News from Various Places

I've been collecting news for about a week and have enough to post about several fun things now.  So -- here goes!

First, The Needlepointer has posted a listing of all their monthly clubs for 2010.  The newest club is the Chinese fortune cookies, which are small canvases stitched with fun threads and stitches.  Click on the link below, then choose a link to the club that appeals to you for details and photographs.
http://www.theneedlepointer.com/monthly_clubs.php

Needlenook of La Jolla has updated their home page with several new products and a new class.  You won't want to miss seeing the photographs of the two classes Cassie Prescott of Sundance Designs is going to teach at NN of LJ next month.  Have you been intrigued by the Lee Cox scissor fobs and magnets that were mentioned in the latest Needle Pointers magazine and frustrated because the Lee Cox website isn't up and running yet?  Head to the front door of NN of LJ for photos of her products.  Heck, look at all the goodies there!
http://www.needlenookoflajolla.com/

Finally, Needle Works of Austin, Texas has posted their newsletter. It's full of projects, classes and new canvases for you to enjoy.
http://www.theneedleworks.com/newsletter/2009%20newsletters/2009falll_m.pdf

I will award myself five enabling points but really, all the points should go to these great online shops.  By the way, the canvas photo of the purse is from Cooper Oaks.  It's on 13 count canvas.
http://www.needlenookoflajolla.com/storedir/proddetail.php?prod=cc713

I'd stitch the faux tortoiseshell handle in something soft like Vineyards silk (tent stitches) and also tent stitch the lettering using metallics for maximum shine (I prefer Coronet Braid when it comes to metallic bling).  Then you can have fun with a decorative laid stitch for the purse background.  Try using subtle neutral shades couching down something metallic, also in a neutral shade.  See the links below for various possibilities for that purse background stitch.

I'd rotate this stitch so that the long stitches covered by XS run horizontally but this would look great in two shades of tan with a metallic gold couched line and a second tan metallic for the dashes.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2004/aug.php

If that stitch is too busy, try this less directional one.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2004/june.php

If you want to be creative, test stitch these couched pavilion variations until you find a mix of stitches and threads you like.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2004/mar.php

Finally, if you want more rounded shapes in the background, this would be lovely.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2007/feb.php

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

Green Ribbons, Pink Ribbons

The Rabbit Geisha's green ribbons are finished and the pink ribbons are underway.  I ended up not padding any more of the green ribbons than what you saw in the photo day before yesterday as it seemed that highly padded ribbons only belong in front of the kimono when they have a lot to compete with for our attention.  The pink ribbons are not padded at all.

I also decided to do something a little different with the pink ribbons than with the green--I used only one pink overdyed thread instead of three different shades of green in three threads.

I happened to have a skein of Needle Necessities' overdyed cotton floss "Cotton Candy" #157 which has all three shades of rose pink that were painted on the canvas I am working.  I cut 18 inch lengths, removed four plies (this is a six ply thread), and knotted the end most similar in shade to my starting point on the canvas.  Then I stitched letting the color changes happen regardless of what was painted.  Every time I needed a new length of thread, I started with the "right" color, i.e., the color that was painted, but after that the colors fell as the thread was dyed.

I was much more careful to match the correct shade of green on the green ribbons but it is hard to copy what is painted when you are using long stitches.  Tent stitches allow you to match the paint almost exactly but long stitches don't.

This doesn't really matter, though.  If you look at the photo above and compare it to the original unpainted canvas, it is hard to tell that I didn't match the original exactly.

I have a nice little cache of NN threads but if you don't, you can substitute ThreadworX overdyed floss for this discontinued thread. Needle in a Haystack has reference photos of all the NN overdyed floss colors here.
http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/Thread/NN_Floss.html

You can see that ThreadworX's "Sweet Innocence" #1099 is a very close match by looking at the photos Needle in a Haystack has posted here.
http://www.needlestack.com/WebStore/Thread/TW_Floss.html

I have to stitch the gold edging of one last pink ribbon area before I can stitch the ribbon itself.  After that, I will finish the navy tassels and finally get to the part I've been looking forward to since I started this design--the feathery fan the Rabbit Geisha carries.

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