Walking the Water's Edge FINISHED

Walking the Water's Edge by Diane Herrmann is finally finished.  I started this June 2014.  It was a class through Cyberpointers.  I managed to get all the Bargello done fairly quickly, but the eyelets - not so much!  I'm not a big fan of eyelets.  Oh, I like the way they look, just don't like stitching them.  Anyway, I pulled this out a month or so ago and decided I would finish it before the end of the year.  Whew, just made it.
A friend found the starfish charm for me, as I didn't plan on doing one in Bullions, since I've never been able to make one successfully.  Thank you!  Sure made the finishing easier!!
Someday I'll have it framed.

Mini Mystery Monday #6

One of my ongoing projects for 2016 is to stitch up some of the MANY patterns I have accumulated for small things.  When I get 6 or so done, I will ship them off to my finisher.  They will become ornaments, door hangers, standups, etc.  These small projects will give me something to work on when I just can't stand to handle one of the huge projects I have going!

This is the first.  It is one of Laura Perin's Mystery Monday projects from 2012.  I messed with the pattern and the colors quite a bit.  LOL!  I changed the corner and center stitches, left off a border, used more metallics, totally changed the colors.  It's OK, but not quite what I'd envisioned.  The Watercolours I used could have been more vibrant.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a very Stitchy Christmas.

Twelve Days of Christmas Bargello

www.lizartneedlepoint.com

J&M Bargello Pillow

The J&M Bargello pillow is back from my finisher and has been delivered to our friends.  Their response:  "Very awesome!!"

The pillow is about 12" square and my husband helped pick the backing fabric.  It is an upholstery "velvet" with some texture to it.  Side view below

Finished Letters

Of the Gardener's Alphabet letters that I have stitched, the S and 2 Rs are now finished!  The S is a box top (Sudberry House box). 
The aqua R is framed in an Aaron Bros. frame.
The red R is in a trivet from Herrschners (I think).
They are all Christmas gifts.
I'm now done with letters for awhile!

Gardener's Alphabet S

I think this is the last alphabet letter I will do.  This is the S from the Gardener's Alphabet.  These patterns are available on my website.  I have added this stitched S as an alternate colorway to the instructions for S. 

I used Threadworx for the S and background and the letter is outlined with Kreinik.  I also used the Kreinik for the cross stitches in the Criss Cross Hungarian.  The background balloon stitch is light coverage, only 2 strands of Threadworx.

This will be a box top.  A gift for my housekeeper.

J&M Bargello Pattern

Merry Christmas!  Well, almost anyway.  I have just added a new Free Pattern to my website.  The J&M Bargello pattern from the previous post.  Just the basic pattern, not the whole project.  It can be used vertically or horizontally (as pictured), alone or repeated.  Even worked as a 4-way as I did.  Have fun.

J & M BARGELLO

Not quite a month ago, I realized I needed a special Xmas gift for a special couple that we care about.   In the past, I made them a box and when they were married I made a tray in the same colors as the box.  So I thought it would be a good time to make them a pillow in those same colors.  Of course it had to be Bargello if I was to get it done in time!  And it had to be an original design.  Yikes!

First I grabbed my file of Bargello Ideas and in a couple of days I had the design roughed out, canvas cut and some threads pulled.  Unfortunately, most of the thread is a nice wool tapestry thread that is no longer made. 

I just had the bare outlines worked out and set to stitching.  All went well until I got to the background.  I started with the parts in between the diamond shapes, using the Watercolours that I had used touches of already.  When I tried that for the interior background, it looked awful!!!!  Way too bright and in your face.

I spent several days trying to figure out a background, ripping out that interior at least 3 times, and finally settled on what you see.  Except I had not looked to see how much thread I had left.  I worked the top background, keeping track of my thread.  Oh boy, I discovered I only had enough to do the top and bottom sections.  Back to the yarn cupboard.  

I tried several things, including the browns (talk about bright!) and some other brands of thread (where did this blue come from anyway?!) and finally determined that I could do the diamond framework in a different shade in the same blue family, but would have to use something else for the fill.  Finally tried a darkish gray and decided it would have to do. 

In the end, I think it turned out pretty good.  I hope I can get a better picture when it comes back from the finisher.  Fortunately, my finisher is a good friend and she said she could get it back to me in time for Xmas.  Whew!!