A shawl for December

Little December angel is warmer now that her shawl has been stitched! And Judy Harper's design is looking a lot more dramatic with the addition of darker threads that contrast with the white narcissus petals at the bottom.

Choosing threads for the shawl was easy, but deciding on a stitch for this area was not. A good portion of the shawl is next to the wings, which were worked in Nobuko stitch. I decided that butting another decorative stitch next to the wings would be overkill, and used basketweave instead.

The edge of the shawl was stitched with burgundy Petite Very Velvet, with a single row of tent stitches on either side in Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #080HL. The metallic thread here provides a tiny bit more bling as well as emphasizing the higher profile of the PVV . The rest of the shawl was stitched with DMC floss #902, the darkest value in the color family used to needle-blend the dress.

With the top of the angel completed, I can now move on to the flowers and holly!

Dressing an angel

When I was thinking through how to stitch this December angel, I checked with designer Judy Harper on possible color combinations for the angel's clothing. Judy explained that she saw this design as a guardian angel for the month, not as a Christmas angel per se. and would actually prefer I not use traditional red-and-green Christmas colors. I came up with three color schemes, all of which Judy approved, and she finally said "YOU pick!"

With all of my threads assembled, I then needed to figure out how to make the top of the dress lighter in color, so as to be more flattering to the face, while making the lower part of the dress darker to emphasize the white narcissus petals. The solution: needle-blending!

In my last post, I had already begun stitching the top of the dress in basketweave with DMC floss #778. Following the progression of lighter to darker in the same color family, I used DMC floss #3727 and #316, finally using four plies of DMC #3726 from the top of the highest narcissus to the bottom of the skirt.

Before I could finish stitching the darker background, I needed to outline the flower petals to avoid pesky threads working their way to the top of the canvas while I stitched the white flowers. For the outline I used Vineyard Silk Classic "Evening Haze."

I then added the jeweled belt with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002V in tent stitches and the blue zircons with #014 braid in Smyrna crosses. Next I'll be heading back to the top of the angel to work the shawl!

Not just a pretty face

Whenever I stitch a canvas of a human--or heavenly--form, I like to work the face first so I have something smiling back at me as I progress with the rest of the canvas. In the case of Judy Harper's December angel, with her hands gracefully posed in prayer, I hope she's thinking good thoughts so I don't goof this one up!

The face was worked in backetweave with four plies of DMC floss #948, stitching over the eyebrows painted on the canvas and skipping over the eyelids, nose, mouth and throat shading. I then added the mouth in tent stitches with DMC floss #3354 and the other areas with DMC floss #754. The eyebrows were then added on top of the stitched area, using two plies of DMC floss #898 in a single horizontal line over three threads. The hands were also stitched in basketweave with DMC floss #948.

For the halo, I first outlined the circumference and worked the radii in tent stitches, then filled in with satin stitches using Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002V. The same metallic thread was used for the wings in a Nobuko stitch.

Judy was very specific about how I was not to stitch the hair: no French knots or bullions, please! Using Silk & Ivory "Coffee Bean," I mentally divided the hair into four sections, first working the sides in a satin stitch, directing the angle of stitches away from the face. The crown was also worked in satin stitches around the hair ornament. Finally I added the ornament itself in tent stitches, using Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002V and #014 for the blue zircons, the birthstone for December.

Now for a hint of color! I moved to the dress, outlining the neckband with the gold Kreinik metallic and filling in with either mosaic or Scotch variation stitches using DMC floss #778. With the same color floss, I began basketweaving the bodice of the dress. The staggered bottom horizontal row you see here is deliberate--I'll be needle-blending again!

A heavenly opportunity

I've been doing a lot of canvas painting lately, which doesn't leave a great deal of time to design something new or--even worse!--provide me with something to stitch in the evenings. And, as the members of my family will be quick to corroborate, for me a day without stitching is like a morning without orange juice!

Along came my heavenly opportunity! The incredibly talented designer Judy Harper has recently started work on a series of monthly "Guardian Angels"--lovely canvases which should nicely fill the void of decent angel designs in needlepoint. Up to her eyeballs and elbows in drawing paper and paint. she wrote to ask if I could help her out by "test-driving" an angel. She was looking for a model to demonstrate how a judicious use of simple stitches and threads could create a finished product pleasing to the beginning and advanced stitcher alike.

To "sweeten the pot," she offered me the angel for December--my birth month--and gave me free rein in choosing the colors! How could I possibly say "no"? To see the evolution of Judy's angel designs over the years, visit her blog at www.fairy-crafts.blogspot.com. And to see how I approach stitching this angel, come back and visit soon!

Ready to go!

The three postcards, designed by Denise DeRusha and stitched for our son by yours truly, are back from the framer and ready to be mailed out!

As any of you who've tried to photograph a piece framed with glass know, it's a tricky proposition! To avoid a reflection, we propped the frame against a living room chair at an angle. The result is a little dark, but you get the general idea!

I think the framer did a great job--just hope the recipient likes it!

Fenwick Island lighthouse finished!

Once the tower was stitched, the rest of the Fenwick Island lighthouse canvas was a quick finish!

The sidewalk was worked in DMC #5 perle cotton #3072 in a slanted gobelin stitch over two threads. The grass peeking through the bottom of the fence is Sheep's Silk "Green Leaves Dark" in single tent stitches.

At sunrise, the trees in the background would appear quite dark and fairly indistinct. So I used one strand of Impressions #5061 in a diagonal vertical oblong cross stitch for this area. I think it contrasts nicely with the diagonal cashmere stitch used on the tower.

When I finished this canvas, DH--the instigator of the sky at sunrise--gave it his full approval. He already has an idea for my next lighthouse canvas, but I told him if I work out the details of the lighthouse itself, he'll have to draw the background!

Building the tower

When I begin stitching a lighthouse with a white tower, I usually do at least part of the tower itself before starting on the sky in the background. Let's just say that, in the case of the Fenwick Island lighthouse, I got a little carried away with the sunrise concept for the sky! So with that in place, the next order of business was to work on the tower.

I wanted a good contrast between lighthouse and background, as well as a stitch which hinted at the brick construction of the tower. So I chose a horizontal diagonal cashmere stitch in white DMC floss. The lantern room, stairs, and gallery below were stitched with black DMC #5 perle cotton to add some visual weight to these areas. Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #02 in a spring stitch formed the beacon.

The fence was worked in a combination of tent and slanted gobelin stitches over two threads with white DMC #5 perle cotton, and the stairs to the doorway were worked in a Scotch stitch variation with DMC #5 perle cotton #642.

Shading around the window, doorway and fence, as well as the little outbuilding peeking through the fence at bottom left, was worked in tent stitches with DMC floss #415, while the window and door itself used DMC floss #413.

I've worked up the "recipe" for the sky at sunrise as a word document which I'll be happy to share, at no charge, to anyone with a canvas of his/her own which might benefit from a sky with "special effects"--no need to re-invent the wheel!