Lizart

Twister, Progress #18

2012-01-26T04:00:00.000-08:00

The next time you see this Twister, it will be finished! I have been working on it most Sundays, although I missed several Sundays over the holidays. This quadrant seems to be going very slowly, but I think it just seems that way because I want it to be finished! First I wanted it done by the end of 2011, then I thought by the end of January, now I'll be pleased if it is finished by the end of February! Life does get in the way sometimes.

Here's what the whole thing looks like now:
It is beginning to look kinda cool!

Atlantis Rising by Ro Pace

2012-01-23T12:43:00.000-08:00

For some time now I have been working on a pilot for Ro Pace, Atlantis Rising. Ro will be teaching this piece at Seminar this year. She has given me permission now to post about it. I will go back in time & show you the progress photos, one at a time! Hopefully to keep you interested & enthusiastic about taking this class! It is a large and very challenging piece!

This is progress photo #1. The prework is completed and the first section (mostly Bargello) is begun. Ro allowed her pilot stitchers to change colors and I changed them slightly, but not significantly. The main changes I made was to use 18-count aquamarine canvas, rather than white or off-white congress cloth and from a kind of rosy color that Ro used for contrast, to a copper.

This piece has a lot of Bargello, you can see from the photo I think the large section of Bargello I have begun. Then there are many other stitches used in all the other sections, which are fun to explore and will result in an exciting piece!

Stay tuned, I'll post another photo next week.

Stars For A New Millenium FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

Happy, happy, happy dance!!!! Stars For A New Millenium is finished!! We went ahead and completed the last two squares and the borders, and it is finished!! Wahoo!!

These last two squares seemed to take forever! Ingred Bergman (the one on the left) had a lot of couching which is very slow going. And Gary Cooper, on the right, had many layers & changes of color. But they sure turned out pretty!

Here is the whole thing finished! Be sure to check out Jan's as well! It is so much fun to see all the different color ways. I have accumulated pix of quite a few and they are all so different.

I haven't decided about the framing yet, but I will probably have a mat cut to fit the outer edge. It'll be awhile before I get that done.

I am very proud to have completed this beautiful piece.

2012 Stitch of the Month, Progress #1

2012-01-15T11:22:00.000-08:00

ANG's Stitch of the Month (SOTM) for 2012 has begun and I completed January yesterday. For once, I have not changed the design or the threads or the colors! I am using the heart shape and red colorway as first suggested. Wow, there's a departure!

Anyway, the only thing I have done differently is that I charted the shapes and basted in all of the outlines, well most of the outlines, a few don't quite connect. I rarely make any marks on my canvas anymore. I have had too many instances where the marks end up not being in quite the right place and then there's an issue about how to cover them up!

For the first section in T-stitch, I had to remove the basting threads as I went along as there are open areas due to the nature of the stitch and the basting showed. We'll see how this ends up. Depending on what the background turns out to be, I may do a whipped backstitch or something around the outside edge. But that's nearly a year away so we aren't going to worry about it!

Stars For A New Millenium, Progress #12

2012-01-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

We're on the home stretch now! Here is the first square in the LAST row of Stars, Humphrey Bogart. Humphrey went quite quickly and, typically, there was a surprise at the end! The last things to be stitched were the Spratts Variations in the darkish brown. They changed the look of the whole square! That's the sort of thing I love about Tony's designs.

Two more squares & some border to go and it'll be finished. Be sure to check Jan's blog for her version.

Here's a photo of the whole thing:

Bitter Springs Bargello

2012-01-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

Bitter Springs is a new Bargello. It was inspired by a day trip DH & I took a year or so ago up into the Muddy Mountains near Las Vegas. It was spring and the rock formations were all these wonderful colors with lots of green things coming up among them. We took lots of pictures & I came home & pulled threads! I posted about this at the time & if you do a search on Bitter Springs, it should come up.

Finally, I have started this project. What you see is just 1/2 of the piece. The triangle on the right will be repeated on the left in mirror image. This is a long, narrow piece, the finished size will be about 6" x 17". I am using Silk & Ivory, Watercolours and FyreWerks.

SOTM 2011, Finished

2012-01-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

SOTM 2011 is finished and just in the nick of time too since SOTM 2012 has begun! This is my first finish for 2012, the last stitch went in Monday night.

Since my SOTM is worked on 18-count, I didn't care for the Angel Wings border - it just seemed too delicate for the rest of the design. Soooooo, I made some changes!

I rescaled the background by adding about two more rows of the little open diamonds (Kreinik #4 Braid, discontinued color #4005) all the way around. Then I used Diamond Rhodes (over 12) in Waterlilies #180 for the border.

I don't think I'll be doing any finishing of this (framing or whatever) for awhile. These colors go better in our Reno house, so it'll just get tacked to my wall here in LV for now.

Scottsdale Bargello

2012-01-04T04:00:00.000-08:00

For all intents & purposes, Scottsdale is finished. This is another Bargello design that I will publish, eventually.

This piece is worked in Silk & Ivory and FyreWerks Soft Sheen.

Now that the stitching is finished and photographed, I will go back to this and replace the metallic centers with beads. The beads are like cabochons, but they are really beads (with holes) that can be sewn on. So, this pattern will have two options for finishing the centers.

I hope to have the beaded version to show you before too long. Then this too goes in the pile to have instructions written!

Metal Ribbons ( Twisted Ribbons )

2012-01-03T11:00:00.000-08:00

This project is finished! I have renamed Twisted Ribbons to Metal Ribbons. For now anyway. I may change it again before the pattern gets published! Now it goes in my pile of things that need the instructions written!

I'm very pleased with the way this turned out! I wasn't sure about the background, but I'm loving it now!

The ribbons are all metallics of one kind or another. The background is Neon Rays & a Waterlilies overdye.

There will be another finished Bargello to show you tomorrow.

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation

2012-01-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

As usual, we drove to Reno for the Christmas Holidays. All the "kids" went with us: Sarah dog and Sweet Pea & KC cats. They are very good in the car for that long 8 hour drive.

We did a LOT of socializing, going to many lunches & dinners. Plus I got to join my old stitch group for 2 Friday Stitch & Lunch events. The ladies in Reno get together on Friday mornings to stitch & then go to lunch together. It was a fun time to see some of my Reno stitchy friends!

We had mostly sunny days, but COLD. No snow, which disappointed DH greatly as he wanted to go skiing!

I did accomplish some stitching, but not as much as I had hoped. Following are posts about each project.

We drove back to Las Vegas on Saturday, totally ignoring New Years Eve. In fact, we pretty much ignored New Years Day too! However, we did take in a movie (the new Sherlock Holmes) yesterday (Monday) since that was a holiday too!

We had a great Holiday and I hope all of you did too.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Thank you all so much for visiting my blog on a regular basis and keeping me interested!

And Thank you to all of you who have blogs. I read many blogs regularly and enjoy them all! There is so much talent out there it is just awesome!

We are back in Las Vegas now. The girls were very good on the drive home. Sarah-dog sleeps all the time & the cats enjoy quite a bit of lap time in the car! Boy do they get WARM!!!

In the next day or so I will write about the things I've finished & started over our holiday in Reno.

Peach and Blue FINISHED

2011-12-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

Here is Peach & Blue on it's box. I found the perfect Mill Hill Glass Seed Beads & got them on yesterday. I added a few more than called for, specifically in the very center. This pretty box goes to it's intended recipient this afternoon!

Peach and Blue by June Moes

2011-12-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

Here we are in our Reno house! Christmas is fast approaching & I just finished this last night - it is the last of the stitched gifts. Yay!! It still needs a few beads,but if I can't get them in time it will be fine without the beads. This will be a top for a brown Betsy Box.

This is a Rainbow Gallery freebie by June Moes, called "Peach and Blue". Well, I changed everything! Not just the colors this time. I used Leventine Blue canvas (instead of white) and changed all the threads & colors, AND "adjusted" a few of the stitches! But I was able to stitch this completely from stash!

I used 2 Watercolours 018 and 189 (instead of Bravo), Frosty Rays Y045 (instead of Flair), #8 perle 3560 & 807(instead of Pebbly Perle), and #8 Kreinik 273 which wasn't called for at all. Because my threads are mostly heavier than those that were called for, I had to make some adjustments to some of the stitches. The biggest change was to the outer border, The design called for alternating the Scotch stitches with a cross stitch variation. I didn't care for the way it looked, so I just did alternating Scotches instead. I really like the way it looks that way!

Small Interactive Ribbons Bargello

2011-12-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is the last of the small squares. It is about an inch larger than the ones I've been doing. I couldn't quickly find a pattern the right size, so I used a small version of my Interactive Ribbons pattern. I'm very pleased with the result! I haven't fastened it down yet, so it needs to be adjusted a little inside the frame so there aren't any bits of canvas showing.

This is stitched on Vintage Red canvas with Silk & Ivory and Kreinik 1/16 holographic metallic ribbon.

Christmas Door Hangers

2011-12-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my finished little door hangers. They are just right to hang on a door knob. The fabric "frames" are prefinished items that I got at my LNS. All you do is stick in the finished needlework & then I use a little Stitch Witchery to make sure the edges of the fabric stay down. Takes just a few minutes with a steam iron & you're done!

The bottom right one is a cross stitch that I did several years ago. Turns out it fit just right in the brown fabric frame & will make a perfect gift for a friend. The other three, also gifts, you have seen before being "finished".

Christmas Sunrise

2011-12-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

Here's another of the little squares I've been stitching. This may be the last one, or next to the last.

This is actually Laura Perin's Tequila Sunrise, which is available as a free pattern on the Rainbow Gallery website. I changed the colors to be Christmasy. I think it turned out quite pretty!

I used Watercolours 025, #5 perle cotton 666, 700 and 890, and FyreWerks FT21.

Cats in the Garden

2011-12-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

Here's another of the little squares I did for Christmas gifts. I finished this several weeks ago, but couldn't show it to you because the intended recipient watches Blog closely!

The pattern is by Pine Glen Designs and is a cross stitch pattern. I should have done it in cross stitch! There are a lot of partial stitches and that makes adapting it to needlepoint difficult. I would have been better off if I had studied the photo more, rather than sticking to the chart!
I used Alpaca AL51 & AL64 and Watercolours 165 & 171 for the cats. The background is a mix of #5 perle cotton and Watercolours 067. The metallic dark green is FyreWerks FT27. To make the stitching go faster, I used Mosaic in the center square and 3 sizes of Scotch till it was the right size.

The adaptation isn't perfect, but I think it turned out cute nonetheless! Here it is all made up. My friend loved it!

Laura Perin's Mini Mystery Monday #2

2011-12-09T09:46:00.000-08:00

Mystery #2 is finished and this may be the last of the squares. I'm not sure, maybe one more.

Laura did this mystery in 2 installments and there were more decision points than the first one. I elected to do two rows of the "checkerboard" and added a 2nd border so that it would finish up to be the size I wanted. Pretty huh?

I used Watercolours #008 Nefertiti, #5 perle cotton 902 & 3024 (dark red & pale gray), and Kreinik #8 braid in 2 holographic colors 001L & 031L (silver & dark red). I love the holographic silver!

Next up will be to finish off all these little squares! I'll let you know how that turns out :-) !!

Byzantine Ornament

2011-12-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

Finished another one! This one is adapted from a Teresa Wentzler cross stitch design in her Best of Teresa Wentzler Christmas Collection. It was harder to adapt than I expected due to using 18-count canvas instead of one of the fabrics. I had to do some careful counting & adjusting! But it turned out pretty I think. I used 3 #12 Kreinik braids, 002, 153V and 018HL plus Rainbow Tweed RT61 for the overdye. When I get this one and a couple others all mounted & ready to go, I'll post another photo.

Color Delights - Ice

2011-12-03T04:00:00.000-08:00

I have decided to stitch up a few small pieces to be finished as little hanging things for Xmas gifts. Color Delights--Ice is my 3rd finish. The first 2 are the Laura Perin Mystery and the Kitty in the Stocking (which I am keeping for myself!). I have about 6 more kitted up!

This pretty piece is 4"x4". Naturally I changed the colors! I used Watercolours and Waterlilies in #034, Impressions 2039, Neon Rays Plus NF62 and Watercolours 116. This one took a little longer than some as there are a lot of Tent stitches. Below is my finished version.

I will show it again when it is made up - but that will not be till after Christmas. This particular one, I was unable to find a prefinished gizmo in these colors, and I know I have just the right fabric up in my Reno house. I'll raid that stash when we are up there over the Holidays.

Twister Progress #17

2011-12-01T04:00:00.000-08:00

Oh Boy! The third quadrant of Twister is finished! Only one more quadrant and it will be over. I will not be able to finish it by the end of the year as I had hoped, but it shouldn't be much after that!

Twister is really a fun project, but HUGE. If I were to do it again (bite your tongue Liz!) I would change the colors, probably add some metallic & overdyes.

To any of you that are planning to stitch Twister, I recommend basting in the outlines of the areas first. I did not draw anything on the canvas except the vertical & horizontal center lines & I wish I had basted those instead. Here is what the whole thing looks like now:

Stars For A New Millenium, Progress #11

2011-11-29T04:00:00.000-08:00

We are 3/4 finished with Stars! Only 3 more squares & the remaining border to do. I wish we could finish by the end of the year but I don't think that's gonna happen!

Ava Gardner is a pretty square isn't she? Tony tricked me though: I was excited to be done with the Trebizond, only to be confronted with Patina for this square. I hate rayon thread! Looks pretty though. Anyway, Ava is done & I also completed all of the little squares between the sashings.

Be sure to check Jan's progress as well. Such fun that these two are so different! Below is my total piece to date:

Laura Perin's Mini Mystery Monday, Week 3

2011-11-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

Here is my finished Laura Perin's Mystery! I added an extra row all around so it will fit in the pre-finished gizmo I'm putting it in. I'll have it mounted in a few days & show you the result.

Because I needed to add to the finished piece, I used the overdye for the first border and the dark green pearl cotton for the outer border. I think it turned out pretty and it was a fun stitch!

I think Laura is doing another one starting this coming Monday. What a great idea & I'm so happy she is doing this! Just right for quicky Christmas gifts!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

Just a quick Happy Turkey Day to you all. I wish you all good times, good food, good friends and a wonderful day.

I'll be back tomorrow to begin posting my latest progress reports!

Kitty in a Stocking

2011-11-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

Just to take a break from my usual stitching projects, I decided to stitch up this little painted canvas I had in stash. I don't remember where I got it, but with the background I added, it is just 4-1/2" square. I stitched the whole thing last week in about 3-4 sessions.

The kitty is Petite Very Velvet, V666 and V647. The stocking is Mosaic stitch in red Neon Rays N20 with white cross stitches also in Neon Rays, N92. The cuff of the stocking is in Arctic Rays, AR2 and AR8 and I really like the dimension it gives the whole piece, stitched just in long stitches. There's a little ornament in Kreinik gold & silver. The "floor" is a large Brick stitch in Needle Necessities 128. The background is a zig zag & alternates NN 1732 & 1121.

This makes a really cute little door hanger mounted in the Stitch A Gift thingy I already had. The whole thing was done from stash! Next time I have the iron out, I'll Stitch Witch the edges down!

More Mad Miters

2011-11-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of fun stitching these models which were actually stitched some time ago. These are good examples of "simple" Mad Miters. The information for this ANG CyberPointers Chapter workshop is listed now on their website along with other upcoming workshops. They are announcing workshops quite far ahead now so that you can plan your time & expenses! Registration for Mad Miters doesn't begin until April 2012.
I will have more models to show you later on! There are so many possibilities that can be achieved with this technique!

Twister Progress #16

2011-11-17T04:00:00.000-08:00

The third quadrant of Twister is moving right along. I completed the rest of the gray area and got 2 small sections of the red finished this past Sunday! Two more Sunday's and I should have this quadrant done & will be on the home stretch.

Stars For A New Millenium, Progress #10

2011-11-15T04:00:00.000-08:00

Gregory Peck was a pretty easy stitch. The only real problem I had was making a mistake! And the bright turquoise is stitched in Trebizond & I don't care for that thread; however, this is the last place it is used, so I can forget about it! I like the way the center "star" turned out. After I finish the next square, Ava Gardener, I will fill in all the little squares in the sashing!
Be sure to check Thread Medley for Jan's version.

Here is what the whole thing looks like now:

Laura Perin's Mini Mystery Monday, Week 2

2011-11-14T14:56:00.000-08:00

Here is the results of Week 2's Monday Mystery. this time we added another color of Pearl Cotton. It stil only took a couple of hours to stitch. Wonder what next week will bring?!

Laura Perin's Mini Mystery Monday

2011-11-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Jane at Chilly Hollow, I learned that Laura Perin is doing a Mini Mystery Monday project on her blog. I jumped right in, pulled threads & canvas from stash, & emailed some of my stitchy friends to join me!
Here is the result of Week One which only took about 2 hours, including finding center & starting wrong! I love a mystery!
My canvas is gray, it kind of looks like sage green, but I'm pretty sure it is gray. My Watercolour is #211 Cucumber, my #5 Pearls are 890 & 966 and my metallic ribbon is FyreWerks FT52. See below for pic of materials.

I hope some of you will join in!

This has to be good luck! I am posting at 11:11 AM on 11/11/11!!!!!

Twister Progress #15

2011-11-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

Finally, a full Sunday of Twister! Now that all the basting is done, this quadrant should go quickly. Not quickly enough though! I figure 3-4 more Sundays to finish this quadrant! Then there's a whole other quadrant to do! I don't think I'll be able to finish by the end of the year. Rats!
Anyway, I completed 3 gray sections last Sunday. I messed up the middle section & had to rip out a bunch: I had accidentally picked up the wrong color & it took awhile to notice. I was NOT a happy camper! It got all fixed, but I had to stay up "late" to finish the 3rd section.

Here's what the whole thing looks like now:

Twisted Ribbons, Another New Bargello

2011-11-08T04:00:00.000-08:00

Here is the next New Bargello. It is presently called Twisted Ribbons, but if I can come up with another name, it will be changed. The inspiration for this piece is a necklace that belongs to a friend of mine. The necklace is twisted "chains" in different metallic colors.

Twisted Ribbons is all Metallics, except for the background which will be mostly Neon Rays and maybe a little overdyed floss. The background, which I have barely begun, will be all cables like you see on the far right. There are actually 5 different threads in the black section, but they don't really show up. If I publish this design, I will simplify the black. It is hard to get the metallic effect in a photograph (at least for me), but it is looking great & I'm pretty pleased with it so far.

Scottsdale, A New Bargello

2011-11-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Recently, I have been bombarded with ideas for Bargello projects! There are now 4 new designs in the works!

This one is called Scottsdale, because the inspiration came from a picture of fabric in a magazine in a hotel room in Scottsdale!

This project is moving along quickly. The corners will be squared off with black. The oval shapes may get cabachon type beads. So far, it is all Silk & Ivory on 18-count canvas.

SOTM 2011, November

2011-11-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

This month's stitch, Reverse Sprats Head, gave me a little trouble. I did one quarter, then attempted to do the other section of the same color. Well, I counted wrong and it was off by one row & looked awful! So I ripped the whole thing out and basted in the vertical & horizontal center lines. I highly recommend doing that! My next attempt just flew and it was accurate too!

Free Design - Christmas Angel

2011-11-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hi again! I'm back from San Diego and ready to get to work. As promised, I have published a new Free Design on my website. Go to the Free Design page, and scroll down. The new design, Christmas Angel, is just below the Small Things. Click on her and you will get a .pdf file that you can save or print. She is suitable for needlepoint or cross stitch, works up quickly and is really cute!

Thanks to all of you for making my Blog (3 years now!) and website successful and fun!

I'll be back in a couple of days with new stuff to show you!

Promises, promises!

2011-10-24T00:46:00.000-07:00

I know, I haven't been posting much lately. Lots going on: I'm working on several new Bargello designs, but none are anywhere near ready to show you; haven't touched Stars since I finished Deborah Kerr; still working on a pilot for Ro Pace; I did work on Twister a bit today, but just got the remaining sections basted in, no stitching to show.

I couple of things to report: This Blog is now 3 years old and my website has turned 10,000 hits. I can't believe it. Thanks to all of you for keeping me interested! When things settle down, I'll be adding a new freebie on my website as a thank you. I'll let you know when that happens.

On top of everything else, my mother passed away recently and I will be going to San Diego to help my brother go through her things. Not a pleasant task.

So here's the promise: It will probably be at least a week, maybe more, before I can post again, but when I do I should have some fun things to show you! Thanks for being patient and have a fun Halloween if I don't get back by then!

Stars For A New Millenium, Progress #9

2011-10-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. I've been stitching away though. I'm working on a couple of new Bargello designs as well as Stars.

Deborah Kerr is finished. This is the first square in the 3rd row. It turned out nice I think. The outlining was supposed to be in one of the aquas, but I chose a copper Kreinik metallic instead. It looks better I think than the aqua would have.

Be sure to check out Jan's version too!

Below is the whole thing so far:

Twister Progress #14

2011-10-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

The third quadrant of Twister is now 1/2 done! Actually it's a little more than half cause the center square won't repeat. This is going faster now it seems. Maybe I have a better feel for it or something. I still hope to finish it by the end of the year, but that might be wishful thinking!

SOTM 2011, October

2011-10-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

Here is my October SOTM, the Walnetto. I used Needle Necessities 125 and Threadworx 10311 for this stitch. the Walnetto can be very tricky, but once you get it started it flows very quickly.

Fractal Progress #2

2011-10-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

I've actually made more progress than I thought on my crazy Fractal project! I've changed my attack some, trying to complete more or less 10 rows across before moving down. It isn't exactly 10, but close enough. This seems to give me better control over the counting and progress at least appears to be more rapid. It's beginning to look kinda cool!

Stars For a New Millenium, Progress #7

2011-09-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Cary Grant is finished. I like this one pretty well. I am just enchanted with Tony's layered stitches. Each one is a surprise that isn't fully revealed until the stitch is complete. In this square, I particularly like the long triangles in the corners. Don't forget to check out Jan's version too!
Here's the whole thing so far. Oh look, I'm half way there! I have decided to wait & do all the sashing corners at once at the end.

Malachite Maze, Finished

2011-09-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Malachite Maze is finished! Well, the jewels aren't really fastened on because I don't want to glue them down until after the piece is framed. So I laid it on a chair & tried to position the jewels for the photo. As you have probably noticed, they aren't quite straight! Oh well! (By the way, the square outline and the border are very dark green, not black).

Malachite Maze, Progress #5

2011-09-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have gotten quite a lot done on Malachite Maze. I worked on it a lot while we were in Reno and have kind of been concentrating on it this week. I'd like to get it done by the end of this month. I've had a few counting issues (senior moments!), but only one involved ripping! I found another last night, but it can easily be fixed. I think I'm going to take out the bright gold Neon Rays in the lower right corner & replace it with gold FyreWerks; the Neon Rays is just too bright! But, the end is in sight now. When I finish the lower left corner I will do all the circles, which I think are giant eyelets and then there is a border all the way around. The end is in sight!

Twister Progress #13

2011-09-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Got back to Twister Sunday this week! Accomplished quite a bit, 3 sections of the gray and 4 sections of the red are done now. Next week I'm going to have to do a bunch more basting. I'm finding that on a non-basting Sunday, I can get 3-4 sections done in a day. Not bad!!! I'm still hoping to complete this by the end of the year, but that might be wishful thinking! Here's what it looks like so far:

SOTM 2011, September

2011-09-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

Here is my SOTM for September - the Double Fan Doubled. This is a stitch that I have done before & always grit my teeth to do it! I agree with many other posts about it that it is easier if you put a pin in the center to "wrap around", at least till you get a good start on it. My threads for this are Needle Necessities 125 and ThreadWorx 10311.

Mediterranean Tile, Framed

2011-09-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Mediterranean Tile is finally framed. I decided to just go with a very simple mat & frame so that the "tile" would really stand out. The mat is a tan suede and the frame is a simple goldish-coppery metal.
This is a Ro Pace design & I hope she will like it (she hasn't seen it yet).

Four Way 4-Way, Summer, Finished

2011-09-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

Four Way 4-Way, Summer, is finished! Thanks to a loyal follower who sent me the remains of the Watercolour that I ran out of, in the correct dye lot! At the end, I had about 20" of that thread left! Whew!
The upper right and lower left quarters are identical, except the color sequence is reversed. The other 2 quarters are identical except for the color sequence changes. It still amazes me how much those little things can change something!
the very center of the piece is just filled with Watercolour following the pattern as it developed to that point. I wanted the four quarters to be focal, not the center.

Stars For a New Millenium, Progress #6

2011-09-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

Eva Marie Saint is finished. This is my least favorite square so far. When it was finished, I though it looked really bland & blah, so I added some backstitching in copper metallic along the lines of the center "star". That helped a little. I didn't quite finish the sashing around it. These pictures aren't as good as usual cause I didn't bring the "good" camera along to Reno. I just have the old little one & it sure doesn't take as good pictures!

Anyway, here is progress so far:

Be sure to look at Jan's progress as well. It is so fun to see the differences!

Mad Miters, Finished

2011-09-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the completed Aqua/Silver Mad Miters. I had a lot of fun stitching this model and really like it! Confession time: I actually stitched this some time ago but couldn't show it to you until the ANG CyberPointers Chapter announced the workshop. It is listed now on their website along with other upcoming workshops. They are announcing workshops quite far ahead now so that you can plan your time & expenses! Registration for Mad Miters doesn't begin until April 2012.
I will have more models to show you later on! This is only one of many possibilities for this class.

Mad Miters, Progress #2

2011-09-06T04:00:00.000-07:00

Lot's of progress on this Mad Miters model. Three sections are complete! I am having a lot of fun with the "centers", deciding how to stitch them and making each one different. I particularly like the sort of random-looking one at the upper right. Stay tuned for the finished model in a couple of days!

Mad Miters, Progress #1

2011-09-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the beginning of a new model for Mad Miters. The border is started and the first section is nearly complete. This uses an overdye (Watercolours), a metallic and several shades of Silk & Ivory. Mad Miters will be an online workshop for the Cyberpointers Chapter of ANG next year.

Malachite Maze Progress #4

2011-09-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have been working on Malachite Maze even though I haven't shown it to you for awhile. It is a fun project!

However, Sunday night the fun stopped when I discovered I had made a counting error in the narrow band around the left side of the center section! I was stitching away on the Bargello & realized that I was ONE THREAD short at the bottom! I considered a "redesign" but decided against it as that one thread off will throw off the whole rest of the piece! So, I took out the bad part & will redo it as soon as I get another chance to work on it.

Twister Progress #12

2011-08-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

I worked on Twister all day last Sunday and completed 4 sections in Quadrant 3. I was surprised at that much progress as the outside sections are th biggest. How long it takes though depends a lot on the stitch. The outside red section took about 4 hours, well I did stop in there for lunch! The outside gray section only took about 2 hours. No! I did NOT take a 2 hour lunch!

I won't get anything done on Twister for a couple of weeks now. We are going to Reno and I won't be taking it along.

Fractal Progress #1

2011-08-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember last summer when I "re-charted" this design (the pic on the right is the re-chart). By doing so, I reduced the number of colors from 79 to 46, partly by eliminating colors that were practically identical and also by substituting an overdye for several colors. I also added some metallics. I spent a couple of weeks doing this and while I enjoyed the process, I doubt that I will ever do that again!

I finally started stitching it a couple of months ago. I haven't posted about it before because it just takes forever to get anywhere! Anyway, here is my progress so far:
Doesn't look like much does it?

I am stitching it on brown 18-count canvas with DMC floss (4-strands), one Threadworx overdyed floss, and Kreinik #12 metallics. As slow going as it is with 46 colors, I can't even imagine what it would be like at 79. I do enjoy the process though. I wonder if I'll ever finish it? I won't post about it often for obvious reasons!

Help! Looking for Watercolours

2011-08-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

I’m looking for one skein of Watercolours, #144 Pomegranate, Dyelot MA144620. I'm pretty sure this is several years old. I need it to finish the Four Way 4-Way, Summer.
If anybody has this dyelot, I'd be happy to pay for the thread and for postage!
Please leave a comment or email me. Thanks!

Twister Progress #11

2011-08-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Twister is half done! I worked on it last Sunday and completed the second quadrant. Then I took it off the frame and put it back on all nicely stretched & straight again. It had loosened up quite a bit during the however-many-years it's been since I started it! It is nice to have it nice & taut again!
I started basting in the sections of the 3rd quadrant so I'll be able to stitch like crazy next Sunday!
The photo is the right way up (if there is a right way). I've been showing it too you sideways before.

Ro's Blog

2011-08-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

Just in case you don't know yet, Ro Pace has a Blog now! You can get there by clicking on her name here. She is talking about lots of different things (needlepoint related of course) and putting up pictures. I think it is a blog to follow!

Stars For A New Millenium, Progress #5

2011-08-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Marlon Brando is finished! What a gorgeous square this turned out to be. I am just in love with it! It is my new favorite square! First the center had me entranced, then the use of Flair really got me excited, and finally the shading in the corners just blows me away!
I have used Flair before, and never really cared for it. But now I may have to revise my opinion!
Anyway, on to the next square!
Here's what the whole thing is looking like now. I am working sashing & borders as I go now and once I finish the next square I will start working the sashing corners.

Don't forget to check out Jan's version!

Four Way 4-Way, Summer, Section 3

2011-08-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Four Way 4-Way, Summer, is back in rotation! I have reached the center of Section 3 and now I have to figure out what to do there! So far, this section is pretty much the reverse of Section 2 and I will try to continue with that for the center.

Here is what the whole thing is looking like now. Amazing how just changing the color sequence has such an effect!

Stars For A New Millenium, Progress #4

2011-08-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have made a little bit of progress on Stars. The sashing between the squares is complete for the first row, except for the little joining squares which I won't do till I get the next row done.

The border has a good start. That inner border is stitched with 3 strands of Splendor and takes forever! But I think it is looking nice. Be sure to compare to Jan's which has a much different look!

I am not thrilled with the aqua for the outer border - I think it is too light. So, rather than change anything now, I am thinking that I will add another rust border, or maybe an overdye, around to square off the piece so it will be even all the way around instead of having things sticking out! I won't decide about that till I am finished though.

I am enjoying working on this project. It is a lot of fun and full of surprises!

SOTM 2011, August

2011-08-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

ANG's Stitch of the Month this year is moving right along. Here is August, a star with a Jessica center. Very quick to stitch!
I used Grandeur #G837 for the center Jessica.
The star is worked with the Grandeur, #8 Pearl, Ecru, and Wildflowers #173.

Twister Progress #10

2011-08-12T04:00:00.001-07:00

Back to Twister Sundays! I worked on Twister all day Sunday and made a lot of progress. I finished all of the gray and did two red segments. So there are 5 red segments left to complete this quadrant.
Wow, I'd sure like to finish this piece by the end of the year, but that might not be possible since we have several "travel" weekends planned and Twister is just too big to haul around!

This is what it looks like so far:

Fall Favor Finished!

2011-08-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

My Fall Favor is complete! The finishing worked out pretty well, for a non-finisher! I even found a fat quarter of fabric in the "right" green with leaves on it! And stash delivered beads & a star to hang from the bottom. It was meant to be!

Fall Favor Progress

2011-08-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

The stitching is finished on Fall Favor. I think it is very pretty! The background was a bit tedious, LOTS of compensating, but it looks good.

Now to see if I can "finish" this as a cone! Wish me luck! I hope to have a final report by the end of the week.

Needlepoint Now Videos

2011-08-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

This week I found Needlepoint Now's UTube videos! They are very good and there are about 20 of them. Who knew? I believe these are also on their website, but here they are all together!
http://www.youtube.com/user/NeedlepointNowVideo

Of course, once you go there, there are lots of links on the side for other things you must look at! So, wait to check it out till you have some time available LOL!

Fall Favor

2011-08-02T08:59:00.000-07:00

Well, here I go again! I am working on the freebie project for this fall's retreat here in Las Vegas. I finished the design a couple of weeks ago and there are other stitchers working on the cross stitch version. The plan is for one design that is suitable for either cross stitch or needlepoint. This is supposed to end up as a 6" long cone, hanging point down from a ribbon? hanger. The finishing is going to be tricky!

This is the needlepoint version. It is on sage canvas, the black lines are in #5 pearl cotton, the leaves are all in Kreinik Holographic 1/16 ribbon. Except for the bright yellow which is Fyre Werks. It would have been much easier to stitch with #12 braid, but the ribbon is what I had on hand! The background is a Threadworx overdyed floss, just using 2 strands.

Hopefully, in a week or so, I'll have this all finished and will show you the finished cone!

In The Garden FINISHED

2011-07-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

In The Garden is finished. Kitty now has a Bargello garden to play in and even a couple of flowers. All of the background except the flowers is stitched in Watercolours. The flowers are in Neon Rays. Kitty even has whiskers! I will be adding this pattern to my website later this year.

SEASONS Finished Pillow

2011-07-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Seasons is completely finished now. I sent it to Leigh Shafer for finishing into a pillow. I think the rust fabric & dark brown welting works perfectly! Leigh did a great job on the finishing and it goes well in my living room!

Calico Cat FINISHED

2011-07-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Calico Cat by Dede Ogden is finished! I finally took out the "floor" I had done before and redid it. I think it looks more like a floor now, instead of a wall.

I worried over the background for weeks and finally came up with this one. I wanted little Christmas Trees, but anything that really looked like a tree was too big. I think the green in the background should have been more muted, but it's OK and we're sticking with it! Actually, it is the same thread I used for the wreath, but in the wreath it appears more faded. That's what I get for scanning instead of using the camera. But it'll do for now.

Eventually this will be made into an easel back stand up. I have one more of these little cats to do first, then both will be finished together, with the same backing & trims.

Stars For A New Millenium, Progress #3

2011-07-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

I worked on Stars all day yesterday and finished Vivien Leigh! I think she is as pretty as her namesake! The center turned out so pretty with a base of Flair topped with a wool twisted cross thingy. Every square, I think something isn't going to work and it always does! I guess that is why this project has had such a long run! Tony must be very proud of this design.

I also got started on the Sashing, choosing a darker shade than I thought I would. I tried a couple of things & settled on this one. Here is the whole thing to date:

Be sure to check out Jan's version as we are working this together, well as together as you can be over 500 miles apart! I think Jan is actually way ahead of me but we take pictures as we go so we can post at the same time.

Beginning the Garden

2011-07-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

In the Garden is beginning to have a garden now. So far I have used 3 different Watercolours and have 3 more waiting in the wings. The Bargello part goes very quickly, although I do have to be careful to compensate correctly around the kitty. I don't want the background to overpower the cat.

Malachite Maze, Progress #3

2011-07-18T10:26:00.000-07:00

I have worked on Malachite Maze the last week or so and mostly completed the top corner. I like the way Laura Perin uses thread weight to create opaque & transparent areas. For the light areas, we use 2 strands of floss and Waterlilies or Wildflowers. For the heavy areas, we use 4 strands of floss and Watercolours. The dark "line" is Pearl Cotton and will eventually make a square which separates the light & heavy areas. I like the look of this piece!

There's a CAT in the Garden!

2011-07-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

Yup! There's a cat In the Garden, isn't she pretty? I just finished her last night. This kitty is stitched all in Petite Very Velvet, except for the Black in the eyes (Neon Rays), and the blue eyes which are all in Kreinik. I finally found the off white PVV that I wanted & replaced the Rainbow Tweed I had started with. The PVV is much better. You can't tell in the photo, but there are actually 3 shades of blue in the eyes. I love them all sparkly! The color in the photo isn't quite right; in order to get the brown dark enough, the off white is too dark & the whole thing is too orangey. The Canvas is Sage. (Yes, I noticed the cat hair on the cat's face & it has now been removed!)
Now I can start on the Garden part!

SOTM 2011, July

2011-07-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

I love Sprat's Heads, don't you? Quick & easy to stitch and always look cool! My July SOTM is stitched with Rust Wildflowers 173 and Green Pebbly Pearl P65.

In the Garden

2011-07-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

In the Garden? Yes! Who or what do you think will be "In the Garden"?

I have just begun this new design which I hope to be able to offer on my website later this year.

So far all except the off-white is Petite Very Velvet. The off-white is Rainbow Tweed because I couldn't get the color I wanted in PVV. It is coming along nicely and goes very quickly considering this part is all Basketweave!

I hope to have another report on this soon.

Malachite Maze, Progress #2

2011-06-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have worked a little bit on Malachite Maze lately. The center Bargello square is complete and also the next section which is called the Meandering River. The center square is mostly floss with one row of metallic and a bit of Watercolours. the Watercolours was supposed to be Waterlilies, but I wasn't paying attention! Oh well, the color is closs enough and it looks fine. There is also a bit of the yellow Neon Rays which really sets off the muted blue/greens.

The Neon Rays is used again for the Meandering River, this time in Tent stitch, then the background is stitched in Basketweave with Wildflowers, for the main part, and Watercolours for the 2 end pieces.

This design is set up so that the outer edge appears to be more opaque than the rest. This is accomplished by using heavier threads. It is an interesting concept and I'm curious to see how it develops as it is stitched.

Stars For A New Millenium, Progress #2

2011-06-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Clark Gable is finished! This square went quickly, except for the couched inside corners. Those little corners are made of Trebizond couched with 2 strands of silk floss. I didn't think I would like them, but once they were done they are fine & coordinate nicely with the little dark squares in Marilyn! the outer corners are stitched in Oriental Stitch. You can hardly tell in the picture, but it is worked in 2 shades & I think one is too yellow. I'll probably take it out & redo it. Next up will be to get started with the sashing and borders.

Here are the 2 squares I have finished so far. Now for the fun part: Go to Jan's blog and see her progress. She has started the sashing so we aren't quite together, but it is so fun to compare! Jan's is so much brighter than mine, but I'm happy with both.

Four Way 4-way, Summer, Section 2 finished

2011-06-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

Section 2 of the Four Way 4-way Summer is finished. I did change the center color arrangement some and I like it better now.

This piece, along with most of my other WIPs, will have to be set aside for awhile now. I am working on instructions for several things and I must focus on those as there are deadlines. I can't tell or show you anything about these yet. I will try to post at least once a week during this time.

SOTM 2011, June

2011-06-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here is my SOTM for June. I love the way these Crescents make little hearts! The light thread is Needle Necessities 125 and the dark is Threadworx 10311. What's up for July?!

Stars For A New Milleneum, Progress #1

2011-06-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

Oh Boy! Jan & I have started our Stars! Here is my first day's start on Square #1, Marilyn Monroe. I fell in love as soon as I finished the center with the overdye. Gorgeous! No problems so far. I am using metallics for all of the D threads (those of you who are stitching (or have stitched) Stars will understand!) which as far as I have been able to tell, is unusual. At least in this square, I really like the metallics.

The next day I was able to complete this square.
I really like it! I think it turned out great & I can't wait to tackle the next square.
Be sure to check out Jan's version, it is quite different and very pretty!

I am going to work the next 2 squares before I start on the borders and sashing as I think I want to use a lighter shade for the sashing than what is called for.

It may be awhile though. I am working on several things, with deadlines, that I can't even tell you about yet. But all of my personal needlepoint has to go on hold.

Four Way 4-way, Summer, Section 2

2011-06-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Section 2 of the Summer Four Way 4-way is almost complete. But I'm not sure I like the way the center is turning out. I may rip some of it out and change the color sequence. I think I want more metallic & less overdye around the center.

Four Way 4-Way, Summer

2011-05-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

I recently started "finishing" the Four Way 4-way series. Summer is the last of this group and I'm doing it quite different than the other three, using a Hungarian pattern and reds, salmons & pinks (not my colors!). Here is Section 1 completed. Using overdyes in Bargello is great fun and especially with the Hungarian patterns. The pattern changes quite a bit. I've found that overdyes are best in Bargello if there is more than one row. I usually do at least 3 rows of overdye. This particular one isn't giving me the variation I usually like, but it is kinda pretty anyway! By the way, the canvas is kind of a pink/salmon color.

Stars For A New Millenium

2011-05-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Like so many others, I am going to do Tony Minieri's Stars For A New Millenium. I finally have accumulated most of the threads. Of course, I changed the colors (I know you're surprised :-) ) and am returning to my old favorites aqua & copper. I had quite a search to find the "right" shades & threads, but I think I've got it now. I'm sure I'll be making changes as I go along.

Next will be to get the eggshell canvas cut & mounted on stretcher bars & to figure out where I want to start! I'm thinking of starting with the first square rather than the borders, but I have to study it some more now that I have all my threads.

I don't know when I'll be able to start stitching this, and Jan (Thread Medley) is going to stitch one at the same time, like we did with Mediterranean Tile. I imagine it'll be a few weeks or a month at least before we can get started on it. Jan will be using a different color scheme too!

Malachite Maze, Progress #1

2011-05-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

I did get a start made on Malachite Maze. It is soothing to work on! I started with the center Bargello section which is in floss, Neon Rays & Watercolors. I would say this section is not quite half done. I probably won't get to work on it very often, for awhile, but will let you know when I do!

Digits, Progress #3

2011-05-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Digits is coming along. I worked on it some last weekend while we were travelling as it was the only project I had with me that I could stitch in less than bright light! The San Diego area was overcast (May Gray, which is just like June Gloom) and darkish the whole time we were there!
I like the way this is turning out, but it does get tedious with so many color changes.

Calico Cat Progress #2

2011-05-18T04:00:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is a Progress Report on Calico Cat. Kitty is all done and I'm pleased with her. I used Watercolors 219 for the main part of the hat, Neon Rays Plus NP22 for the topknot and brim. I did a sort of half Waffle for the topknot and I like the way that turned out. Kreinik #12 braid, #061, plus some silver, completed the trim around the brim. The mittens are #5 Pearl in 498 with the Kreinik 061 for the trim, stitched in a horizontal knitting stitch. The scarf is in a weaving stitch in the same #5 Pearl. I do like her much better in all red!

I have decided to have this finished with an easel back, so have to do some background. I thought there should be a "floor" under kitty so she isn't just floating in midair! But I think the bricking looks like a wall so I'll be taking that out. Maybe a pattern with a slant to it would look flatter? What do you think?

Catching Up

2011-05-17T02:08:00.000-07:00

My goodness, what a busy week and weekend! I have gotten so far behind, I will just write a bit to play a little catch up.

Last Thursday was such a fun day, meeting Jan (Stitchlady). We met at the LNS and had a wonderful time choosing colors & threads for Jan's version of Vegas Nights which will be shades of brown and copper. I am soooo looking forward to watching her progress and seeing how it looks in such a different color scheme from my original design. You can watch her progress too on her Blog, just click on Stitchlady above. Then we went practically next door to a Greek restaurant for a yummy lunch and conversation. It was so much fun to meet a Blog Buddy!!

Then DH and I were off to San Diego. We drove down Thurs. night. We spent the weekend visiting friends & family and I won't bore you with that. But I did get to go to Needle Nook of La Jolla and Stitcher's Treasures in Escondido.

I am accumulating threads for Tony Minieri's Stars For A New Millenium and Needle Nook is Thread Mecca! It never occurred to me to snap a picture or two with my cell phone, my bad! I must have spent an hour studying and pulling threads. I didn't even get to the back room where all the canvases and patterns are. Next time!

Stitcher's Treasures is a charming little shop in Escondido (North San Diego County) and the two women working there were very nice and most helpful. They even special ordered a thread for me right then & there! I should have it in a day or so!!! AND there is a lovely little wine bistro nearby where we enjoyed a glass of wine & a terrific chocolate mousse cake. Mmmmm.

I now have almost all of the thread for Stars and hope to get started on it soon. Of course you will be kept posted on that! It will be slow going though as I have a lot of other work to do.

I promise to post some progress photos of my projects later this week!

Calico Cat by Dede Ogden

2011-05-16T14:37:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember last summer when I bought the 3 Dede Ogden kitty canvases. I stitched one for a friend for Christmas (finishing it in February).
Now I am working on the Calico Cat. I learned a lot from the first one. For that one I used too many colors & stitches.
So, Calico Cat will be all Tent stitch in Petite Very Velvet.
The only decorative stitches will be the wreath, hat and mittens. I have finished the wreath, in kind of a random Leaf stitch, using a dark green Watercolours. And I just have the white on kitty to finish.
The hat & mittens will be all in shades of red, not the pinks & lavendars as painted. I haven't figured out the stitches yet!

Here is kitty today:

(Sorry for the blurry picture!)

Note: This was supposed to have posted last week. Apparently Blogger had some problems & I was away for the weekend. So, here it is now! I have since made some more progress & will post again soon.

Magnet Minder

2011-05-14T04:00:00.000-07:00

For many years, I have been trying to figure out a way to store my many magnets. As they are indispensible for stitching and I often have several going at once, I have a LOT of magnets! Of course, they often end up in a pile of magnets which are very hard to separate! Well, here is my solution: The Magnet Minder. The idea hit me a couple of weeks ago and I finally got it made up. I think I'm liking it!

Here's how to make one, if any of you are interested.
(Sorry about the pix. I couldn't get them to arrange any better.)

Materials List

Fusible Bonding Web
Ribbon – Twice the desired length
Ring big enough for ribbon to go through without wrinkling

My ribbon is grosgrain, 1-1/2” wide, about 50” long

Ring is 3” diameter

Directions

Fold the ribbon in half & turn under the ends. Press.

Run the ribbon through the ring, match up the ends. Pin together at the top just below the ring.
Cut fusible web to fit between the two pieces of ribbon, from the pin to the bottom. Fuse the pieces together, following manufacturers directions.

I added a couple of decorative buttons just because I saw them in the store & thought they were cool!

Hang on the wall and place magnets, one in back, one in front!

Please do not hang your Magnet Minder over your computer! Best to put it across the room.

You probably do not want to hang the Magnet Minder while the cat is watching or she’ll be playing with it from then on!

Malachite Maze by Laura Perin

2011-05-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I decided I needed another project (smile). Something that does not require a lot of thinking on my part! So I pulled this one, Malachite Maze by Laura Perin. The pattern was given to me as a gift a couple of years ago & I had already cut the canvas (aquamarine 18-count) and pulled all the threads. I only changed the colors a little bit, going more towards the aquas instead of quite so green. My overdyes are Evergreen & South Pacific although the pic isn't very good. The scanner just doesn't do a great job on things as 3-D as threads! I expect this project to go quickly, unless, of course, I get seriously sidetracked!

Digits Progress #2

2011-05-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to work on Digits at least a couple times a week. It gets tedious, changing colors all the time and trying to keep my tension loose enough! But it is coming along, it is almost half finished now.

ANG Stitch of the Month

2011-05-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, I received an inquiry about ANG's Stitch of the Month. My emails to the sender have all bounced, so I am going to post an answer here and hope she sees it!

Every year, ANG does a Stitch of the Month project. They are often “mystery” projects, in that you don‘t know what the finished piece is going to look like till the end! If you go to the ANG website and click on “Educational Opportunities”, there will be a drop down menu. Click on “Stitch of the Month”. You will find years’ worth there! This year’s started in January & so is just about half done. I think if you click on December for any given year, you will see the finished piece. It looks to me like only the last few years have been mystery projects.

Have fun!

SOTM 2011, May

2011-05-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

ANGs stitch of the month for May is the Chilly Hollow stitch, worked in 2 colors. It works up quite quickly once you get the rhythm going. I used Wildflowers 173 and Pebbly Pearl P65.

Digits Fractal by Kerry Mitchell

2011-05-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I absolutely love fractals. And I am particularly fond of those designed by Kerry Mitchell. I have adapted several of his designs to needlepoint, one of which, "Sunset", won a ribbon at the Tucson ANG Seminar several years ago. The picture on the left is Kerry's design, the picture on the right is my needlepoint version.

About Christmastime 2010, I adapted another of Kerry's fractals.
It is called Digits (shown on the left) and I am making it into a Kindle cover. I got the prefinished Kindle cover and have a good start on it. I am using DMC floss and a bit of #12 Kreinik braid here & there. It is mostly tent stitches and I reverse direction frequently to try to keep it straight. I occasionally throw in some Scotch, Cashmere or Mosaic stitches, just to keep from getting too boring! The prefinished cover is 14-count and interlock canvas. I'm not fond of that, but oh well. It requires all 6 strands of floss, and a pretty loose tension to cover well.
Here is my progress so far:

Fractal 276 Bookmark

2011-04-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Now that I have finished several WIPs, I get to start new stuff! Always so much fun!

First up is Fractal 276 Bookmark. Sorry, that's what it is called. I think this was one of the daily freebies from Cross Stitch Collectibles that I downloaded last summer. I thought I would do it on 18-count canvas, in needlepoint. It will be a little big for a bookmark, but a reasonable size for an experiment! Finished size on 18 will be about 4.25" x 11". These pictures show the original pattern.

Well it was designed with 79 colors of floss. I decided it would be "fun" to try to cut this down. The chart was only in symbols, no color. So, being crazy, I copied it, one square at a time, into my charting program. This took a couple of weeks. Then I pulled all 79 colors of floss. The charting program tells me how many stitches there are of each color. So my first task was to delete any color with less than 20 stitches. Right away that cuts it down quite a bit. I would pull the to-be-deleted-color, find another color in the pattern that was almost the same and substitute. Next I matched up colors that, when stitched, would show little, if any, difference, like black & dark navy. I kept on like this till I was down to about 50 colors. Then by using an overdye to substitute for several colors in the background, I ended up with a total of 46 colors. The picture below is my revised chart.

Now I get to stitch this baby! I am going to substitue #12 Kreinik Braid for quite a few of the colors in the light swirly part, I think. We'll see how it goes. I'm not sure how I will tackle this, I guess I'll just start in the upper right corner & go. I'll keep you posted!

Scarlet Thread Kits

2011-04-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, but I just have to blow my own horn a little bit. I am so proud that Scarlet Thread is offering several of my patterns as full kits. Please see the write up on the Stitchything blog. So if you want one of these patterns, all kitted up, we got it covered. In the past, I have purchased kits from Scarlet Thread and they do a terrific job and the prices are great!

Seasons FINISHED!

2011-04-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

Oh Boy! Another finish! Hurray! Happy Dance!

I decided to use both options for the corners and I think I'm happy with it. Thanks to all of you who commented on this issue. Your comments were truly helpful and I considered them all carefully.

I have decided to have it finished as a pillow. It will go nicely with the other pillows I have in my living room here in Vegas.

Whopee! New projects coming up....

Tuscan Midnight FINISHED!

2011-04-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Tuscan Midnight is finished! (I think.) I put the last stitch in last night. My plan now is to take it to the framer and see if we can come up with the right mats. If not, I will bring it back home & fill in the corners.

I would like the mats, I think, to be a bright yellow for #1 & a Med. to Dark Pink for the top one. Then probably just a simple dark gold frame. We'll see how it goes! I'm hoping to get over there next week. I will take Mediterranean Tile as well.

Next up for a quick finish will be Seasons. I just have to do the last 2 corners. Thanks for all of your input on this! I have decided to use both options, 2 corners of the dark & 2 of the lighter. If it is awful, I'll just have to rip it out! I'm anxious to get this finished because.... Then I get to start some new stuff!!

Twister Progress #9

2011-04-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

I worked on Twister yesterday. I missed one Sunday, but now this quadrant is a little more than half done. I will miss next Sunday too, but at least I am making slow progress.
One of the things I have tried to do is make the direction of the stitch patterns in each section make it look like it is turning to the center. I don't think I'm getting that. It is harder to do than I thought it would be!

Seasons Progress #6

2011-04-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have worked 2 different corners for Seasons. And I still can't decide! I like them both, but their effects are different. The darker one becomes more of a "background" for the center 5 squares. the lighter one blends more. I could also do both of them, opposite corners.
What do you think?