Instead of traveling this year (thanks to coronavirus), I decided to get several pieces framed with museum glass. One of them is the Lotus Kimono. I had the mat cut to the shape of the kimono by Dave at Romeo’s. The frame is ‘antique distressed gold leaf’ and the green fabric mat has just a touch of texture to it. Love how this tuned out.
The piece was featured in an article of ANG Needle Pointers (Jan/Feb 2020), A Tale of Two Stitchers, along with my chapter member Beth’s piece who also selected her own stitches and threads. It’s fun to see different approaches to a canvas.
I am 8 months late celebrating a 10 year anniversary of my blog! I’ve been posting less photos this year trying to decide what to do about moving forward because my 3 GB of free space was just about used up. Do I start a new blog? Do I go back through over 700 posts and delete pictures to open up space? Do I upgrade and pay for more space?
Well, I have upgraded. Now, I have 13 GB of free space which means that I have over 30 years of space for more pictures and God willing that’s about what I need! Can you imagine 30 more years of stitching? I sure hope so.
So, now I can use up precious space and show my rematted Sisters piece. I had Pam at Romeo’s cover up the stitched silver border which emphasized that the canvas was warped. You can’t see it with just the background unless you really scrutinize it.
Before.
After.
So much better!
I may have to take a class to learn how to use all the other upgrades that came with the extra space but for now I am happy to be able to post as many photos as I want.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Vases with Curly Bamboo by Sharon G
We finished up our discussion of the Sharon G canvas, Vases, at our August ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter Zoom meeting. And, for our September Zoom meeting, we will have three differently stitched Vases canvases. It’s been very interesting to see different approaches.
Here’s my finished piece. I just dropped it off for framing. The background is a very light blue in T stitch and the border is 5 different stitches. Sharon G loves borders! Her favorite is on the ANG Stitch of the Month in 2005.
The canvas was started several years ago and am thrilled to have finally finished it because I just love it! And, I am happy that so many chapter members enjoyed the stitch guide discussions. As a way to encourage more painted canvas completions in our chapter, people are selecting a canvas on their to do list and stitching some each month either asking for help or discussing the choices provided in their stitch guide. So, we won’t get a comparison but will learn from each other’s canvases.
We will be meeting via Zoom again this month, Monday September 14.
Well, I had been stitching this during our ANG Saturday Stitch-in days until we got hit with the coronavirus. And, it got put away and forgotten until I went looking for something else.
So, I decided to finish the glass bottle. I love how the two strands of Bijoux MMT482 Tigar Eye in the Woven stitch look like bourbon sitting in a glass bottle. I can taste it!
It was such a beautiful day that went on a road trip today to Lititz, PA. We were on a mission to get garlic butter from Stauffers of Kissel Hill (Bill got a tip from someone at the Reading Terminal Market that their’s is the best). We should not have waited until 2 pm to pick up a tomato pie from The Tomato Pie Cafe (thanks to Christine for the referral) because they were sold out. Next time. Lititz is the home of Wilber Chocolates and we got their Buds! And, I was able to finally visit Needlepoint For Fun. They’ve been open a little over a year now and I hadn’t gotten there.
Trish was a gracious host showing me around the one room second floor store. What they have is lovely and displayed very well. The canvases adorn the walls and pre-packaged kits (intended for basketweave) are scattered throughout the store begging to be taken home. If I didn’t have so many projects now, I certainly could have found a piece. There aren’t many choices for threads but they kit in their wholesale NJ location which must have more stock.
They have several pieces showing decorative stitches (to encourage people) and Pat provides the stitch guides upon request. Very nice work.
Trish is also the finisher who does lovely work on pillows and ornaments. Her husband is an excellent stitcher and does the blocking. They had a unique display of Zip n Stitch pre-finished round ornaments (Christmas and Halloween designs) and small stockings. No matter what store I go to, I almost always find something that I have never seen before.
Bill picked the Nutcracker Soldier round ornament to go with our small nutcracker collection. Look at the lovely pillows near the window. I love the blue dragonfly pillow.
Filed under: A Spring Sampler, ANG Cyberworshop, Making Stitches Work For You with Carolyn Mitchell, Melita's Designs
I got the threads I wanted to finish up the sampler.
Bands 3 and 23, both over 3 canvas threads went well enough by using Silk Lame Braid SP100 in an Encroaching Oblique Variation and Plaited Gobelin.
When I added Band 24, the bottom band in the picture, of Florentine and Satin, it seemed ok. But, now with most of the top band of similar stitch of Stacked Cubes added, it seems that the bands which are over 24 canvas threads overpowered the design. It is 3 colors of Splendor (light, medium, and dark).
So, I reached out to several stitching friends, my husband, classmates, and the teacher, Carolyn Mitchell, of the class which began this project for their opinions. And, I got some wonderful feedback about the 2 bands including:
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The light is reflecting off the lightest laid threads drawing your attention.
- The stitches are too modern for the rest of the bands.
- The width of the bands are going to be a focal point no matter the stitch.
- Leave the piece in a place where you can look at for a while and see how you feel about it.
- Since I was talking about making into a pillow to go with other purple pillows, leave it with the pillows and see how you feel about it.
- Several liked the bands as stitched.
- The rest of the sampler is traditional and elegant. The new bands are modern and bold.
- The width of the bands are going to be a focal point no matter the stitch.
- Make the band half the width.
- Leave the piece in a place where you can look at for a while and see how you feel about it.
- Since I was talking about making into a pillow to go with other purple pillows, leave it with the pillows and see how you feel about it.
- Several liked the bands as stitched.
Well, it’s been 5 days considering what to do. When I cover up the 2 outside bands, I really see a cohesive design that I find very pleasing.
Initially, I selected 12″ x 12″ to match the size of another pillow that I have. And, I selected 25 bands because that was how many Carolyn Mitchell had in her design. However, nothing says I can’t just end the piece at 23 bands. That would make a 12″ x 9″ piece. That’s a good size and I can still make into a pillow. So, I am quite sure that I’ll rip them out and leave it as is.
Any thoughts you’d like to share?
Filed under: ANG Needle Pointer's Article, Flying Cranes Wedding Kimono by Lee
This kimono, Lee’s Flying Cranes Wedding Kimono, was part of an article published in Needle Pointer’s magazine (Mar/Apr 2020 issue). It was compared by a certified judge to a basketweave stitched canvas of the same design. It’s an interesting discussion if you have not read it. Needle Pointers is a publication for ANG members and well worth joining ANG just for the magazine (6 issues per year)!
It is a 16 count canvas which I hadn’t stitched on before. It felt like stitching on 18 count. The magazine goes into how I applied batiste fabric to the back before couching the golden clouds.
For the background, I selected Trebizond TRA 401 Red (& needed 2 spools). The stitch, Huck Toweling, came from June McKnight’s Backgrounds. She said is resembles a homespun fabric. It was as easy to stitch as she said it would be. And, it was open enough that I could stitch over the swirls and go back later and see where to stitch the swirls. Loved it.
One of Amy Bunger stitch guides and a Facebook post from Nancy Laux with Needle House in Houston recommended piercing Kreinik #16 Braid in the middle to better make curves in needlepoint. I used Kreinik #4 Braid to pierce. Both 017HL. It is a wonderful alternative to the typical couching technique.
The mat was cut out specifically to the shape of the kimono by Dave at Romeo’s Fine Arts in Lansdale, PA. He did a great job!
I was going to submit it to the ANG Seminar exhibit this year which would have ended yesterday and we’d be returning home today. But, as with most events, it was canceled due to coronavirus. By next year, I will probably have something different to submit. So, I will post this now.
Gifted to Linda M for her 70th birthday gift in 2026.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Vases with Curly Bamboo by Sharon G
This is the Cinnamon vase, the 5th and final vase! I love this canvas, Vases with Curly Bamboo. And, I have been very happy with the stitch guide from Sharon G.
This vase once again was stitched lightly enough to allow the shading of the painted canvas to show through. It’s a composite stitch using Gloriana 151 Cinnamon, 2 strands of Bijoux 428 Amber, and Sundance #14 Beads 462D.
The top band, bow, and base use a combination of Kreinik #4 Braid 005 and 002. Couching with Kreinik Cord 005C was used to bundle 5 strands of Kreinik #4 for the bow. And, a long stitch of Kreinik 1/16th ribbon was laid in the top gold band before couching with Kreinik #4 Braid.
This month, we will discuss the background and borders. Again, my ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter meet via Zoom.
Between coronavirus and heat, staying at home isn’t a problem. Thanks to AC and Kurdy Biggs, I got busy building a design.
The design in my previous post had too many small Fluer-de-lis crescents in the left quadrant. So, I replaced them with Rhodes stitches. And, I changed the six small diamond patterns. I like it much better now.
One of the points of this class is to show balance within a piece using color. Stitch choices don’t have to be this symmetrical. So, I designed another diamond. This time I did not turn two of the side diamonds causing two small and two large motifs to form at the very center. I do like the cluster of Fluer-de-lis crescents around the center. And, I like the focus of each diamond being the same. The top one is all partial Jessicas, right is Rhodes, bottom is full Jessicas, left is Sprats. Each diamond is therefore very symmetrical which I really do like!
But, the rectangles do not align and the six small diamond patterns are all aligned horizontally. Neither aspect made me happy. So, I rotated the right and left diamonds. Now, I lost the cluster of Fluer-de-lis crescents around the center which I am ok with since I am trying to get a little less symmetrical with the stitches. However, there is a horizontal band of crescents. Maybe I better go outside for fresh air and stop sniffing the glue (just kidding)! The possibilities with these shapes are endless.
Lesson 2 is coming out August 1 or 2. So, I’ll wait before making any new designs until I read whatever is next.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Vases with Curly Bamboo by Sharon G
This is a Sharon G painted canvas, Vases with Curly Bamboo.
Two colors of Gloriana (082 and 157) matched the canvas color making the shading more apparent. I wonder if it would have been a more subtle color shift to use the light colored thread over the whole vase and allow the canvas to show through although there might not be enough canvas showing. Another Gloriana (116) for the leaves with a Kreinik for the center vein.
Using split stitch with 3 colors of Silk Lame Braid for 18 count (SL35, 36, 37) really made the curly Bamboo turn out great. I learned that the ridges along the stalks are growth rings. They are 2 stands of Kreinik #4 Braid 002 and 005. And, Lazy Daisy for the ends for the tiny sprouting leaves.
And, another two Silk Lame Braid for 18 count (SL 24 and 26) for the flowers. I didn’t think Kreinik #4 Braid (002) would work for French Knots in the center but it did. No problem using 2 strands of Gloriana (156) for the rest of the French Knots.
Our ANG Main Line chapter members are enjoying the opportunity to see the approach to the canvas from the different stitch guide writers even though they are not stitching the piece. We discuss the next vase July 13 via Zoom which is going quite well because I can crop photos on particular areas for the comparisons to other stitched canvases.
