An encore performance

The "Dreamgirls" are back--from the finisher, that is. I thought those of you who followed my progress in stitching this little Halloween door-hanger might be interested in seeing how it turned out.

The finishing was done by Stitchery Square in Camden, Maine, who turned this project around in plenty of time for the upcoming holiday. Once again, Michelle McCreery, a very sweet and talented lady, has worked her magic with black and metallic white cording and an over-the-top embellishment of sparkly orange and black-and-white ribbons and a little purple doo-dad for good measure.

Our across-the-street neighbors' renovation project is behind schedule, so perhaps this will cheer up the lady of the house!

Showtime!

"Dreamgirls" is all stitched and ready for the finisher!

I made a trip to my LNS for the remaining Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #032 that I needed to finish the "lead singer," and was gratified when Barry, the shop owner, applauded my choice of background stitch and colors.

The border was stitched in a combination of black Petite Very Velvet--two rows of gobelin stitch over two threads--intersected by Scotch stitches in the three shades of DMC cotton floss.

The eyes of the ghosts were worked in Smyrna crosses and the mouths in satin stitch, both using DMC floss, while DMC floss #415 provided the outline of the "lead singer." The microphone was worked in a Scotch stitch variation with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #001 and the stand in the black Petite Very Velvet.

Around the perimeter of the design area is a row of gobelin stitches over two threads in the predominant DMC floss #946. This will provide a seam allowance for the finisher, as I plan to have the door hanger lightly padded like a mini-pillow, backed with black velveteen, and surrounded by orange seam cording and hanger.

NC Pat had suggested I include a sound button inside the hanger, and was kind enough to do some research into possibilities. The only real option either one of us found was a button playing spooky ghost sounds--not exactly the "soul" music I was looking for, so I've decided to forego the "special effects." My neighbor will just have to use her imagination!

On Monday, I have a ton of completed pieces to send to the finisher, including this project, and hopefully "Dreamgirls" will return in time for my neighbors' Halloween housewarming!

Oops!

Well, nuts! My cone of Kreinik metallic thread is giving up the ghost! (Pardon the pun--couldn't resist!)

For those of you not familiar with cones of Kreinik thread, a cone is roughly the equivalent of five spools. That's a lot of thread! But Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #032 is one of my favorite threads, so I use it a lot. When I realized I was starting to run out, I concentrated my stitching on the left ghost, so I could at least continue working on the background until I get to my LNS for more thread.

I also have a lot of painting to do, so in the meantime, I'll finish up as much background as possible and work on the top border. And at some point, these little ghosts need eyes and mouths, too, so stay tuned!

Adding the sizzle

I've done some more basketweave on the ghosts, enough so that I treated myself to filling in the alternating colors in the jacquard pattern of the background. I'd made some progress with the DMC cotton floss #552 (purple), and started adding the black floss every other line of tent stitches outlining the predominant DMC #946 (orange).

If you look back at my first post with the background painted a solid orange, you can definitely see a difference comparing the two photos. In this case, the choice of stitch, as well as the colors used to execute it, creates a design element of its own. The white of the Kreinik metallic braid used for the ghosts appears whiter and brighter; the tri-colored jacquard stitch grounds the ghosts yet creates an electricity of its own. On another canvas, the background would look ridiculous, but for Halloween, a time when grown people do things they'd never do any other time of the year, it's perfectly acceptable!

Starting off on the right foot

When a friend of mine saw the painted canvas of "Dreamgirls," she remarked that the orange background was definitely "different." She undoubtedly knew that orange is my least favorite color. When I painted "A Chorus Line," another Halloween design, I gave it a lime green background because I loved the look of that shade with black and white. Two shop owners asked me to custom paint several with an orange background--a "more traditional Halloween color" was their explanation. So for this canvas, I'm bowing to tradition, but with a twist!

I never planned to stitch a solid orange background for this canvas. It needed a background with an "edge" to make the ghosts pop and a stitch that proportionately would fit the ghostly stars. I decided on a jacquard stitch, with orange as the predominant color, accented by black and purple. (Purple is DH's least favorite color, so I have to sneak it in when I can!)

But I'm also a true painted canvas person, who wants everything in place before I stab the canvas with my needle--I don't want to count as I go along, only to find somewhere down the canvas that I've miscounted and have to rip out. So I drew in the intersecting lines for the jacquard stitch, and now I can sit back and stitch in a relaxed fashion. I've started the basketweave stitching of the ghosts with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #032--the basketweave will provide the most "twinkle." And I've started filling in the orange with DMC cotton floss #946. When I've made a little more progress, I'll start filling in the tent stitches surrounding the orange sections.

A Halloween housewarming

In June, our neighbors across the street began the arduous task of transforming their erstwhile vacation home into a year-round residence. Every morning at seven o'clock, the contractors begin their concert on hammer and power tools, punctuated by the occasional hum of the building supply delivery truck's diesel engine and the clang of the dumpster exchange. It's certainly a different way for us to start our day, but even more so for our neighbors, who are living in the house during the renovation!

DH and I are old hands at this process, having lived through three remodels while living in the house under siege, so we can feel this couple's pain! In a recent conversation, the wife revealed that Halloween is her most favorite holiday; the husband remarked that, with any luck, construction would be completed by October and they intended to repay the neighbors' hospitality with a Halloween party. Hmmm....I could sense the inpiration for a Halloween design coming on which would make the perfect housewarming gift!

The result shown here is "Dreamgirls," a totally silly take-off on my equally wacko "A Chorus Line" design from a couple of years ago. For my next project, I'll be stitching "Dreamgirls" as a door hanger, adding song as well as dance to my collection of Halloween designs!