Skirting the issue

Elizabeth's overskirt is now finished, with a background stitched in basketweave with white DMC floss.  The edges on the sides and along the bottom were worked in stem stitches and the swirls in tent stitches with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002.

The background of the center panel was stitched with the same Petite Very Velvet used for the spokes in her halo.  I've started stitching the medallions in the panel with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002V in basketweave.

Not much more work to do before I wrap up this project!

Making angelic progress

This canvas is moving along nicely!  With the inside light aqua filled in with basketweave and the darker outside worked in encroaching Gobelin stitches, the wings are now completed.

The bodice of the angel's dress was worked in a woven stitch with Kreinik #12 Tapestry braid #001.  You'll have to take my word on this, since the camera picked up on the metallic thread going in two directions and produced a major twinkle!  The darker parts of the sleeves were formed with diagonal oblong crosses and the outside edge worked in basketweave with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002.

And the angel now has a face, too, stitched in basketweave with DMC floss and cross stitches for the eyes and mouth.  The hair was worked in long and satin stitches with two strands of Burmilana #3506, with a single strand of the same thread forming the eyebrows in a straight stitch.

I'll be back when I've made some headway on the angel's overskirt.

Polishing a halo

There are a lot of areas calling for metallic thread in this canvas, so I decided to attack some of them first instead of working the face.  The outside rim of the halo was painted in the same gold used in the wings, and I wanted to distinguish one from the other.  So the gold of the halo was stitched in basketweave with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 002V, and Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 002 was used for the wings.  It doesn't show up very well in this photo, but the difference in golds is definitely noticeable .

Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 001 was worked in tent stitches and basketweave for all the silver areas.  Inside the halo are DMC floss #3811 and Petite Very Velvet in a slightly darker shade to define the "spokes."  (Do halos have spokes?  I don't have a halo, so I can't answer that.)

The edging of her sleeves was stitched  with the same DMC floss, and her neckline was worked in the Kreinik braid 002 in slanted Gobelin stitches.  The same metallic braid will be used for the outside edge of her sleeves and the decorative swirls on her overskirt.

Now to work on her wings!

Stitching for myself again--finally!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last blogged!  This summer has been exceptionally busy:  Hotel Stradal was open for visiting relatives, I've been painting doorways like crazy for my ANG class in September as well as stitching a canvas for the next Needlepoint Now column.  The painting continues, but I now have a little time to squeeze in a small project for myself.

You may recall that some time ago, a stitching friend no longer able to needlepoint bequeathed her entire stash to me.  She, too, has an fondness for angels, and had collected several designs by Joan Thomasson.  This one pictured here is "Elizabeth," and since both the name and the colors appealed to me, I'm going to work on her first.  After all, you can't be too rich, too thin, or have too many angels on an angel tree at holiday time!

Readying for the Fourth/Ducking a Hurricane

Arthur, the first hurricane of the 2014 season, has caused a few changes in plans along the Eastern coastline.  Tonight the Boston Pops will hold its annual Fourth of July concert on the Esplanade a night early, due to heavy rains scheduled for tomorrow.  So I decided to bump my celebration, too, in case heavy winds leave me with no power to blog on The Day.

Flying our flag proudly is The Hermitage in Nashville, TN, a design from the Doorways to the Past series.  It was the home of Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States.  Friends of ours from Texas--native-born Canadians, no less--took a family vacation there several years ago over July 4 and brought me back a great photo, which I adapted to needlepoint.

 The only unclear detail in the photo was the doorway itself--was it painted or stained,  and what did the door handles look like?  I got my answers when I called The Hermitage and talked to a lovely lady at the reception desk!

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.