OT: Retirement

I'm not retiring, but my cousin is, since he's nearly 40.  He rose from life as a professor's son to head off to college financed by the kindness of someone named George Steinbrenner.  I've heard there was a bit of family drama when his grandmother, my acid-tongued aunt, wanted to invite Mr. Steinbrenner to Thanksgiving dinner as a thank-you, but we dodged that bullet and Brad actually had a baseball career of sorts.

Since he has the family gift of gab and is smarter than most of us (and we are all clever in my family), I hope to see him as a successful manager of a baseball club one day despite the obstacles so carefully skirted by his teammates in Houston in this farewell video.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080930&content_id=3575060&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou

Maybe he could make a living as a sportscaster in the meantime.  Or teach surfing.

Good luck, cuz!

Main blog and more sarcasm at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Fringe

 

Last night I adding some straight stitches in three of the four scarf colors to mimic fringe. I didn't use the blue Impressions since it would visually disappear against the overpowering blue sparkly background. After that, I did stem stitch using my light rose silk/wool Impressions on top of the ends of the scarf since knitted items are bound off on the ends. That made it look more real.
As you can see, the piece is finished but distorted. The next step will be to block the piece. I'll work on that tonight and explain how I did it tomorrow.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

New Blog Feature at Blogspot Only

I'm trying a new feature here at the mirror blog--a canvas of the day. You'll see the image in the right hand column. Clicking on the image will take you to the page online where I found it instead of giving you a larger image.

There are so many wonderful canvases available, I thought I'd use the tools imbedded in Blogspot to showcase some that caught my eye.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Blue Snow Background

I've started on the background behind the snowman, using Caron's Snow in blue to set off the snowman and his outfit. This will make the snowman sparkle in artificial light on the tree he ends up decorating. Snow is a synthetic thread in the "chainette" form, which means it is a sort of braid that will unravel into its component parts. So stitch with short lengths (under 10 inches) and you might want to put something like a dab of FrayChek on the end sticking out of the needle's eye to stop the unraveling. Here are all the colors--

http://www.caron-net.com/snow.html

I was doing interlocking Goblein at the bottom and up the right side but the thread is thick enough it was starting to distort the NP canvas badly so I switched to basketweave. I'll still have to block him before making an ornament but that's no big deal, especially for something so small. You can't see the two different stitches in person as the sparkle is overwhelming. Only the camera knows....

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

A Very Big Deal Indeed

See this? This is a design by Jane Zimmerman called "Angulation 1" which is the newest class offered in cyberspace through the Shining Needle Society. Angulation 1 is worked on congress cloth using silk or cotton floss and metallic threads. If you are interested in the class, you need to join the Shining Needle Society (it's a Yahoo Group) and look at the class information.

I'll quote the important bits here from Kate Gaunt's posting announcing the class to SNS members--

"This class explores techniques of Far Eastern and Western silk andmetal thread embroidery through the ages in addition to traditionalcanvas work. The model of this 10" by 11" challenging geometric design, inspired by a Danish rug, was executed on gray congress cloth in gray-white and two color families of silk(or cotton) with metallics to coordinate with the silk colors chosen. The techniques include overlaid Florentine, burden stitch, trellis on satin ground, Japanese novelty pattern, fly stitch, web stitch, eyelet stitch and many other canvas stitch variations.

Since the color combinations for this design are endless and such fun to select, Jane decided to offer the project as a chartpak only. Use Soie d'Alger and/or Needlepoint Inc. and/or Vikki Clayton's hand-dyed silk, or cotton floss with Kreinik metallic braid -- supplies that can
be found easily at your local needlework store. You will need 6 values of silk (or cotton) and one of metallic with congress cloth of a color that coordinates with your silk choices. (A supply list is provided upon enrollment in the class.)"

More information, including cost and how to sign up, is at the Shining Needle Society's Yahoo Group. Join the group which costs nothing and hear about this class and others as they are offered.

This is a Big Deal. Jane Zimmerman is retiring from teaching except for virtual classes like this, In other words, classes that were always limited are now expanding into cyberspace without Jane's having to travel. Jane has also started a fabulous website where we'll be able to order her books, see her designs and look at diagrams of stitches.
Have fun exploring.

http://www.janezimmerman.com/

Those of you who are like me and not into geometrics, let me tell you these things are really beautiful in person. If they are well executed, the shine of the silk and metal threads is incredible. They take ordinary geometric patterns into the realm of art.

Jane's books are very popular with really talented stitchers I know. I've not seen any of them in person but here's a review of one.

http://accesscommodities.com/blog.htm#012908

This is a big deal and a great deal for stitchers everywhere. Thanks, Jane!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Snowman's Scarf Done (except for fringe)

The photo above shows the scarf finished on the snowman and the background begun. First, the scarf.

With the snowman canvas turned so his scarf was at the bottom (and his stocking cap at the top) I did rows of reverse skip tent in my count/color sequence of 5 pale rose, 3 red, 7 lime green and 1 blue. I started with the knot at the front and did that in mostly lime green because that was the color I wanted in front. Remember, a scarf wrapped around your neck won't have the pattern continue in a regular manner (that's one thing I might have done to the Joan Thomasson wizard's robes, made the pattern irregular to mimic the folds in the long robes). So you are free to play around with your starting point doing Chottie's Plaid. That will make the scarf look more real.

Once I finished I outlined the scarf ends and knots with buttonhole stitch except for the line dividing the two scarf ends which is stem stitch. I turned the canvas so that the stocking cap was on the bottom to stitch that line and discovered buttonhole stitch done upside down is stem stitch. Or something. It isn't buttonhole! But it looks ok, particularly since it is not the bound-off knit sides of the scarf, so I left it alone. Mistakes aren't necessarily disasters, you know.

I've now started the background of the ornament using Caron's Snow, which is a chainette type thread that comes in a ton of colors these days. The white is perfect for Snow, but some of the other colors are very pretty. It's an easy metallic to work with but you need to use short lengths as the chainette will start to unravel after a while, especially since I'm using Interlocking Goblein for the stitch which means the thread goes down between threads which stresses it. I also experimented with switching to tent stitch so that there is a raised border and then a less prominent background but I'm not sure I like it. I'll think about that for a bit and continue the miles of tent stitches around the wizard's perimeter instead.

Eventually I'll create fringe for the scarf's ends but that has to wait until the background is done. Looking at the photo I posted, I see I forgot to outline the second lime green knot on the scarf. Maybe I'll do that next.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Snowman's Scarf

The photo shows the snowman's scarf underway. I discovered the fancy Marnie Ritter stitches I wanted to use were too big in scale for them to show up in the narrow, long space of the scarf. What to do?

Obviously, this is a job for Superman!

Well, actually, Chottie Alderson came to the rescue. Not in person but I've always admired the late Ms. Alderson's design sense, creativity, and sense of humor. (Her website of chottie.com seems to be down right now or I'd show off some of her fabulous designs.) She's the one who said if it isn't fun, it isn't needlepoint. Words of wisdom to live by! One of her most famous inventions is the Chottie Plaid which is what the scarf is being stitched with.

It's basically a plaid based on skip tent and a series of numbers. I choose the number sequence of 5-3-7-1 for my plaid and I'm using four colors--lime green, light rose, blue and bright red. I stitched a purple and yellow glasses case with a monogram in the center based on the birthday of the lady I was making it for once. You can use any number sequence you want (your phone number, your street address number, etc.) but since I had a limited space I only used four colors and a series of four small numbers.

If you look at the photo, you'll see the two-part scarf is stitched but the left end closest to the snowman's face looks denser than the right end. That's because the right side is only half finished but the short end of the scarf on the left is done.

I started at the top of the long end of the scarf and did five rows of skip tent in my light rose color (5-3-7-1, remember?). The next three rows of skip tent were in red, then I did seven rows of skip tent in lime green, followed by one row of blue, which ended the first sequence. Starting over at 5 again, I did another five rows of light rose. I worked the scarf all the way to the bottom doing my skip tent according to my pattern of 5-3-7-1 in the light rose-red-lime green-blue colors. You don't have to use four numbers and four colors (you can use 5 numbers and only two colors, or really anything you want).

The second step to finish Chottie's Plaid is to turn the canvas 90 degrees so that the scarf is at the bottom and the tip of the carrot nose of the snowman points down. Now, using the same number sequence and colors, do reverse skip tent stitch in the empty thread intersections. This makes the plaid denser and is a lot of fun because it is when you actually see what plaid pattern you have created looks like. Remember, I started with 5 rows of my light rose, then switched to three rows of red. Because the scarf is narrow, that's really all the reversed skip tent I could do.

I could stop at this point because right now it looks as if the smaller end of the scarf nearest the face is in shadow. This is a good way to shade scarves, in fact. I'm not going stop here, but remember this the next time you have a flowing scarf that is partly in light and partly in shadow. Today I hope to reverse skip tent the longer end of the scarf so that you see my plaid creation in full.

This isn't the only way to stitch plaids and I'm not 100% certain that another lady didn't come up with something similar about the same time, but Chottie gets the credit for a fun way to create a mystery plaid.

Thanks, Chottie, wherever you are!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Why are my finishing disasters not this funny?

If you've hung around here a while, you know I am not wild about finishing. I've done about everything wrong, from gluing my long hair to ornaments all the way to hemming my new pants to the skirt I was currently wearing. Why does Coni make her finishing disasters sound so much better than mine?

http://spinsterstitcher.blogspot.com/2008/09/there-goes-my-career-working-for-ralph.html

Her dog is cuter than me as well.
sigh

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Anything Seem Familiar?

This image comes from Madonna's Free Range Stitcher blog. She's just finished her version of Anne Jerlow's Five Geishas, an outlined (with painted areas only on the geishas' black hair and hair ornaments) canvas that sadly is no longer available since Ms. Jerlow's death. Notice anything familiar about it?

If not, you might want to look at the header photo if you are visiting with me via Blogspot or look at the background design if you are over at Yahoo 360.

Yes, I stitched this design myself along with a sixth geisha in a separate canvas for ANG's Auction in Baltimore in 2007. Mine are framed together and live with Barbara who placed the winning bid. (Thanks, Barbara!)

This canvas has also been stitched by Susan Portra who sells a stitch guide for them. You can read about Madonna's stitching at her blog here.

http://frontrangestitches.blogspot.com/2008/09/5-geisha-standing-in-tray_25.html

Susan Porta's version of the same five geishas can be seen on her website.

http://www.bringyourcanvastolife.com/catalog/item/2232567/1662442.htm
Madonna told me her canvas came from a knitting/needlepoint shop in Phoenix, not one she ordinarily visits since it doesn't carry the latest and greatest items. Just remember that stores which are a bit behind the times in trends may have hidden treasures you don't want to miss. Madonna has had the canvas about a year and stitched it over the last six months. Read her blog to hear more about her stitching adventure with Anne Jerlow's Five Geishas.

It is fascinating to me to see how three folks did the same canvas in similar and also very different ways. Let me number the geishas from left to right so you know which ones I'm talking about. All three of us dressed No. 5 in purple and we also put No. 3 the middle geisha in a shade of red. My No. 3 was pink, Madonna's was rusty red, and Susan's was bright red. Madonna and I also dressed No. 1 and No. 2 in greens and blues respectively. Madonna used wools for her hair while I used Soy Fiber. We both added quite a few beads in No. 3's elaborate hair do. I can't tell what Susan did with her hair dressing as the photo isn't detailed enough. I did notice that both Madonna and Susan turned the fan shape on the top of No.4's head into hair instead of the fan-shaped ornament I put there. Two of us used two different stitches in shades of off-white for the floor and walls while I used one stitch in two shades to show where the floor and walls were. It's interesting that all three of us felt the need to "ground" our geishas with an environment instead of letting them float on a pretty background stitch.



Hope you enjoy picking out the details you particularly like on each stitcher's version. Here's one last photo, my sixth geisha who is a singleton on her own canvas but obviously taken from one of the geishas in the main design as she was painted exactly as No. 5 is. I just dressed her differently to give myself six geishas.

I'm just sorry this canvas is no longer available for more stitchers to enjoy.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Snowman Has Fur

In the photo above you see the finished turkeywork fringe around the snowman's face and at the tip of his stocking cap. I've also started filling in a pattern on his scarf, using another of Marnie Ritter's stitches from her Sept.-October 2008 Needlepoint Now project (on the cover).

His face is a tad lop-sided but I'll wait and see whether I need to adjust that.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Geisha Gossip UPDATED TWICE

This canvas is by Patt and Lee Designs, who are new to me. I found it for sale on eBay. Isn't it charming?

http://cgi.ebay.com/PAINTED-Needlepoint-Canvas-2-Geisha-Cats_W0QQitemZ250299579538QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250299579538&_trkparms=72%3A1210%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

UPDATE: This canvas sold for $127.82 plus $6 shipping. It's on 18 count and the design portion of the canvas is a bit over 11 inches wide and around 7 3/4 inches high.

UPDATE #2: Encouraged by the sale the designer has put three more of these canvases up for sale at the price above on the Buy It Now portion of eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/PAINTED-Needlepoint-Canvas-2-Geisha-Cats_W0QQitemZ250303247262QQihZ015QQcategoryZ3107QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

New to Needlepoint?

Yesterday Nancy left a note in the comments section asking for help. Here it is in case you missed it--

"I am a neophyte to needlepoint; thus, I have no
'stash.' Could you give me a couple of
internet sites where I can buy quality materials.
Right now, I need blank needlepoint canvas and
threads. I am overwhelmed by the myriad of
threads. Beginner threads?"

I answered Nancy in the comments but I'm going to repeat what I told her here. This is for folks new to NP, ok? You need a shop that's somewhat local to help you. There aren't any cheap places to buy blank NP canvas. It costs pretty much the same everywhere. The cheapest route to go to learn is to pick up plastic canvas (it comes in 10 and 14 count) at the crafts emporiums like Ben Franklin's, Michael's, etc. and get DMC cotton floss in whatever colors you like at the same time. It won't cost more than a few dollars to experiment, especially if you use the free designs on the thread company websites (Kreinik, Rainbow Gallery or Caron).

I suspect Nancy is a bit beyond this and wants to know a) where to shop and b) what to buy. I asked her to tell me her state and if there's a big town fairly near her. Developing a relationship with a good needlepoint shop is key. They often have scraps of NP canvas and threads they'll give you and will provide free tips. Folks who run these stores aren't in it for the big bucks--they own a shop because they love stitching and they are a great resource you want to cultivate. Often they have classes or just times when they encourage stitchers to show up for a group stitch-in. Beginners are very welcome to join in and learn from more experienced stitchers. Besides, mail order from across the state is quicker and cheaper than mail order across the continent!

If you want to post your state in the Comments, I'll find and post links to shops who have good reputations in your area. If you don't want to do this, head over to TNNA's website and look for shops in your state which belong to TNNA.

TNNA stands for The National Needlearts Association. It is a trade group for shops that carry knitting, NP, cross stitch and other like products. Any store that belongs is serious about keeping up with new items, attending the trade shows they put on several times a year to pick up new stuff for their store, etc. It isn't a total guarantee of happiness with member shops but it's as good as it gets. Go to their site, then click on the "Find a Shop Near You" link at the bottom.

http://www.tnna.org/

You can search by state and by the product the shop specializes in to find shops in your area. You can also discover which ones have a website to do some browsing, look at their contact info, etc.

Any shop newsletter I post here is from a shop I have ordered from or who I've heard about through friends who love shopping there. You can pick one whose website you enjoy that has products to your taste and mail order anything you need. It's better to have a shop in your area that you can visit at least occasionally (and remember, just because a shop doesn't have a website it doesn't mean they aren't fabulous!--and vice versa) but if that's not possible, you can trust any shop whose newsletter I post for good service. I don't post newsletters from places I know nothing about but I do put up links to photos of goods I'm talking about from places that are not known to me. I try to promote new shops here. Any shop with an e-newsletter is guaranteed to be very serious about NP. You can buy there with confidence.

Ok, now you have a shop or two in mind, what do you buy? You'll need some blank NP canvas to play around with. The most common sizes are 13 count and 18 count. Pick one according to the current state of your eyes and see what colors are available if you don't want a plain white background. The canvas with the orange line woven in the bound edge is from Zweigart and is the best quality currently available. Remember that NP canvas comes in interlock (great for ornaments or glasses cases as it doesn't unravel; terrible for chair seats as it doesn't have any "give") and mono and penelope. Mono is one thread, penelope is two threads. Doesn't matter what you pick for a project unless you want to stitch over two threads for the background and over one for faces or flower centers--you'll want penelope if you need that possibility. The bulk of the charts available are written assuming you are using 18 count mono canvas, however.

Back to size. If you choose 13 count canvas, you need threads that are a bit fatter than what 18 count canvas needs. Your best bet is to buy cotton floss and/or crewel wool and/or Persian wool. You can use 1-2 strands of crewel for 18 count and 3-4 for 13 count; 18 count needs 3-6 plies of cotton floss while 13 count needs 6-8 plies; 13 count needs all three plies of Persian wool while you can use 1-2 plies on 18 count. All these threads are available most places and they'll work on both sizes of NP canvas.

Feeling like you want to go fancier than cotton or wool? Look for Rainbow Gallery's Splendor silk floss. It is also widely available and comes in a huge range of colors and is easy to use. It's 12 ply, and you need to separate it into 3 bundles of 4 plies each before stripping the bundles down further. It won't knot if you do this. It's a great thread, not as shiny as other silks, but as easy to use as cotton floss.

Also look for Kreinik metallic threads. They are also widely available. #4 and #8 braid are best for 18 count canvas; #12 is a new thread size made especially for 13 count, but #8 will work, depending on the stitch you are doing.

There are dozens of other brands of threads. Silk-wool blends are adored by stitchers everywhere. If you want to go that route, either Impressions or Trio is perfect for 18 count and the 13 count canvases are covered well by Vineyard Silks, Silk & Ivory or Silk n Cream. Vineyard Silks also works fine on 18 count, although I think some stitches don't do as well as others in this thread.

However, if you have a pattern in mind you are going to stitch, tell the shop what the chart asks for and if you want to try something different. They can substitute threads and colors according to your budget and color preferences if they know what threads the designer recommended and what pattern you are doing.

I hope this helps you dip your toe into the NP waters, Nancy. And remember, my motto is to jump in head first!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Snowman Has a Hat and Scarf

It is definitely turning into fall in Chilly Hollow. I've been in the habit of taking progress photos most mornings but recently it has been too dark for me to do this. Some of this is due to overcast skies, some due to the fall fogs we have this time of year. Now I'm trying to make time when I get home from work among the chores that have to be done before the sun sets to take my photos. Please be patient!

So you are not going to see the more normal progression photos as I work on the snowman ornament for Mim's shipment of Christmas trees and ornaments overseas. I'll still explain how I worked, though. For example, I started out tent stitching around the perimeter of the snowman's face with my metallic ribbon floss. I didn't fill in the center where the eyes and mouth and nose go until I was able to put in half cross stitches for the red smile (Patina, a shiny nylon thread), the pink cheeks (Flair), and eyes (MillHill's Magnifica beads). Since snowmen traditionally have lumps of coal for eyes, I didn't do the eyes exactly the same. Coal chunks are very angular and I wanted eyes that looked like coal would. The black beads are attached with two plies of black DMC cotton so the thread doesn't show.

Once the smile, cheeks and eyes were in, I finished tent stitching the entire face. Then it was time for the carrot nose. I had originally intended to fill a tube of orange Flair with orange beads but that provide impossible. Instead, I laid down a long stitch in orange Patina (more nylon thread) and wrapped it with orange Flair in a fake bullion. I like the snowman's happy little face and hope you do also.

But a snowman for Christmas isn't just a cute smile--he's got to have clothes!

I grabbed a sheet of paper from the trash and using the same glass candlestick, drew circles on it, then sketched out a variety of cap and hat styles and scarves on the paper circles. Once I had something I liked, I tent stitched the outline onto my NP canvas. In the photo below, you see the stocking cap and scarf I ended up with.

The scarf is outlined, but I stitched most of the stocking cap last night, using a stitch from the September-October 2008 Needlepoint Now. Marnie Ritter has done a great purse design called "Fascination" with all kinds of fancy stitches and I used the purple stitch in the middle for the snowman's stocking cap. I may use another stitch from the purse for the scarf. I've not decided yet.

http://www.needlepointnow.com/Magazines/2008-09/Cover.htm

Inspired by Pocket Full of Stitches' knit cap and gloves canvases (see links),

http://www.pfos.com/ChristmasClubs/CozyCaps/page1.htm

http://www.pfos.com/ChristmasClubs/WarmWooly/warmwooly.htm

I've pulled a bunch of colors, mostly red and lime green and orange sherbet with some medium blue, from my stash and I'm mixing and matching textures to create the colorful outfit on the showman. His cap is the ribbon-like in lime green tied down with a greener shade of lime in Impressions (silk-wool blend) with straight lines in the empty spaces in the pale gold-peach Impressions. I tied down the lime green ribbon with two strands of medium blue Accentuate to add sparkle and also used a strand of the same blue Accentuate to attach the orange beads I'd originally thought would make a great carrot nose. The next step will be to add a fuzzy ball to the tip of the stocking cap and fuzzy trim around the snowman's face.

I'm thinking I'll use Kathy Feschel's turkeywork variation stitch which you can see here on the ANG website.

http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2006/aug.php

Now all I need to do is decide which thread! I'm leaning toward a medium blue Impressions mixed with the blue Accentuate. But it might make more sense to couch down a fuzzy thread instead since there isn't much space at the edge of the stocking cap around the snowman's face. Hard to make your turkeywork really plush with only 2-3 lines of stitches.

Stay tuned!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Needle Works Newsletter

The Needle Works of Austin has their September newsletter up on their website. Click on September 2008 Newsletter to read it. The newsletter has information on Tony Minieri classes but the best photos of the new floor frame and new stocking cuffs canvases are under What's New in the main part of the website.

http://www.theneedleworks.com/

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Bad Day

I'm having a bad day. Allergies are killing me so I'm at my desk at work, crying. At least that is what it looks like!

[brief pause while Jane blows nose]

I don't want this canvas, currently on sale at eBay. I want one that reads "How Do I Set My Laser Printer to Kill?"!

The canvas is by Carolina House, by the way. Here's the eBay auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160123392205&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=006
Signed, The Grump

also blogging and blowing nose at my main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

And For My Next Trick

First, I've added a photo of my almost completed wizard two entries back. That's the other side of the repeat posting about wired Flair. There really isn't much to see except the charms are in place, but there it is. I am working on tent stitching two rows outside the background now. That will take a while.

To keep from dying of boredom, I've started a Christmas ornament for Mimi, my friend who needs ornaments for 200 Christmas trees that are going overseas this holiday season for our troops. I don't have any stitched ornaments to donate (Mimi needs non-breakables to ship) so I am making one for her. Above is the first step, drawing a circle.

I'm going to make a snowman. They are small enough to make good ornaments and very easy to draw. In the photo above I took a candlestick holder out of the kitchen cabinets and dotted around the outside edge to make the snowman's face. I'm busy tent stitching that in using the metallic style of ribbon floss in Opal. It is opalescent white with touches of pink and green and quite shiny. Looks like sparkly snow!

Stay tuned as the snowman gets personality with a face while I do more tent stitches.

By the way, if you have ornaments you can spare for the troops this year, let me know in the Comments section and I'll put you in touch with Mimi. She needs everything before Halloween as they ship the first week in November.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

How to Use Wired Flair

I posted about using Flair and wire to create smoke on my main blog in March of 2007 and I'm repeating the posting here rather than trying to explain what I am going to do with the wizard's cauldron. The principle is the same, I just need to decide whether to use grey or white Flair. I pulled out various colors of Flair from my stash over the weekend but the purples and blues and reds and oranges didn't look as good with the canvas as grey or white do.
*********************************

The photo above, when you stop laughing at my pathetic drawing of Aladdin's lamp long enough to notice, shows how to create and use wired Flair. I used 28 gauge green beading wire, turned the ends back into loops, and threaded the wire through the Flair. Actually, this is the hardest part of the whole deal since Flair is slippery and if you don't bend the wire, the sharp end goes through the side of the Flair.

I generally cut the wire to be an inch or two longer than the Flair as I usually scrunch up the Flair enough to expose 2 inches of wire at either end. I use wire cutters to cut the wire, by the way. It is thin enough to use scissors on but I don't want to blunt my embroidery scissors. Once you cut the Flair and the wire, then thread the wire through, poke the thread and wire through the canvas hole to the back where it should come out of the lamp's spout. Secure the wired Flair to the back. In the example above it is attached on the front so you can see. You'll notice that I have a loop at both ends of the beading wire. You only need it at one end to go through the Flair but I've discovered it is easier to tie down the ends if you have loops to stitch through.

Once you have the bottom of your thread secure, start gently bending it into the shape you want. Make loops, curliques, waves, whatever. If you are careful to couch only a few times you will be able to bend things a bit more even after they are couched down. In the example above I couched in four areas only. You will see that I also have some areas where the Flair is smooth and one at the top bend where the Flair is wrinkled. You can use whichever effect suits your canvas. Be careful not to couch your Flair down too close to the end as you still have to poke it through the canvas and secure on the back. You will need some slack to be able to do this. I would not use wired Flair on anything that will be handled often. It is delicate. A framed piece will be best.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Boring Stuff UPDATED

UPDATE: I added a picture to please Pat.

This weekend I worked on the background of the Joan Thomasson wizard and finished it-Hurrah!

But there are still things to do. I have started putting two rows of tent stitch all around the perimeter of the piece to help in finishing. I have also attached the moon and stars charms using the holes in the charms and also sewing down an arm of a star and the tip of the moon to help everything stay in one place. When you have a star shape with a hole at the tip of one arm, the charm will swing as the piece is moved. To keep movement to a minimum, I stitched across another arm with the same two plies of my purple Accentuate I used to attach the charms. It is visible if you squint, but because it is the same purple as the under robe, you don't notice the stitch much.

I also stitched on top of the wizard's glasses with my #4 gold 02 braid. Oddly, #8 braid was too thick but the #4 disappeared against his face until I stitched the glasses and bridge over his nose a second time. I didn't do the half moon of his reading glasses, just the rim, but that was the perfect touch.

I've added the cauldron's handle by couching a length of the same black Petite Very Velvet I used for the rim. Pretty soon I'm going to have to add smoke coming from the cauldron, but more about that next posting!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Near-sighted Wizard

Last night I stitched on the endless miles of background remaining behind the wizard. Before I forget, I should warn you that when you stitch an open stitch like this with only one ply of silk, the thread will try to wiggle out from where you tied it off. If you can manage it, anchor the thread in the main stitching of the piece (the wizard, the bird, the perch, etc.). That will minimize your having to re-secure the background threads later.

I did put glasses on the wizard's nose. Joan Thomasson padded the nose of her model but my wizard's nose is just tent stitches and it was starting to look very plain and prominent to me. So he's suddenly grown reading glasses in #4 Kreinik braid (gold 02).

Pretty soon I'll add the moon and stars charms around the globe the wizard carries, but first I need to stitch another 40 miles of background!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

September 2008 Chilly Hollow Newsletter Article

Normally this article directs you to many websites of interest to needlepointers but this month we are all going over to visit Mary Corbet's website. It is a fabulous resource full of things like an explanation of goldwork threads, a comparison of floche to flower thread, book reviews, an article with many photos of the new Evertite frames, another article about how to set up a slate frame for embroidery, photos of the newest Gilt Sylke Twist colors (brown, green and black), information about teaching kids to stitch, an article about white work, video tutorials of fancy embroidery stitches, many great photos of old ecclesiastical embroidery and much much MUCH more.

Why don't you start by reading the Trish Burr interview? It's in two parts so there are two links. Don't forget to look at her website when you come across the link!

http://www.needlenthread.com/2008/05/trish-burr-on-embroidery-books-more.html

http://www.needlenthread.com/2008/05/trish-burr-needlework-publishing-and.html

And after that, why don't we all meet at the home page and just browse our way to the end?

http://www.needlenthread.com/

Have fun!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Needlepoint Bracelet, Anyone?

This bracelet is one of many in the creator's Flickr album.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deebsfiberarts/sets/72157602373265842/

If you fall in love, some are for sale on Etsy. The artist also creates felted pictures.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5043222

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Staff and the Trunk

Last night the wizard's staff had its jewel added. I used a blue flower shaped crystal with a hole in the center from Mill Hill. You probably can't tell from the photo, but I used a blue bead to hold the crystal in place. Bring your needle up in the center of the Holograpic Fyrewerks oval, put the crystal on the needle, then go through the bead's hole and back down through the crystal and tie off on the back side.




I also added the trunk's brass lock, stitching it on using the same brassy gold colored Fyrewerks that the edges of the trunk were stitched in. The really interesting thing I did was I used the same ribbon-like Fyrewerks for the decorative stitches underneath the stone on the top of the staff. Look at the top photo again. See the gold lines at the base of the oval? That's Fyrewerks, too. I simply came up with a short length in my needle, then twisted it over and over and over until the thread resembled a perle-type thread instead of a flat ribbon. Then holding it steady about an inch from the fabric, I plunged the needle. That holds the twist in place. Come up again, repeat for as many times as you need to do the tight cord that resembles how Joan Thomasson decorated the base of her staff's stone.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Want to Be an Angel for Christmas?

I got this message from my friend Mimi last night (below). If you have anything to donate or want to make an ornament, email me at chillyhollow at hot mail dot com and I'll put you in touch with Mimi. Remember, nothing breakable and it's got to be at her front door before Halloween so things can be packaged and mailed to our military.

Mimi's worked on cookie shipments to the troops in the past and also on shipments of small toiletries. This year it is trees and ornaments they are collecting, so help if you can! Make an ornament or donate some you no longer need, your choice. Thanks.

"We have 200 Christmas trees and 400 stockings we are trying to get ready to send to the troops. If you or any of your friends have any needlepoint tree decorations you no longer want I would gladly take them. Or if they want to make some that would be great, can be knitted or crochted as well. (Just nothing breakable) One lady cut up old cards, punched holes around the picture and then crocheted around and made a loop and they are going to be cute ornaments for the trees.

I am looking for some easy ornament patterns that I can NP that don't have to go to a professional finisher, will see how I do. I have lots of blank canvas so I should be able to do something. Anyway if you have anything, have friends who have anything, I need it by October 31st as we have to make get everything ready to go by beginning of Nov."

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Wizard's Beard

This photo shows the beard and hair underway, and also gives you an idea of what I've added to the firebird to give him more personality (or at least a louder voice).

I'm stitching the hair and beard with a mix of threads and a mixture of split and stem stitch. As you can see, I try to indicate the movement of the flowing beard or the direction the hair grows with stem stitch, then fill in with split stitches that go between (or on top of) the stem stitched outlines. The threads I am using alternate between two plies of my light grey Splendor and a length of silver Sulky Metallic (#142); and one ply of the light grey Splendor, the Sulky Metallic and one ply of white Anchor cotton floss. I will do the flowing ends of the beard in a mix including 2 plies of grey and the mustache, which I want to come forward, with a mix that has a ply of white, one of grey and the metallic. I am always using three threads and one of them is always the metallic, but sometimes I use 2 pies of grey and sometimes I use 1 ply of grey and 1 of white. This provides highlights where I want them.

Because I used light grey for the background, dark grey for the floor, and a lot of silver trim on the wizard's clothes, I thought his beard would look odd if it were white so I went for a grey head of hair and beard on this piece. White can be a tricky color since it ranges from snow white to ivory to cream. I think it important to choose the right hair and beard color for any Santa piece, especially since Santa figures often have fur trim that is white. I don't want a Santa (or wizard) whose beard looks odd compared to the rest of the piece.

Tonight I hope to finish the hair and beard and do a bit more with the background. As a treat for myself, I'm also going to work on the jewel at the top of the staff. Study yesterday's blog entry to see how Joan treated her staff jewel. I'm going to steal some of her ideas.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Plans without Photos

Since last night I worked mostly on the background behind the wizard and the firebird, I didn't bother taking a photo this morning. I did add a topknot and a tongue to the bird and have started the wizard's hair and beard. Once the wizard is no longer bald I will add the stone to the top of his staff. I don't want to do that until I am no longer stitching in that area or I'll snag each pass of the threads on the stone!

After that I will need to finish the background and do some final touches. Will I give the wizard glasses? Will I adjust the title on the apricot book? Will I attach the silver moon and brass star charms around the globe the wizard holds or stitch them instead? Am I going to add tassels or something else to the end of his sleeves and tip of his cloak hood? Lots of decisions to ponder as I work the background!

You might want to look at Joan Thomasson's original Holiday Spirit Santa to see how she used the moon and star charms and how she handled tassels on this piece. You can see the piece here by clicking first on Catalogue, then on Holiday Spirits. After that, choose the size of the wizard image that you are interested in viewing, depending on the detail you want and how fast your Internet connection is.

http://www.joanthomasson.com/

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Wizard's Ring

Last night I worked a lot of background behind the wizard. I'm trying to get it stitched all around his bird companion so that I can finish the firebird at least. I did take a break and give the wizard a ring on the hand holding the globe. It just hit me while I was stitching miles of background that would be a nice touch.

I used a single black bead from Mill Hill's Magnifica line. Magnifica beads are highly faceted, so they sparkle more than the regular Mill Hill Petites. The facets mean they have flat sides, too, which means the bead sits flat against the wizard's finger. I stitched right through the bead's center twice with a length of DMC metallic thread that comes on a sewing spool. I think it is just called DMC Metallic but my label's come off the spool so all I can be sure of is that this is Or clair, which means light gold. The label says this is Art. 282. This thread is thin and stiff, thicker than blending filament by a bit. It is very shiny and two threads of it going through the bead middle looks like the band of a gold ring with a black stone. Remember those black onyx rings that men used to wear in the 1950s-1960s? Most of them have something cut into the black stone so I took one ply from a skein of DMC's metallic floss that is pewter colored. (#5287). I laid it right across the bead perpendicular to the two gold threads that went through the bead's middle to give the black a little shading like there was something on the stone. I like how it turned out myself. It adds a little something to the wizard's personality using just two threads and a bead. Easy enough to do, particularly when you have a nice stash of threads and beads to choose just the right colors from.

I love you, Stash!

Can't see the ring well? Try the photo on the main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Seminar Fun

Both ANG and EGA Seminar photos are available on the Internet if you'd like to have some vicarious fun.

The well known counted thread teacher Gay Ann Rogers posted many photos from the EGA Seminar on her website. Just click on EGA Photos to start looking. Don't miss clicking on various photos on the home page, however. Gay Ann likes to hide surprises under these photos, including hints of the charts she will sell in her annual online sale of extra charts which is coming up soon.

http://www.gayannrogers.com/site_2/Home_Page.html

ANG has lots of photos of events at the ANG Seminar. These photos aren't that great (usually they are dark or the backs of folks) but some of them are especially interesting.

http://www.needlepoint.org/Seminar-08/photos.php

Click on A Star for Seminar (Sept. 7) to see one of the pieces auctioned off to raise money for ANG programs.

Click on Selected Winners (also Sept. 7) to see some of the big winners from the exhibit. I suspect--but I don't know for sure--that the geometric design in the center is Jim Wurth's "The Cross of St. Joan" which one the new Jean Hilton award for best use of Hilton-type stitches.

I can't see the other two pieces well enough to identify them sadly.

By the way, the blue ribbon for painted canvas without a stitch guide (professional) *and* the first Nina Goerres ribbon for Christmas projects went to Vicky DeAngelis who stitched Kelly Clark's Twelve Months of Santas. I think these are Vicky's pieces which served as the models for the stitch guides.

http://www.needlenookoflajolla.com/events/kellyclark/index.html

Just String has mentioned several classes she took at EGA, plus posted illustrated information about Marion Scoular's lecture. Look for any blog entry with Louisville 2008 in the title.

http://juststring.blogspot.com/

EGA itself has posted a few photos from their 2008 Seminar on their blog. Click on the titles above the article to move to earlier or later postings.

http://www.egausa.org/scripts/blog/?p=25

Everyone comes home from these things exhausted but doesn't it look like fun?

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Bored with Wizards?

Then let's head over to St. Petersburg, Florida and visit Silk Road Needle Arts.

http://www.silk-road-needle.com/index.htm

Click on every link you see and this rather plain website blossoms into glorious photographs of stitched and unstitched canvases. The dragon above is from JP Needlepoint and you'll see him and all his friends if you click on Designs and then find the Stitched Models link at the top of the new page.

Have fun exploring. Don't miss the Tip Gallery!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Measles Cure for Wizards

Last night the wizard's left sleeve was adjusted. I pulled out the couched #12 silver Kreinik which I'd been thinking looked too heavy and replaced it with thinner Kreinik #4 which was done in long stem stitches. Let me tell you, it was HARD to do stem stitch over long laid silk stitches without disturbing the silk. But I managed it in the end and I like the effect so much that I also stitched the right sleeve the same way. I think there one long stitch has a couching stitch to hold it at just the right bend, but it was stem-stitched, too.

After that, I was on a roll! I lengthened the top bar of the bird's perch to make it look more realistic. Then I looked at the beads again on his jacket and decided the blue robe needed some silver metallic stars to make the effect better. So I added those, making the ones on the blue lower robe larger and the ones on the hood, jacket and upper sleeves smaller. There aren't many of these metallic "stars" (a big X with a -- and | on top for the larger ones and no straight line on the top of the other shapes for the smaller ones.

What do you think?

Can't see the photo well? Try the main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Does the Wizard Have Measles? UPDATED

I have done the silver trim on the blue over robe for the Joan Thomasson wizard and last night I added beads to the jacket and sleeves and hood (but not the blue robe area from his waist down). Before I go any further, does he look like he has measles? I can't decide....

I used three shades of Mill Hill Petite Beads--dark navy 42041, dark blue 40020 and the slightly purple tinted blue of 42040. I couldn't decide which one I liked best (although 40020 showed up best on both the lighter blue and darker blue areas of the robe) so I used them all.

I am indecisive today, so vote in the poll at my main blog whose address is below, ok? Thanks! Here's a larger photo of the entire design to help you decide.


UPDATE: I discovered Yahoo 360 has changed the poll. You don't see any results until you vote! That's new, or maybe how it displays has only changed for me as the blog owner. Anyway, if it seems no one has voted, it's probably because you haven't and Yahoo's not going to give you any hints to influence you.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Little Asian Girls Went To A Good Home

I do know what happened with the two little Asian girls from Melissa Shirley. You may remember they decorate a lantern-shaped purse from Lantern Moon. They sold for $150 (yeah!) at the Live Auction at ANG's Seminar and went home with a friend of mine to Maryland.

Carry them in good health, Mary!

Main blog at hhttp://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Anyone Seen This Santa?

Anybody know what happened to my little Santa ornament at the Silent Auction during ANG's Seminar in Indian Wells? I assume he sold but I don't know to whom or for how much. And I'm not the only person wondering....

Margaret Crane has a picture of her Santa on her blog and is also seeking information.

http://cranecottage.com/stitchingblog/?p=261

So if you were there and saw either Santa, let us know!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Look What Jane Did

I've been busy writing a stitch guide for Squiggee's little goldfish canvas. You can buy the canvas (the stitch guide comes with it) from Gail Hendrix's eBay store or at any needlepoint shop.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250293634199&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=015

You can also find it by looking through Squiggeeland's eBay store.

http://stores.ebay.com/Squiggeeland-Needlepoint

Of course if you were paying attention here, you could just have followed along as I stitched, but sometimes it is nice to have everything organized in one place in hard copy.

Particularly if you are evacuating from the path of a hurricane! Stay safe, everyone!!!!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Who Am I?

Nancy C. left a message over at the Yahoo 360 Blog location saying she would welcome more personal information. Sorry, Nancy, it took me close to two years to feel comfortable posting a photo of myself here. All I really want to say is that I am a tad obsessed with needlepoint and I am talkative, which I think you can pretty much figure out for yourselves!

I have a friend who reveals everything about himself, his wife and child on his blog which is read by easily half a million folks each day (and many more on big news days). I can't do that. Perhaps it is a generational thing. Folks in their mid-30s and under do this all the time on Facebook and other social sites. But I need my privacy.

Guess I could point out that my personality leaks out through everything I write, through the designs I choose to stitch, though the books I read and review, and the stitching products and websites that catch my eye.

Otherwise, let's just call me the International Woman of Mystery!

I'm hiding behind the Leigh Designs canvas called Allegra above, by the way.

http://www.rebeccascrafts.com/detail.cfm?ID=6419

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

A Frog for the Wizard

"Frogs" are the knot closures you see on clothing. Here is a large selection, all quite fancy.

http://www.voguefabricsstore.com/store/catalog/Chinese-Frog-Closures-orderby0-p-1-c-182.html

I wanted to create a frog for the outside of the Joan Thomasson wizard's blue robe. These are a bit too fancy as the area I'm working in is quite small but you get the idea.

Using two of my Sweetheart Tree paillettes and a bit of my blue Accentuate, I stitched down the paillettes as if they were buttons, one on either side of the edge of the robe, coming up in the center hole and going down at the edge three times with each stitch spaced equally. These tiny stitches are almost invisible because the Accentuate is thin and the same blue as the background stitches.


By the way, this stitch is a mosaic variation from Brenda Hart's first book. Now you know why ANG just gave her the Literary Award for 2008!

In the close-up photo on the right you can see everything a bit better. The second step was for me to connect the two paillettes with two strands of silver Petite Treasure Braid. I had real trouble with color here. The background of the robe is blue so all the pretty blue metallics I chose for this area disappeared into the background. I tried purple but that was too strong against blue, so I ended up with silver threads. I had thought I might do the gold trim in blue the same way the silver and lilac trim is handled on the purple under-robe but I think now I've locked myself into using silver. Blue trim won't look as good as silver would now that my frog is silver.

There are a ton of ways to create frogs. You can couch elaborate shapes like the samples on the Vogue page, you can use lazy daisy knots connected by a straight line, you can use tiny buttons or sequins or paillettes like I did here. A lot depends on the canvas you have and the space you have to work with. Our wizard has a simple frog but he's a simple guy.

I stitched a few silver stars on his robe with my Petite Treasure Braid after I took the photo above. I am not sure I like them so I will look at them again when it's daylight and see what I think.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Buttons, Beads and Charms

When the counted thread shop only 30 minutes from me put everything on sale as they closed, I realized just how many buttons, charms and beads that counted thread and cross stitch designers offer these days.

I knew about Just Another Button Company, but I had no idea their line was so large and varied!

http://www.justanotherbuttoncompany.com/catalog.php

My very favorite buttons come from Susan Clarke Originals.

http://www.susanclarkeoriginals.com/

Just Nan has a huge number of charms for her designs that work well anywhere.

http://www.justnan.com/charms.htm

The Sweetheart Tree has even more, many of them sterling silver, small and quite delicate. In fact, I own several packages of crystal clear paillettes and plan to use some on the wizard's clothes. My paillettes are very small (they cover about 3 threads on an 18 count canvas at most), faceted on the front like sequins but with flat backs covered in paper to help the metallic shine.

http://www.sweethearttree.com/cgi-bin/charm.pl

But more about that tomorrow!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Even More Monthly Clubs

I'm still reading my Needlepoint Now and still discovering more monthly clubs. We'll get NC Pat to spend $$ on one of these surely! LOL

Krazy Kat Fiberhaus is offering The Thirteen Days of Christmas from Renaissance Designs with the stitch guides from Pamela Harding. Only two of the canvases are shown, but if you click on the photo you'll get a much better view. The second link shows what are probably --but only maybe!-- all the designs from this set.

http://www.krazykatfiberhaus.com/?p=26

http://www.renaissanceneedlepoint.com/dozen/n144.html

Little Shoppe of Stitches is into baking in a big way. Their newest club is called Gingerbread Buddies. Click on the thumbnail and you can see 8 of the cookies all decorated for your stitching pleasure. Click on the second link for the whole set. Thumbnail photos there give an even better view of a single cookie. Yum!

http://store.littleshoppeofstitches.com/lishcacl.html

http://store.littleshoppeofstitches.com/gingerbreadmen.html

Needles and Threads of Ruxton has what they call "The Original Stitch and Bitch" club. It's all colorful canvases of dogs stitching (and one Siamese cat). Sadly there are no photos or information on their website but you can call and ask for photos.

http://www.needlesandthreadsofruxton.com/index.php

Needleworks in Austin has a Susan Roberts nutcracker series which is notable for the interesting clothing the nutcrackers wear and the fact that there are female nutcrackers, something I rarely see. Indulge your inner Nutcracker Ballet here.

https://secure.theneedleworks.com/new.html#2009

Old World Designs is going to start Melissa Shirley's little Christmas candy canes in October. They look good enough to eat! This is a class, not a monthly club, but you might talk them into selling you the stitch guide and the canvases for your own private club experience. This shop offers a lot of "canvas-to-go" projects which can be adapted to your own club as well (second link below).

http://oldworlddesigns.com/Candy_Canes.html

http://oldworlddesigns.com/classprojects.html

Stitches From the Heart has releaves sixteen small Jean Hilton Christmas ornaments in a set of two chart booklets. Again, this is not a monthly club per se, but you can easily do this as a monthly series at home using threads from your stash. It's like inviting Jean over once a month to talk about needlepoint! There are no pictures except in the ad so call for details. You can see other Jean Hilton designs here--and contact information is conveniently located at the top of the page. No excuses not to buy, Pat, in other words. LOL

http://www.stitches-heart.com/jeanhilton/


Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

More Monthly Clubs

My new Needlepoint Now arrived last night and I discovered from reading the advertising that many shops are advertising new monthly clubs. Sign up for the series (and in many cases you can order only your favorites without having to do them all) and a kit with canvas, threads and instructions arrives each month. Some clubs have a 13th bonus canvas; some are smaller with fewer canvases for folks who don't want so many canvases to get done.

Here are the new ones I've found out about, in alphabetical order:

Chandail is doing Halloween in a big way, with Melissa Shirley Halloween Lollipops and a second club of her Halloween Candy Canes. Look for the Monthly Club box in the upper right side of this page, then choose the club you are curious about from the links there.

http://www.chandailneedlework.com/

Homestead Needle Arts has a Thanksgiving themed series from Rebecca Wood and are branching out into a charm bracelet club. You pick the sterling silver stitch you want on your charm bracelet for each month. Different!

http://www.homesteadneedlearts.com/thelatest.html

Needle Nook of La Jolla is doing a mini stocking series by Kelly Clark. Nothing is up on their website about this yet but you can see the current clubs and keep an eye out for information here.

http://www.needlenookoflajolla.com/events/exclusive.html

Pocket Full of Stitches has a Twelve Days of Christmas series of pears from Kelly Clark.

http://www.pfos.com/ChristmasClubs/Kelly%20Clarks%2012%20Days/KellyClarkTwelveDays1.HTM

Threads in Charlottesville, VA is doing a charted geometric series by Edith Anderson Feisner called Stitching Steps which is based on the color wheel. It looks like you can buy just the instructions or get the chart pack with threads included. Charted monthly series are rare, so if this interests you, sign up now!

http://www.threadsinva.com/stitchingsteps.htm

What's the Point? Needlepoint in Ohio is adding to the current Kelly Clark basket of the month series they started this summer. (Are you seeing a theme here? Lots of Kelly Clark clubs are going on all over the country! ) They also have a nutcracker club and a cookie club.

http://www.whatsthepoint.biz/clubs.php

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Labors of Love

Ever since I learned to read, I've had my nose in a book. I was just thinking last night how many canvases remind me of a favorite book. So this morning I did a little looking and I found the designer Labors of Love (distributed by JB Designs which is under Julia's Needleworks; I know it is confusing but telling your shop all these names helps you to order what you want).

http://www.juliasneedleworks.com/gallery2/gallery2embedded.php?g2_itemId=11&g2_page=1

Page one has perfume bottles and paper dolls and fairy canvases--three of my favorite things! And there's the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, a book I read my baby brother when he was two.

Page two has Sheherazde from the Arabian Nights, one of my favorite books! Cleopatria keeps her company and there are matching frames for finishing. All those hours I read Egyptian history....

Page three has the 1930s style couple At the Ball (photo above) and At the Opera (think Lord Peter Whimsey and his posh friends), plus more characters from Alice in Wonderland. Wait a minute! Isn't that the same guy escorting two different women?!

Page four treats us to all the the Wizard of Oz characters! There's a darling Victorian angel, too.

Page five has the cutest Halloween canvases I've ever seen. The little devil-and cat-costumed kids and Dracula are hilarious and charming at the same time. The not-so-scary werewolf (I think it actually is a cat in a sweater pretending ferocity) and the cross-eyed Frankenstein crack me up.

Page six ends the show with the last of the Halloween characters, this time a little Victorian girl with her pumpkin. Good thing--Frankenstein is one of the most horrible books I've ever read.

What a show! Thanks, Labors of Love.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

It's Fall, Isn't It?

It certainly is football season in the new Patriots football stadium canvas above by Julie Paukert which she designed for Wellesley Needlepoint. This isn't the first Boston-related sports canvas she has done for them. Check out Fenway Park here!

http://www.wellesleyneedlepoint.com/ExclusiveDesigns2.shtml

Then roam around the Wellesley NP website. Pay particular attention to other pages in their Exclusive Designs for their Boston Xmas train, the tree panel with Boston themes, etc. No other shop does such a nice job with exclusive regional designs unless it is some of the Arizona ones like The West, the Busy Needle, and Quail Run.

http://www.thewestinc.com/canvases.html

http://www.busyneedle.com/Themes/Southwest/index.htm

http://www.quailrun-inc.com/southwest.html

Hope everyone enjoys a virtual trip via needlepoint to The East Coast and The Old West! And go Pats!

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Wednesday To Do List

I have finished the lighter blue robe stitches below the wizard's waist and now I'm doing the darker blue ones on his sleeves, chest and hood. I hope to finish all that this week; it takes a while as there is a lot of compensation. That's why I always start at the largest area when doing fancy stitches. By the time I get to the place where there is lots of compensation to do, I've mastered the stitch. Therefore, I did the large hem first, then moved on to work the smaller sleeves and chest and hood parts.

Once the upper blue robe areas are finished I'll go back and stitch the entire blue robe with metallic Accentuate. I might even add some lovely little sequins on his blue robe to help it be as flashy as the purple under-robe is.

Next on my To Do list is to work on the stone background. There's a ton of that to do still, and I probably am going to make the horizontal bar the firebird sits on longer. It looks ok in person but in photographs it looks too short.

The last thing on my To Do List is to check out Amy Bunger's website. Her September newsletter is up and when I headed over to see it, I realized that Robin K. has been *very* busy adding photos to many categories.

http://www.amybunger.com/current_enewsletters.html

Start at the link above to read the newsletter, but don't miss "What's New" or "Canvases" (love the Oriental stuff, Robin) and don't skip the Marj Hunter Designs section in "Canvases" because the beards are a great inspiration for what I might do with the wizard's hair and beard).

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

French Knot Newsletter

The French Knot's fall newsletter is up on their website.

http://www.thefrenchknot.com/newsletter.html

Don't miss the 2009 Santas Diana Bosworth is stitching for one of their clubs! The photo above is May's. Isn't he sort of a wizard Santa? Very cute, but then she is really talented.

If you want to see great photos of stitched and finished Petei Bosworth Santas from the 2007 club, visit Jane's Stitching Up a Storm in River City blog. Once you stop goggling open-mouthed at her new pillow, look for the Petei Santas link in the right hand column and click there.

http://janew1102.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/08/will-you-look-at-this.html

Main blog located at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

More Wizard Clothes

I've been stitching the blue over robe on the Joan Thomasson Holiday Spirit Santa. The stitch is a Mosaic variation from Brenda Hart's Favorite Stitches (bottom of page 4 if you own this book) that I'm stitching in one ply of a medium blue Splendor (S860) for the bottom from of the robe and one ply of a slightly darker blue in Soie Crystale silk (7053) for the sleeves and the waist above the gold belt. Eventually I will do both sleeves in the darker blue and the bottom of the robe in the slightly lighter shade. I've not decided about the front of the wizard's chest yet but I probably will use the darker blue. We'll see.

Everyone stay safe this holiday, particularly all of you in Louisiana and Mississippi and southern Alabama, not to mention Texas.

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow