Filling in the blanks

Now that the cuff is finished, I'm going back to the body of the stocking to work areas I skipped before.  I'd been working from my stash, but a trip to my LNS, Town-Ho Needleworks in Brewster, MA, yielded cards of Petite Very Velvet.

The same blue PVV I'd used for the name on the cuff and the dome of the largest nutcracker's crown was added for his belt and jacket cuff, trimmed with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 002.

The helmet of the middle nutcracker was stitched in basketweave with white PVV.  Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 102 was worked in a diagonal oblong cross stitch for the knob at the top of the helmet and in tent stitches for the center design.  Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 033 provided the blue accents.

The caps of the ornaments were worked in a satin stitch with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 3221.  The "chops" of the largest nutcracker were worked in DMC floss in basketweave and satin stitches, in preparation for stitching a lot of hair!

Cuffed again

It took a lot longer than expected to finish the cuff on the Nutcracker/Packages stocking, but here it is finally!

Once again, I turned to Needle Nicely (www.needlenicely.com) in Vero Beach, Florida, for an alphabet for the name.  The shop provided me with a graphed chart that I used to transfer the letters to the canvas with a permanent marker.

The background was worked in a Nobuko stitch with Vineyard Silk Classic Bright White.  The letters were formed with blue Petite Very Velvet, which I also used to stitch the dome of the nutcracker's crown in basketweave.

A completed background!

This past week, the weather here has been pretty dismal, making it difficult to distinguish the colors of the foliage in the background of the Nutcracker/Packages stocking.  But hooray!--the background is finally done, and the rest of the stitching should be fairly easy.

Ornament hooks were added in tent stitches with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #001.  The largest nutcracker's crown was worked in diagonal oblong cross stitches with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002.

There's a three-inch cuff that needs to be stitched, so I'll work on that next in between wrapping up another column for Needlepoint Now.

Reaching the top

I've been away for a week, attending the last and most special September wedding--that of my oldest son.  The darling guy who 15 years ago brought home a puppy one night, asking "Ma, can we keep her?" finally brought me a daughter.  And she is a keeper!

Obviously, I couldn't take Nutcracker/Packages on the plane with me.  In fact, I didn't take any stitching, just a book.  But it sure was good to feel a needle in my hand when we returned home.

The largest nutcracker's tunic is now completed, trimmed with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 002 in tent stitches and Smyrna crosses.  Sheep's Silk Old Gold was used in satin stitches for the epaulets and diagonal mosaic and reverse diagonal mosaic for the collar.  The red arches and band on his crown were worked in tent and slanted Gobelin stitches with red Petite Very Velvet.

More progress has been made on the background, with the section between the two brown branches at the top left almost finished.  And that lovely white line at the top of the photo marks the outside edge of the painted design!

Still scrolling

It was just a matter of time before the largest nutcracker got his face--or part of one, anyway.    His eyebrows and mustache will be added later, but at least there are a pair of twinkling blue eyes looking at me!

Work continues on his red tunic, with only one sleeve left to go.  The bottom of his tunic now has a little trim in tent stitches and Smyrna crosses using Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 002.

The background on the right now reaches the middle of the red ornament, with the left side almost at the same level.  With one more scroll, I'll actually be able to see the top of the painted design area!

Scrolling along

Daytime stitching enabled more work on the background, which now reaches to the middle of the blue ornament on the left and just above the hook for the gold ornament on the right.

The middle nutcracker now has cuffs on his sleeves, worked in an interlocking/encroaching Gobelin stitch with vintage red DMC Medici wool.  Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 102 and 080HL were added to complete his belt.

The section between the largest nutcracker's tunic and pants was filled in with a woven stitch with Sheep's Silk Old Gold.  The bottom of his tunic and his glove were worked in an interlocking/encroaching Gobelin stitch with two values of red Impressions.  There's a lot of red in his tunic, so I've started on the sleeve on the  right in hopes there's enough thread in my stash to finish this area.

I'm making a shopping list of threads I'll need to finish the areas I've skipped as I make my way up to the top of the canvas!

Seeing the light

A couple of glorious, sunny mornings made it possible to work some more on the background of the Nutcracker/Packages stocking.  The foliage now reaches a little above the brim of the middle nutcracker's helmet on both sides of the stocking.

The trim on the front of the middle nutcracker's tunic was added in tent and Smyrna crosses with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 102.  His belt was started with Sheep's Silk Old Gold in satin stitches, with more Kreinik metallic added in the buckle.

Sheep's Silk Old Gold was also used for the top of hit boots in a Double stitch, and for the epaulets of the smallest nutcracker in satin stitches.  The little nutcracker has a helmet and belt now, stitched in basketweave with black Petite Very Velvet.