Road trip company

DH and I took a trip to Boston this past week to attend the preview of Disney's newest release, The Finest Hours.  Heaven forbid I should ride in a car for an hour and a half each way without something to stitch, and my current magazine project was too big to take along.  So I unearthed an already-painted canvas of my Mexican Mariachi to keep me company.

The Mariachi is a cylindrical ornament, aka a "roll-up."  The trick in designing these ornaments is to think round while painting on the flat.  When finished, his serape will meet in the back for additional visual interest--no matter how good the finisher, I've never known an ornament that hangs completely straight!

Not enough stitching has been accomplished to take a progress photo--I switched back to the larger piece as soon as I got home--but I'll be back, hopefully soon,.

A buddy for Seamus

Still biding my time between major projects. I pulled out a canvas of Patrick the Penguin to work on.  This cheerful little fellow will keep Seamus the Sheep company.

The sky and rainbow were worked in DMC floss in basketweave and tent stitches.  Petite Very Velvet formed his hat and body, while vintage DMC Medici was used in basketweave and encroaching Gobelin stitches for his face, tummy, beak and feet.

His Aran sweater was worked in Trio Natural in a combination of slanted Gobelin, encroaching oblong cross, Kalem and tent stitches.  Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 002V provided the buckle on his hat and his pot of gold, a combination of horizontal encroaching oblong cross and woven stitches.  The shamrocks were formed with mosaic and tent stitches with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 008HL.

For the grass, I tried a technique that Sue Dulle calls "puddling."  Using an overdyed thread--in this case Watercolours Jade--you skip around from one area to another to avoid streaking when stitching basketweave.

Seamus the Sheep

With the Nutcracker/Packages stocking completed, I turned to my current Needlepoint Now stitching project.  In record time, it was finished.  My next stocking in the "personal stitching" category still hadn't arrived, and I was getting perturbed.  Hell hath no furry like a stitcher with nothing to stitch!

So I started painting--a lamb design from a series of mini Easter eggs that I had discontinued.  Same lamb, different treatment to make it a St. Patrick's Day memento for my new daughter-in-law.  The newlyweds honeymooned in Ireland, renting a car and touring the countryside.  It seemed that, at every turn of the road, they had to slow down to let a flock of sheep pass by.  A particularly cute little fellow caught their eye and was dubbed "Seamus."

So here he is, framed with Impressions Emerald in a Nobuko stitch with an inner border of Kreinik metallic.  His head was stitched in basketweave with eons old Paternayan and his body in French knots with vintage DMC Medici wool.  Sheep's Silk in a diagonal mosaic stitch created the grass.  All from my stash, and all from my heart.

P.S.  Now waiting on TWO canvases.  Sigh....