In memory

Judy Harper (July 6, 1940- February 28, 2011)

In her Possibilities column in the January/February 2010 issue of Needlepoint Now, she referred to me as a friend and kindred spirit. The feeling was mutual, Judy--I'll miss you terribly.

A little comic relief

Thanks to everyone who left a comment yesterday about The Nutcracker series! It's interesting to see how different designs appeal to different people--that's what makes the needlepoint world go around!

I may well be "danced out" at this point, but I did have to chuckle at Edy's thinly-veiled hint about doing some designs based on Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake. It, too, is one of my favorites--in fact, the last role I ever danced was that of the Swan Queen.

That memory prompted me a couple of years ago to add Pavlova to my line of Penguins on Parade. She was so named in honor of Anna Pavlova, a famous Russian prima ballerina, whose signature performance was that of the Swan Queen. "Set decoration" here was provided by a lot of Kreinik metallic threads, and her fluffy tutu and head adornment were supplied by white Peluche, worked in tent stitches and then ruffed up with the tip of my needle. It's a great thread for special effects!

The Nutcracker Series--Part Two

As promised, here's the second installment of canvas models based on The Nutcracker ballet: the Waltz of the Flowers, Clara, the Sugar Plum Fairy, Chocolate, Snowflakes and Fritz. I won't tell you which of the 12 is my favorite--mothers aren't supposed to have favorites among their children!--but I'd be curious to know which one is your favorite!

The Nutcracker Series--a reprise

I've had many requests from folks, asking if I would show all of the ornaments based on The Nutcracker ballet once I'd finished stitching all the models in the series. That's a lot of photos to upload, since there are 12 designs! So I'll break them down into two posts, beginning today with the first six: Herr Drosselmeyer, Coffee, Mother Ginger, Tea, the Mouse King, and the Nutcracker himself.

Galloping into the sunset

The twelfth and final canvas in the series based on The Nutcracker ballet is finished: Fritz is ready to romp and create havoc at the family's holiday party!

After finishing the background, I worked his trousers in gray Petite Very Velvet in basketweave. I know--the canvas was painted navy blue like his jacket--but I decided keeping the pants the same color would make the overall canvas look too dark. Another reason why I never paint a master until I've finished stitching the model!

All that remained was the hobby horse! I used Felicity's Garden "Peanut Butter" in basketweave for the head, trimmed with black DMC floss. For the mane, I chose a brown Burmilana, stitching this area first in basketweave then adding turkey work loops at the top. I then cut the loops and brushed them with an old toothbrush--simple, yet effective!

Time out

The more I stitched on the background for Fritz, the more I realized I wouldn't be able to leave the hobby horse for last. The horse's colors are much lighter than the red of the background. And red threads have a peculiar way of wiggling their way to the front of the canvas, creating all sorts of havoc for any unstitched lighter areas.

So I took time out to stitch the hobby horse's stick, using a camel-colored Petite Very Velvet in basketweave. The high profile of the PVV helps the stick to stand out from the background.

With that element in place, I resumed work on the red and gold stripes. I'm on the home stretch now, and hope to have this piece finished in a couple of days!

A good start

I've made a good start on little Fritz, beginning with his face and hand in basketweave using DMC floss #948. His hair was worked in a satin stitch with two strands of brown Burmilana. His eyes and mouth were formed with a single cross stitch using two plies of floss.

I worked the brim of his party hat in a slanted gobelin stitch over two threads with Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002, with the crown in a skip-tent stitch using the metallic and white DMC floss.

His Eton jacket was stitched with navy Petite Very Velvet with a shirt front of white floss peeking underneath. His tie was worked in mosaic and tent stitches with DMC floss #304.

Then I started in on the background--a slanted gobelin stitch over two threads using DMC floss #304, with alternating rows of tent stitches in the Kreinik #12 tapestry braid #002. The scale of the pattern in the background should be just right to add a little sparkle without dwarfing the central figure.

I'll work on more background before I continue to "dress" Fritz and construct his hobby horse!