No Flying Monkeys: Stitching Order

Before I show off my footstool test stitching for my No Flying Monkeys witch, I want to talk about stitch order a bit.  Because I choose silk threads for my footstool and wall backgrounds, I don't want to stitch these areas first, even though I normally do stitch backgrounds first.  Instead, I want to stitch the stockings and the hand before I tackle the backgrounds.  That way I will be less likely to snag a stitch done in silk reaching over the background to work the stockings, for example.  Once I have a general idea of how I plan to stitch a piece, I try to figure out the most logical way to stitch it.  In this case, working the stockings and hand first is important.  The footstool should be next, and then I'll work on the martini glass.  After that I'll probably turn the canvas upside down and stitch the ruby slippers, followed by the wall background area and finally the lettering.

So I tent stitched the stockings with black and white High Cotton, which is a five ply cotton floss with a slightly rough texture to the plies, making each ply slightly thicker than one ply from a strand of DMC cotton floss.  I stripped the plies apart and then recombined them.  I ended up using four plies to basketweave the stockings but if your stitch tension is tighter than mine, you might need all five.  (This is a 13 count canvas.)   I didn't have any gray High Cotton for the shadow lines on the outside of the stockings but a gray size 5 cotton perle worked nicely there in continental stitch.  I was careful to tie off after I worked each stripe so I wouldn't drag a thread across the white areas on the back and cause a shadow on the front.  Then I stitched the hand in basketweave using pink Flair F505.  This thread is semi-transparent so the shading shows even though I used only one color.

Now I am ready to start the footstool stitch auditions!

Remember, I am collecting the links as I blog stitch this Point of It All Designs piece and posting them in a tab on the CH Stitch Guides blog.  You can catch up on what you missed by going there--just click on the flying carpet photo to magically be transported to my other blog and then back again.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright April 29, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

A Custom Summer Vacation Times Three UPDATED

I think you'll be as impressed as I was with the three custom belts Ridgewood's painter came up with for a customer. The design was created from summer vacation snapshots, chosen and ordered by the customer and then painted onto three identical belt canvases.  This makes a very special family souvenir, doesn't it?  I sure hope Ridgewood posted a finished photo when belt number one is made up so we can all ogle it!
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2015/05/custom-belts.html

UPDATE:  The belts' owner just posted this message in the Comments.  I'm quoting her here so everyone will see:

"These are my belts,our family vacations at Chautauqua Institution in western NY each year. I am making the belts for my father's birthday (he turns 83 in July) and for my son and husband. I just completed my Dad's belt last night and it is going to be finished today. The store painter did a great job. It made me think that I could do one for our small town for my son with his elementary school, high school, town pool, library, town hall, etc. You could also do this with buildings from a college campus for a graduate or professor. Thanks for sharing the belts!"
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 12, 2015 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.