The little "Nantucket" Sailor's Valentine is finished, but not without some thinking "outside the box"!
First, I finished the stitching part, adding Smyrna crosses of Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #100 and French knots with DMC floss #841 to the stylized starfish I'd already put in place with perle cotton. Now it was time for the shells!
Last year, when I was working on Sailor's Valentines with Judy Harper for her Possibilities column in Needlepoint Now, a very gracious lady in Florida sent me a treasure-trove of shells. Looking through them again for the "Nantucket" valentine, I realized that the ones I wanted to use on this piece didn't have holes with which to attach them.
DH offered to drill some holes for me, but I was afraid of breakage and I didn't have enough just this size to spare. Glue was also out of the question--I just don't like the idea of putting glue on a needlepoint piece. There had to be some way to "trap" these shells....wait a minute! Don't shells occasionally get caught in nets when fishermen are casting for a catch?
So I "snagged" my shells with "netting," making three passes with perle cotton for each shell to hold it in place. And I assure you, these little shells aren't going anywhere! I'm happy as a clam with the finished product, and hope you will be, too!
10 comments:
Great idea - appropriate and effective!
An utterly charming piece. Thanks for sharing your work.
The netting around the shells is perfect.. simply gorgeous.. I love it!
Very clever idea!
Love this little piece. Again, you've shown me how to do a small piece with panache!
Absolutely lovely!! I like this one even better than the ones last year. The little scene in the middle is wonderful as well.
Hi Anne,
That is lovely.
I just love the outside embellishments that you have added all around your center design.
Pierrette =^..^=
I also like this one better. With the sand and shells surrounding the water scene, it looks like a painting. 'Would be lovely placed on a small easel.
And duh! she says--I was looking for what color and stitch you did for the dividers to the sections when I finally realized that's where you placed the shells. What a great idea that adds continuity to the design of the border.
Lovely Sailor's Valentine!
I enjoyed seeing how you attached the shells. Very effective.
Cynthia
Windy Meadow
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