Catra: The Egyptian Cat is Finished!

Catra is Finished!

At long last my Egyptian Catra is done. This is a canvas from Tapestry Fair, 10 inches by 11 1/2 on 18 count.  Her official name is "Cleo's Cat" and she is one of a series of Ancient Egyptian-themed designs.  You can see "Bastet" here along with Cleo.
http://www.tapestryfair.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=1

And here is "On the Nile."
http://www.tapestryfair.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=1

There is also "Pharoah's Dog" for those who aren't cat people but who still love Egyptian themes.
http://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/product/pharaoh-dog/

Catra Framed

So you see Catra comes from a beautiful family, which made stitching her a challenge.  Ruth Schmuff has done guides for both Bastet and Pharoah's Dog.  Tony Minieri has done guides for Catra and Bastet.  How does one compete with talented stitchers like these?!!!
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2013/05/national-bastet-day.html

http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/03/the-pharoah-dog.html

http://www.tonyminieri.com/tapestry-fair

The answer is you don't.  You have to do something totally different.  But what?  It turns out the key for my choosing stitches and threads for Catra was to look for matte threads, beads that aren't shiny, and to add touches like the mummy and extra hieroglyphs to the background.

Catra at the County Fair

Catra went off to the county fair, by the way.  She won a first place ribbon but sadly, that's not too hard when you are the only needlepoint entered.  I can see I have to do some education close to home!

But first I need to choose my next project....

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 21, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Are You Going to New Orleans?

If you are planning to go to ANG's Seminar in New Orleans, you might need to pick up this chart as a souvenir!
http://majtravaux.blogspot.com/2016/08/new-orleans.html

If you aren't going, bet Donna can get a chart to you anyway....

Vicky's going.  She's talking about her class here.
http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/laissez-les-bons-temps-rouler-4/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 19, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The New "Take a Class Long Distance" Trend UPDATED

So many stitchers--myself included--live hours from the closest needlepoint shop.   For a long time mail order classes have filled that gap.  Mystery classes from the likes of Ruth Schmuff at Bedecked and Beaddazzled have helped many of us take classes that otherwise would have been just too far away or at inconvenient times due to your busy schedules.
http://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/classes/mystery-classes/

And of course stitch guides fill the gap to some extent.  You can learn a lot by stitching along using guidance from one of the many talented guide writers who are working today.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

But shop owners are starting to add new class options for the long distance stitcher.  Lisa at BeStitched is the leader here with her class videos that are available to folks taking her classes, whether they are local or not.  You can see the three upcoming classes on the Bestitched blog.
https://www.bestitchedneedlepointshop.com/blog/

Jinny Barney is now teaching via videos for Needlepoint.com.  Here is her new class--snow for snowmen, winter skies and fluffy stuff falling to the ground.
http://stitchstyleblog.com/2016/08/frosty-stitches-online-class/

Her Santa's Beards class and her beading class are also still available.
http://www.needlepoint.com/santa-s-beard-and-mustache-class.html

http://stitchstyleblog.com/2016/07/new-online-beading-class/

The Internet has made a huge difference in our stitching lives, hasn't it?  I can't wait to see who else jumps on this new trend.

UPDATE:  Comfy Cottage's newest kit has a free online video component.
https://www.comfy-cottage.com/products/star-beginner-needlepoint-kit

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 21, 2016 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.