Friday, April 17, 2009

Back to Sanibel Island





I decided to stitch the sky for Sanibel Island lighthouse in basketweave, using a needle-blending technique with DMC cotton floss, as any other stitch would prove too troublesome to compensate around the lighthouse's steel supports. Starting at the top of the canvas (photo 1), I stitched several rows of DMC #826, using four plies of thread and staggering the bottom row every other stitch. My formula for needle-blending was:

Row 2 - 3 plies DMC #826, 1 ply DMC #813
Row 3 - 2 plies DMC #826, 2 plies DMC #813
Row 4 - 1 ply DMC #826, 3 plies DMC #813
Row 5 - 4 plies DMC #813 (photo 2)
Row 6 - 3 plies DMC #813, 1 ply DMC #827
Row 7 - 2 plies DMC #813, 2 plies DMC #827
Row 8 - 1 ply DMC #813, 3 plies DMC #827
Row 9 - 4 plies DMC #827 (photo 3)
Row 10 - 3 plies DMC #827, 1 ply DMC #828
Row 11 - 2 plies DMC #827, 2 plies DMC #828 (photo 4)

You'll notice that I've stitched over the cross braces of the steel supports which I had so carefully stitch-painted! I also stitched the cylindrical tower of the lighthouse in gobelin stitches, using DMC #300 floss, to give it a more substantial appearance. When the rest of the canvas is stitched, I'll go back and lay straight stitches in an X pattern to re-insert the cross braces. I have my charted design to work from in positioning the stitches, but someone wishing to stitch the lighthouse this way may find it easier to make a copy of the canvas before beginning work to have a future reference for stitch placement.

5 comments:

Front Range Stitcher said...

Thank you for showing how you did the shading. It's very subtle yet effective. Looking forward to future posts on your series of light houses.

Anonymous said...

Your needle blending shading technique is wonderful!

Cyn said...

Hi Anne,

Love the shading!

Have you ever designed the Hopper Strait lighthouse which is now located at the Chesapeak Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michael's?

http://www.cbmm.org/wh_exhib_lhouse.html

Cynthia
Windy Meadow

Anne Stradal said...

Cyn- I haven't done this particular lighthouse, but I have done one like it--Thomas Point--another screwpile lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. If you're interested in Hopper Strait, let me know. I just work it up and add it to the line,

Cyn said...

Hi Anne,

Yes, I'm familiar with the Thomas Point lighthouse and it is similar.

I'll think about the Hopper Strait lighthouse.

So many projects, so little time! :-)

Cynthia
Windy Meadow