Yesterday I took one last look at the Stuart Plaid Lion, trying to figure out if the lion's body and mane was finished or if I needed to add more stem stitches here and there. I ended up adding a few highlights to the mane using a strand of Accentuate (gold #024) and then laid long stitches with the same thread across the diagonal red skip tent stitch background. The skip tent stitches run from the NE to the SW and the long gold Accentuate stitches are laid from the NW to the SE. Using a little Accentuate adds a bit of pizzazz to the canvas. This is a royal symbol of the Stuart line of English kings and queens, after all!
I think this design is finished but I'll take one last look today before sending it off to Leigh to be made up into a model while I write the stitch guide.
On another topic entirely, Old World Designs' website page about their monthly club of California ornaments has updated to show photos of all the designs in stitched form. Love that cable car!
http://www.oldworlddesigns.com/california.html
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
13 comments:
Congratulations! It is wonderful!
Thanks, Pat. Wish you could see it in person. The gold Accentuate lines in the background are the perfect finishing touch.
This is another wonderful effort of yours. I agree about the Accentuate - a fine idea for jazzing up the background. Following your needlepoint adventures is a favorite part of my day.
Nancy
Thanks, Nancy. That's quite a compliment and I appreciate it.
Jane, blushing in CH
The lion is great! I love how you stitched the fur and mane the way they grow. There's so much movement and depth.
Fantastic job. That extra touch of gold did the trick in bringing everything together.
The Stuarts were an old, long line of Scottish kings. James I was son of Mary Queen of Scots and became king of England when Elizabeth died without an heir. The name was changed to Stewart - and the tartan is the "royal Stewart tartan," which Queen E.II has adopted as her own. She wears it at Balmoral in Scotland.
Thanks for the history lesson, Judy. I knew that James the First was a Stuart but his mother Mary Queen of Scots was not. Isn't that interesting? I know the British Dynasty ornaments are all roughly based on English royal families but not many details.
Thank you, Madonna. The gold in the background looks really good. I was surprised as I'd tried beads and thicker gold metallic and they didn't work, but the very skinny Accentuate did.
Thanks, Sara Leigh. The random stem stitch works well for fur although I think random long and short the way Tanja Berlin does it looks neater and more realistic but I didn't think I had enough room in this small lion for that to work.
Mary Queen of Scots was from a long long line of Stuart kings of Scotland - beginning in the 14th century. When James ascended the throne of England, he was the first of only 7 Stuarts to rule England, in a span of about 100 years ending in 1714. They were mostly executed or ousted. Mary was returned from France, where she was raised, because her father died and she was the only available Stuart to reign.
Hi Jane,
Quite beautiful. I love how you stitched the lion. He looks wonderful.
Pierrette =^..^=
Thanks, Pierrette. He's quite something in person but all that metallic and the beads don't photograph well. Too bad everyone can't come over to my house and see him!
Post a Comment