite a few books in an effort to make room available for what turns out to be more books (https://melitastitches4fun.com/2012/05/20/books-no-longer-in-my-library/). I still have (probably) more books than I need or use. Then in August 2012, I started a post of “Books I Am Keeping” but never completed that draft. That was almost 10 years ago! Well, I think I’d like to resurrect that idea and discuss books I do own. So, this is my first post to begin a series of book reviews.
Needlepoint 202 A Guide to 12 Different Techniques with Illustrations for Embellishment of the Painted Canvas by Ruth Dilts intrigued me because my ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter has been discussing how to stitch painted canvases. I’ve not read every page but I found the discussions of thread painting and tufted couching particularly interesting. The book (from 2007) provides stitch guides for 12 painted canvases of which I easily found 4 are still available (online google search) including: Baby Carriage by Cooper Oaks, Moose in the Birches (Oval) by Kathy Schenkel, Slavic Doll by Shelly Tribbey, and Grape House Gingerbread House by Susan Roberts. The stitch selections for all the canvases are still interesting to read. I liked the thread blending for the shading of the Water Maiden by Terry Medaris (Sundance Designs). That canvas doesn’t appear to be available but the shading on the painted canvas is seen quite often and is similar to that seen in Madonna #2 by Terry Medaris (Sundance Designs). There are 42 stitch diagrams in addition to the technique diagrams. And, Ruth discusses aspects of 32 threads used in the models. I didn’t know that the twist of Splendor is tighter than most silks making it easier to use and unlikely to snag on your fingers/hands (unless they are really rough). I haven’t read too many stitch guides for painted canvases but what I have read are presented in a table with columns for Area, Thread, and Stitches. Ruth writes conversationally rather than in a table format which I found made for more of an enjoyable read.
Shapes of Needlepoint Diamonds, Hearts, Octagons, and Stars – Series II completes my collection of Sandra Arthur’s series of 4 books covering all different shapes. I love that Sandy indexed them by shape and by thread count. However, they can be adjusted to fit the space you have available. The diagrams are large and easy to read. Google duodesignsinc and look for the tab for books and you’ll see details of each 100-page book and examples of the diagrams. Past Christmases brought the others in Sandy’s Shapes of Needlepoint. So, I might as well include them in this post as well. They are: Circles, Squares, Triangles, Rectangles – Series I; Corners, Hexagrams, Ovals, Parallelograms – Series III; and Diagonals, Horizontals, Verticals – Series IV.
While waiting for my husband to golf at Shipyard on Hilton Head last month, I pulled up a chair to the book table at Needlepoint Junction (basically just across the street in a mall) and found Tisket, Tasket, Lots and Lots of Baskets by Sandra Arthur. I have an idea about baskets that I’d like to pursue at some point. Sandy really captures the art of basketry. I hadn’t see this book on her website or in her Etsy shop. So, this was a must have!
Filed under: Uncategorized
It was 2 years ago when I got a lovely project and matching thread bag from Linda who excels as a needlepointer and quilter! I do enjoy being a test recipient of new designs. This, “Sew Together Bag” has the same fabric making for quite a lovely set!
There are 4 open pockets, 3 zippered pockets, and a zipper to close up with two carry handles! It’ll hold tools, threads, or both! It fits nicely inside the matching project bag. Linda even included a lovely selection of threads. I can sew a button back on but that’s it. This looks very complicated to put together. Thanks again Linda!
By finally exchanging Christmas gifts with Linda, I can now use my Smasta! It’s a fantastic travel tool tote because it zippers open and stands up to show all your tools and have them ready at your fingertips. I saw someone using it at the EGA Seminar and ordered one for me and one for Linda. Not as pretty but hopefully as useful and she didn’t already have it!
Filed under: ANG CyberPointer's Chapter, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Orchid Lady by Mary Knapp
Heather is the key overdyed thread in my kit from Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes in Australia for Orchid Lady by Mary Knapp on black Congress Cloth. The others at ANG Main Line Stitchers are stitching Anne-Marie’s design, Celestial Twist, with her threads.
The 4 center Rhodes used 4 strands from the overdyed skein with the away knot placed the same distance from the starting hole. Since I rotated the canvas as I stitched, the green fell in the center long stitches in a circular position.
An Amadeus that share the center holes can be tricky on the second side unless you hold your working thread off to the side so you can see the holes for you to insert needle into and then pull the thread taut. A huge help especially on black Congress Cloth! I decided to make these and the outer bargello border yellow.
There is plenty of threads for the next piece.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, ANG Seminar 2017, JP Bird of Paradise & Bamboo
Sometime before March of 2016, I had purchased JP’s Bird of Paradise & Bamboo canvas at Gazebo Plus in New Hope, PA (sad to say, it has since closed permanently). In March of 2016, I found a companion piece at Waste Knot in Arlington, VA, JP’s Orchid & Bamboo with almost the same motifs.
My opportunity to begin them came with the 2017 Seminar where Cynthia Thomas was having a Painted Canvas Embellishment Class. She was gracious enough to address the additional panel on the second canvas for the orchid since I wanted to have them match as much as possible. The Bird of Paradise is done now thanks to our painted canvas project at ANG Main Line Stitchers and Beth for stitching the same canvas. Beth used threads and stitches suggested by Betsy at Fireside Stitchery (although I’m not going to post her piece here, I will mention some differences). Beth actually finished before I did! So, I had to buckle down and get ‘er done for this month’s meeting! Members of our chapter continue to enjoy our canvas discussions during our MLS monthly meetings.
I forgot to post this last month. So, here are the final discussion points.
Bird of Paradise Panel: Both stitch guide writers, Betsy (for Beth’s) and Cynthia (for mine), selected the same pattern but oriented it in the opposite direction. Isn’t that amazing that of all the stitches, they selected the same one. Both threads are red although Beth used a very slightly overdyed cotton floss and I used a solid perle. Both pieces highlight the lovely colors in a Bird of Paradise. Beth used all Vineyard Silks for the flower and Rainbow Linen in tent stitch for the stalk. I used all sparkly threads for the flower and Needlepoint Inc Silk over a padding of Very Velvet for the stalk.
Center Blue and Beige Panel: Beth stitched this center panel in all tent stitch as had been done for the 3 larger coin motifs on the outer left and right panels. On this panel, a little sparkle is added by using Neon Rays+ and Silk Lamé Braid (rather than the beige ThreadworX for the 3 larger coin motifs). I stayed with the same beige Kreinik used for the 3 larger coin motifs and also used Vineyard Silk for the blue areas. I stitched mostly tent except for 3 square motifs where I used diagonal stitches to fill in the area.
Bamboo Panel: Beth transitioned from a light ThreadworX overdyed thread to a darker Sampler Thread overdyed thread using the Nobuko stitch for a full coverage. I used 2 strands of a beige Splendor in a very open stitch (Railway Woven) allowing the shading from the painted canvas to show. I used Interlocking Gobelin for the stalks and random or long/short as did Beth for the leaves.
So, how long will it take for me to finish the other one? I hope to finish it in 2022. They will be a set of pillows and probably my last pillows for quite some time! Have you seen the Dr. Rick commercial with the pillows? Well, that woman will be me and my husband will be Dr. Rick if I don’t stop with the pillows (do a google search for youtube dr rick pillows – makes me laugh every time)!
From Woodlawn’s email:
Woodlawn’s 58th Annual Needlework Show was earlier this year. Perhaps you weren’t able to make it to Woodlawn to see all the pieces, or maybe you came and want to see all the incredible work again!
If so, we proudly announce the second annual virtual showing of Woodlawn’s on-site Needlework Show. Our 2021 Needlework Show, “Hindsight 2020: Needlework Expressions of a Historic Year” is now available to view online! Purchasing a ticket allows you to peruse the hundreds of beautiful pieces that appeared as part of May’s in-person needlework show via our online platform. We are so excited to virtually share this wonderful show with you!
To purchase tickets, please visit the following link: https://tinyurl.com/VirtualNeedleworkShow
After you purchase your ticket, you will receive a confirmation email with a link and a password to view the Virtual Show, which you can view at your leisure from December 6, 2021 through January 6, 2022. Your ticket price helps us preserve this tradition and supports our efforts as we prepare for the 2022 Needlework Show.
Here’s a small sample of the photos & when you click on one, close up photos of that piece can be seen as well! They have really done a lot of work for the online exhibit & it’s wonderful.
Filed under: ANG CyberPointer's Chapter, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Beautiful Stitches, Orchid Lady by Mary Knapp, Threads
I’m using threads from Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes in Australia for Orchid Lady by Mary Knapp on black Congress Cloth. The others at ANG Main Line Stitchers are stitching Anne-Marie’s design, Celestial Twist, with her threads.
I had to pull out the magnifying glass with a clip-on light (which I found when organizing after the carpet was cleaned). I need it to work on the black Congress Cloth. It’s a StarMag by Daylight Company. I’m glad I found it when I did!
The overdyed thread, Heather, has yellow, green, and purple, and pink areas. I cut the overdyed skein in the middle of a large stretch of purple expecting to see more green and yellow. But, a good amount of purple is apparent too. Since I have worked with purple so much, I decided to use the solid green and yellow colors instead of two values of purple (not stitched with the solid colors yet). So, I selected a Kreinik #4 Braid 2829 that has green and yellow in it.
I really lucked out and the 36″ resulting length was ideal for completing the inner motif. And, I started the thread half on each side of the center so that the colors are symmetrical as they are worked outwards. And, it results in less wear and tear on the longer length of thread. I had to finish all four directions in order to be sure I stitched it in the same direction for a consistent color flow.
I love that the purple fell in the four center areas and the green and yellow are in the eight side areas. Very happy with the start! Now if I could get a great photo! It looks more yellow in the photo and more green in person – photographing needlepoint is tough.
Filed under: ANG CyberPointer's Chapter, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Beautiful Stitches, General comments, Orchid Lady by Mary Knapp, Threads
I expected to use the green and yellow threads but once I separated the plies and only used 2 strands, you couldn’t see the difference between the two colors. And, they blended into the eight areas losing the definition of the design. So, it’s a good thing I like purple! I am using two of the three purples from the kit. This is the lighter of the two to be added. It’s such fun watching the piece develop in front of you! This brings the piece out to 5″ x 5″. It will be 5&1/2 x 5&1/2″ when finished. Only dark purple and more of the overdyed to go.
This is the 4th piece of the Downton Abbey series by Gay Ann Rogers. I worked on the overstitching with the darker plum Impressions in the corners of the Scotch stitch variation yesterday at our ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter Stitch-in. Due to Thanksgiving next weekend, we moved it to a week earlier than usual. Robin was a most generous host with a great soup and chicken salad lunch and brownies made by Pat. Last night, I finished the overstitching and filled in the Smyrna stitches. This morning, I finished the overstitching on the long diagonal chains with black Kreinik 1/16 Ribbon. I love it!
Gay Ann Rogers was inspired by this photo of Violet Crawley. Once again, Gay Ann captured the look and feel of the photo in her geometric. According to her website, Gay Ann will be releasing “Dowager in the Evening” at some point but it will be larger and beaded. While I may get it, I have a plan to design two more Downton Abbey pieces based on pictures I have selected. Then, I will frame all six together (or maybe three and three). I’ve had the threads for my first piece for awhile (they were in the dining room mess). After Thanksgiving, I hope to have completed all or most of the design on the computer and start stitching it. Oh boy, that’s a fifth piece calling to me!
We are getting ready for carpet cleaners next week. So, I had to organize my projects that are accumulating in our dining room. There are eleven projects with threads but not on canvases calling me to work on them next! Since I am almost done with three projects, I put four of the projects on bars yesterday. Also sitting around were the needed canvases, bars, and tacks.
Speaking of canvases, I organized my collection of blank canvases that were in several locations throughout the house. I wrapped them up in acid free tissue paper, tagged each with the color and sizes, and now have to figure out where to store them-all together!
I have a whole bag of threads to put into my thread drawers! All those pinks are for a project that I’ve tried a couple of times but haven’t gotten it to turn out yet. I will get what I want eventually. How does this accumulation happen?? I know. I should put them away as soon as I finish the project but that’s not fun!
What four projects are next you ask? One is for my EGA Master Craftsman program Step 5 regarding appliques. I didn’t submit for the November review. This step is more tricky than the previous steps and isn’t something I have done before (or likely to do again). No need to rush.
Two counted projects are using threads from Australia’s Ann-Marie Anderson-Mayes. These are on black Congress Cloth.
Lastly, Razzle Dazzle by Ann Strike-Kurz has intrigued me for years. However, I do not want to stitch the whole piece as originally designed. So, I will make a couple of ornaments and maybe bookmarks of the various patterns. While cleaning up, I found the threads from Gail Stafford’s EGA class regarding overdyed threads which should be great for the design.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Gay Ann Roger's, Dowager Countess
Last month, I realized that a few sections of Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham by Gay Ann Rogers were going to require extra concentration than can be done at our monthly ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter Stitch-in where chatting can disrupt with counting. We’ll be meeting next weekend which is a week early for our Saturday Stitch-in due to Thanksgiving.
So, I took advantage of this rainy afternoon after the morning Zoom session of ANG New Jersey Needle Artists Stitch-in to do the pulled thread stitch called Faggoting. My husband was grocery shopping and the TV was off. It was easy enough except on my hand. Pulling canvas threads on 18 count monocanvas hurts my hand. Congress Cloth would be easier.
So, rather than overwhelm my hand, I enlarged the holes (rows surrounding the center) as was done for eyelet stitches. I made all the holes larger along the whole row so that I could easily stitch the row without stopping. It worked out well. It gives a lacey effect and looks more and more like the Dowager Countess.
While I had the #8 Pearl cotton Ecru out, I stitched the slanting gobelin area with Smyrnas. With any luck, I will be posting a completed piece next weekend!
