Herald Angel - Part Two

Stash raiding again!--this time for the threads to create the Herald Angel's dress.  Scouring your stash to find old threads for a new project is a little like traveling down Memory Lane.  In this case, the last time I used them was for Mindy's Winter canvas, stitched for my Needlepoint Now column a couple of years ago.

The outline for the hem and accents on the dress were provided with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002 in tent stitch.  The body of the dress is being stitched in basketweave with Impressions #8112, 8114, and 8116 (darkest to lightest).  The hem was filled in with slanted Gobelin stitches.  Working my way from right to left, I've reached the tails of the ribbon, a little more than half-way through the dress.

Herald Angel - Part One

The form of the Herald Angel has already been outlined on the canvas, so I decided to tackle the background first.

 The idea of posing the angel against a night sky appealed to me, and using a dark color here would make the colors of the angel "pop."  My choice of thread was navy Petite Very Velvet, which has a matte finish that would make all the metallic areas twinkle even more.

Two cards of PVV covered all but the small section under the angel's outstretched arm--I'll need another card but dye lot won't be an issue since this area doesn't touch previously stitched sections.  I've started outlining the hem of the angel's dress with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002--there will be a lot of this thread in Herald Angel's costume!

Heralding a new project

You've probably heard the phrase "passing it forward," when a person who's benefited from a good deed repays it with another to someone else.  Well, this is a case of "pointing it forward."

A cyber-friend recently decided that she was unable to continue stitching due to arthritis in her hands and was looking for a good home for her stash.  She asked me if I would like a canvas--Herald Angel designed by Judy Harper--and I responded with an immediate and resounding "Yes"!

I recall Judy showing this canvas on her blog as an example of one of the angel designs she had created for Texas First Lady Anita Perry to grace the Christmas tree in the Governor's Mansion.  This angel was one of the last canvases that Judy painted as her health declined.  I'll be blog-stitching it so it can join the rest of my angel collection next Christmas, hopefully finished as a stand-up mounted on a dowel in weather vane fashion.  If anyone knows of a finisher who could do this, just email me or leave a comment.

Jane Seymour: Finale

There really wasn't much left to do to finish off the Jane Seymour canvas--it was just a matter of finding the time to do it!

Instead of adding beads to her double-stranded necklace, I opted to stitch it with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #127, one of the threads I'd used on the Anne of Cleves canvas.  Petite gold beads were used to decorate her English gabled hood.

Anne of Cleves: Finale

To give Anne of Cleves a gauzy-looking veil, I used Silk Lame Braid in a T-stitch.  You may need to click to enlarge the photo to see her tassel--the gold beads I added at the bottom of the diamond ray and Smyrna cross show up in person, less so in the photo.

The last step was to give her a necklace of petite gold beads.  This little gal definitely isn't going to get lost on a Christmas tree!

Anne of Cleves: Back on track

The thread snafu is over, thank goodness, and Anne of Cleves' gown is now completed.  Sometimes "reverse stitching" can be a learning experience!  With the red velvet done, I added the trim at the hem of the dress, again using Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #3221 to outline the area and filling in with DMC floss #729 and Smyrna crosses of Kreinik braid #127.

Next on the to-do list is the veil of Anne's headdress, which is decorated with an elaborate tassel.  I've added the top of the tassel, a single diamond ray stitch and Smyrna cross, so I can stitch the veil around it.