Monday, September 28, 2009

A subtle sky


I began stitching the lighthouse at Portsmouth Harbor, New Hampshire, over the weekend, beginning with the white of the tower itself in four strands of DMC cotton floss in a basketweave stitch. Then I started in on the sky, using four strands of DMC floss #3755, again in basketweave (left photo).

Over the years, I have either purchased or received as gifts a large number of lighthouse reference books which have served as launching pads for my needlepoint adaptations. Almost all of the photos of the Portsmouth Harbor lighthouse show the tower against a virtually cloudless blue sky, which seemed to be a very appealing portrayal. I decided to needle-blend this sky, too, but using only two shades of floss and staggering the color changes to create a more subtle sky.

In the right photo, all the white of the tower and the railing of the walkway have been completed, and I've begun needle-blending. I first combined three plies of DMC #3755 and one ply of #3325. At the point where I stopped, I was using two plies of DMC #3755 and two plies of #3325. All this basketweaving makes for slower stitching but also a smoother look.

When I finish stitching the sky, I'll move on to picking threads and stitches for the lighthouse foundation and water!

3 comments:

Edy said...

You are amazing! Where can I purchase some of your painted canvases? I will archive all your blogs to know how to stitch them as you did.

Anne Stradal said...

Thanks, Edy! Just have your LNS contact me, or check the "Where to Buy" on my website if you don't have an LNS.

Possibilities, Etc. said...

I'm loving this one too, and look forward to the foreground/foundation. I like the subtle sky!