Fun Browsing in All the Heat

Canvas by Barbara Bergsten

I have some fun things for you to ponder this morning.  First of all, Pocket Full of Stitches has their Barbara Bergsten trunk show.  This is notable as they are selling from the trunk show at a 20% off discount, making this a great time to pick up a fun project.  Put the money you save towards a new Stirling bag to showcase your stitching.  Remember, you can go to Barbara's website (second link) to download a stitch guide for each of her designs.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2010/07/its-trunk-show-time-again-ps-new.html

http://www.barbarabergstendesigns.com/stitch_guides.htm

Too hot to stitch where you are?  Then go browse the collection of vintage needlepoint purse sites that the About.com guide has collected.  Even if you have no intention of buying, it is fun to browse fashions of yesteryear.
http://needlepoint.about.com/b/2010/07/06/vintage-needlepoint-handbags-on-the-net.htm

Are you looking for a source for the tiny size 15  beads?  & More has added photos of the colors they carry to their website.  Mill Hill beads are around size 11 in most cases, to give you an idea of how much smaller size 15 beads are.
http://web.me.com/andmorethreads/_%26_more/BEADS_%26_BEADING_THREAD.html

Want to make your own beads?  Just cut metal purl into the custom size of your choice and attach like any bead.  Mary Corbet's website shows how to use metal purls (and how to fix any problems with the fat little coils).
http://www.needlenthread.com/2010/07/goldwork-thread-metal-purl.html

This morning I substituted a photo of my blooming day lilies for my own portrait on Blog.  They are the only thing in CH that likes this hot and humid weather!

By the way, it looks like Blogger has fixed any problems with the Comments now. I suspect that the new Stats system they have added to blogs that use "Blogger in Draft" caused the trouble.  If you blog via Blogger and use their "Blogger in Draft" system instead of the more stable standard system, check your Dashboard for the new Stats tab.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, do not worry.  I often have no idea what I'm talking about either!

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

Notice Anything Familiar?

3/4 Wide Diamonds

Welcome to Day Three of the second big heat wave of the summer here in air-conditionless CH.  My brain is melting. I'm having to wash my hands in cold water periodically to do any stitching at night and I finally gave up and watched television instead yesterday.

I did get the second layer of stitching done on the bird's body, though.  Notice anything that seems familiar?  No?  Look at the wide diamonds background at the bottom of the photo, then look at the hot pink stitches that lay on top of the tent stitches on the bird's body. You are right:  I am using three of the four steps of wide diamonds to embellish the bird.

Madonna was right--wide diamond stitch has reappeared in my stitching!

It took me three tries to come up with the right thread for this.  I tried the mauve silk used on the bird's body (too close to the tent stitches' colors to stand out), used a thin metallic (looked too metallic and shiny), and finally settled in on a ply of Eterna silk in Hot Pink.  It reflects the light differently from different angles and is more/less prominent depending on the angle you are viewing the bird from.

I'm not done yet.  I just ran out of steam last night.  It's way too hot to stitch!

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