Filed under: ANG Correspondence Courses, ANG CyberPointer's Chapter, Spirit of Jean by Kathy Rees
I’m glad I had time to get back to Spirit of Jean by Kathy Rees and finished in time to send for a critique! I used some threads from Mae, a past member of my ANG Main Line chapter; thus, the name, Spirit of Jean and Mae.
I expected both sides of the dagger Amadeus to have the threads line up and match. But, I am thrilled that the brown matched in the middle because the dagger is created by stitching the top half and then the bottom half up to meet the top half. I left the top one partially stitched and you can see the finished one on the bottom.
After I got started on the background, I realized I would run out of the thread which I then found out had been discontinued. So, I headed to Nimble Needle where Karen had more WDW straw (which surrounded the center waffle) and a different Thread Gatherer Silk to choose from. Both would have worked but Karen reminded me WDW is cotton & I had started with a silk which has a better shine to it. So, I evened up the 2 sides instead of ripping out & finished with the new silk.
The threads I used were:
Kreinik 080C, 031
Weeks Dye Works (WDW) Straw 1121 but The Thread Gatherer Silk ‘N Colors Toasted Marshmallow SNC255 or Shepherd’s Moon SNC097 was used when I ran out of WDW 1121.
WDW Bright Leaf 1227, 1333
Waterlilies Umbria 204
ThreadworX 130
Watercolours Raspberry Sherbet
Gloriana Fall Foliage 077
Neon Rays N26
As has happened before, I forgot to post it framed. Being under non-museum glass makes it practically impossible to get a good photo. But, here it is anyway.
Filed under: A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That by Linda Damiani, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
Instructions for “A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That” by Linda Damiani was in the stash we got from Mae V-D, a member of the ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter who passed away in 2015.
A couple of members of our chapter remembered Linda was from our area but had moved away. I was able to locate her & I called her. She moved away from needlepoint to other crafts but was happy to grant us permission to copy & distribute the instructions once again to our members.
Again using Mae’s canvas and threads, we stitched 2 projects from the booklet.
A true stash buster using miscellaneous threads grabbed randomly. See how each looks slightly different using the same threads?
And, there was a lovely Florentine Star that I choose to do off center rather than locating the star directly center and making it a full 4-way bargello pattern. I had such fun doing these that I did them in multiple colors.
Filed under: ANG Seminar 2012, Ruby Keepsake Box, Tar River Trail by Gail Stafford
Going back 4 years (where did the time go?), I see I never blogged after seminar about the classes I took.
I typically take a notebook class in order to learn & not have too many unfinished pieces following seminar. My first class was with Sharon G (Garmize) who talked about an “Anatomy of A Stitch Guide” including concepts regarding color, texture, scale, and perspective using some pieces students were willing to share.
Then, I took a 2-day class with Catherine Jordan for the Ruby Beauty – A Keepsake Box. It was a blast working with paint. We painted the canvas and box. The 3 bumps are pieces of Tyvek that were placed under a hairdryer to shape them that we then cut out to whatever shape we wanted and painted. We stitched it into place & then stitched around it. It was all “finished” by the end of day 2!!
Lastly, “Tar River Trail” which is a landscape piece from Gail Stafford but remains no further since class ended. I thought it was a great class & have meant to get back to it but time has flown by!
Filed under: General comments
Thanks to everyone from 88 countries who took the time to come and read my blog in 2015 (especially Brenda & Sue). According to WordPress, I had a total of 20,000 views with 370 hits in a single day! Read all about it at https://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/2015/annual-report/
I followed my 2015 mantra, VISION, by using some of what I had in my stash but I brought in more new pieces some of which were finished & others were added to my stash. But, I’m happy looking back at what was accomplished. I finished 13 projects including 4 of my own designs (2 are not going to be shown here until they appear somewhere else which is very exciting), 2 goldwork pieces (1 ANG seminar class project and 1 ANG Main Line Stitchers class project which were with great teachers and I learned a lot) & 7 charted designs. I finished Walking the Water’s Edge with just 12 hours left before we rang in 2016! That’s more pieces than I realized I had done. Not only did I enjoy stitching them but also learned a lot.
Now, I am getting back to Spirit of Jean (hope to finish in Jan). And, I will spend time on another of my own designs and a small painted canvas. Since each one needs a particular mindset in order to do it correctly, I think I’ll go back to FOCUS as my stitching mantra in 2016. I think that has been a guiding principle since 2014 anyway. And, I don’t have to focus on the same piece every day until it is done. Rather, I look at focusing on finishing a particular section when I sit to stitch. That way I am accomplishing exactly what I want to do on a given day.
I did have to rest my hands for a couple of days because I was getting quite a bit of pain from too much stitching. So I spent the time cleaning up my camera & computer folders. And, I see I have been remiss in posting various stitching related items. So, the next couple of weeks will be catching up – starting with scissors. If you don’t have the proper tools, stitching is more difficult. I’ve been using the Friskar scissors for a couple years now (since Marilyn O recommended them). And, I have given them as gifts. But, I love the curved Gingham scissors I picked up using part of the gift certificate I got this year from my ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter for my efforts on projects & newsletters. It feels safer clipping closer with the curved blade. Both scissors are so sharp.
Filed under: A Hilton Holiday by DebBee's Design, ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
Our December project for our ANG Main Line Stitchers was A Hilton Holiday. I finished mine before the meeting in order to show everyone. I love how it turned out. It was a free design for signing up for DebBee’s Designs emails. I used the suggested threads.
Filed under: ANG Keystone Garden Chapter, Walking the Water's Edge by Diane Herrmann
Woo hoo! I got the starfish & beads done! What a beautiful piece to complete for my final finish of 2015. A Happy New Year indeed! Thanks again to Diane Herrmann for a great class.
Note: Gifted to Fred R, our financial advisor, of many years upon his retirement to Florida. I can’t find a photo of it framed. We presented it to him and Margo at his retirement party (2016?).
By ordering earlier and having my husband put them away, I had totally forgotten about the first two needlepoint gifts shown below.
This is a Mindy canvas called Hearts in Heart.
I’m sure that I’ll learn a lot from this color tool.
And, I’m finally getting a subscription to this magazine. I resisted for years because I didn’t want to be tempted by more projects. But, it’s fun to read anyway!
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Gilded Acorns by Deborah Wilson
Gilded Acorns was a great follow-up piece allowing me to work with different types of gold.
It might be fun to add some gold to a future piece. I’ve got some leftover after finishing the second leaf, adding the thinner veins in both leaves, and building the second acorn.
I’m heading to the framer on Saturday with both recent goldwork pieces.
Filed under: ANG Keystone Garden Chapter, Color Delights, Camouflage by Kathy Rees
My ANG Keystone Garden Chapter had this as program last year and I finished stitching it in May 2014 (https://melitastitches4fun.wordpress.com/?s=Delights&submit=Search). Well, I finally “finished” it. I did have a nice Sudberry House Walnut Box. I covered the mounting board with a smaller piece of felt. Then, I laced it side to side on the back.
And, I used my new Kreinik Custom Corder for the first time.
And, it turned out nicely! Attaching the braid was the hardest part & I expect that I can do better next time. But, I am happy with it. Practice makes perfect. As long as you don’t use a magnifier to examine it, I think it is good or else I wouldn’t give it as a gift. Merry Christmas to Terri D from my shuffleboard league at the Philadelphia Quartet Club who ended up with the box at our Santa gift exchange (steal). It was a great evening with some wonderful women!
Filed under: General comments
This beautiful black, gray, and white scarf was from a fund raiser in Naples, NY. Each table paid a fee towards the fire department & proceeds from what each table sold they kept. In this case, the money went towards the Narcissa Prentiss House in Prattsburgh, NY – her birthplace. She was a pioneer, missionary, and teacher who traveled with her husband, a minister, from the East Coast to Oregon. Narcissa rode sidesaddled and one of the first two white women to cross the Continental Divide. The house would be interesting to see with artifacts, quilts, antique clothing, a room dedicated to the Pratt family, founders of Prattsburgh.
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