Saturday, December 7, 2013

The Blue Russian and More

Northern Light Santa, Ready for Stretcher Bars!
By now many of you will have seen last night's accidental posting of the announcement that I am about to start blog-stitching Leigh Designs' Northern Light Santa.  The article was set to publish this morning but...!  Hey, I don't explain this stuff--I just blog here!

This morning was full of housekeeping chores related to the design I call Blue Russian.  I started a folder for the stitch guide, I made a color copy and then a black and white copy of the design, I scanned the design so I had a nice closeup of his face for Blog's header.  I posted the photo in the header and accidentally erased the Welcome to the Chilly Hollow Needlepoint Adventure title!  For some reason Blogger is refusing to publish the title on top of the photo.  Rats.  

Hey, I don't explain this stuff--I just blog here!

Guess we will do without a title for a while.  We all know where we are, right?  LOL

By the way, the poll results from yesterday show that three-quarters of you want Northern Light Santa to be finished as a standup.    The voting will continue until Friday, so make sure you cast a vote.  (If the poll doesn't work for you, email me at chilly hollow at hotmaildotcom and I'll keep track of those votes and add them at the end.)  I'm going to shoot off an email to Sue Parsons of West Coast Finishing and ask her what shape she recommends I sketch out for a background to make the best looking stand up possible.  Stay tuned for that.  This is a finisher's busiest time of the year so I may not hear from Sue quickly.   The vote may change later on but we'll have Sue's thoughts about stand ups anyway, just in case.

I'll get him on stretcher bars today and start pulling threads.  FYI, I have attached the full body scan here so you can really see the details of this beauty.  Blue Russian is elegant from the tip of his cap to the bottom of his robe!  Note especially the blues in his silver coronet and staff, and the three silver dot triangular pattern on his robe among the snowflakes.  The color won't be quite accurate--I adjusted the contrast and boosted the colors so you could see the details--but it'll give you an idea of what he looks like in person.  Once again, Blue Russian is 6 inches high and painted on 18 count ecru canvas like all the Russian Santa series.  Here are the others, just for reference purposes.  They are all the same size.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Grp833x.html

I know some of you are stitching along with me, some of you chose other Russian Santas, and some of you are sitting on the couch with your drinks and popcorn, hoping my ideas will work for your Santa canvas from another designer.  I promise we'll all have a good time!

Before we get settled and start, I did want to mention an e-newletter I got this morning from The Needlepointer.  They are going to have a visit on December 17th from Katie Molineaux, the designer behind the lovely realism of Shorebird Studio.  I'm not sure of the hours yet, but The Needlepointer can tell you if you happen to be in the area.
http://www.theneedlepointer.com

Don't miss this.  Katie is one of my favorite designers because she does Asian and animals so well.  Seeing her designs in person is not to be missed!
http://shorebirdstudio.com

Now, what size stretcher bars do I need?  Where is that box of beads and sequins and crystals?  Ok, is everyone settled in the sleigh?  Got the lap robe pulled up to your waist?  Hold on tight to your drinks.

We're OFF!

Questions?  Email me at chillyhollow@hotmail.com and I'll get back to you within a day or so.

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.

The Cat's Out of the Bag

The cat's out of the bag!  Leigh Designs posted this to their Facebook account Friday--

"Jane's Christmas Gift to you!

After a tough day of fighting the crowds at the mall, what could be more relaxing and inspirational than joining the amazing Jane of Chilly Hollow for a 'stitch along' on her Blog? Her December project is one of our brand, spanking new, Russian Santas, to start very soon. Each step will be posted at a leisurely, holiday pace (about every two weeks), along with the thread brands and stitch diagrams. Lose track of a lesson update? Don't stress (you have enough in your life), Jane's full stitch guide will be available at a nominal charge. So, watch for Jane's big announcement at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/. Tell your LNS you want to 'stitch along with Jane' and we will rush your canvas right out! Then, pull up your chair by the fireplace and prepare yourself for an adventure in seasonal stitching!"

Yes, you guessed it.  I am going to stitch the Northern Lights Santa from Leigh's new Russian Santa series right here in public on Blog.  The four Santas in the series are all 6 inches high on 18 count ecru canvas.  There will be four more released in January, making a total of eight Santas from Rassiya (Russia) for your stitching pleasure.
http://www.leighdesigns.com/Grp833x.html

Everyone always wants more blog-stitching and thanks to Leigh, I have the perfect project.  My Blue Russian showed up today, so I'll get Santa on stretcher bars tomorrow and start rummaging around for threads.  I expect to have a progress report early next week, with new reports every two weeks or so.  Please join me with your own Santa.  Even if you didn't choose Northern Lights Santa, I hope my ideas and tips are useful for any Russian Santa, or any Santa you might have in your stash, period.

If you did choose to stitch Russian Santa with me, I'll post threads and stitches (with diagrams) here.  When I've finished my Santa, I'll write up a stitch guide for a nominal charge so you can have that if you find blogged ideas hard to follow.

Regardless, I guarantee we'll have fun, and the fun starts now.  I'm going to add a poll to Blog asking whether you want Northern Lights Santa stitched as a stand up or as an ornament.  After all, once I have him on stretcher bars I'll need to figure out how much space around him to stitch.  Please vote your preference below.  Thanks!

Questions?  Email me at chillyhollow@hotmail.com and I'll get back to you within a day or so.

Should Northern Lights Santa Be An Ornament or a Stand Up Figure?



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.

Threadaholic Alert: Cosmo Sparkle

Speaking of new threads, Vicky DeAngelis has gotten her hands on the full color range of Cosmo Sparkle Embroidery Thread.   Yes, I want this, too.  (When I wrote this article it was on sale, by the way.)
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/a-little-stash-enhancement-7/

At least Santa won't have to wonder what to bring me!
http://www.anitalittlestitches.com/cosmosparkling.html

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.

Threadaholic Alert: Mulberry Silks

If you love silks, you are going to adore this message from Mary Corbet about England's Mulberry Silks!
http://www.needlenthread.com/2013/11/thread-talk-mulberry-silks.html

Me want.

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.