By request

My "chicks" have come home to roost--for now! Yesterday, the models for my designs based on The Nutcracker ballet arrived from the finisher--Stitchery Square in Camden, Maine.

Many of you had asked that I show them here when they'd been finished, and I was so pleased with the way they turned out, I just had to share. They've been finished exactly per my instructions: slightly raised, with flat backs, and simple cording--I'm not keen on "fussy" ribbons and such, as I think they distract from the design itself.

You'll note that the cording ( the velveteen backing, too) exactly matches the background color of the individual ornament. Over the years, my finisher and I have worked out our own "system" to make her job easier: I mark each canvas with the DMC number used in the background before I send them off. That way she doesn't have to fret over a color match--selecting just the right shade of blues and greens, for instance, can be particularly tricky.

The Rogues Gallery

These "little people" have been hanging out at our house since early December, but DH announced yesterday morning that he was taking down the Christmas tree. I wished him luck and headed to my studio to paint. When I finally emerged at lunchtime, this is what I found on the loveseat in the family room--102 cylindrical ornaments, all lined up and waiting for me to put away!

Some will go back in storage, while the lucky ones will be put aside for the trunk show next month at Old World Designs in California. I began stitching these about 18 years ago and, with one exception, are all of my own design. I've never seen them assembled in quite this way before, and couldn't miss the opportunity to snap a photo!

Savile Row: The Spring Line

Where have I been for the past week? Well, painting mostly, in preparation for a trunk show next month at Old World Designs in Menlo Park, California. But I've also been noodling a new design for the Savile Row series--something a little lighter and brighter for spring, but just as dapper as the gents sporting their woolies.

If any of you read the September/October 2011 issue of Needlepoint Now, you may recognize the outfit on the fellow pictured here. I used Neville, an 11-inch-square design, in that issue to illustrate how easy it can be to replicate fabrics and patterns in needlepoint using simple threads and stitches. Geoffrey, the gentleman I'm introducing today, is a scaled-down version of Neville--only 5-1/2 inches square.

Because he's only one-quarter the size of Neville, Geoffrey needed to have the pattern for his houndstooth waistcoat resized, using tent stitches rather than the mosaic stitches worked in the original design. I also hope to use some different threads from the original in order to mimic lighter-weight fabrics.

I suspect progress on Geoffrey will be a bit slow, as I'm back in paint-by-day, stitch-by-night mode, but do come back to visit--I'm hoping Geoffrey will be as sartorially splendid as his friends!

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!

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!