The Rogue, The Doctor, Judy and Me

I've been watching the BBC's long-running science fiction series Dr. Who since the early 1980s.  A lot of my family are fans, too, so I was delighted to see that Rogue Needlepoint has come out with several canvases that celebrate the series.  I see Christmas and birthday presents in my future!
http://www.amybunger.com/rogue.html

I own the angel statue ornament which is from the famous episode called "Blink."  The weeping statues in the story are actually alien invaders who can only move when no one is looking at them.  They aren't really crying--they are shielding themselves from your gaze.  It's a great story, worth seeking out if you have a subscription to Netflix.

I stitched my statue entirely in two shades of silver Kreinik using tent stitches to preserve the smooth look of a statue.  For the background, I wanted something that was the same shade of dark blue as the Tardis The Doctor uses as transport.  Not familiar with the Tardis?   You'll see it in this little blurb.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=rWQ73n4sJik

I also wanted a stitch that could have a miniature Tardis shape inserted in it.  That's where Judy comes in--the late Judy Harper, that is.  She was wildly talented and I spotted the perfect stitch in the bottom pointed background of this crazy quilt heart she designed.
http://fairy-crafts.blogspot.com/2009/06/more-silk-ribbon-and-color.html

It's an offset framed cashmere variation,  charted above.  I am using three plies of Lorikeet overdyed wool for the tent stitches and three strands of Petite Silk Lame Braid for the cashmere stitches.

I ran out of the Petite Silk Lame Braid (used in the cashmere blocks) so I finished the tent stitched rows only on the left of the ornament while I waited for it to arrive.  As you can see, it makes for a pretty --although overwhelming!-- pattern on its own.  If I had used a white wool instead of a blue wool, it would be much more subtle.

I've also used the same stitch for fish scales, to great effect.  Without the Tardis of course!

However, the diagrammed Tardis shape I created above to fit into one of the cashmere blocks (using the very shiny Kreinik holographic blue) didn't work.  The 18 count canvas I am using just doesn't allow that much detail.  (However, I think it might work well on 13-14 count in case you want to try it.)  So there was a change of plan.  Look again at the photo of the canvas being stitched.

The packet of beads you see in the upper left are Tila beads.  These are flat squares that have two parallel holes, one on each side.  I put one clear Tila bead (which are on top of the packet label but they are hard to see because they are clear) over a cashmere block already stitched in shiny holographic blue Kreinik, added a straight stitch in the same shiny thread over the top to indicate a roof line, and put a small size 14/0 gold bead at the top of the shape to make my Tardis.  Here's a closeup.  The Tila bead is on the right and the tent stitch rows of Judy's stitch are on the left.  The variation in the blue you see is from the Lorikeet, which is an overdyed wool with subtle color changes.

Sometimes the best laid plans go wrong but you can always fix a problem.  I have some of my best ideas when trying to fix an issue.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.