Finally, the proper weather to get back to stitching Patti Mann’s Nov Mums (9110) which I got at Rita’s Needlepoint over the summer. The stitch guide is from Betsy at Fireside Stitchery. She had that ready after I got back from seminar. Working on the background (a mosaic darning pattern) today.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, ANG Stitch of the Month, 2012
With the new year kicking off last month, we started the 2012 Stitch of the Month from ANG’S website. That’s the 40th Anniversary Heart design. Several of us are doing it in red and one in another colorway. One person is doing a quatrafoil instead of the heart.
Here’s September’s (T-stitch) & October’s (Criss-Cross Hungarian) areas completed.
By adding the 2 outer rows as final borders, we are almost done with the mystery project at my ANG Keystone Garden Chapter. But, there is something mysterious that will “be revealed” next month before we finish. Hmmmm.
Wednesday night at our meeting, I got the first border done and last night I added the outermost border. And, thanks to the longest 9-inning post-season game in major league baseball history, I added beads in the 2 large diamonds. They were optional but I liked that they made the top bluer and the bottom greener than the threads alone. I was worried about the top having more beads than the bottom and being top heavy. But, the bottom green ones are larger Mill Hill Beads and the top blue ones are smaller seed beads from Beads By Blanche (via Trish V who purged her stash last year). Of course, I could always turn it upside down had it been top heavy. I think it is looking great!
Filed under: ANG Stitch of the Month, 2016
October’s portion of Susan Hoekstra’s Feuilles d’ananas (Pineapple Leaves) are Daisy eyelets, upright satin, herringbone, and more Daisy eyelets. In fact, I have 136 eyelets!
I centered the eyelet in the middle rather than starting with a complete full unit on the left. There has to be a symmetrical arrangement to please my eye!
I forget that I ordered the larger pair of scissors at seminar from Michele Roberts. So, when the package arrived, I had a double surprise! The extra tiny pair and the beaded fob! Beautiful.
I see the word “ICE” on them. Thanks to google, I see that means Ice Tempered (not a brand name). Stainless steel is regular steel with chromium added to make the steel more rust resistant, thus “stainless” steel. The disadvantage of the high content of chromium in stainless steel is that the cutting edges dull quicker. To overcome this, the steel is subjected to very low temperatures (frozen or “ice tempered”), to optimize the steel structure for hardness.
Our second year-long project at my ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter will involve each member choosing a small painted canvas and bringing it to every meeting. Each member will have an opportunity to ask the rest of the group to suggest stitches and threads for a specific area of his/her canvas. I look forward to watching and learning from each other’s canvases. Then, we can stitch the area discussed before the next meeting. At the end of the year, each member will have a completed piece based on the suggestions of the group. We’ll also explore selecting background stitches.
A review of some tips on canvas embellishment for painted canvases will be shared at October’s meeting to kick off our painted canvas project. I have Julia Snyder’s new book “Keys To Canvas Embellishment” and “Painted Canvas Embellishment: An Idea Book” by Carole Lake and Michael Boren. If you have books specific to this topic, please leave me a comment & let me know your favorite book(s). By all means, if you are in the area, please visit us! At 7:00 pm on October 10, 2016 (second Monday of the month) at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. GPS: 203 North Valley Forge Road, Devon, PA. For those who can, please join us for dinner at 5:30 pm at Minella’s (320 W Lancaster Ave).
I don’t know who the designer of this canvas – if you know, please leave me a comment. And, if it’s not a snail shell, please let me know! And, if you’d like to make suggestions for an area, please do!! I haven’t done many painted canvases (mainly do counted designs) & hope to learn a lot this year. I have a few painted canvases & want to do something nice with them.
I am reading Wicked by Gregor Maguire. And, I find a reference to trapunto! While I haven’t done any, I do know the term.
According to wiki, Trapunto is Italian for “to quilt,” ans a method of quilting that is also called “stuffed technique.” A puffy, decorative feature, trapunto utilizes at least two layers, the underside of which is slit and padded, producing a raised surface on the quilt.
Glinda approached slowly, either through age or shyness, or because her ridiculous gown weighed so much that it was hard for her to get up enough steam to stride. She looked like a huge Glindaberry bush, was all the Witch could think; under that skirt there must be a bustle the size of the dome of Saint Florix. There were sequins and furbelows and a sort of History of Oz, it seemed, stitched in trapunto in six or seven ovoid panels all around the skirting.
I had to look up furbelows. I found out that means a pleated or gathered piece of material like a ruffle.
This example of trapunto (brown puffy areas) is from Sandy Arthur’s Gated Secrets, an ANG Correspondence Course.
Filed under: Christmas Ornaments
This is called “Poinsettia Ornament” and is a companion to another ornament called A Hilton Holiday also designed by DebBee’s Designs.
When it comes back from the finisher, I’ll post both together.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, ANG Stitch of the Month, 2016
September’s portion of Susan Hoekstra’s Feuilles d’ananas (Pineapple Leaves) is the Nobuko. It’s a great stitch and easy to compensate once you get the pattern established.
Filed under: ANG Seminar 2016
I am so thrilled to have gotten a blue ribbon this year at ANG Seminar for Festive Fireworks. First place in non-professional original design! More about the piece after I get home and can take a picture of the beautiful stitched center on the ribbon.
Now, I want to talk about some of the other non-professional stitchers who won awards and have recently volunteered with the Distance Learning Programs. Brenda C (incoming Correspondence Course Chairman), Barbara E (incoming Cyberworkshops Chairman), and Kristi H (incoming Distance Learning Coordinator) all helped set up, staff the DL table at Teacher Showcase, and box up for shipping home.
Between the 3 of them, all first time exhibitors, they won 5 ribbons including:
First place for Kristi for a past Correspondence Course (CC), English Goldwork Heart III from Michele Roberts under Independent Project (she’s not a first timer doing goldwork) and Honorable Mention for Solar Flare by Ro Pace under Class Project (done in reds and yellows).
Second place for Brenda for a current CC, Rose Swirls by Carol Algie Higginbotham under Independent Project. Thanks again to Brenda for piloting this CC.
Second and third place for Barbara E with Miss Puff Tote under Painted Design with Stitch Guide (by Pajamas & Chocolate with a variety of threads and stitches) and Geometric Purse under Painted Design without Stitch Guide (by Mindy’s Needlepoint with DMC #5 & either Snow or Kreinik for sparkle), respectively. Both have lots of color and are fun.
I’m not going to talk about the professionals who won awards because they’ll be covered in the magazine in January. But I do want to talk about some of the other non-professional pieces that I saw.
Nancy D’A stitched Sharon G ‘s Five Vases – that’s in my stash & I really want to stitch it too!
Frances W stitched the 40th Anniversary Heart, ANG SOTM 2012. That’s a project my Main Line Stichers chapter is doing this year. And, I am looking forward to that too.
Michele Roberts had students submitting lots of pieces all wonderful goldwork:
Lisa E – Florentine Fleur de Lys, current CC (Honorable Mention)
Julie B – Fleur D’Lis, a past class project (Honorable Mention)
Leticia J has 3 pieces including the up coming CC, Golfing at St. Andrews; its companion piece and previous CC, Thistle and Kilt; and, Tree of Life
Congrats to all the wonderful pieces that are submitted. They are truly inspirational. And, thanks to Brenda, Barbara, and Kristi for their time this week and in the coming year. Here’s my plug, it feels great to give back and volunteer to help this organization grow – find something to do to say thanks. As I step away from CC’s after 4 years, I plan to start visiting local chapters promoting Distance Learning Programs, learning from chapters what is working & what isn’t working, and finding out more about what chapters can share with other chapters.
The seminar logo design is Meredith Willett’s. I didn’t stitch this – it’s the cover of our booklet.
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