Remodeling completed

Ten years after stitching a model for Holiday Home from the Doorways to the Past series, I've finished a new version to be taught to the Cape Cod Chapter of ANG in September.  So what have I changed here from the original?

The glow from the lantern and door side lights was originally provided by a pale yellow DMC cotton floss.  The new version was worked with Water 'N Ice WT-1 Transparent Ice, which gives a glassy appearance to the areas of the canvas painted yellow.

The stone porch, originally worked in a slanted Gobelin stitch with Needle Necessities overdyed floss, was replaced by Wildflowers Granite in an encroaching Gobelin stitch.

The door itself probably sports the biggest change.  At the request of ANG chapter members, I didn't paint the door its original black.  I decided to make this version with a stained and varnished look, achieved by needle-blending two golden brown shades of DMC floss.

Now I need to catch up on some painting!

Getting ready for class

The Cape Cod Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild (ANG) has once again asked me to teach a class in September featuring two designs from my Doorways to the Past series:  Cape Cod Summer and Holiday Home (pictured here).  It's hard to believe that Holiday Home was designed and stitched 10 years ago!  A lot has changed since then, not only in terms of the threads available but also in my repertoire of stitches.  Time to update this canvas, so I can write an up-to-date stitch guide for use by class members.

One of the changes requested by the chapter was that I not paint the door black--a lot of folks have difficulty stitching black on black and some members may wish to personalize the canvas by matching their thread to the color of their own front door.  While I thankfully can still work black areas without difficulty, I'll probably change the color of the door myself just for variety.

The porch steps were originally stitched in Needle Necessities overdyed floss, which is no longer available, so I'll be looking for a substitute for that area.  The lantern and side windows will also be stitched a little differently.  I honestly don't remember what thread I used for the garland, wreath, trees and bushes--Impressions, I think--so I'll need to scour my stash for a close match.  The same holds true for the thread I used to stitch the brick path.

This canvas won't be blog-stitched, since it's not fair to chapter members who've paid for the information to give it to others for free.  I'm also not anxious to see images of the project appear in Social Media.  I've been "pinned" too many times by folks, some of whom I don't even know, who "lifted" photos from my blog without asking permission.  I will show a photo of the finished piece, however, in case some of you are interested in the changes I've made.