Brick by brick

I've finished needle-blending the sky behind the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse. I had begun adding DMC floss #3841 to my formula, combining it with DMC floss #3325. By the time I reached the bottom on the left side, I was using two plies of each shade.

Then I continued brick-laying for the tower using perle cotton. The higher profile of this thread is making the tower stand out nicely from the sky.

There's still a lot of scenery to be worked, so stay tuned!

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 lighthouse for Sally

I've been sharing vicariously in the vacations of fellow stitchers for more than 10 years now, beginning with a lady in Michigan who sent me her summer vacation photos of some wonderful lighthouses that she asked me to adapt to needlepoint. My most recent request came from Sally in Florida, who shared photos of a journey of a lifetime!

Last December, Sally traveled to Ushuaia, the capital city of Tierra del Fuego province in Argentina, to board the National Geographic "Explorer" for a 10-day cruise to Antarctica. It was in Ushuaia that she first saw penguins up-close-and-personal and snapped some wonderful photos of a very distinctive lighthouse. Would I adapt it to needlepoint, she asked. After some research, I agreed, and here it is!

Les Eclaireurs lighthouse sits on an islet off Ushuaia, with the Martial mountain range to the north and the Beagle Channel to the south. Its name, appropriately, translates from the French as "the enlighteners." But because Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world, the people of Argentina refer to this structure as El Faro Del Fin Del Mundo, or The Lighthouse at the End of the World.

The conical brick tower, 33 feet high and 10 feet wide at the base, was first put into service in December, 1920. Its white flashing beacon is now automated, operated by remote control and powered by solar panels. The islet upon which it sits is uninhabited and the lighthouse itself is not open to the public. There are no windows in the structure, and its only access is by a single door to the right of the tower's base.

The orange splotches nestled among the rocks at its base are actually dried vegetation. Rising behind the lighthouse is the snow-capped mountain range, making this my second lighthouse with snow in its scene. So do come back and cool off as I stitch what probably is my most exotic lighthouse to date!

A garden in bloom

Now that all the flowers have been added, this little Sailor's Valentine is finished!

I worked French knot flowers using four colors of Vineyard Silk Classic: Provence, Captain's Blue, Peppermint and Cherry Tree. I fell in love with these colors working on the ring-bearer pillow in the latest issue of Needlepoint Now, and wanted to incorporate them in another project.

My goal for this Sailor's Valentine was to make it look more feminine and romantic than the nautically-inspired ones I've done, and I think I've succeeded! Now I'm going to try to escape the oppressive heat and humidity by heading for my cool basement studio/office and working on another lighthouse design!

Almost, but not quite

The embellishing process has begun on the little Sailor's Valentine!

I began by working pairs of tiny leaf stitches on each of the outside scallops, using Vineyard Silk Classic "Sage." Then in the corners where the scallops meet and a few places inside, I added Smyrna crosses with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #032 for a little bit of sparkle.

The shells I've chosen for this project don't have any natural holes with which to attach them. So once again, I've "netted" them with three criss-crossing passes using white DMC #5 perle cotton.

Every self-respecting nautical garden needs flowers, so I have a little work still to do before I'm finished with this project!

Getting to the good stuff

Both "beds" are made now on this little Sailor's Valentine!

For the inside section around the captain's house, I used DMC floss #225 in basketweave. You can see this area has a lower profile than the scalloped area worked in Petite Very Velvet. This contrast provides some dimension to the piece and makes the scallops look more like a frame.

I've worked French knots around the center scene with Vineyard Silk Classic "Sage" as the first step in planting my nautical garden!

Working from the outside in

Following through on the theme of a nautical garden for this Sailor's Valentine, I chose a shell pink shade of Petite Very Velvet to work the outside of the octagon.

Original Sailor's Valentines created in the 1800s often used silk or velvet to line the octagonal boxes in which shells and seeds were placed. The Petite Very Velvet will provide a nice plush bed for further embellishment.

I'll fill in the blank area next before digging out my shells and planning their placement!