Happy Easter!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow with family and friends!  I've made my favorite thing for Easter dinner--reservations!

The photo is of the "In The Pink" ornament from the Eggs for All Seasons series, designed several years ago for an online discussion group Easter egg exchange.  It was stitched with DMC cotton floss and Kreinik braid using tent, mosaic and diagonal mosaic stitches and Smyrna crosses.

Right now I've got out my turbo needles to finish a canvas for an upcoming Needlepoint Now column, but I hope to be back soon with a finale for the Peaceable Kingdom angel stand-up.

Trip project finale

I've finally finished the "English Rose" canvas that I took with me on our recent trip to Texas and Kansas!

The background was stitched in taupe Petite Very Velvet, while the ribbons were worked in DMC cotton floss.  Pink and gold Kreinik #12 tapestry braid provided a bit of twinkle along the edges of the ribbons.

I'll add this to my collection of dining room ornaments, in hopes of eventually getting enough to decorate in a new theme and color scheme!

What a difference color makes!

The little red and gold ornament is finished, and --oh, my--how different it is from the original design!

The intensity of the red in the ovals was sapping the energy out of the Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002 that I'd used thus far, so I wanted to use another metallic to fill in the connecting diamonds. My choice: Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #203, which the folks at Kreinik call Flame. It's the metallic equivalent of an overdye, combining both #002 gold and #003 red. Adding the Flame gave more depth to the canvas and made the pure gold metallic really pop.

The photo at right is of my model for the original design, Berries in Snow. Like its counterpart, it was stitched with Petite Very Velvet, DMC floss, and two shades of Kreinik metallic thread. Line for line, both designs are the same. But what a difference can be achieved by changing the colorway!

I'll be back next week with another red and gold ornament to stitch--with an entirely different look.

Making good progress

All the ovals on this little red and gold ornament are now completed. They were stitched in basketweave with four plies of DMC floss #321.

I then went back and filled in the Smyrna crosses inside the ovals with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002.

To set apart the center band from the rest of the ornament, I added a row of braided knitting at the top and bottom of the Petite Very Velvet using the same Kreinik braid.

Only the small intersecting diamonds remain to be stitched, and I'm trying to decide between two different Kreinik braids to fill them. As I've stitched this piece, I've noticed that all the red used so far seems to sap some of the bling one would normally get from using a metallic thread. So I'll just add more bling!--but which one?

A touch of velvet

I began stitching the red and gold ornament with Petite Very Velvet V632 from my stash. PVV is high on my list of favorite threads--it's so easy to work with and gives great texture to a simple ornament like this one. Since I plan to work the rest of the design in DMC floss, the PVV will add a little dimension to the top, bottom and center sections of the finished piece.

The filigree at top and bottom and the diamonds in the center band were worked in Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002. Smyrna crosses accentuate the inside and the outside points of the diamonds.

So far, so good--now to begin filling in the ovals!

Seeing red

I've been working on a monochromatic canvas under the radar screen lately, and the lack of color was really getting to me! So I'm starting a small project to fix that situation and help out a worthy cause at the same time.

Every other year, the Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary sponsors a "Holly Berry Bazaar" as a fund-raiser. A friend of mine is in charge of decorating two full-size trees, which are raffled off at the end of the bazaar. One tree has a Cape Cod theme, the other is decked in red and gold ornaments. I already have three ornaments to decorate the Cape tree set to go, and decided to do some work for the other tree.

I've come up with a different colorway for my "Berries in Snow" ornament in the Eggs for All Seasons series. Hopefully this will help decorate the red and gold tree as well as relieve my color deprivation!

Happy New Year!

As 2011 winds down, I wish all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! Thanks for stopping by to follow my explorations in needlepoint--I appreciate your comments and personal messages cheering me on!

Getting ready for Turkey Day

If you're anything like me, you're wondering whatever happened to August?! There are only four days left until Thanksgiving, and--scarier still--one month and three days until Christmas!

To get myself in the holiday mood, I dug out my "Autumn Glow" egg, a crazy quilt design featuring colors and motifs of the season. The "backbone" of this egg is a wonderful thread--"Autumn Bouquet" Sheep's Silk by The Thread Gatherer, one of my favorite silk/wool blends. It forms the basis for the segments at one, four and seven o'clock.

The rest of the egg was stitched in DMC cotton floss, Kreinik #12 tapestry braid, and Petite Very Velvet--all in basically simple stitches that, by virtue of the colors chosen, still pack a punch!

Very little stitching for me today! I'm off to wash and iron my kitchen curtains!

Three down, ? to go

This pink and green version of my "Gretchen" egg is all finished and ready to join the two pastel mini-socks for next year's dining room Christmas decorations!

It took very little time to stitch the one remaining ribbon--the center horizontal one--to wrap up this project. I used the DMC floss #503 which already formed its edge and DMC floss #3733 in mosaic stitches surrounding Scotch stitches in DMC floss #819.

Am I "hooked" on mosaic stitches? Not really, although I seem to have done quite a few of them lately! But the mosaic stitch is such a tidy way to work areas covering an even number of stitches, and can form interesting patterns in combination with other stitches. I've used it to form hearts, flowers, checks, plaids, wreaths and Christmas trees. It's a stitch that's easily mastered and looks good using any number of different threads.

At some point, I'll probably stitch another egg-shaped ornament to add to this collection, but I'd like to include ornaments in different shapes as well. Hmmm....I'll have to think about that one!

Another day, another ribbon

I finished framing the Scotch stitches in the window-pane check ribbons, using DMC floss #3731. The egg is starting to take on a more contemporary look, but that's okay with me. I like to mix different styles, and when you're dealing with Christmas ornaments, almost anything goes!

I moved on to the plaid vertical ribbon, using the same pinks from the floral ribbon but reversing the positioning of colors. The darker pink is on the inside of the plaid, highlighted by Kreinik #12 tapestry braid, with the lighter pink forming the edges of the ribbon. The green in the plaid is DMC floss #3816, one value darker than the green in the window-pane check and two values lighter than the edge of the center horizontal ribbon.

One more ribbon to go, and I'll have myself another ornament!

Stitching woven ribbons

There's no hard-and-fast rule to stitching a woven ribbons design: I'm sure everyone has his/her own way of doing it. I always begin with the background--in this case, some green Fleur de Paris fine mesh velour I had in my stash. Unfortunately, this thread is no longer manufactured, but Petite Very Velvet works just as well.

My next step is to stitch the edges of the ribbons. The "window pane" check ribbon was worked in DMC floss #504 in a gobelin stitch over three threads; the vertical plaid ribbon was edged in DMC #5 perle cotton #818 with the same gobelin stitch. To add a little "bling" to the middle horizontal ribbon, I first stitched a single row of Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002V, then added DMC floss #503 in a gobelin stitch over two threads.

Now to the floral ribbon that's been completed. I first stitched the edge in DMC floss #3354, then filled in the background with mosaic stitches using DMC floss #818. The "flowers" were also worked in mosaic stitch with DMC floss # 3354 and #3733, with the centers filled in with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #009 in Smyrna crosses.

I moved on to the framed Scotch stitch that makes up the window-pane check--I'll fill in the framework next. This particular design has what I call a "built-in" stitch guide: while the design could be worked entirely in tent stitches and look just fine, the pre-determined stitch count lends itself to decorative stitches that add a little interest to the finished product.

In the spirit of Christmas Future

Yes, I DO tend to think ahead. And yes, when I get what I think is a bright idea, I'm like a puppy with a bone.

I was so pleased with the way my pastel mini-socks turned out recently, I decided to try my hand at an egg-shaped ornament to go with them to decorate my dining room--for Christmas 2010! I decided to re-do the "Gretchen" egg (right) in pinks and greens, adding a bit of "bling" just for Christmas. The final product won't be all pink and mint green--I'll need to choose different shades from color families in my stash to make the woven ribbons more interesting.

A stitching buddy in Wisconsin asked me recently if I would "walk through" my stitching of an egg, and this seemed to be the ideal opportunity. So here goes!

A time to rally

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, a time for all of us to rally to fight this insidious disease.

According to the American Cancer Society, one woman in eight will fall victim to this disease during her lifetime. Gee, that's strange: the risk factor is exactly the same today as it was 11 years ago when I became a statistic myself. What are we doing--or not doing--to improve the odds of beating this foe in our lifetime?

Obviously, putting our money where our mouths are is a good start. In addition to the American Cancer Society and the Susan G. Komen Foundation, there are many other worthwhile organizations raising money to fund research for a cure and to support victims of the disease.

But we can also advocate for ourselves: when was the last time YOU had a mammogram? Statistics have shown that the earlier breast cancer is detected, the greater is the chance of surviving the disease. Just think: an hour of your time spent, once a year, could save your life. You might actually reach the bottom of that pile of UFOs in your stash--a scary thought!

An Egg well done!

If you recall, way back at the beginning of May, I received an e-mail from Gaile in Wisconsin, asking for help in stitching my Eggs for All Seasons "Candlelight Window." After a 15-year hiatus in needlepoint, Gaile was testing the waters with a painted canvas. And what a treat--the other day I received a picture of her finished canvas. Excuse me, but I don't think Gaile needed any help at all! Look how beautiful her ornament is!

I asked her about threads and stitches she had used, as well as her overall experience getting back into the swing of things. Here's what she wrote:

"Basically the stitches I used were basketweave, straight and slanted gobelin, a few continental where needed to fill in, and French knots for the pine boughs. I have a large stash so I bought only the Petite Very Velvet, which is a treat to work with. For the wallpaper, I experimented with several threads, but liked the way DMC Medici wool looked and so I used that for the background as well as the burgundy crosses and the valance. The white part of the valance is Silk & Ivory. Then I used blue #5 perle cotton for the window frame and woodwork, and white #5 perle cotton for the paneling beneath the window. I had a small bit of red silk which I used for the candle, because the sheen was nicer with it than cotton floss.

"Actually, the stitches just seemed to flow....I've avoided painted canvases because of having trouble deciding where to change colors, and there was no question at all on this canvas. It was a pleasure to stitch, and when it was finished I was a little sorry....hated to see it come to an end. But I love the ornament. It just called to me, and I'm so glad I was able to get it. Now it'll be on our tree for many years to come."

The pleasure was all mine, Gaile! I'm so glad you had fun--that's what needlepoint is all about! This one is headed for my Guest Gallery for sure!

Consider the lilies

Happy Easter, everyone!

The background of this egg--"Lily"--was stitched in basketweave with DMC cotton floss and a Smyrna cross trellis pattern using Kreinik #12 tapestry braid. The background for the cross was stitched with Fleur de Paris fine mesh velour, which has since been discontinued by the manufacturer. Outlining the cross is a gobelin stitch of Kreinik #16 braid.

The flowers and leaves were also stitched with DMC floss in a combination of long stitches and French knots.

Interpreting a painted canvas

You find a painted canvas and fall in love. You get it home and stare at it, thinking "Now what the heck do I do?" The good news: you really can't make a mistake--it's all a matter of interpretation! A case in point--my "In the Garden" egg.

The first photo is of the stitch-painted canvas.

The second photo is my model, which follows the original design. The third photo is courtesy of Pierrette Pattyn, who provided her version for the Guest Gallery on my website.

In stitching her version, Pierrette chose to eliminate the bunny, adding glorious flowers instead in silk ribbon embroidery. Then she added the bird and bee charms to make it her own.

The morale of the story: go with the flow in stitching a painted canvas--your interpretation may be better than the original!

Polishing my halo

I'm trying very hard to keep my belated resolutions for 2009, so I finished the Egg for All Seasons that had "gone missing" in my office/studio. This one's called "Baroque," a simple yet graceful little ornament.

"Baroque" was stitched with black Petite Very Velvet, Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002, and white DMC cotton floss.

Now that this project is finished, the siren song of a new, unstitched canvas is calling to me. There are less than nine months until Christmas, so I think I'd better answer the call and work on the canvas Gail Hendrix painted for me to give my son. After all, getting that ornament finished was another resolution!

Wishing Spring might come soon

I awoke to snow this morning. Flurries intermittently appeared during the afternoon. Now, at 8 p.m., it's started to snow again. Enough already--this winter stuff is getting old!

At least on the Cape, winter is still in full throttle. But I'm dreaming of days ahead, when my little crocuses start popping their heads through the still-soggy ground, hoping an itinerant chipmunk doesn't need a snack.

So, if you were wondering where I get the inspiration for some of my designs, now you know! This crocus was stitched in long stitches with DMC #5 perle cotton, with a background of DMC floss and Kreinik #12 tapestry braid.

Holiday decorating

The stockings won't be hung by the chimney with care for a couple of nights yet, but our holiday decorating has been done for a week or so now. Decking the living room mantel are some of my Christmas-oriented "Eggs for All Seasons," pictured here. Just wanted to assure you that I don't always think in black and white!