Filed under: General comments
The 5th Annual Rehoboth Beach Needlework Exhibit was just as nice as the one I went to 2 years ago. And, Rehoboth Beach is such a pretty area. Linda, from my ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, & I went there Sunday after spending Saturday at Woodlawn. I could not take any pictures inside the museum & forgot to take any while we were walking around – it was quite cool & breezy but it was a beautiful, sunny day! We had a great lunch at Louie’s.
It was great to see Susan D and Patrick B from my ANG Main Line chapter submit several of their pieces here! Patrick’s scissors ‘Green Block’ got 3rd place in the beadwork category! Several others from their EGA Brandywine chapter submitted blocks as well (maybe when I retire I can handle a dual membership for ANG & EGA). It was fascinating to see some blocks done in beads (creating images of scissors, a threader, and others with light and dark beads), cross stitch, lace ribbons, embroidery patterns, a Penn State theme, cross stitch on padded linen with single thread, or on perforated paper. This is a nice idea for our ANG chapter project next year since we have 2 members who can lead us through the project! Patrick got 3rd place for ‘Sonoma Rose’ (quilt-like pattern of ribbons). Susan got Honorable Mention for her ‘Keep Me’ a house sampler (other smaller motifs with the alphabet, a tree, and a saying surrounded by a decorative border).
Best of Show went to Jean T for her ‘Inspiration Sampler’ done with a single thread of floss that had a wider than usual border – very interesting. She won 2 sampler and 2 miniature awards.
Several of us from Main Line met Geri W and Roseanne J from the ANG Delaware Seashore chapter when we joined them for a Nancy Cucci piece (one that isn’t done yet). They always enter and do well but how can you not when Geri submitted Nancy Cucci’s ‘Irresistible Iridescents’ (3rd place) or Roseanne’s ‘Summer Surf’ by Nancy Cucci (1st place) – great pieces. Geri also got 2nd place for Crystal Banner and Roseanne for ‘Summer Celebration’ (20 squares each with different red, white, and blue patriotic themes). Roseanne J also stitched the Orna Willis piece ‘The Village I Built’ on 40-count silk gauze with some of the houses in a sparkly thread was very cute. Also in the DE chapter that I met at that class was Brenda C whose ‘Spirit’ by Sue Reed was great in the greens and blues she used. And, it was featured on their advertising brochure (http://brendasneedlepointstudio.blogspot.com/2014/01/needlework-exhibit-2014-in-rehoboth.html).
I enjoy seeing mixed media & Kathleen M did several of her family by leaving faces and/or backgrounds of what may be an image placed (not painted) on Aida cloth (scanned from a picture and copied onto the cloth perhaps) and then select parts such as a woman’s jacket stitched or only the boats in a beach scene with the house and sky left unstitched. I don’t believe any other pieces were submitted in this category & she got 5 awards in the category. I got our group to do some mixed media by stitching directly onto pages from a magazine (search Fiber Art on my blog).
The ‘Native American Fashion’ by Julie R won 1st place and was stunning – the backs of 4 dresses were placed horizontally across and contained within a series of 3 mats. From inner to outer, there was a thin blue, wider yellow, and an even wider chili pepper red border with triangular cutouts in the corners allowing yellow to show. The frame was a mottled blue with thin red strips near the inner and outer edges.
There was a decent representation of quilting (traditional, crazy, and modern) of which I liked best the ‘Blue Heron’ which had part of the beak and tail coming out of the right and left sides – quite unique.
Linda C’s ‘Barnyard Animals’ used such a variety of stitches and threads to represent the 8 animals that we (Linda & I) studied this one a long time – interesting!
And, Alice F did a fantastic job (2nd place) on her ‘Crab & Shells’ by stitching webbed spider seashells with threads to form 3 distinct bands. Not only was the crab very thickly padded to be raised but so with the bottom of the sea where he was sitting. Since I couldn’t take pictures inside, I stitched a seashell to demonstrate what she did. I layed the spokes in the shape of a seashell and used the ridged spider web technique from The Needlepoint Book by Jo Ippolito Christensen. I used DMC #3 (746, 676, & 451) which is a thicker thread & woven looser than Alice’s so that I would finish quickly.
Two needlepoint exhibits in one weekend!! It was such fun looking at these pieces too.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter
My ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter set up our own exhibit yesterday afternoon in 2 large glass cases in the Marple Township Library which is at 2599 Sproul Rd in Broomall. If you are in the area anytime during the month of April, please stop by – no charge!! No April Fool’s Day joke.
And, we’d love to have you join us at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, on the second Monday of the month at 7:15 pm. GPS: 203 North Valley Forge Road, Devon, PA.
For more information, email us at: ANG.MLS.needlepoint@gmail.com
The 52nd Annual Woodlawn Needlework Exhibit was just as fantastic as previous years.
It was great to see Patrick B (170 & 171) from my ANG Main Line chapter submit his realistic looking giraffe & 3 dimensional frog. Also in the animal room, Mary W (616) stitched Tanya Berlin’s Bluebird on 200 count – amazing that it only got 3rd place!
Outstanding senior entry went to Marlene L (585) for an eagle done in cross stitch in 28-count ligano. Another 100+ year old, Florence N (424), got 2nd place for a large, beautiful paisley rug (hung above a door which I missed during my first walk around).
I enjoy seeing famous works of art stitched & Lauren B (121) did the “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt in cross stitch.
Sherri B (250) cross stitched a row of stems & leaves featuring flowers for buttons with butterfly buttons flying above. Pat G (303) stitched a working clock with buttons at each number around the face. These reminded me that I started a button collection with intensions of doing something like these (but have yet to get to).
Jean Hilton stitches always are fascinating to see in a design. Kurdy B (19) did a wonderful copper piece. Deborah L (562) did a Ro Pace design, Venetian Delight, as a single layer piece although it was designed to be done in 3 layers – hers was still beautiful.
I love seeing Janet Zickler Casey’s Santa ornaments & Jill B (130) did one of my favorites, the Christmas Light Santa. And, there was an adorable pumpkin done by Radonda R (100) in multi-canvaswork stitches (either triangle or square shapes) with the eyes, nose, and mouth done in dark greys against the bright orange pumpkin.
It’s always nice to see Nancy Cucci’s pieces and Dorothy B (227) did one but now I can’t remember which one. I have a partially started piece of Nancy’s in my stash & on my list to finish this year. Still have ¾ of a year left!
What a sight to see – the 11 Michael Boren “Frankie” pieces (in various colorways) were done mostly by New Jersey Needle Artists (all but one). Two of the ladies Rosie L & Linda M did 2 different colorways! Fantastic!!
Brenda C (641) got 1st place for her black & white ort box which I saw first at the Nancy Cucci class I took with her chapter in Delaware a few years ago. She also got 2nd place for Rose Swirls by Carol Algie Higginbotham and 3rd place for Beach Walk by Linda Reinmiller – both new ANG Correspondence Courses. I am quite sure Donna LaB (208) replaced some of the threads in Rachel Atkinson’s Gordian Knot (a returning ANG CC) with Kreinik to add some sparkle. Cheryl H (619) did a beautiful Stained Glass Sampler also designed by Carol Algie Higginbotham which was a previous ANG CC.
Christin L (520 & 521) got 2nd and 3rd place for very cute boy and girl pilgrims, respectively. She also did the Debbie Stiehler’s 2013 ANG Stitch of the Month. Christin had it finished very creatively in a diamond shape with beads dangling from the loser 2 sides and it was inserted on a stick in a potted plant.
Sara Leigh M (231) stitched the Orna Willis piece Color Inspirations – I am so excited about doing this class on June 12 & 13, 2015! There are still openings for this 2-day class in Philly – just ask for details.
It was fascinating to see Susan C (567) and Carol S (20) stitch Walking the Water’s Edge by Diane Herrmann slightly differently from each other. Carol stitched less water & more foam. And, Carol’s piece was surrounded by a narrow red mat, a wider blue mat, and then a third textured beige mat. The frame was a light wood (fantastic matting, only I would prefer a darker wood frame). I’m so excited about doing this class on October 10, 2015. There are still openings for this 1-day class one hour north of Philly near Peddler’s Village – just ask for details.
Rachel C (361 & 362) stitched Mindy canvases although I liked the one that didn’t win 1st place better. I saw other Mindy canvases by Marla F (421) and two from Maureen McA (322 & 323). But, I don’t know them by name nor can I remember them enough to search & name each design.
There were a few Charlie Harper designs including one from Rachel C (363) of birds sitting on a large upside down fanned out leaf called Put a Bird on It. And, one with a menagerie of animals but I forgot to note who stitched this large piece.
And, seeing Melanie D (556) stitch Pieces of Eight by Gail Bicknell means this remains a classic as it is still being stitched. It was originally in Needlepoint Now in 4 installments (Sep/Oct 1999; Jan/Feb 2000; Mar/Apr 2000; May/Jun 2000; Jul/Aug 2000) but is still available as a single reprint.
There was a striking piece of smocking done on a box top by Barbara M (727). And, Betsy M (233) had a castle scene done in embroidery and stumpwork which earned her 1st place and Judge’s Choice award.
Among Catherine Jordan’s always lovely pieces was The Gift which won 1st place & the Frank Lloyd Wright Award. That is the red & white ribbons wrapped around a glass block done with a variety of stitches (described in January 2015 Needle Pointer’s Awards Gallery). She also got 2nd place and two Honorable Mentions.
And, we had a nice talk with Deborah Wilson who was demonstrating her goldwork techniques that earned her 3 awards (1st place & the Eleanor Custis Lewis Award/Best in Show for a leaves/flowers design and two 2nd place of which one was a strawberry) in addition to the 1st place for a Christmas stocking for her son with his various hobbies stitched.
My husband didn’t make the trip this year but he would have enjoyed seeing the large gold themed ottoman by Joan deGM (167). He elected not to make the 2-day trip once I added in the stop at Rehoboth Beach exhibit and knowing Linda, a fellow ANG Main Line Stitcher, agreed to make the trip with me. Linda thoroughly enjoyed her first trip to Woodlawn & I thoroughly enjoyed her company! We agree it is inspiring to see so many beautiful pieces under one roof!! She knows so many names of pieces & designers which is why I can really talk about more pieces this year. And, because we spent 4 hours, including a delicious lunch break, looking at everything and chatting with the docents! Linda liked a few designs on display that she sent questions to the stitchers. But, I found one she was interested in when I googled “needlepoint sampler patterns”. I looked in images & there it was – Northern Expressions Needlework’s Twisted Band Sampler, under multi-sampler category, done by Anna B (235) for which she won a 2nd place ribbon. It has diagonal patterns with a butterfly near the top and is done in various colors along the color wheel.
The Queen’s Silhouette didn’t get a ribbon but I enjoy supporting the exhibit & will have to start on something for next year!! Perhaps it will be the canvas I picked up at In Stitches. It is from Dream House Ventures, Inc. (DH3825) and is called Swirling Leaves by a designer Linda Richardson under the name of Elements Fine Handpainted Needlepoint. A different designer from Dream House Ventures also designed the canvas Daisy (aka Sunflower) that I got 3rd place ribbon from Woodlawn a few years ago – maybe that’s a sign! I was also taken by the one set of instructions for a geometric pattern, Teal-licious, by Freda’s Fancies. Apparently, there are at least 63 in the series and probably more!! How is it that I never saw these before? It’s time to search the internet again.
Thanks to everyone who sent in pieces. It is such fun looking at 500 plus pieces under one roof. I wish I could talk about all of them but it’s time to move on to the Fifth Annual Rehoboth Beach Museum Needlework Exhibit which we saw on Sunday!!
The third clue in the Stitching Games 2015 run by stitcherie is “Nigel”. Leonard Nimoy had just died & I thought of Nigel 7 right away believing it was from Star Trek. But, apparently not. I see it was mentioned in a Futurama episode. That still didn’t give me any ideas. So, I googled it, discovered it is the brightest star in the constellation Orion, & is a blue-bright supergiant. It appears that I am taking these clues literally because all I could think of was finding a stitch that looked like a star. I went through SuZy’s Portable Stitches by SuZy Murphy. I love the app because it is set up by a list of stitches and by a list of uses. Under the category ‘Starry Skies’, I found the Combined Cross stitch. The thread I selected, Needle Necessities Inc (175), is an overdyed floss with purple that matches the vase & blue like the star, Nigel. They are randomly placed, like the stars, to not create a pattern or a streaky effect.
My Main Line Stitchers chapter has been working with open canvas projects more this year. So, this month’s exercise will be to create our own pattern. I selected Pattern 37 from Jean Taggart’s Laid Fillings for even weave fabrics. 
The key is not only to start and end threads under other threads but move around the canvas under threads that are already in place. To show this, I placed a flashlight under the canvas. 
Here’s my pattern. 
Getting a different look.
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, Pansy Secret Garden by Laura Perin
My ANG Main Line Stitchers chapter is stitching various designs from Laura Perin’s Secret Garden Collage series for our spring project. I couldn’t decide between California Poppy, Daffodil, Daisy, and Pansy. So, I bought several & am starting with this one.
I had a harder time remembering to stop for the small squares on the outer border than all the counting required to get the smaller areas outlined correctly! But, it is correct. And, Area 1 is done!
This is the best photo I could get because the colors of the boxes are dark blue & purple with a splash of green. We have been in a deep freeze (for Philly) & thinking about spring helps!
I forgot to post this & since writing that, I made progress on the pansy. This section reminds me of cross-stitch days when I had to pencil off what I stitch as I stitch it. Slows me down but increases my accuracy. Spring is even closer now that daylight saving time is here!
Filed under: "Faux-Berge" Orange Tree Egg by Michele Roberts, ANG Seminar 2014
The Faux-Berge Orange Tree Egg was designed by Michele Roberts. I enjoyed meeting her during a great ANG Seminar class in Chicago (2014) & it was fun to stitch. I have been enjoying it again now for a couple of weeks – good timing to be here for the upcoming spring & Easter. I wanted to show it to my ANG chapters before posting here. And, I am glad I waited to post because I came across a photo showing the real egg in a brochure from 2001 when a Faberge exhibit came to Wilmington, DE.
Karen at Nimble Needle took a great photo when it came back from the finisher who did a fantastic job! It has a little puff to it!! I really love that I had it done as a stand up piece. It uses a plastic stand that inserts into an opening at the bottom of the piece. It can be removed for storage. I first saw the stand used in a piece I bought at the silent auction in Chicago. And, Karen had it at her store!
The kit was given to me as a thank you gift from Michele Roberts (her design was to read “stitch on”) & I continued the thank you by stitching it for Roya (coworker) who gave me the Queen’s canvas. Roya has family in the UK & she knits (easily switched). So, this seemed perfect. And, she liked it!
The frame is from Michael’s.
The second clue in the Stitching Games 2015 run by stitcherie is “football” & why not – it was released on Superbowl Sunday!
I went through SuZy’s Portable Stitches & have 2 leading candidates heading to the Superbowl (a test canvas) – Fran’s Stitch (looks like a lot of footballs) & French Swag (looks like a gridiron). May the best stitch pattern win.
Fran’s Stitch was out of the running when I layer it out on graph paper because it was too large for the area.
I also went through Needlepoint Dictionary of Stitches on my Kindle & found Hex shape which looks like a little football.
So, I tried combining the Rhodes stitches from French Swag & the Hex shape (a slightly smaller one) with Stripes A (from Portable Stitches) but it was too many stripes & no contrast to the bamboo.
The part I like is the Hex. So, I decided to keep it simple and I made the top of what I see as a decorative vase all Hex shapes.
I used Kreinik (045) #4 for the footballs, #16 for the rim of the vase, & #32 for the sides. The thread has a bit of green that complements the bamboo. The purple comes from selected portions of Gloriana Seaweed #088.
Melitastitches4fun's Blog 
Filed under: ANG Main Line Stitchers Chapter, General comments
A friend of mine has decided to part with her thimble collection. We were lucky enough to see them all in person when she brought them to our ANG Main Line chapter meeting last month. They’ll be on auction April 18, 2015. You do not have to be there in person to be to bid. All directions are listed on the website. There are many lots going on auction that day but if you search the word ‘thimble’, you’ll see the 18 lots. I counted 470 thimbles in various size lots. Here is the website: http://www.wiederseim.com
With her permission, I can share photos of several sample lots: