Feeling spooky

Happy Halloween from The Dreamgirls and Me!

Ready to trick-or-treat!

The three tiny trick-or-treaters who accompanied the Haunted House canvas by Painted Pony Designs are ready to be made into stand-ups!

The witch sports a hat of black Petite Very Velvet trimmed with Kreinik #12 braid 001.  The rest of her costume was stitched in DMC floss and her broom in DMC pearl cotton.

The scarecrow was also worked in DMC floss, with a hat and hair stitched in pearl cotton.

The monster was given spiky hair worked in a satin stitch with vintage Medici wool.  His striped shirt was stitched in Vineyard Silk Classic Citron and Tangerine and his boots were worked in green Petite Very Velvet.

Cute little guys, aren't they?

Haunted House - Finis!

                                                 All it took was one skein of DMC floss to finish the clapboards of the Haunted House, and the whole thing was completed!  Prior to that, I had stitched the last of the motifs at the foundation.  From right to left:  The cat, worked in black Fuzzy Stuff with green Kreinik eyes.  Next, the cauldron, with a plume of steam created by white Flair in a Satin stitch.  (I removed the silver metallic core before stitching).  The flames were worked with Kreinik braid in an encroaching Gobelin stitch, with individual tent stitches for "embers."  I divided the area below the cauldron into logs, stitched with Burmilana, and ashes stitched with Impressions.  The spindly tree was formed by Silken Straw Whiskey in stem stitches.

The bag of candy was worked with DMC #5 pearl cotton in an encroaching Gobelin stitch, with DMC floss creating the candy in individual tent stitches and the "C" in a satin stitch.

The crescent moon and star at the top of the eave were worked in an encroaching Gobelin stitch with Silk Lame Braid for 18 ct. and hung from Kreinik braid 005 HL worked in stem stitches.

With the house itself completed, all that remains to be stitched are the little trick-or-treater canvases that came with the house, which hopefully won't take too long to work up.

Haunted House - Tiny trick-or-treaters

Talk about best-laid plans!  I had all but the top of the last quarter-panel to stitch on the Haunted House when I ran out of DMC floss to work the clapboards.  I need to visit my LNS later this week to pick up threads for another project, so the floss will be at the top of my shopping list!

Not to waste time, I turned to the three canvases which had come with the Haunted House:  three little trick-or-treaters only two inches high.  To finish them as stand-ups around the Haunted House, I first needed to give them a background.

Starting with the little monster, I measured the figure, adding five canvas threads top and bottom and four on each side, and drew the outline on graph paper.  When the outline was transferred to the canvas, I "grounded" the figure with Watercolours Copper, the same thread I'd used for the bottom of the Haunted House, using a diagonal mosaic stitch.  The rest of the background was filled with DMC floss 931 in basketweave to simulate a night sky.  There's not a lot of room for decorative stitches on these little people!

Haunted House - Week 4

More whittling away at details has been going on here!  The second roof section is almost done and the foundation has all of the Watercolour rocks embedded in it.

The house now has a front door and porch worked in DMC #5 pearl cotton in slanted Gobelin stitches and all of the windows are done.  From left to right:  a ghost of Kreinik #8 fine braid 5760, cobwebs of Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 001 in tent stitches, and a smiling Jack 'O Lantern.  All of the pumpkins feature Vineyard Silk Classic Simply Simmered and Pomegranate, stems of dark green Petite Very Velvet and eyes and mouths of Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 005HL.

Under the window with the pumpkin is what I call "The Thing in the Basement," two eyes of Smyrna crosses worked in blue Kreinik metallic braid.  To the right of the basement window stands a broom, worked in both slanted and straight Gobelin stitches  The cauldron has been stitched in Kreinik metallic and the logs under it begun, but the verdict is out on that section.  I'll be rethinking the way I stitch that before adding the flames.

Haunted House - Week 3

A little bit here, a little bit there.  Slowly but surely, a project comes together!

The roof section on the right is now nailed down with cross stitches of Kreinik #12 braid 001.  The window below it sports a bowl of candy and a padded satin-stitched candy apple, both done in DMC cotton floss.

The tombstone was worked in DMC #5 pearl cotton in an encroaching Gobelin stitch with tent stitches for the RIP and lines.  Next to it is a slightly droopy calla lily of Vineyard Silk Classic Bright White in a satin stitch with a stem and leaves in dark green Petite Very Velvet.  The next window over now has its little witch with French knot curls of vintage DMC Medici. 

Work has started on the second roof section, and the window below it has shutters and the beginnings of a basement window.  There's a Petite Very Velvet spider danging from stem stitches of Kreinik #12 braid 001 next to the door.  And the clapboards now extend into the fourth section of the house.

The idea of the different Halloween motifs "floating" along the foundation of the house bothered me, so after finishing the tent stitching on the foundation itself with Watercolours Belgian Stone, I added  some "soil" with a row of slanted Gobelin stitches two canvas threads high using Watercolours Copper.

Haunted House - Week 2

Work on this little house has been progressing nicely from right to left.  Almost all of the clapboards have been completed on three-quarters of the house.

Under the clapboards, I've started adding a foundation of Watercolours Belgian Stone in basketweave, and a couple of rocks within the foundation have been worked in a satin stitch using Watercolours Flagstone.  This thread has a fair amount of pink and rose in it, which I'm cutting out so I can use the remaining shades of gray.

Half of the roof of slanted Gobelin stitches is now done, minus its nails.  At the peak of the second section in from the right, I've added a bat of black Petite Very Velvet, dangling from a row of stem stitches in Kreinik #12 braid 001.  A second set of shutters is now complete, and the little witch peering out the window to check on her cauldron has a hat of black PVV.

Just about time to start adding some of the cool little details!  Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Haunted House - Week 1

When you're stitching a little house such as this one, the siding is basically the equivalent of background on another canvas.  I've chosen to treat the siding as clapboards, so my "go-to" stitch is a slanted Gobelin over two canvas threads, worked with three strands of DMC cotton floss 415.

The roof has been started with more slanted Gobelin stitches of DMC #5 perle cotton 414 and shaded with 413.  I'll wait until the whole section is finished before setting the "nails."

The first window has been given shutters of DMC #5 perle cotton 414, shaded with black perle cotton and illuminated with tent stitches of Kreinik #12 tapestry braid 091.  I'll keep working on the clapboards, treating myself from time to time by working one of the many details.

Out-of-season stitching--again

Needlepoint Nation Stash Exchange is a group on Facebook that helps folks find new homes for canvases.  In my first foray into canvas "adoption," I scored a real winner:  a 3-D Halloween house by Painted Pony Designs.  The canvas shown here came with three tiny canvases of Halloween characters, but I decided to tackle the house first.

For quite some time, 3-D canvases have intrigued me, and I've actually designed and stitched two birdhouses.  I also have never stitched a Painted Pony canvas before, but I can tell from the quality of the painting that this canvas won't be my last!  I'll be working this project into my schedule around stitching I'm doing for my Needlepoint Now column, but I'll try to post my progress once a week or so.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Jack and I just wanted to wish everyone a boo-tiful day!  Jack is a door hanger--the first Halloween design I created--worked in DMC cotton floss, Kreinik metallics, and black Petite Very Velvet.

Happy Halloween!

Q:  Why are the "Dreamgirls" singing today?

A:  Because the Red Sox won the World Series last night!

Trick or treat!

Happy to report we survived Hurricane Sandy unscathed, unlike our unfortunate neighbors in New York and New Jersey.  And how did our little terrier Phoebe weather the storm?  Why, hunkered down on top of her best friend, Molly the beagle, of course!

The little ghosts of "A Chorus Line" wish everyone a Happy Halloween!

Game over!

There's something to be said for a hurricane: you can get an incredible amount of stitching done waiting for it to arrive! Good ole' Earl got down-graded to a tropical storm and became more of a "pseudo-event" here on the Cape, but thanks to all of you who sent positive thoughts our way!

"The Gamblers" is finished. and I think I now have worked the "sillies" out of my system! After completing the border and the ghosts themselves, I concentrated on the table. I needed a matte thread which would resemble felt for this area, so I selected a green Petite Very Velvet. The color and texture were just fine, but the higher profile of the PVV created little "wells" where the poker chips would be stitched.

I needed to raise the chips above the background as well as give them the appearance of being stacked. So I first padded the areas with DMC floss in basketweave, then turned the canvas 90 degrees to work oblong cross stitches horizontally on top of the padding. Voila!--stacked poker chips!

Now it's back to painting, as I contemplate my next project!

Another player joins the game

I've been working the last several nights on the orange background for "The Gamblers."

Since the first ghost had already been stitched with metallic thread in basketweave, I wanted a decorative stitch for the background to provide a little texture. But I didn't want the profile of the stitch to overpower the ghosts. My solution: to work this area in a Nobuko stitch, but with three plies of DMC floss #970 rather than my usual four plies. Because the thread is an exact match to the painted background, it covers well and doesn't compete with the ghosts.

Of several "progress" photos taken at this point, I liked this one best because it shows more clearly the high profile of the black Petite Very Velvet in the border. This shot shows the border looking more like a frame for the center scene, and the symbols of the card suits stand out against the white diagonal mosaic background.

The ghostly card-shark on the right has been stitched and his competitor across the table has been started. When I'm finished stitching with white metallic and working the background, I'll go back and add the shading and "facial features" to these little guys. But for now, I need to make some final preparations for the onslaught of Hurricane Earl, which is predicted to barrel down on Cape Cod and the Islands sometime tonight!

Ghost #1 reviews his hand

Half of the border is done on "The Gamblers," so I was able to concentrate on getting the center ghost stitched.

His "body" was worked in basketweave with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #032. Tent stitches in DMC floss #415 produced his eyelids and arm shading. His eyeshade was worked in tent stitches of black Petite Very Velvet and slanted gobelin stitches over two threads in Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #008HL for the visor.

The cards he's holding were stitched with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #221 and DMC floss #666, the same threads I used to stitch the cards in the top corners of the border. Now that this little guy is in place, I can start working on the orange background!

Bordering on the other-worldly

I'm fairly predictable when it comes to starting a canvas: if it has a border, I usually begin stitching there. Likewise, if there's a lot of one color involved, I tend to put as much of that behind me before tackling "juicier" areas!

I'm stitching "The Gamblers" as a door-hanger, and already know how I'll have it finished-- backed with black velveteen. I think of a border as a frame for a smaller scene, so I wanted this area to have a slightly higher profile.

The inside and outside perimeters of the border have been worked with black Petite Very Velvet in a slanted gobelin stitch, over either two or three threads. The inside background used four plies of white DMC cotton floss in a diagonal mosaic stitch to add a little texture. I then started to fill in the symbols for the playing card suits with the same PVV in basketweave.

There's also a fair amount of orange background to be worked in the center section, but I'll need to do a little "ghostly" stitching before I can start this area!

Shaking the sillies out

Passing a glorious display of jewel-toned chrysanthemums outside our local market earlier this week, it suddenly hit me: fall is fast approaching! Time for another Halloween design!

I chewed on an idea all the way home and, having dutifully stashed away my groceries, sat down to sketch. DH sailed through the kitchen and I showed him my crude drawing--he laughed. A good sign! I then transferred my idea to graph paper, and having slept on the count for the border, painted the design you see here the next day. "The Gamblers" was born!

These little poker-playing ghosts join their singing and dancing counterparts of "A Chorus Line" and last year's "Dreamgirls," and offer me my once-a-year opportunity to let my imagination go wild and be slightly ridiculous! I'll be stitching this canvas as a door-hanger, so drop in to watch my progress!

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!