Warmer now!

I always was a monogamous stitcher, but this past week I realized why. There's definitely something to be said for stitching one project at a time: you see a heck of a lot more progress that way!

Angel #2 is now more aerodynamically stable with two wings, and she's a lot warmer with her shawl. The latter was stitched in Tiny Knitting with The Thread Gatherer's Sheep's Silk "Light Moss." Sheep's Silk is a thinner silk/wool blend and ideal for this stitch. Tiny Knitting is the Kalem stitch on a smaller scale: over one intersection instead of two. It's great for small areas and also produces a more delicate look. For you knitters out there, think worsted with size 8 needles (Kalem) versus fingering yarn on size 2 needles (Tiny Knitting). The shawl will also get looped turkey work at the bottom edge later on.

Her overskirt is now half done in a framed Scotch stitch. The overall effect of a windowpane plaid is created by first stitching a grid of white floss, at seven stitch intervals both horizontally and vertically, which ties in with the white metallic of the wings. The Scotch stitch is then worked in rows of a floss darker than the shawl, and the final grid is added in the same pink as the ribbons at the hem of her underskirt. Interestingly, using a slightly larger scale stitch--Scotch versus mosaic on Angel #1--and a darker color for the predominant stitch gives an overall appearance of a pattern more contemporary than the one in Angel #1. Polly Flinders meets J. Crew.

Now to finish them both!

Flying on one wing

Have I mentioned how much I dislike stitching the same canvas twice? In the rare instances when I've found myself in this situation, I've tried to make the second time around as different as possible from the first. With that said, I introduce Guardian Angel #2!

Working from the same line drawing, I plan to change the colors and stitches on this second angel to keep myself motivated. She's flying on one wing so far--using Kreinik tapestry braid in #032 instead of gold--but like any proper angel, her halo is on straight, her makeup has been applied, and her hair is done. Unlike her buddy, she has a side part to her hair, which is worked in a gobelin stitch using Silk & Ivory. Her underskirt was also stitched in a different color family of pink from the first angel.

Angel #1 now has wings in Nobuko stitch. What a versatile stitch Nobuko is--equally suitable for trees in the background of a lighthouse, as used in the St. Marks lighthouse canvas, as well as lacy wings for an angel! She also has a shawl of Vineyard Silk "Tea Rose" stitched in diagonal mosaic. I deliberately skipped every other stitch at the bottom of the shawl and will later insert looped turkey work once the overskirt is finished.

Pattern has now been added to her overskirt through a simple combination of stitch and color. I first stitched grid lines of white floss, at intervals of five thread intersections both horizontally and vertically. I added the lighter pink floss in mosaic stitches and finished the windowpane plaid effect with a darker pink to match the Vineyard Silk.

It's time now to concentrate on Angel #2, who's looking a little chilly on this snowy winter morning!

Not just a pretty face

Whenever I work on a canvas portraying a person, I like to stitch the face first so I have something smiling back at me as I tackle the rest of the stitching. This little angel's face was worked with floss and her hair styled with Felicity's Garden "Fawn" in a gobelin stitch. Her halo was stitched in basketweave in Kreinik #12 tapestry braid.

Complicating the stitching of her underskirt are the flowers she holds in her hands. To avoid a lot of fussy compensation, I worked this area with floss in basketweave. There will be plenty of time later for more interesting decorative stitches!

I was happily stitching away on the little angel yesterday when I received a discouraging phone call from another friend who also lives a great distance away. The bottom line: I need to stitch not one, but two guardian angels.

Someone to watch over thee

I'm approaching my next project with mixed feelings. A dear friend has just embarked on a journey of healing, extending over many months, with which I am very familiar. She lives more than half-way across the country from me, but I wanted to give her something to remind her she's in my thoughts and prayers. So I've designed this little guardian angel to watch over her during her recovery.

The basic design elements are in place: the angel is holding a bouquet of spring flowers, symbolizing hope and renewal, and the hem of her underskirt is trimmed with a stylized rendering of the Susan B. Komen "For the Cure" ribbon. I deliberately kept the treatment of the ribbon subtle, not knowing where my friend will display her angel, but cognizant that a lot of folks don't want to broadcast to the world their medical condition.

When DS #2 saw the scan of the design, he remarked "Nice idea, but isn't it kinda plain?" I assured him that this little angel will be anything but plain by the time I'm finished stitching! I've sorted through my stash of threads and have some possibilities--now I have to make this angel as bright, cheerful and uplifting as I can!

Let the light shine!

St. Marks Lighthouse is finished!

The fronds of the palm trees were stitched "free hand," using one strand of Impressions "Jade," and the bushes were worked in French knots with Wildflowers "Moss Green." The ground at the shoreline was worked in a gobelin stitch with Felicity's Garden "Fawn." I like using Felicity's Garden for natural elements because it produces a soft, heathery look.

The water, frankly, gave me fits! I had originally intended to work it in a Kennan stitch, using two shades of blue darker than the sky, with a little green added. Several attempts, using different shades of blue and green floss and in different numbers of plies, were abysmal. The stitch just looked too contrived, producing stripes where I would have preferred waves. As DH pointed out, "Nature doesn't work in straight lines."

Untimately I relied on a tried-and-true stitch--diagonal cashmere worked horizontally--to produce exactly the effect I was looking for. I blended two plies of DMC #517, one of the darkest shades in the same color family as the sky, with two plies of #501, a darker blue-green. The result is a body of water with a wave pattern stitched in and an irridescence one would normally find on the water's surface on a sunny day. Once again, the technique of needle-blending came to the rescue!

Trees!

I love stitching trees! Probably, in part, because I'm very fond of green, but also because they can be stitched in any number of ways.

For the St. Marks lighthouse, I chose one of my favorite threads--Thread Gatherer's Sheep's Silk, a silk/wool blend--and one of my favorite stitches--Nobuko. Having already stitched the sky in a needle-blended basketweave, I was looking for some contrast in texture for the trees. The "Green Leaves" Sheep's Silk is an overdyed thread, which provides automatic shading as it plays out of the needle.

The roof of the lighthouse keeper's house was worked in DMC floss using a gobelin stitch to mimic the tiles on the actual roof. More floss was used for the trunks of the palm trees, and Sheep's Silk "Moss Green" formed the single line of grass at the shoreline.

I'm on the home stretch with this lighthouse, so better get back to stitching!

Painting a Florida sky

Beaming myself to a Florida lighthouse is certainly a toasty idea on this crisp Cape day! We've been snowed in for a few days, so I've taken advantage of the weather by stitching like crazy.

There have actually been four St. Marks lighthouses. The first, constructed in 1831, was so shoddily built, it was reconstructed the same year. It suffered the common fate of foundation erosion, and was succeeded by a third lighthouse-- which was destroyed by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. The one we see here was built in 1867 and today is surrounded by a wildlife refuge near Tallahassee, Florida.

I've stitched the sky using a needle-blending technique (see previous post) in basketweave. And now that the lighthouse itself has been stitched, again using DMC floss in basketweave, you can see how the variation in the sky makes the white areas really pop.

Working my way down the canvas, I'll add the trees in the background and give the adjoining lighthouse keeper's house a roof.