Needle-blending, again

Work on this little postcard began with the sky, which has been needle-blended using three values of DMC cotton floss.

With the canvas turned upside down, I began at the horizon , basketweaving four canvas threads high with four strands of DMC floss 3325 and staggering the bottom stitches so as not to create a line.  Subsequent rows of six canvas threads high were worked in the following recipe:

Row 2:  DMC floss 3325 - 3 strands, DMC floss 3841 - 1 strand
Row 3:  DMC floss 3325 - 2 strands, DMC floss 3841 - 2 strands
Row 4:  DMC floss 3325 - 1 strand, DMC floss 3841 - 3 strands
Row 5:  DMC floss 3841 - 4 strands
Row 6:  DMC floss 3841 - 3 strands, DMC floss 775 - 1 strand

The background behind "Massachusetts" was stitched in basketweave with Vineyard Silk Classic Shell.

Happy Birthday, America!

Independence Hall, Philadelphia--the birthplace of The United States of America 240 years ago tomorrow with the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

I designed and stitched this piece four years ago for the July/August 2016 issue of Needlepoint Now to mark the 40th anniversary of the American Needlepoint Guild (ANG).  ANG's anniversary celebration took place during its annual seminar in Philadelphia. 

The sky behind Independence Hall is definitely the largest area I've ever needle-blended!

Needle-blending: not just for skies

I started work on Santa's face by stitching the flesh tone in basketweave with DMC floss #950 and the shading around the eyes and nose with DMC floss #3773.  To soften the look of his blue eyes, stitched with DMC floss #931, I used DMC floss #3799 instead of black.

When I'm noodling over how to stitch one area, I often move to another section that's a no-brainer.  So I stitched the red of his hat with Petite Very Velvet #V631, with shadows provided by DMC floss #815.

With that accomplished, I moved back to his cheeks, which are painted differently from most I've seen--not a solid color, but rather shaded from dark on the outside to a light sheen in the center.  To replicate this look, I decided to needle-blend them using DMC floss #818 and #776.  Starting with four plies of DMC floss #818, I worked the center area in basketweave with all the outside stitches staggered.  Then with four plies of DMC floss #776, I filled in the darkest areas, again staggering the stitches closest to the center every other canvas thread.  The last step was to fill in the remaining stitches with two plies of each color floss.  Satisfied with the effect, I can now stitch the second cheek!

Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year in 2013!  The first morning of the New Year dawned cold but sunny here on the Cape, with a bright blue sky overhead.  What a coincidence, since there's a bright blue sky over my angel as well!

Since my last post, I've been up to my ears cooking for a houseful of menfolk--a situation I actually welcomed, since my two sons visiting for the holidays do love Ma's home-cooking!  But I did manage to sneak in some stitching, working on the beginning of a background for the angel.

The fact that the lion isn't centered on the angel did bother me, and I thought long and hard about how to remedy the problem.  I've decided to create a "scene" behind the angel to pull the design together, and my first step was to create a sky.  And, as I'm so fond of doing, I chose to stitch the sky by needle-blending!

Since the canvas is so tall, I turned it upside down to make stitching easier and began at the horizon, working up to the top of the canvas.  I used five consecutive values of blue DMC cotton floss--#775, 3841, 3325, 3755 and 334--to gradually intensify the sky as it naturally appears.  Using four plies of floss, I began at the horizon with DMC floss #775, stitching seven canvas threads deep across the canvas and staggering the bottom stitches of basketweave so a line wouldn't be created.  After stitching straight across the canvas, I subtracted one ply of DMC floss #775 and added one ply of DMC floss #3841 to the mix, repeating the process.

 When I finished stitching the section with four plies of DMC floss #3841, I started adding one ply of the next value--DMC floss #3325.  By the time I reached the top of the canvas, I was using two plies of DMC floss #3755 and two plies of DMC floss #334.  Voila!--a realistic-looking sky!

Pardon my back

Work on the back of the angel tree-topper began with the wings, using Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002V in the Nobuko stitch. So far, so good!

The front of December angel's dress was needle-blended, so I needed to continue as I began. Using four plies of DMC floss, I progressed through four values of one color family: DMC floss #778, 3727, 316 and 3726. This photo was taken when I'd made my way to four full plies of DMC floss #3726.

I don't think I'll have enough of this thread to finish the skirt, so I'll move on to other areas and check thread quantities before making a trip to my LNS for reinforcements.

At it again!

I finished stitching the background of Emily's skirt--needle-blending again!

If you choose the right color family of floss, the effect of needle-blending is quite subtle. So subtle, in fact, that you won't see very much difference at all between the first few combinations of thread color.

In the photo at left, I'd started with four plies of DMC floss #3753 in basketweave, staggering the bottom stitch every other canvas thread so a line wouldn't be formed across the skirt. I moved on to three plies of DMC floss #3753 and one ply of DMC floss #3752, stitching five canvas threads deep. Continuing to subtract one ply of lighter floss and adding one ply of darker floss, I snapped the photo when I'd finished three plies of DMC floss #3752 and one ply of DMC floss #3753. As you can see, it takes awhile before the skirt starts to darken.

The photo on the right shows the finished skirt background. I stitched four plies of DMC floss #3752 across the canvas, then started cutting in DMC floss #932 in a 3-1, 2-2. and 1-3 ply combination. By the time I reached the bottom of the shirt, I was using four plies of DMC floss #932. I then used this same floss to stitch the fold lines that I'd previously skipped.

Is Emily finished? Not yet! While pretty, her skirt looks a little plain to me--I'll be back with some final touches soon!

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 sturdy tower

Since my last post, I've finished needle-blending the sky behind the Seguin Island lighthouse.

I'd ended with four strands of DMC floss #3752, so I began adding DMC floss #3753 to the mix, adding one strand of the lighter color and subtracting one strand of the darker color in each section of basketweave worked. Since DMC floss #3753 is the lightest shade in this Wedgwood blue family, I then began adding white. By the time I reached the top of the canvas (remember I've turned the canvas upside-down), I was working with two strands of DMC floss #3753 and two strands of white floss.

On to the lighthouse, where there's a little artistic license in play. The top of the lighthouse is actually all black, but if I'd stitched the base of the lantern room in black, the gallery around it would have disappeared. So I first stitched the base with DMC floss #3799 in tent stitches, then worked the rest of the black areas with DMC #5 perle cotton #310 in tent stitches, with the dome itself worked in satin stitch. Now the base of the lantern room appears to be in shadow, and adds some depth to the top of the lighthouse as well.

The First Order Fresnel lens was worked in tent and Scotch stitch variation with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #221.

The Happy Ghost
Not all tales of supernatural activities at the Seguin Island lighthouse are sad or threatening! At some point in the lighthouse's history, a young girl died on the island and was buried close to the lighthouse grounds. Keepers' logs chronicle sightings of a young girl, laughing and waving to them, as she ran up and down the lighthouse stairs--yet no children were living on the island at the time.

Another foggy sky

First up in stitching the Seguin Island lighthouse canvas were the granite blocks of the tower. These were worked with white DMC #5 perle cotton, with a row of slanted gobelin stitches over two threads under the lantern room and a Scotch stitch variation three threads high and four threads wide for the blocks themselves.

Since Seguin Island is one of the foggiest spots in the world, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to needle-blend a foggy sky! I'm using a Wedgwood blue color family of DMC floss here, unlike the "true blues" I normally use for a sunny sky.

Turning my canvas upside-down, I began at the horizon with the water. This was worked with three strands of DMC floss #931 in a horizontal interlocking gobelin stitch to give the subtle indication of movement in a very small area.

I then started needle-blending the sky with four strands of DMC floss #932, working basketweave over approximately seven canvas rows deep and staggering the bottom stitches to avoid creating a horizontal line. For my next threadful, I used three strands of DMC floss #932 and one strand of DMC floss #3752. I added one more strand of the lighter color and subtracted one strand of the darker color as I moved along, ending as you see it here with a full four strands of DMC floss #3752.

Now for the spooky story of the day!
In the late 1800s, a lighthouse keeper brought his bride to the island, where she became despondent because of the isolation. To cheer her up, he ordered a piano to be delivered to the keeper's house--no mean feat, since it had to be hauled a quarter mile up to the house over steep terrain. The bride required sheet music, but only one song had arrived with the piano. So she played that one song, over and over, much to the keeper's chagrin.

He ordered more sheet music, but when it arrived she ignored it in favor of the original song.
Finally driven into a mad rage, the keeper took an axe to the piano, his bride and himself. But to this day, it's said the faint tinkling of piano music can be heard across the waters surrounding the island.

A little experimenting

You've heard the expression, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? When it came to stitching the sky for the Port Pontchartrain lighthouse, I just couldn't leave well enough alone!

The photo I used to adapt the lighthouse to needlepoint showed a stunning sky--one I thought would be fun to try to duplicate. At the top was an intense blue, which highlighted the oxidized roof perfectly. The darker blue quickly transitioned to a medium blue, which stayed fairly constant in value until it lightened at the horizon.

I also wanted this lighthouse to really stand out against the sky, and had already helped it along by stitching it in DMC #5 perle cotton. To accentuate its profile even more, I decided to "ply down" the floss in the basketweave background from four plies to three.

So I started at the top of the canvas with DMC floss #3755, working my way down to half-way through the railing under the lantern room. Then I started adding in DMC floss #3325 in rows five threads deep. Most of the center section of sky was worked with two plies of DMC floss #3325 and one ply of DMC floss #3841. By the time I reached the horizon, I was using a full three plies of DMC floss #3841.

I found that three plies covered the painted canvas adequately--I'd duplicated the look of the photo pretty closely and the lighthouse definitely does "pop"!

A cloudless sky

With such an expanse of sky behind the Sand Island lighthouse, how could I resist needle-blending?

This time I turned the canvas upside-down and began at the horizon with DMC floss #775 and #3841, two plies each. Stitching in basketweave six threads deep, I followed the following formula:

Row 2: DMC floss #755-one ply; DMC floss #3841-three plies
Row 3: DMC floss #3841-four plies
Row 4: DMC floss #3841-three plies; DMC floss #3325-one ply
Row 5: DMC floss #3841-two plies; DMC floss #3325-two plies
Row 6: DMC floss #3841-one ply; DMC floss #3325-three plies
Row 7: DMC floss #3325-four plies
Row 8: DMC floss #3325-three plies; DMC floss #3755-one ply
Row 9: DMC floss #3325-two plies; DMC floss #3755-two plies
Row 10: DMC floss #3325-one ply; DMC floss #3755- three plies

By this time, I'd reached just below the gallery of the lantern room, and finished off the rest of the sky with four plies of DMC floss #3755. Notice how the gradual darkening of the sky emphasizes the height of the lighthouse itself.

It should be a lot easier stitching the tower, since at least half of the sky was worked by the light of a window only, thanks to a power outage from Hurricane Irene!

Taking it from the top

I just bet a lot of you are saying right now. "Yup, she's needle-blending again!" With such an expanse of sky behind Les Eclaireurs lighthouse, I really didn't want to miss the opportunity.

I certainly don't subscribe to the "my way or the highway" school of thought when it comes to stitching, and I've seen skies stitched any number of ways--some really good, some not so good. When the canvas area in a design permits it, I choose needle-blending for a number of reasons.

First, it's easy to do. Anyone who can basketweave can needle-blend: it's just a matter of combining different colors when you've stripped and re-assembled your plies of floss. It's also economical, since floss is one of the least expensive threads available.

Needle-blending, I think, produces a more realistic-looking sky--it stays in the background, where it belongs, while providing additional depth to the design. And it lets the main element of the design--in this case the lighthouse--take center stage.

I began stitching this design at the top of the canvas, using four plies of DMC floss #3755, and ending at the top of the gallery surrounding the lantern room. I then introduced DMC floss #3325, switching the combination of plies every six rows deep, using the following formula:

Row 2: DMC floss #3755- 3 plies; DMC floss #3325 - 1 ply
Row 3: DMC floss #3755 - 2 plies; DMC floss #3325 - 2 plies
Row 4: DMC floss #3755 - 1 ply; DMC floss #3325 - 3 plies
Row 5: DMC floss #3325 - four plies

It's been pretty hot and humid around here the last several days, and I began suffering from sticky fingers, so I switched over to work on the lighthouse. DMC #5 perle cotton #310 in tent and satin stitches formed the lantern room and gallery. The top of the tower was worked in slanted gobelin stitches with DMC #5 perle cotton #321.

I wanted the stitch for the rest of the tower to simulate the look of brick, so I used a cashmere variation two threads high and four threads wide. It doesn't matter that my bricks are an even number of threads wide when the design area is an uneven number, since the lighthouse itself is conical.

Next, I'll finish off needle-blending the sky and begin on the white areas.

A tranquil sky

I began work on the Brant Point Sailor's Valentine with the tower of the lighthouse itself. Since it has clapboard siding, I worked this area in slanted gobelin stitches over two threads with white DMC cotton floss.

The larger size of this Sailor's Valentine gave me an opportunity to needle-blend the sky. Turning my canvas upside-down, I began at the horizon with four plies of DMC floss #3841, stitching five rows deep in basketweave, and being careful to stagger the bottom stitches so I wouldn't create horizontal lines in the stitching. I then followed this recipe:

Row 2: DMC floss #3841 - three plies; DMC floss #3325 - one ply
Row 3: DMC floss #3841 - two plies; DMC floss #3325 - two plies
Row 4: DMC floss #3841 - one ply; DMC floss #3325 - three plies
Row 5: DMC floss #3325 - four plies
Row 6: DMC floss #3325 - three plies; DMC floss #3755 - one ply
Row 7: DMC floss #3325 - two plies; DMC floss #3755 - two plies
Row 8: DMC floss #3325 - one ply; DMC floss #3755 - three plies

I finished off the remainder of the sky area with four plies of DMC floss #3755. I'm quite happy with the way this looks--it reminds me a little of a watercolor painting. Now that the sky is finished, I can work on the lighthouse itself!

From neckline to hemline

There are a lot of values of blue in the dress Judy Harper's July angel is now sporting!

From the neckline to the water line, the dress was needle-blended using four plies of DMC floss #3755, 3325, 3841 and 775 in staggered basketweave. That was the easy part!--I'd used this "recipe" any number of times to create skies for lighthouses.

The water, however, was a trickier matter! There was no single blue/green color family in DMC floss that would give the smooth gradation I was looking for in the water--I would have to needle-blend this area, too! Working from the top down, I began with a combination of two plies ofDMC floss #3755, the darkest color in the "sky" area, and two plies of green DMC floss #992.

The two plies of green floss remained constant as the water gradually darkened using DMC floss #334 and #322. I gradually dropped the green floss out of the equation and used solid blue, ending at the bottom with a blend of DMC floss #322 and #312. All this stitching, of course, was only done after a lot of trial-and-error experimentation on doodle canvas!

It's time for this little angel to earn her wings, so I'll be working on that area next!

Taking it from the top

Just like the December angel, I began working Judy Harper's July angel canvas from the halo down!

The outside of the halo and radii were worked in tent stitches, then filled in with satin stitches using Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002V. Then I moved to the face and neck, working these areas in basketweave with four plies of DMC floss #948. I stitched over the eyebrows which had been painted in and skipped the eyelids, nose and mouth. The eyelids and nose were added with DMC floss #754 and the mouth with DMC floss #760. Two plies of DMC floss #898 in straight stitches were stitched over the previously-worked areas for the eyebrows.

For the hair, I chose Silk & Ivory "Chocolate," dividing it into four sections. The bottom sections were worked in satin stitches slanted away from the face, while the top sections are slanted down to either side from the crown.

Per Judy's request, I reworked the top of the bodice to make it less prominent. The same gold Kreinik thread was used here in tent and Smyrna cross stitches to surround the Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #061 "rubies," the birthstone for July.

Now for the dress itself! I've begun needle-blending with four plies of DMC floss #3755, working five horizontal rows of basketweave. I then began subtracting one ply of #3755 and adding one ply of #3325 for each section. When this photo was taken, I had just finished a section with four plies of #3325.

I've a long way to go before finishing the background of the dress, so I'd better get back to work!

Dressing an angel

When I was thinking through how to stitch this December angel, I checked with designer Judy Harper on possible color combinations for the angel's clothing. Judy explained that she saw this design as a guardian angel for the month, not as a Christmas angel per se. and would actually prefer I not use traditional red-and-green Christmas colors. I came up with three color schemes, all of which Judy approved, and she finally said "YOU pick!"

With all of my threads assembled, I then needed to figure out how to make the top of the dress lighter in color, so as to be more flattering to the face, while making the lower part of the dress darker to emphasize the white narcissus petals. The solution: needle-blending!

In my last post, I had already begun stitching the top of the dress in basketweave with DMC floss #778. Following the progression of lighter to darker in the same color family, I used DMC floss #3727 and #316, finally using four plies of DMC #3726 from the top of the highest narcissus to the bottom of the skirt.

Before I could finish stitching the darker background, I needed to outline the flower petals to avoid pesky threads working their way to the top of the canvas while I stitched the white flowers. For the outline I used Vineyard Silk Classic "Evening Haze."

I then added the jeweled belt with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002V in tent stitches and the blue zircons with #014 braid in Smyrna crosses. Next I'll be heading back to the top of the angel to work the shawl!

Sunrise over Fenwick Island

It all began when DH, executive vice-president of stretcher bar stapling, was helping me get the Fenwick Island lighthouse canvas ready for stitching.

"What are you going to do with this one?" he asked.

"Probably needle-blend the sky, but that's about it," I replied.

"The same blue sky stuff? You can't do that! This little guy may be authentic, but he needs something! How about a sky at sunrise?" he challenged. "You blended different colors before on the Kansas postcard, and that turned out just fine--you really should try it!"

Muttering under my breath, I headed for the computer and began a Google image search for sunrises--there are some things that your imagination can't conjure up and still look realistic! I found just the right photo, printed it out and showed it to DH. His response: "Go for it!"

Armed with a doodle canvas, bags of floss and my DMC color card, I started the "Grand Experiment." I knew I needed three colors--pink, yellow and blue--that were of the same value so they would transition smoothly. My final selection narrowed to DMC floss #776, 818 and 819 (pinks), DMC floss #3823 (yellow) and DMC floss #3756, 775, 3841 and 3325 (blues). Then it hit me: no way would the lighter shades of floss cover the blue sky that I'd already painted on the canvas. Back to the painting table, where I worked up another canvas without a painted sky.

Three days later, here's the result--a sky at sunrise! It's taking me some time to get used to seeing one of my lighthouses without a solid blue sky behind it, but DH has given it his blessing! For those of you who'd like to try this at home, and would like the exact formula of floss combinations that's too lengthy to go into here, just e-mail me at anne@absdesignsonline.com.

Amber waves of grain

I thought it was pretty appropriate that I was stitching shafts of wheat on the Fourth of July! In researching photos of wheat on the internet to determine how best to stitch this area, I came across some interesting facts.

The Kansas wheat crop, primarily of winter wheat, averages 300 million bushels a year. In nine out of 10 years, it leads the U.S. in wheat production, bested only by North Dakota in that odd year.

But I get ahead of myself: before I could stitch the wheat, I needed to stitch the background! Denise DeRusha's painted canvas has a wash of pale green in spots that I found attractive and wanted to keep, but how? The center background sections of the other two postcards I've stitched are needle-blended, but using successive values of one color family of floss. I decided to perform an experiment, using three shades of floss of similar intensity but different color families entirely. The result is a little like swirling pistachio ice cream into French vanilla and topping the confection with whipped cream!

I used DMC floss #772 (pistachio), #3047 (French vanilla), and #746 (whipped cream), turning the canvas upside-down and working toward the horizon. I began with two plies of green and vanilla, graduated to four full plies of vanilla, then back to adding green where the canvas was painted that way. Then I started fading to vanilla again, using one ply each of green and vanilla with two plies of whipped cream, ending at the horizon with four plies of whipped cream. I'd never tried this before, but am so happy with the results, I may just try it again!

I then added the wheat, using Sheep's Silk "Gingersnaps," a 50/50 silk-wool blend, in a combination of stem and satin stitches. The little houses on the prairie were added in a Scotch stitch variation with floss. All that remain now are the sunflowers and tornado, and I'll be finished!

Needle-blending with a twist

Moving right along! I've continued my "due-diligence" stitching of basketweave around the perimeter of the design area and filled in the diagonal mosaic pattern in the frame. I then popped in the date and the horseshoes in the bottom corners.

While I was working on these areas, I kept toying with ideas on how to handle the bottom background of the center section. Denise DeRusha's painted canvas is shaded, with the darkest green to the left of the star fading to a light green on the right where it meets the peach section. Checking my DMC color card, I luckily found three values of gray-green floss that would work well in the bottom section: DMC floss #522, 523 and 524.

To the left of the star, I used four plies of DMC floss #522. I then turned my canvas upside down, working the section between the star first in four plies of DMC floss #523, then blending in one ply of DMC floss #524 with three plies of #523. I started the largest section of background with this 3-1 combination, subtracting one ply of darker thread and adding one ply of lighter, until I had reached the peach area using four plies of DMC floss #524.

Working the green section this way, I maintained the "spirit" of the original shading without adhering strictly to the colors painted on the individual canvas threads. I like the look, and will keep it in mind for future use! Back to work, so I can finish this second postcard over the weekend!

Looking just peachy!

When I finished the banner on the Texas postcard, I had two choices: stitch three rows of border around the entire design area, to give my framer some flexibility in placing a matte, or do a little work on the center section. The winner is obvious!

You can see from the photo of Denise DeRusha's painted canvas in my previous post that the top of the center section is already shaded with different intensities of peach. I decided to approach this a different way: by needle-blending! Luckily there were two shades of peach DMC floss--#3856 and #402--close enough in value. I started directly under the banner with four plies of DMC #3856, subtracting one ply of the lighter shade and adding one ply of the darker every five rows or so, until I reached the bottom using four plies of DMC #402. Stitching this area in basketweave made it easier to compensate around the bluebonnet on the right.

When I finish playing "catch-up" with the border around the outside, I'll resume working on the frame of diagonal mosaic stitch.