Eye candy

I love to see how other people interpret my designs! Just this week, I received a photo from Lucia in Arizona, who had stitched Mission San Carlos del Carmelo from my Missions of California series.

Lucia did quite a bit of needle-blending on this canvas: mixing different shades of floss for the stucco facade of the mission as well as combining one ply of a darker shade to three plies of blue floss for the sky. Didn't she do a fabulous job?!

This mission canvas is among the selection sent to Old World Designs in Menlo Park, California, which opens a trunk show of ABS Designs today through February 25.

Fellow designer and stitch guide collaborator Sue Dulle is gearing up for St. Patrick's Day by stitching my Leprechaun cylindrical ornament. You can watch her progress at www.sudukc.wordpress.com.

Mission accomplished

Just in time for a new year, Mission San Gabriel Arcangel is finished!

The strip of grass below the stairs was worked in a slanted gobelin stitch with one ply of Wildflowers "Jade." Using the same thread but with two plies, the grassy area in the foreground was worked in a diagonal horizontal cashmere stitch.

I didn't have quite the right shade of thread that I wanted for the trunks of the palm trees, so I decided to make my own thread! I combined three shades of Burmilana--one ply each of 3504H, 3729T and 3506--and worked the trunks in a vertical slanted gobelin stitch. While I'd normally use two plies of Burmilana for basketweave, three plies make the trunks stand out nicely from the buildings behind them.

The shrubs were worked in different green threads and stitches to make them look more realistic. The shrub on the far left was worked in long stitches using one ply of Impressions "Moss." The darkest green shrubs were stitched in French knots with Impressions #5060, while the middle shrub was worked in more French knots with Sheep's Silk "Moss Green." The shrub on the far right was worked in a satin stitch with Impressions "Moss"--no French knots here, so I wouldn't give my framer fits when trying to place a matte around the border.

The fronds of the palm trees used--believe it or not--two different dyelots of Sheep's Silk "Green Leaves Dark." I first worked the darker shade with one ply in long stitches, then added long stitches and stem stitches with the lighter shade on top to give the fronds some dimension.

I'm happy with the way this project turned out, and hope the graduate of the Mission high school who asked me to work up this design is, too!

All but the foliage

The buildings are finished on the Mission San Gabriel canvas!

When I completed stitching the roof and facade of the building on the left, I popped in the window using DMC floss #3799 for the frame and DMC floss #318 for the panes.

The top of the lamp post was worked in satin and tent stitches with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002V and filled in with DMC floss #745. To make the pole and base look metallic, I used Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #100HL--despite its "high lustre" designation, this thread doesn't have the glitter of other white Kreinik metallics. The base was worked in satin and tent stitches, with the pole worked in stem stitches.

I added a sidewalk in slanted gobelin stitches with DMC floss #644. All that remain to be stitched are the trees, grass and shrubs, which I hope to finish in a few days.

Up on the rooftop

How appropriate--I've finished the roof of the building on the right just in time for Christmas Eve!

With the same white DMC #5 perle cotton I'd used on the bellwall, I filled in the facade of this building with more Nobuko stitches. The window alcove was stitched in basketweave with DMC cotton floss #415.

For the roof, I used a thread new to me: Weeks Dye Works pearl #5 "Molasses." The variation in color is very subtle in this thread, making the slanted gobelin stitches appear weathered and more realistic than if I'd used a solid colored thread.

As you can see, I've started raising the roof on the building to the left. Since this building is set back slightly from the bellwall, I'm stitching the facade in basketweave with DMC floss #415 to make it recede.

It's time now for me to get in high gear in the baking department, but I wanted to take the opportunity to wish all of you the most wonderful of holidays!

Bells are ringing

This time of year, it's hard to get as much stitching in as we'd like, but I did manage to finish the bellwall for Mission San Gabriel Arcangel.

Using the same white DMC #5 perle cotton that I had on the top, I worked the base of the bellwall in a Nobuko stitch. I've used this stitch before on other missions, as I think it mimics the undulations of stucco well. The steps were worked in a row of slanted gobelin stitches and a row of tent stitches.

The cross, bells and grille for the door were all stitched with DMC cotton floss #3799--it's not as harsh as black and gives kind of a weathered look. The bells are a combination of satin and tent stitches. The area behind the grille was worked in tent stitches with DMC floss #317.

I'll move on to the wall at the right, as I'm anxious to try a new thread for the roofs that I picked up at my LNS yesterday!

Focusing on the sky

I began work on the San Gabriel Arcangel mission canvas with the sky--not a particularly large area compared to some of my other mission designs, but large enough to add a little visual interest by needle-blending.

Starting at the top of the canvas, with four plies of DMC cotton floss #3755, I worked seven rows deep of basketweave across the sky, staggering the bottom stitches randomly. The next blend of floss--three plies of DMC floss #3755 and one ply of DMC floss #3325--ends at the top of the brown roof on the right and extends across the canvas.
I continued to subtract one ply of DMC floss #3755 and add one ply of DMC floss #3325 until I had reached the top of the brown roof on the left, using one ply of the former and three plies of the latter.

The top of the bellwall has been worked in slanted gobelin stitches with white DMC #5 perle cotton, with the ledges worked in DMC #5 perle cotton #415 in tent stitch. I'll wait to stitch the bells after I've finished the rest of the wall.

A mission to stitch

I frequently receive requests from folks to adapt their favorite lighthouses to needlepoint, but I rarely get an inquiry about a California mission. A couple of months ago, a stitcher contacted me about Mission San Gabriel Arcangel. She had graduated from the high school located on the mission grounds, and to date had been unable to locate a canvas that would help her capture some happy memories. A few false starts and a couple of magazine deadlines later, I'm adding this ninth design to my Missions of California series!

Father Junipero Serra, known as the "Father of California Missions," commissioned two priests to explore the area near the San Gabriel River. They founded the fourth mission in the chain in 1771 in present-day Montebello. The area proved ideal for farming and raising of livestock. In the early 1800s, vineyards were introduced, with grape-growing and wine-making continuing to the present day.

One of the most distinctive features of Mission San Gabriel Arcangel is its bellwall, or campanario, which unlike other missions is located at the back of the church instead of the front. My stitching friend and I agreed that this would be the focal point of the design, highlighting the mission's six bells of varying sizes.

Do come back and check on my progress as I bring this canvas to life!

Mission accomplished

Mission Santa Clara de Asis is finished!

I wrapped up construction on the buildings by adding hinges to the doors and a handrail with two plies of black DMC cotton floss in spring stitches. There are three statues placed within the niches between the columns and above the front door. Considering how tiny these spaces are, I took some artistic license and represented them with satin stitches of DMC floss #318.

On to the landscaping! The trees in the background on the left were worked with one strand of Impressions #5061 in a vertical diagonal cashmere stitch. The palm trees on the right were formed with long stitches with one strand of Sheep's Silk "Moss Green" and Sheep's Silk "Dark Chocolate" in tent stitches for the trunks.

The two taller bushes flanking either side of the columns were worked with one strand of Sheep's Silk "Camouflage" in a vertical diagonal oblong cross stitch over two threads. The bushes immediately in front of them and on the far ends were stitched in French knots with Sheep's Silk "Dark Moss," with more French knots of Sheep's Silk "Green Leaves" for the bushes closest to the sidewalk. One strand of Impressions "Emerald" in satin stitches created the grassy areas.

Using a variety of silk/wool blends for the greenery creates a nice contrast against the cotton floss and perle cotton used to stitch the buildings. Mixing different shades of green, with the darkest in the background graduating to lighter shades in the foreground, adds depth to the canvas and a more natural appearance.

Construction progress-Part II

I haven't had much stitching time, catching up instead with my oldest son visiting from Texas, but the buildings of the Santa Clara mission are complete with only a few tiny details remaining.

The imposing columns on the front of the chapel were worked in a gobelin stitch over two threads with DMC floss #436. The same thread was used for the doors, in a combination of tent and mosaic for the doors on the left and right and a Scotch stitch variation for the center door. Shading around the architectural elements was stitched with DMC floss #739.

The window at the peak of the chapel roof is a cross stitch using two plies of DMC #535. The window underneath it, as well as the small window on the bell tower, were worked with the same thread in a spring stitch--a vertical oblong cross stitch secured with single horizontal stitches. The window on the attached building at the far left was worked with a satin stitch using four plies of DMC floss #535.

I'll finish the few details remaining and move on to landscaping, where I'll be able to add some texture with different threads in various shades of green and decorative stitches.

Construction progress

Busy days, busy people--but I had two hours of good stitching time in the car yesterday, driving to Boston for the graduation of our youngest son from Boston University!

The facade of the wing is almost completed with the exception of the door--I'll do all three later. With the addition of satin stitches in DMC floss #712 for the architectural details, the center chapel area is starting to come to life. It's interesting to see how the light plays off these areas, before the shading is even added, making them look lighter than the wall stitched in the same color of floss.

The base of the stairs in two areas has also been added with DMC floss #433 in a slanted gobelin stitch over two threads. The sidewalk below was worked in tent stitches with DMC floss #648 and the road below in DMC floss #535 in slanted gobelin stitches over three threads.

Once I finish construction of the buildings, I can start adding greenery in a variety of colors and textures!

Raising the roof

The sky is finished, and I've learned a lesson: choose color families wisely when needle-blending! Too much discrepancy between DMC floss #813 and the next value, DMC #827, has created more of a line in the sky than I'd like to see. I'm hoping that the eye will be distracted away from the sky as I add more architectural details to the buildings.

Now to the buildings themselves! I chose DMC floss #712 for the primary color, stitching all but the architectural details in basketweave. More basketweave? Yes, because the facade is a smooth surface, and a decorative stitch would be totally inappropriate here--the intrinsic beauty of these missions lies in the simplicity of their design, so it just makes sense to keep the stitch simple, too.

The top of the bell tower is now complete, with a roof of DMC floss #975 and #3826. The beam below the roof was worked with DMC #5 perle cotton #938 in a gobelin stitch over two threads and the windows in satin stitch with DMC floss #535. The roof of the chapel, side building and wall to the right were worked in a mosaic stitch with DMC #5 perle cotton #434. This combination of thread and stitch provides just enough definition against the sky as well as the buildings below the roof.

Another basketweaving marathon

I've been working non-stop on the sky of the Mission Santa Clara canvas for the last two days, and this is what I have to show for myself: a sea of blue!

Unlike my other mission canvases, I decided to needle-blend the sky on this one, with a predominantly deep blue gradually fading to the horizon. So far all you see here is DMC cotton floss #813, in basketweave using three plies. I normally use four plies of floss on 18-count canvas, but after experimenting on my Mother's Day flower project, realized I could cover a painted canvas adequately with one ply less. Thinning the background will also help make the buildings stand out in higher relief.

The area stitched here represents one full skein of floss, and within it is a tiny bit of streaking which, at this point, I've chosen to ignore. I'm hoping the eye will be drawn away from this when I start adding another value of blue in the needle-blending process.

When I reached the top left corner of the canvas, I treated myself by working the crosses and dome of the bell tower using DMC cotton floss #927 in a combination of tent and satin stitches. I've got a long way to go yet, but console myself that almost one-third of the canvas is stitched!

A mission to stitch

This armchair traveler has headed to California to once again follow the Mission Trail. My next project is an adaptation to needlepoint of Mission Santa Clara de Asis, eighth in the chain of 21 missions established by Franciscan missionaries along the coast of California.

Founded in 1777, the mission was the first to be dedicated in honor of a woman--St. Clare of Assisi, who also happens to be the patron saint of needlework. Originally established on the Guadalupe River, the church was moved to higher ground in 1781 due to floods, fires and earthquakes. Another earthquake in 1818 destroyed the structure, and a fifth church was dedicated in 1825.

In 1851, ownership of the church was transferred to the Jesuit order, who established on the site Santa Clara College, the first college in California. The whole structure was burned in a fire in 1925 and replaced in 1929. The church pictured here is today the chapel and centerpiece of the campus of Santa Clara University.

When the swallows come back to Capistrano

The Mission of San Juan Capistrano de Sajavit, the seventh in the California mission chain, was dedicated on November 1, 1776. Around March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, thousands of swallows have for years visited the area in route from wintering in Argentina to summering in California's agricultural valleys.

Unfortunately, recent restoration of the mission has prompted the birds to find homes in the parking lot across the street. Ornithologists are hoping that, when construction is completed, the swallows will once again return to their historic roosts in the bell tower and grounds of the mission itself.

I "reconstructed" this mission with a variety of overdyes, including Caron Watercolors and The Thread Gatherer's Sheep's Silk, along with DMC floss and perle cotton. There are lots of French knots in this one!