Two Sundays ago I introduced the Stitching Whimsies, a group of people who gather at Queen Anne Stitches in Santa Clarita, CA to stitch weekly on the same design. They each interpret their own canvas their own way, but they have a blast doing it. The Whimsies are going to visit Blog about twice a month to talk about their Stitching Club canvases. Stitching Club is a design by Melissa Shirley that is 8 inches tall by 15 inches wide on 18 count canvas. Here is our first Whimsy stitcher, Sharon Quickstitcher!
By the way, the link below has the plain canvas of the Stitching Club at the top of the page and also shows other variations on this charming design.
http://www.melissashirleydesigns.com//gallery/?cat=74
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“I am the first of our Thursday stitching group to complete the Stitching Club by Melissa Shirley. My Stitching Whimsies are going to a party!! They are all dressed up in their best clothes, and have fun things for the party to eat and drink, as well as needlepoint canvases to stitch.
I stitched in the background first, as I thought I would have to count through the ladies, and indeed I was glad I planned for that. The background is a Pavilion stitch in #12 perle cotton.
Ms Red on the left has hair of mock twisted bullions using 2 ply Burmilana. Her fancy shirt is Neon Rays Plus with boucle at the collar and sleeves. I decided that too many of the shirts had dots, so changed it completely with these stripes built into the pattern. Her pants are Burmilana tweed couched with cord so that the shading shows through. She’s carrying a Neon Rays bag with Silk Ribbon flowers, and a flower bead. I obtained tiny scissors at a miniature shop and charm scissors at a bead shop. Her chicken canvas is stitched in Fuzzy Stuff.
Ms Chartreuse (second from left) has a hairdo in long French knots. She has a Swarovski crystal earring, and tiny chain necklace with Swarovski bead. Her needle is a #28 that I shortened by cutting it off and tacking it down. Her jacket is Vineyard Shimmer with Vineyard Classic accents. I created a woven pocket and tucked a wine bottle in her pocket (also from the miniature shop). When making the bag, I placed an object in the bag until I had completed the weaving in order to keep the top open the right amount. She has lots of beads on her canvas and bag.
Ms Raspberry’s hair is straight stitches in Wildflowers. Her collar is gathered River Silk. A small piece of canvas is in her bag, along with floss for the project she is going to stitch today. She carries a large stitching bag that is brick stitch over 2 in Vineyard Silk.
Ms Orange’s hair is Burmilana in straight stitches and mock twisted bullions, with a beaded head band. A small chain with Swarovski crystal is about her neck. Her blouse is Neon Rays Plus and Neon Rays, with padded cumberbund. I ignored the shading in the blouse. Her pants are Gradeur in a balloon stitch that indeed does emphasize her wide girth. Her canvas is only partly stitched. She will have something to work on today.
Ms Purple (with a casual personality) is wearing a corduroy jumper of Splendor and Very Velvet. All that plaid just didn’t sit right for me. Her hair is Pebbly Perle French knots and Colonial knots with a Swarovski earring. The heart canvas is only partly stitched. She has a scissor fob. In her woven basket, Ms Purple is bringing candy and flowers for the party. Hiding in the bag is Scooby the cat, holding a ball of yarn. Scooby belongs to my stitching friend, Nancy. Scooby tries to steal thread from me whenever I stitch at Nancy’s house.
The grass is Burmilana in a two-tone green done in encroached gobelin. I hope you continue to read the adventures of the other members of our Thursday Whimsies group - each is different, and the why will soon be revealed.
To finish the piece I used cording for the threads the ladies are stitching with, rearranged some of the scissors, and added a padded Very Velvet border. I also changed the color of the ladies eyes, lips, and skin.
This was a joy to stitch. My piece is stitched in more clear colors than some of the other stitchers used in our Thursday stitching group. We had lots of fun collaborating on this piece, and already have our next two projects on order.”
Sharon Quick (aka QuickStitcher)
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Thanks, Sharon! Now I can't wait to meet the next Whimsy!
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
