Stitching Owl Eyes

Owl from Tapestry Fair's Belleza

With Halloween in the air, October 1 is a great time to post this link to Needlepoint for Fun's article on stitching owl eyes.
https://www.needlepoint-for-fun.com/grandma-what-big-eyes-you-have---the-best-needlepoint-stitches-for-owls-eyes.htm

The owl above is one I stitched with sequins and beads for eyes.  The design is an element in Manuel Salas' Belleza de Halloween (Halloween Beauty), adapted for needlepoint canvas by Tapestry Fair.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright August 9, 2019 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tiger Tiger's Needle Felting in Public: Introduction

Belleza's Needle Felted Flower Center

Since I plan to needle felt the small version of Leigh Designs' Imari Timeless Tiger in public here on Blog, I thought we should go over the materials needed and the basics first.  I have needle felted a simple shape before, the orange flower centers on my Tapestry Fair Day of the Dead Halloween piece, Belleza.  The materials I used are described here.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/09/learning-to-needle-felt-simple-shape.html

I had no clue how to do this but it wasn't as hard as I had thought.  There are two things to keep in mind, however.  The needles used to needle felt are very sharp with barbs on the end.  Therefore, you have to needle felt carefully and choose a time when you aren't distracted or likely to be interrupted.  You DO NOT want to needle felt a finger!  The needles are also thin, so if you stab your wool roving at an angle instead of straight up and down, you are more likely to break the needle.

Here is how I needed felted in my first attempt.  Note that I needle felted onto a piece of wool felt, cut out the shape from the felt and appliquéd that onto canvas.  It worked very well for me, but for the Imari tiger, I plan to needle felt directly onto the canvas.    The photo above is a close up of one of my needle felted flowers, just to the right of her earrings.  It turned out very well.  The red-orange petals are beaded, by the way.
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/09/learning-to-needle-felt-simple-shape_27.html

Next week we'll look at other examples of needle felting on needlepoint canvas and discuss some tips from the experts.  Until then, study the photos and video and start assembling your equipment if you have a canvas you'd like to needle felt.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright July 17, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Belleza's Fashion Plate Sister

BeStitched has announced a kit for their Day of the Dead Lady, La Dame Elegante. This is a Tapestry Fair canvas that comes with threads, stitch guide and embellishments.  Click on the photo for a better view of her stole, hat and skull earring.
http://bestitchedneedlepoint.com/la-dama-elegante-order-today/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright May 9, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

A Halloween Present for You

Belleza and Her Spider Earrings

It's Halloween so I have a treat for you today.  The photo above shows a closeup of my Belleza, the Halloween Beauty canvas I stitched last winter for Tapestry Fair from Manual Salas' art.  Here's what the bare naked canvas looks like.  See how she has a spider on her chin and a spiderweb on her right cheek?
http://www.stitchtherapyneedlepoint.com/feature.php?id=22619&title=Belleza%20De%20Halloween&itemtype=hand%20painted%20canvases

If you look at the photo of Belleza above, there is a second spider just above her left eye.  Look over on the left side and you'll see a package of Pier One Halloween earrings.  I wanted to put one of them on this canvas but since I was writing a stitch guide, I couldn't.   There's no way that everyone who buys my guide will be able to find these earrings since Pier One has discontinued them.   I decided to come up with a way to recreate the spider earring in beads and silk.  As my Halloween present to you, here is how I did it.

First, you will need black floss (I used Splendor silk but cotton floss works just as well), a sharp needle (I used a beading needle), a bead and a bicone.

"A what?" someone in the audience asked. (I heard you!)

Bicones are crystals from Swarovski that are faceted and slightly oval pointed.  As you can see, they come in various sizes.  I used a 4mm purple bicone for my spider.
http://www.artbeads.com/swarovski-5301.html

A Closeup of the Spider

It doesn't matter what size bicone you choose but it will need to look proportionate to your bead.  The bicone is the spider's body while the bead is the head.  I used a size 11/0 bead in about the same purple as the bicone but if your spider is larger or wants a different body color than its head, that's perfectly ok.    Use larger bicones and beads and any color you like.  It probably is best not to use a bicone any smaller than 4mm, however.  You have to take the needle through the bicone's hole multiple times to make the spider and tiny holes will fill up fast with multiple passes of thread.

Here is the spider diagrammed.  To finish the spider you need to add another stitch on each side, going through the bead each time, to give it eight legs, four on a side. Just add a 5-6 stitch on one side and a 7-8 stitch on the other.  ( I didn't diagram that because of space constraints.  I didn't want the diagram too confusing.)  Pull each leg thread pass snug but not too tight.  You want to preserve the thread curve to give the spider nice legs.  Once the body and legs are in place, simply add the bead head.

Happy Halloween!

P.S.  If you want something larger and more elaborate for your piece, consider this beaded spider tutorial from Shawkl Designs.
http://www.shawkl.com/2011/09/beaded-spider-tutorial.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Guess Who's Finished?

Belleza de Halloween, Manuel Salas' Art From Tapestry Fair

I'm sure morning visitors to Blog were somewhat shellshocked as I worked on the new look for spring. (Spring **is** on the way, right? RIGHT?!)  Colors changed, photos changed, things were rearranged.  But I'm cleaning house and making way for my newest project as my Day of the Dead lady is DONE!  Hurrah!

Belleza's stitch guide is written and now I am moving on to the newest thing.  Details on the stitch guide for Belleza are on the CH Stitch Guides blog.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/2013/02/halloween-beauty.html

What is the newest thing?  Well, you are going to have to wait a little to find out.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
@ Copyright 2013 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Beading Thread - Which One?

Two Types of Beading Threads

You know how there are ten million kinds and colors and shapes and sizes of beads?  Turns out there are a lot of beading threads, too.  I've been playing with two of them.

On the left in the photo you see a package of Sundance Designs' beading thread.  My color is Dark Cream.  It's really medium cream but who am I to tell Sundance to call their threads "medium" instead of "dark"!?  They have lots of colors of beading thread.  You can see them here, at the bottom of the page. The label points out that colored beading thread may not be colorfast.  If this is an issue for you, stick to white Sundance beading thread.
http://www.sundancedesignsonline.com/catalog.php?LimitRows=all

The Collection also has beading thread.  The packet on the left is theirs.  It is called "Braided Bead Thread" in "crystal" and the label says there is no breaking, fraying or knotting with this thread.  The Collection's website doesn't show a range of colors.  Crystal (which is actually clear and looks like monofilament fishing line) may be the only color they have but I don't know.
http://www.allaboutstitching.com/e-z-beader-and-beading-thread.html

Both seem strong.  I don't think the sharp edges of beads will cut into either easily.  They are constructed differently.  The Collection's braided beading thread is a round thread that is very thin nylon.  Sundance's thread is flatter and frays just a tiny bit at the cut edge, which shows it is made of multiple strands of very thin nylon (or another synthetic).  It is a little difficult to tie a knot at the end of each brand for securing it on the back.  The Collection's nylon line is stiffer to work with.

I prefer Sundance's but that is just because I like the feel of it better.  There is no reason for me to pick one over the other.  Using the "Dark Cream" doesn't change the color of the red and green areas of Belleza's mirror back but the white areas turn a little yellower when I use it there.  If you don't want any change in the look of your beads or the paint of your canvas, you would want to use the "Crystal" from The Collection.  If you are worried about the color running in blocking, then you would need to go with white Sundance beading thread or the crystal from The Collection.

I don't have any price comparison for you as each of my two beading threads were gifts, but there may be a price differential.  I just don't know and Google wasn't much help there today.  Either will do the job, so pick depending on what other needs you have.


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

Fame!

Guess who was the poster girl for the Day of the Dead celebration in New Mexico?
http://phoenixneedlepointnews.blogspot.com/2012/11/poster-girl.html

You can see a stitched version of Belleza's Day of the Dead sister Pocito here, by the way.  Check out what Sheena is doing for the bodice of her Melissa Shirley Wild Woman canvas, by the way.  Sheena's stitching Mae West.
http://www.sheenasstitches.com/januarys-stitcherie-challenge/

Not to worry, I am stitching away on Belleza, but I'm working on a part that will take me probably two weeks to finish and show off.

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

Belleza's Jewelry Part 2

The Pendant Finished, Except....

It's been hectic here in Chilly Hollow so it's taken me some time to finish Belleza's necklace and pendant.  But they are finally done!  The chain is beaded while the pendant is a mix of gold threads, beads and Swarkovski crystals (the daisy-shaped marguerites and a button).

Muslin Basted on Back Side

However, after I read what Ruth Schmuff did for her Eye Candy "Mod Hearts" piece, I had to try it to add a bit of dimension to Belleza's necklace.
http://splittheneedles.blogspot.com/2012/09/love-me-do.html

Slit Closed and Excess Muslin Trimmed

Peggi at Tapestry Fair has done trapunto on a Christmas wreath needlepoint and suggested I just baste around three sides, then stuff through the open side but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to stuff the corners well that way, so I cut a slit in the middle of the diamond shape and stuffed through it.  Then I sewed up the slit, took out the purple basting stitches that held my muslin in position, and trimmed the excess muslin to reduce bulk on the back side.

Dimension!

You probably can't really tell it but Belleza's pendant now raises gently off the black background of her tunic.  Success!

Flashy Necklace--Hurrah!

I've started working on her mirror, which is likely to take quite a while, so don't expect an update for several weeks.

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

Belleza Has Jewelry

Belleza Progress to Date

I'm plugging away at Belleza, trying to get as much of her finished as possible by Halloween.   Three main areas remain--her face tattoos, her hand mirror and her necklace.  I'm working on the necklace now.  It is a mix of threads, beads and crystals.  Once it is stitched, then I have a final touch that I hope will help the pendant of the necklace POP!  off the background of her black tunic.

She sure is sparkly!

There is more bling to come, too.

Stay tuned....

P.S.  Someone has stitched the twin to Belleza with a navy background instead of the green that is painted behind her.
http://tapestryfair.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-different-look-for-un-pocito.html

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

Belleza's Orange Flowers Finished

Day of the Dead Design by Manuel Salas

I've finished the orange flowers on either side of Belleza's earrings.  The petals are bugle beads and the centers are needle felted.  I thought you'd like to see how they turned out.  This is the simplest needle felting possible but good practice for more complicated needle felting shapes.  I'll try something a little more complex on another canvas.









If you are interested in other dimensional techniques such as those found in stumpwork, you will be interested in Kelly Clark's new stumpwork sampler canvas. There is a kit with the Ultrasuede you'll need and a booklet about the techniques as well as a painted canvas.  (Be careful, though, as Kelly has several sampler canvases and you want your shop to order the right one which is KCA 021-18.)  I don't know if the painted canvas, booklet and Ultrusuade kit are available separately or what the costs are.  None of that information is available yet as this is so new, it's not on any shop websites that I could find.
http://kellyclarkneedlepointhandbook.blogspot.com/2012/09/kellys-new-sampler-stumpwork-naturally.html

This is Belleza, distributed by Tapestry Fair

Here is Belleza today.  I've worked on some smaller areas like the neckline of her tunic that I've not talked about that are small but important to the overall look of the canvas.  I still need to work on her sleeve trim, the mirror, her necklace and the face tattoos, so there is still a lot to finish on this fun piece.  I'm shooting to have her done by Halloween but this is a busy time of year.  Will I make it?  Will Belleza be ready to scare the pants off trick or treaters?  Stay tuned!  LOL

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

Learning to Needle Felt a Simple Shape: Part Two

Once I had my needle felting supplies, I was ready to experiment.  Remember, I have no idea about how needle felting works, I am just figuring out how to use wool roving, my felting needles and the foam block to create a brown button for the center of my flower.   If you have done needle felting, feel free to add tips to the Comments section below or email me at chillyhollow athot maildot com and I'll post for you.


IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP:  Needles for needle felting are both sharp and covered with barbs from the tip up about an inch along the shaft.  DO NOT use them on a table without the foam block and don't try needle felting when you are likely to be distracted.  It is really going to hurt if you poke your fingers with this needle!  Do everything possible to keep that from happening!!


Since I was making two flower centers, I pulled two pieces of brown wool roving from the roving batt, making sure they were both about the size of a quarter.  I had watched several YouTube videos of how to needle felt shapes, so I knew to fold my roving into the rough shape I wanted, and that's what I did.  I laid one of the pieces on my foam block and started poking it with one of the needles, trying to push it into a denser and smaller disk.  I'd heard that it was better to push the needle through the roving at a 90 degree angle to lessen the pressure on the needle so it wouldn't break as easily so I started out poking my wool roving in an up and down fashion.  I was sure glad I bought the needles with plastic covers on the end after a bit as they were easier to hold when you are needling for a long time.

After two-three minutes of poking the wool with my barbed needle, the disc was a little denser and smaller.  I started folding the edge of my disc under and poking along the edge, trying to make a rounded edge and a thicker disk that way.  Occasionally I would roll he disk with my fingers, trying to shape it better.  Fold, poke for a minute, turn the disk a bit, fold under the edge again, poke for a minute, turn, repeat.  After about 25 minutes of this, I had a rounded shape that was almost a quarter inch larger than the size of my paper pattern.  It was thicker and denser than the wool roving I'd started with since the needle action pushed and matted it together.  I put my felting disk and needles aside and took out my piece of felt, cutting a rectangle a bit smaller than the foam block that came with the needle felting kit.

Holding the disk while pushing into the felt with the needle

I put the felt on top of the block and my wool roving disk on top of the felt.  Then I continued to poke the wool roving as before except now I was trying to bond the disk to the black felt.  I couldn't turn under the edge any more but I could poke it from the side with my needle, trying to push it into the middle. Of course this slant is harder on the needle so I was careful and didn't push it so far into the foam block underneath the felt and the roving.  In the photo above you see the wool button I am making and the needle slant I was starting to use, plus the paper pattern that is my size reference.

It took me another 30 minutes to push and shove and poke the brown roving into a button that was the right size to be the flower center.  In other words, one flower center took an hour. This is a very basic shape so you can see a more complex shape like a squirrel or cat or dog will take a while.

Felting block, felt, needle angles and the beaded orange flower where the center goes

The next morning I did the second flower center exactly the same way. It took half an hour to create the basic shape and another half hour to bond that shape to the felt and finish making it smaller by poking the edges at an angle, just like flower center #1.  Now I had two centers bonded to felt.  I cut them out and plan to sew them to the center of my flowers. I think some shapes can probably be done right onto NP canvas, especially if you put felt UNDER the canvas but I haven't tried that yet.  More experimentation is needed before I try that.  Also. I wanted to be certain my poking wouldn't disturb any finished areas on my Belleza canvas.    As you can see above, the felted flower center is going in the middle of a LOT of beads.  Once I finish beading flower #2 I'll show you a photo.

I think using the thick felt as a base is not necessary.  The thinner felt I can get at the fabric store will probably work ok, even though it isn't 100% wool.  Anyone else have an opinion on this?

I think also some folks needle felt right onto NP canvas but I'm not sure about that.  Has anyone else tried this?

I discovered that even though my two needles appear to be the same size and are unmarked, one works better at creating the basic shape using the up and down action and the other works better at an angle to prod the basic shape into a smaller and denser button.  I ended up switching needles when I switched needle angles.

It looks like more complex shapes are built by adding rolls of different colors and shapes as you see in this video of a stand alone owl.  But that is a topic to explore later on another canvas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GychGBLkEO4

Hope this helps you figure out needle felting so you can try it yourself.  Be careful with the needles!

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

Learning to Needle Felt a Simple Shape: Part One

For the orange flowers on either side of Belleza's earrings, I wanted to pair bugle beads with a needle felted center.   Beads are very sparkly so to both calm them down and to highlight the sparkle, I will use needle felted wool centers among the flower petals.  But first I have to learn how to needle felt.

To do so, I went shopping for needle felting supplies at the big box craft stores in my area.  I discovered that in my area Michael's and Hobby Lobby carry the same brands of felting supplies so I bought a needle felting kit at the place it was on sale and bought wool roving at the other place where I had a coupon and their selection of roving colors was better.  Here's what I came home with--

Needle Felting Supplies

I bought 100% wool black felt, which is about double the thickness of felt you get at the fabric store.  I bought the needle felting tool set, which has two needles and a block of foam that you use as the base for felting so you don't put holes in your table.  I bought a package of two shades of brown wool roving (that's the wool batting you see).  I made a copy of my canvas and cut out the center of the flower so I had a paper pattern to use to make sure my two flower centers were the same size (that's the yellow dot laying under the polka dot leaf which I found on my front porch this morning).

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

Have You Forgotten Belleza?

Now that my Top Secret project is finished for Baltimore, it's time to bring Belleza back out and finish her. While I was stitching Top Secret, I decided what I wanted to do with the purple flower. It is going to take me some time to try my idea, so I thought you'd like to see the latest Day of the Dead canvas from Manuel Salas while you wait and speculate on what I'll do to the purple flower. Tapestry Fair has the newest Salas painted and will be working on its companion piece shortly.
http://tapestryfair.blogspot.com/2012/09/new-canvas-from-manuel-salas.html

You probably will also enjoy Sundance Design's tutorial on making flowers from silk ribbon, beads and sequins. Maybe I'll use their ideas later.   After all, I still have the small orange flowers on either side of Belleza's earrings to stitch.
http://sundanceinstitches.blogspot.com/2012/09/silk-ribbon-and-sequin-flower-tutorial.html

Purple Flower Finished!

Ok, the suspense is over.  Here is Belleza's purple flower, done in woven picots with purple bicone crystals.  Now for the orange flowers.  For that I'm going to teach myself needle felting.

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

Introducing Owlcutus of Borg

Owlcutus

Any Star Trek: The New Generation fan will remember Locutus of Borg.  The rest of Blog's readers will have to look at this link to appreciate the joke when a friend of mine christened my owl from the Belleza Day of the Dead canvas Owlcutus of Borg.
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Locutus_of_Borg

What you see to the left of the bird is a flat steel washer.  I planned to use two size 8 washers as the owl's eyes.  What you see above is one washer in position, covered in satin stitches, and the second washer before it was put in place.  However, once I covered the first washer, I realized how out of proportion the eyes were to the rest of the owl's head and body.  Remember, this is a big canvas with a lot going on.  I decided washer eyes that were this big and prominent were a mistake, and removed the washer I'd covered.  Instead, I used stacked sequins for the eyes and a stopper bead for the pupil.

Owlcutus is no longer Borg.  He's just a little owl again.  The moral is proportion is everything on a needlepoint canvas--unless of course you are aiming to create cyborg owls!

The Scanner makes the eyes look different but they really are identical.

P.S. Can you see the slobber mark on the right any more?
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/06/watson-and-pencils-and-other-problems.html


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

Watson and Pencils and Other Problems

Oops!  Damaged Background to Right of Owl

All sorts of things can go wrong with your needlepoint canvas.   I'm not talking stitch errors or thread dye lot problems--I'm thinking about accidental spills and marks.  Just listen to what happened to Perles Before Twine when stitching the charted face and hands of Gay Ann Roger's Queen Elizabeth I portrait.
http://www.perlebeforetwine.com/2012/pencil-on-canvas-a-cautionary-tale/

Something similar happened to me while stitching my Day of the Dead lady.  The photo above is the upper right corner of Belleza.  The white area you see is where I found dried dog slobber, courtesy of Watson the Wonder Dog, who is a big slobbering hound.  Belleza is always covered when I am not stitching her, so this is probably from a time I put her down in my stitching chair to answer the phone, etc.  I thought distilled water and a Q-tip would take the slobber off and it did--but the paint came off with it!  I consulted with Peggi of Tapestry Fair (Belleza's creator) who said she'd always suspected dog slobber would damage painted canvases.  Peggi uses high quality Liquitex or Golden Acrylic paints for her designs, too.  There were two ways we could handle the problem--Peggi could repaint the area or I could stitch the background with a full coverage stitch.


As you can see, I'd already chosen a lovely spot motif for Belleza's background.  The Southwestern style crosses are called zias after the Zia Pueblo Indians of the Southwest who use the sacred symbol on their pottery.  A zia decorates the flag of New Mexico and you often see the symbol used as a sun in Peter Ashe's Southwestern designs.  As much as I like my version of the zia, I had never been totally happy with it as the background, so I went back to my stitch books and came up with another background, a Flat Variation stitch from Marnie Ritter.

DMC 333 to the rescue!

But before I replaced one background stitch with another, I needed to rip out the zia shapes and do a little coverup on the white patch where dried dog slobber removed the paint.  Above you see my background thread (High Cotton in Periwinkle 310) and a matching skein of DMC #333 cotton floss.  With one ply of the DMC cotton, I basketweaved over the whiter area to help hide it once I stitch the area with my background stitch.  Here is what the background looks like when restitched with my new background stitch, one of Marnie Ritter's Flat Variation stitches, done right over the basketweave.

Background Restitched Over Basketweave

Can you see the slobber spot now?  In person it is a little more visible since there are empty holes among the various stitch motifs where the basketweave under-stitching is obvious, but I don't think a casual viewer would notice.

Marnie Ritter's Flat Variation, Diagrammed By Sheena James

Courtesy of Sheena James, I have my background stitch diagrammed so that you can see what I used better.  My High Cotton floss is a very close match to the background color, making good photographs difficult.  Note the two uncovered threads between each row.  To make sure to hide this flaw in the background, I added Plan B, which is to draw attention from the spot with something eye-catching.  I put small silver beads in the holes between stitch rows.

Look at the Beads, Not the Spot

I think only Blog readers will know where to look to find the dog slobber spot now, especially once the owl is stitched.  That will further draw attention away from the flaw in the background.  It will look like a shadow of the owl.  The moral is to keep your canvas covered at all times but that marks and damage can be hidden if you are clever.

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

Treat for Belleza's Fans

Look who's stitching Belleza, too!  I'm in good company.
http://www.canvasesbegone.com/blog/super-saturday/

http://www.canvasesbegone.com/blog/class-aftermath/

I'll be back to Belleza soon.  I just have that Columbus stitching deadline....


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

Belleza's Glamorous Twin

Bedecked and Beadazzled posted photographs from their Brenda Hart weekend class and guess who was among the canvases getting Brenda Hart's special touch? Belleza!  Yes, the Day of the Dead lady I've just put aside so I can finish a new design in time for the June trade show had a twin at Ruth Schmuff's shop.  Look how the back of the mirror has been changed!  I never would have thought to do that, but Brenda Hart is a genius.

http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2012/04/time-really-does-fly.html

I hope you enjoy glimpses of all the other great canvases folks were stitching but for me, Belleza's twin was the highlight of the show.


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

Guess Who Came By to Visit?

I was floored this morning to discover a Comment  by Manuel Salas left on yesterday's posting about Belleza's black dress.  Manuel Salas is the artist behind the Day of the Dead ladies that Tapestry Fair has reproduced on needlepoint canvas.  He said some very nice things, which were appreciated, and told me that more of his artwork can be seen on his Facebook page.  If you have a Facebook account, just type in "Manuel Salas" and he'll pop up.  Then you can click on his Photo albums and see a few photos of his work.  I think the photograph of Lupe is of the needlepoint version Peggi stitched in classes with Tony Minieri.

Here's the article with the comment, just so you don't have to hunt.  Isn't it amazing how the Internet brings people who ordinarily would never meet together?
http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com/2012/04/little-black-dress.html?showComment=1335247942180#c4198077848318553046

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

The Little Black Dress

Belleza's Dress

I've had several people tell me that they were dying to catch a new glimpse of Belleza, my Day of the Dead canvas I'm stitching for Tapestry Fair.  (Several other folks have asked me what on earth one does with a canvas like this once it is stitched, but for me it's the journey, not the end product and she is a model so Belleza's not really something that will live in CH for long.  She will go to Tapestry Fair and visit the trade shows, probably framed.)  This posting is for Belleza's fans.

If you look at the photos of Belleza (purple background) and her companion Pocito (green background) on the upper left corner, you'll see that Belleza wears a rather plain dress.  Pocito's is much fancier with lots of colors, but poor Belleza is wearing basic black if you ignore the lime and black arm trim and the orange/white/purple neck hole trim.  These outfits are called huipil, by the way.  They are a sort of sleeveless tunic.
http://stores.mexicantextileandcraft.com/Page.bok?template=theHuipil

I felt a little sorry for her having such a plain dress and decided I'd dress up the black area somehow to balance out the fancy floral headdress.  But how?  If you've ever stitched with black threads on black painted areas, you know how any fancy stitch disappears.  There isn't enough contrast for the stitch to show up. I decided my options were a) use another color than black and an open stitch to add texture and color; b) use a sparkly black thread and a stitch that would add texture to the huipil; or c) stick to plain black and a simple stitch like basketweave or interlocking gobelin for the dress and let her necklace dominate the area.

I ruled out c) immediately as I wanted to fancy up the area some.  Since there is orange and white and purple and lime green trim on the dress I decided I'd not go with a), either.  There were too many colors I had to make nice with.  That left b) a sparkly black thread.

The Pavilions With a Few Beads Added

I choose to use Silk Lame Braid and a simple modified pavilion stitch for the dress.  Pavilions are diamond-shaped stitches and that shape is roughly the shape of her necklace, so I thought it was appropriate.  You can't really see the stitch shape well in the photograph but it is a diamond with the bottom point empty.  I put a bead there.  I actually used the purple beads in the photo above just because they'd show up well in the stitch guide photo to explain what I was doing but I liked the light lilac shade so well that I ended up beading the entire dress with them.

Hope you like it as much as I do!

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

Two Birds in Beads (Day of the Dead)

Pocito Dove Underway

I've not mentioned Belleza, my Day of the Dead lady from Manual Salas/Tapestry Fair much this last week because I have been so busy with Real Life chores, I've not accomplished much. However, I did manage to bead both my birds.  Janet is working Pocito and also choose to bead her birds (Sheena's not at this point yet as she is working on her Pocito's face).  I thought you might like to see how differently my birds and Janet's turned out, even though they are painted in an almost identical manner.  The two Day of the Dead ladies are pictured on the left side of Blog for your reference.

Pocito's Right Dove Finished

Pocito (green background) has white doves outlined in silver.  Janet beaded them with three colors of round beads: orange beads on the beak, white pearl and silver beads on the rest of the bird.  Janet's orange and white pearl beads are size 14 from Sundance while the silver beads are size 15 from The Shepherdess Bead Store in San Diego.  She wanted all round beads but could not find silver beads in size 14 so she used the slightly smaller size 15 ones.  Janet pointed out that her beak is painted yellow and orange but she decided her canvas is already so colorful that using two colors in the tiny beak would be distracting. So her beak is solid orange.

Belleza's Glittering Crow with Yellow Eye

Belleza (purple background) has black crows outlined in silver.  I also used size 14 beads from Sundance but I used hex beads in four colors:  black, silver lined crystals, orange and peach-yellow.  My beak has both yellow and orange shades which is how it was painted.  I also put a yellow-peach bead in one bird's eye and used an orange bead for the other crow's eye.  Janet used a black stitch for her dove eye.

Belleza's Orange Eyed Crow

My birds are much harder edged than Janet's romantic little doves.  I don't think it is just the colors than make my birds crows--I think it is also the glitter that hex beads give.  Janet used round beads that are softer and that have a pearl "glow" instead of the glint that hex beads give when they reflect light.  The moral of all this is that your choice of bead type and size are as important as the color.  We both used beads of the same type (round or hex) and in the same size as much as possible.

Hope this gives you some ideas the next time you want to put beads on a needlepoint canvas.  If you want to add romance and softness, look for round beads.  If you need more glitter and shine, hex beads are the way to go.

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