The September Canvas of the Month is from Lani Enterprises. It's a "gift tag" that reads Imagine. This canvas is 18 count and is four inches wide by seven and a half inches tall.
Since the theme of this canvas is imagination, let's run wild with this one. As always, my first step would be to make two color copies of the design. Then I'd stitch the gold bracket around the hole and the one around the word Imagine, using my favorite Vintage Gold from Kreinik in tent stitches. Also stitch the background behind Imagine with a pretty tan Silk Lame Braid and the red lines in the bracket around Imagine, all in more tent stitches. I think a nice cherry red metallic would look good here. The Silk Lame Braid has gold woven in, so let's tent stitch the letters of Imagine in the new Kreinik black holographic thread (size 8). That will give the whole central part of the canvas a lot of shine and emphasis.
The teal blue background underneath the flower can be tent stitched also. I think I'd choose a silk that matched the teal color. Moving up to the green and purple striped backgrounds, let's find Silk Lame Braids in those colors and use a slanted stitch that leans to the right for the green / and a slanted stitch that leans left for the purple \. Work the slants all the way across each stripe. Once the stripes are done, shape and then couch DMC's memory thread down over the black curliques. You probably will need 2-3 rows to completely cover. I'd use Kreinik's black holographic thread in blending filament size as the couching thread and work one piece of memory thread at a time. This will be tedious but very dimensional and will add a lot to the top of the design.
The purple and blue floral background is next. Using the same gold thread you used for the word bracket and the hole surround, use a padded row of satin stitch as the top edge of the floral background. Tent stitch the purple part, using a rather matte thread like silk/wool or wool or cotton floss. Then bead all the blue dots and the flowers. Try to match the blue color with your beads and beading thread. Again, it'll take a while but this is an over-the-top canvas that needs over the top colors, dimension and sparkle.
I left the flower to last deliberately. First step, tent stitch the coral petals in a matching thread. Cotton floss would be best but matching the color is more important than the thread type. Now make a visit to the craft store and buy feathers in as close a match to the coral as you can find. Sew the shaft of the feathers down in the center of the "flower" individually as you add each "petal." If you like, put a dab of fabric glue (I use Aileen's Tacky Glue because it dries clear) in the middle of each petal before you put the feather on. This will hold it in place as you stitch it down. When the feathers are in place, cut the spotted flower shape out of one of your color copies. You don't have to cut a red hole in the center, just cut the outside petal shapes. Use the cut flower shape to cut out a piece of Ultrasuede to match. Then glue it down on top of the feather petals, using the intact color copy to position it properly. (That's why I made two copies of the bare canvas at first, one to cut as a pattern and the other to refer to.) Once the Ultrasuede is in place and dry, you can put a few tiny stitches here and there along the outside edge just to make sure nothing moves. The next step is to use the hot fix Swarkowski crystals for the spots on the flower. Use the intact color copy to position the crystals and let them sit a bit for the glue to cool.
The very last step before finishing is to place a button right on top of the flower center. Look for shankless ones so there isn't a bump on the back. You can even use two buttons for the center, one smaller than the other, and glue one on top of the other. If you align the buttonholes, you can even take a few stitches through the buttons, the Ultrasuede and the canvas to secure it. Use more of your Kreinik holographic blending filament in black to add just a little more sparkle. Or attach beads through the holes, using the same beads you used in the floral background.
The sky's the limit for your imagination and for this canvas.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
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