Saturday, May 21, 2011

Overdyed DMC 4020 or 4030

I had lots of errands to run today and one of them took me close to Michael's, which is one of the big crafts emporium in this area.  So I ducked in to see if any of DMC's Variations line (that is their overdyed floss) will work on the background of the cat topiary garden piece.  I lucked out--both Variations 4020 and the darker 4030 match the background shades of green.  I think 4020 is a better choice because it is lighter but if you happen to have either of these in your stash and you are also going to stitch the cat topiary garden, you might try them and see what you think.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

DMC 992 or 993

I received my dede Odgen cat topiary garden in the mail and put it on stretcher bars Thursday.  This canvas comes in 13 and 18 count and I ordered the 18 count, so I needed a set of 15 inch and a set of 17 inch stretcher bars.  I always put my canvases on stretcher bars instead of stitching in hand.

I also picked the background thread--Splendor color #S870 silk floss, which is roughly the same shade as the next to lightest tree color in the background.  If you are shopping for this project, you'll need a floss type thread for the background.  The closest colors in DMC floss to what I choose are DMC 992 or 993, although these colors are more green than the Splendor I picked which is more blue.  If you want a darker shade, you can pick a color from among the medium shades in the background trees but once we finish the background stitching, we are going to do something that will darken all the background color, so don't pick something too dark or your cat topiary garden will be midnight dark!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Finishing (Professional and Amateur)

One thing all needlepointers have in common is that once our project is done, it either has to be finished or it goes into a pile hidden away in a closet or under the bed.  Pocket Full of Stitches has just posted photographs of finished models that came to their shop with the Zecca trunk show. I've never seen items finished these ways before!  If you want to see inventive ways to make up small canvases, check this out.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/05/zecca-models.html

If you want to do your own finishing, Tara found this great picture tutorial on making a stitched box on The Magpie Stitches blog.  Thanks for the tip, Tara!
http://themagpiesstitches.blogspot.com/2011/05/box-in-progress-err-finished.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com