Mississippi's lonely lighthouse

The Biloxi lighthouse, authorized by legislation sponsored by Representative Jefferson Davis in 1847 and completed in 1848, was at one time among more than 10 lighthouses that guided navigation along the coastline of Mississippi. In its lifetime, it has survived numerous tropical storms and hurricanes, the most devastating of which was Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

The Biloxi light incurred serious damage to its interior brick lining; other lighthouses were less fortunate. A replica of the Ship Island lighthouse was totally destroyed, and the Round Island lighthouse, destroyed by Hurricane Georges in 1998 and under reconstruction, was wiped out a second time. Today the Biloxi light has the dubious distinction of being the last standing lighthouse in the state. Since the morning after Katrina hit, an American flag has been draped over the railing which surrounds the lantern room as a symbol of the city's determination to rebuild.

I had received a request to review my explanation of the needle-blending technique that I used in creating both the sky and water for my St. Marks, Florida, lighthouse canvas. Since the Biloxi canvas has plenty of sky to work with, I determined it was a prime candidate for needle-blending. This time, however, the stitch I'll be using is Nobuko and I'll be working from the top of the canvas downward.

For the darkest shade of blue, I chose DMC floss #334, followed in succession toward the horizon by #3755 and #3325. The first photo is of the darkest shade of floss alone, using four strands. I then stitched three rows each in the following floss/strand combinations:

A) #334 - 3 strands/ #3755 - 1 strand
B) #334 - 2 strands/ #3755 - 2 strands
C) #334 - 1 strand/ #3755 - 3 strands
D) #3755 - 4 strands
E) #3755 - 3 strands/ #3325 - 1 strand
F) #3755 - 2 strands/ #3325 - 2 strands

The second photo, taken after I completed section (B), shows very little shading--this is a subtle process! The third photo was taken after I completed section (D)--a bit of difference is peeking through. By the time I reached the horizon at the end of section (F) in the fourth photo, you can really see the difference.

Needle-blending is a simple technique, really--one that produces a more realistic-looking sky using less expensive threads and which avoids the tendency toward streaking commonly found when stitching with over-dyed threads.