Message for Carla

Yesterday I got a nice note from Carla asking about the long and short stitch lessons that Mary Corbett is posting.  Carla tried to click on the link and got an error message and wanted help getting to the lessons.  I sent her an answer but because she uses AOL for her email, the message bounced.

I sent the message from two other email addresses and they both bounced.  So the only way to communicate with Carla is via Blog.  Sorry! AOL is notorious about blocking messages from anyone except another AOL user.  My emails probably didn't even make it to Carla's spam folder judging from the cryptic bounce messages.

Here's my reply to Carla.  Hope she can use this link but if you have trouble, try shortening the link to www.needlethread.com and see if you can find the Long and Short Stitch lesson link in the right hand column.

This is the main page link. Once you choose a long and short stitch lesson, there is a link to PDF files to download the instructions if you want to print them out.

http://www.needlenthread.com/2009/08/long-and-short-stitch-lessons-index.html

All the lessons aren't up yet (I think nine are planned) but this will tell you everything you need to know  and you can follow the lessons for the parts you are especially interested in.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Bunny Face

Last night was more of the same when it came to NP.  I added stitches to the Rabbit Geisha's face, filling in the area between the brow arch and the eye, working up towards the ears, and trying to get all of the first layer of the left side of the face in.  After I began to get tired, I switched to doing background.  I've not mentioned before the mechanics of doing background.  I'm using 4 plies of DMC cotton floss for the background split pavilion stitch.  DMC cotton floss has six plies, so once I use up an 18-20 inch length of four plies on the background, I use the remaining two plies doubled in my needle to work on more of the three rows of tent stitch that surround the outside of this piece.  Doing things this way means I am constantly adding to the background and the border of tent stitches so they are not all left at the end.  I'm sure there will be plenty of background to finish once the central figure is done, but I am trying to keep that to a minimum.

Tonight I'll probably mist the canvas with my plant mister so I can work the ears and perhaps some of the three rows of tent stitch around the perimeter just above the burn hole.  I'm getting close to the area where the hole was burned so I want to be careful.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow