Canvas of the Month: Jane's Geisha

Kirk and Hamilton Geisha Glasses Case - Side Two

For this Canvas of the Month, Bonnie and I are doing something a little different than what we did in the past. We are working on a canvas set instead of coming up with ideas for the same canvas. Bonnie is doing one side of a glasses case and I'm doing the other, using two glasses case designs from Kirk and Hamilton. Here is the set. We don't know what dimensions are for these canvases so we assumed they were roughly 7 x 3 1/2 inches on 18 count canvas.
http://www.kirkandhamilton.com/eyeglasscases-2.htm

My canvas is pictured above. Here is what I came up with for this design, based on Bonnie's threads. I thought since this was a set, I ought to mirror what she was doing on one side of the case by reusing the same threads and stitches as much as possible on the other side.  Bonnie used Splendor silk for her geisha's kimono, cotton floss for the skin, wool for the hair, beads or metallics for hair sticks, silk or metallics for hair ornament, metallic for sunglasses, Mandarin floss for the background.  I'll try to match what she's done if possible.

I like to start with the background.  Since Bonnie used Mandarin floss here, I think I'll do the same, especially since Mandarin floss has some lovely shades of green.  For the wave pattern, I would stitch simple vertical stitches over the the pale yellow interiors and then cross stitch the green outlines.  Next I'd tent stitch her face, neck and hand in 3 plies of cotton floss (except for the lips) followed by stem stitch outlines for the ear, eyebrow and nose put right on top of the tent stitches.

Her lips can be stitched in two shades of pink Splendor silk in long stitches.  Using the same medium pink shade of Splendor, stitch the medium pink collar of her kimono in diagonal oblong upright cross stitch.  Couch the dark red outline in a matching darker pink metallic.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2002/July.php

Now stitch the lighter blue edge of the kimono (also in Splendor silk) using diagonal cashmere.  Edge with couched medium blue perle, either silk or cotton.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2000/00-08.php

I am not quite sure what the geisha has in her hand but it might be a hagoita paddle.  Regardless, I think it would be lovely stitched in  Nobuko stitch using a gold metallic.
http://samuraidave.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/at-new-years-japan-breaks-out-the-paddles-hagoita-ichi/

http://needlepoint.about.com/od/texturedstitches/ss/Nobuko.htm

Stitch the hair sticks using the same gold thread.  Tent stitch the smallest areas, then lay long horizontal or slanting stitches and pad over them with the same metallic in long vertical stitches.  Bead the rounded tips with gold beads, preferable faceted ones that match the gold metallic thread.

Turning to the geisha's hair, I'd use Burmilana in long and short stitch, being careful to follow the flow of real Japanese wigs and keeping the stitches shorter than usual.  This will look like the "thin wool" that Bonnie used, be durable and is also easy to stitch with.  DO NOT stitch the hair visible behind the half moon shaped hair ornament.  Instead, stitch the half moon in skip tent stitches with a dark brown/gold metallic in something light weight like #4 Kreinik braid or even Accentuate.  This will allow the black hair to show a bit just like it does the way it was painted.

Tent stitch the glasses using Kreinik's new holographic black thread.  You will get SHINE.  

The final area of the glasses case is the main floral pattern of the kimono.  I would totally bead the leaf and fruit patterns, both the white leaf and the blue veins and the white of the stems and round fruits.  Match the blue beads to a blue Splendor silk and tent stitch the background of the kimono.

This will add up to a durable set of geishas glamorous enough to contain your best sunglasses!

Many thanks to Bonnie for helping me with this project.

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

Canvas of the Month: Bonnie's Geisha

Kirk & Hamilton Geisha Glasses Case - Side One

For this Canvas of the Month, Bonnie and I are doing something a little different than what we did in the past.  We are working on a canvas set instead of coming up with ideas for the same canvas.  Bonnie is doing one side of a glasses case and I'm doing the other, using two glasses case designs from Kirk and Hamilton.  Here is the set.  We don't know what dimensions are for these canvases so we assumed they were roughly 7 x 3 1/2 inches on 18 count canvas.
http://www.kirkandhamilton.com/eyeglasscases-2.htm

Bonnie's canvas is pictured above.  Here is what she came up with for this design--

"This piece is designed to be used as an eye case, so in that respect I am keeping it a bit more simple/durable than if it was to be used for something else. So I am using lots of simple stitches with a few changes in texture with the thread choices. The stitches are found in Ruth Schmuff’s Stitches Vol. 1 and 2 and probably other places as well, that is just what I was using today!

Kimono (yellow and black) – cross stitch in a strandable silk like Splendor. If this wasn’t an eye case, it would look really lovely done with long stitches in a silk perle, but this wouldn’t hold up for an piece that is heavily used

Kimono (red) – I would play with something like a continuous woven scotch stitch in the same type of silk used for the yellow part. Since it woven it would add some height to this part to help define it as part of the edging. May want to modify so that the length of the stitches follow the edges of the red exactly – something to play with to see what works.

Kimono (purple) – again, I would use the same type of silk that was used in the rest of the kimono and use a stitch like the beaty of diagonal beaty that continues the diagonal flow of the edging making sure to change direction as needed. 

Skin – tent stitch with a cotton floss. I would normally use silk for faces, but since the kimono is silk, I feel it needs to be a different texture, thus the cotton floss.

Hair – long and short stitch in finer wool following the hair directions. Again a silk would look lovely, but I am going for a third texture so the hair/face/dress are all distinct. I am not sure what the white is in the left of the upper hair – since I need to make a decision on it, I would probably just color it black with a textile marker and make it part of the hair.

Hair sticks – here is where I would be tempted to add some beads. If you are concerned about durability, you could switch to French knots in a metallic thread. Or a padded satin stitch with a strandable cotton or silk would really give the appearance of the rounded sticks.

Hair ornament – flat silk laid in the direction of the piece so it forms a fan of sorts. Since the stitches would be long you could couch it done in places with a matching metallic or a silk thread so it is table.

Sunglasses – Alicia lace in a light-weight metallic thread. I would not go for complete coverage here, just light coverage so it appears like a reflection. Another possible choice for thread is prisms.

Background – double brick or maybe a stitch to imitate bamboo in a bamboo floss like Mandarin floss. I would try more for a light to medium coverage so that the background stays in the background, but keep in mind adding the thread will make the case wear better so don’t go too light! The white flowers in a simple satin stitch with bamboo floss making sure you keep the stitch length short and change directions as go around the flowers.

That’s it! This would be a fun, quick stitch that could easily be made into a portable project to do while you are waiting at activities for your kids, sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room, riding the bus or whatever."

Thanks very much, Bonnie.  I'll post my ideas for the other side of the glasses case with the other geisha tomorrow.

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

September Canvas of the Month: Jane's Imagine Canvas

The September Canvas of the Month is from Lani Enterprises. It's a "gift tag" that reads Imagine. This canvas is 18 count and is four inches wide by seven and a half inches tall.

http://www.lanienterprises.com/catagories/Sayings/Tags.html

Jane's Version:

Since the theme of this canvas is imagination, let's run wild with this one. As always, my first step would be to make two color copies of the design. Then I'd stitch the gold bracket around the hole and the one around the word Imagine, using my favorite Vintage Gold from Kreinik in tent stitches. Also stitch the background behind Imagine with a pretty tan Silk Lame Braid and the red lines in the bracket around Imagine, all in more tent stitches. I think a nice cherry red metallic would look good here. The Silk Lame Braid has gold woven in, so let's tent stitch the letters of Imagine in the new Kreinik black holographic thread (size 8). That will give the whole central part of the canvas a lot of shine and emphasis.

The teal blue background underneath the flower can be tent stitched also. I think I'd choose a silk that matched the teal color. Moving up to the green and purple striped backgrounds, let's find Silk Lame Braids in those colors and use a slanted stitch that leans to the right for the green / and a slanted stitch that leans left for the purple \. Work the slants all the way across each stripe. Once the stripes are done, shape and then couch DMC's memory thread down over the black curliques. You probably will need 2-3 rows to completely cover. I'd use Kreinik's black holographic thread in blending filament size as the couching thread and work one piece of memory thread at a time. This will be tedious but very dimensional and will add a lot to the top of the design.

The purple and blue floral background is next. Using the same gold thread you used for the word bracket and the hole surround, use a padded row of satin stitch as the top edge of the floral background. Tent stitch the purple part, using a rather matte thread like silk/wool or wool or cotton floss. Then bead all the blue dots and the flowers. Try to match the blue color with your beads and beading thread. Again, it'll take a while but this is an over-the-top canvas that needs over the top colors, dimension and sparkle.

I left the flower to last deliberately. First step, tent stitch the coral petals in a matching thread. Cotton floss would be best but matching the color is more important than the thread type. Now make a visit to the craft store and buy feathers in as close a match to the coral as you can find. Sew the shaft of the feathers down in the center of the "flower" individually as you add each "petal." If you like, put a dab of fabric glue (I use Aileen's Tacky Glue because it dries clear) in the middle of each petal before you put the feather on. This will hold it in place as you stitch it down. When the feathers are in place, cut the spotted flower shape out of one of your color copies. You don't have to cut a red hole in the center, just cut the outside petal shapes. Use the cut flower shape to cut out a piece of Ultrasuede to match. Then glue it down on top of the feather petals, using the intact color copy to position it properly. (That's why I made two copies of the bare canvas at first, one to cut as a pattern and the other to refer to.) Once the Ultrasuede is in place and dry, you can put a few tiny stitches here and there along the outside edge just to make sure nothing moves. The next step is to use the hot fix Swarkowski crystals for the spots on the flower. Use the intact color copy to position the crystals and let them sit a bit for the glue to cool.

The very last step before finishing is to place a button right on top of the flower center. Look for shankless ones so there isn't a bump on the back. You can even use two buttons for the center, one smaller than the other, and glue one on top of the other. If you align the buttonholes, you can even take a few stitches through the buttons, the Ultrasuede and the canvas to secure it. Use more of your Kreinik holographic blending filament in black to add just a little more sparkle. Or attach beads through the holes, using the same beads you used in the floral background.

The sky's the limit for your imagination and for this canvas.
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Canvas of the Month: Bonnie's Mermaids on the Beach

This month's canvas is a JB Designs piece from Devon.  I don't know the dimensions or the canvas count but I suppose it is a 5x5 piece, probably on 18 count.

It screams summer to me and looks like a very fun and easy stitch. Hope you like it!

Bonnie's Version:

What a fun little piece that would make a great summertime reminder for any age girl!

I would start with the mermaids using lots of silk so there would be a slight shimmer that looked like they just came from the water! Starting with the body and the face, I would use a strandable silk in a simple tent stitch for all including the face features. I would stitch right over the necklace on the one girl and add it back on top later using pearl like beads. I would do the tail in either a diamond ray using strandable silk with Accentuate added or maybe the smaller size silk lame braid (but that might be too thick). Another stitch that would be fun would be the mock buttonhole eyelet stitch from Amy’s Cookbook – Chapter 11. You could add extra sparkle if you did used that stitch by making the wrapped part of the stitch with a Kreinik braid. Lastly, to complete the mermaids, you have the hair. Again I would use a strandable silk probably just in a random long/short stitch. To add curls to one of them you could also do bullion knots.

The rock that the mermaids are sitting on would be next. Personally I hate coming up with stitches for rocks. I have yet to find the perfect stitch or fiber! So on this one since its large, I would try an overdyed cotton floss – something with just subtle color changes and when I separated the plies I would reverse some of the strands so the rock would have slight color variations, but wouldn’t end up striped! Another possibility would be a wool which would look a little more rough. Stitches to try would be a staggered cross (mix of larger and smaller cross stitches in a regular pattern) or a checkered cross. Again both stitches are in Amy’s Cookbook – chapter 21.

The best treatment I have found for sand is to do a skip tent stitch and then fill in the skipped spaces with single wrap French knots. I know that makes a lot of French knots, but the effect is really worth it! I would use either floss or an overdyed floss, again with the strands reversed so you don’t get striped sand.

For the water, I would do a swirl stitch stitched horizontally so it would look like waves in an overdyed cotton floss with Accentuate added in a few rows where the sun would sparkle off the water or maybe just closer to shore. Using the overdyed would allow you to ignore the shading on the canvas and use the shading in the floss instead. If you couldn’t find an overdye with the right colors pick 2-3 solids and use them instead, but don’t break up the stitches in the swirl stitch to get the color changes, switch colors when you can with full stitches. For the sky, a random horizontal satin stitch would work well with two strands or so of a floss. I am thinking a lighter coverage stitch so the sky recedes to the background. I wouldn’t worry about the shading in the sky since the coverage would be light – the subtle color changes will show through.

That leaves the star fish, which are the toughest part I think on this canvas. When I visualize a starfish, I see texture, but remember I have French knots in the sand, so I need another type of texture. I would try a small size perle cotton which would give a different texture and sheen. Then I would try to find a tied stitch or something like an upright cross to fit in the space you have. That would add some additional. This is the area where you would have to experiment a bit based on what you ended up using for the sand and the rocks. It may end up since there is such little room on starfish that you would have to just go with a tent stitch and have the perle cotton provide the texture difference.

That’s it for this little canvas. A fun little piece that just wants to make you smile! Happy summer!


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

Canvas of the Month: Jane's Mermaids on the Beach

This month's canvas is a JB Designs piece from Devon.  I don't know the dimensions or the canvas count but I suppose it is a 5x5 piece, probably on 18 count.

It screams summer to me and looks like a very fun and easy stitch.  Hope you like it!

Jane's Version:

I think the two little mermaids tossing starfish back and forth from the shallows to the shore are great fun.  The canvas is more complicated than you would think just looking at it, however.  There are a lot of parts but because it is small, they shouldn't take long to stitch.  I think I'll start with the sky, stitching it in 2-3 shades of pale blue in skip tent.  The water is a deeper blue with green mixed in, so I would choose three shades of turquoise floss and work it in horizontal random stitches that zigzag down from the upper left corner of the water towards the sandy beach.  Use 2-3 plies, just enough to barely cover the painted canvas.  In a few places where you want highlights, use a white Accentuate to restitch a few long stitches on top of the floss.

The sandy beach should be stitched with 3 shades of sandy brown.  I think I'd use Burmilana in tent stitches and see if any of the heathered colors this thread comes in match roughly the canvas colors. That will give you a mix of colors without having to change threads a lot.  Occasionally skip a tent stitch.  When the sand is all finished, go back and attach beads where you skipped a stitch.  Use either a pale tan or a crystal bead, depending on what you can find locally.  Sand on a beach is smooth but it sparkles, so tent stitches with a few beads will look nice and also will look good in contrast with the busy stitch used for the water and the very faint skip tent stitches in the sky. If you can't find the right color in beads, add a few cross stitches instead, using a sandy colored metallic, preferably a small one so you don't make too raised a stitch in the skipped spots.

For the rocks, choose a rough thread like a thin wool or perhaps a linen thread in two shades of gray.  Work the rock in a rough stitch like Nobuko stitch.

http://www.needleartworks.com/stm/stpage/nobuko.htm

Now it is time to stitch the starfish.  I'd choose something shiny like Flair or one of the nylon threads like Panache in two shades of gold.  Work the perimeter of the starfish in tent stitches.  (You may have to use a reverse tent stitch occasionally to make sure the points of the starfish are true.)  The center can be gold beads (use two shades of gold if you can find them), or tiny French knots (using two or three shades of gold thread).  You can also add a strand of Accentuate to the needle when doing your French knots to give a little something extra to the starfishes' bumpy centers if you aren't using a metallic thread there.  Perhaps you would like to use only a metallic thread like Kreinik (still in two shades of gold) to the starfish the girls are tossing?  It is the focal point of the canvas, after all.  The colors of the French knots and whether they have a touch of metallic or are all metallic is up to you.

The little mermaids' skin, arms, face and bodies should be tent stitched, using silk or cotton floss.  If you are tired of tent stitch, try using a small brick stitch (over two threads) for the skin but tent stitch the features.  Do the left mermaid's necklace in gold metallic using cross stitches.  The hair is easy.  Use stem stitches in brown cotton floss.  Once you add in the stem stitches, go back and add a few more here and there on top in a slightly lighter shade for the mermaid on the left and in a slightly darker shade for the mermaid on the right so that they have similar but not identical hair.  You might also add a few short, straight stitches at the part of the left mermaid's hair or at the side of the right mermaid's face to show stray strands blowing in the sea breeze.

The mermaid tails are the last part of the design.  Use two shades of pink or blue in silk to tent stitch the tails, then use ray stitch on top of the tent stitches, working from the waist down towards the tail.  If you use just 2-3 plies of the silk in the ray stitches, the underlaying stitching will show and add a bit more dimension.  Once you are done, attach a few pink and blue beads (or a clear bead using either pink or blue thread) on top of the ray stitches.  You might also put a few back stitches on top of the tail's tent stitches to show the spines.

This would make a lovely framed piece for a summer cottage or a small girl's room.  It would also look lovely in the top of a wooden box.  Some lucky little girl would love to keep her treasures in such a box!

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

Canvas of the Month: Jane's Wisteria Fan

This month's Canvas of the Month is from Lee and it was chosen by Bonnie (we take turns picking a design for this Blog feature). It's one of Lee's fan canvases, the Wisteria Fan F743. We don't know the size of this canvas or what count it's on, but I will assume it is an 18 count piece for the purposes of choosing threads and stitches.
http://www.newleesneedlearts.com/files/catalog/f/album/slides/F743.html

There is a matching wisteria kimono canvas, which Ruth Dilts has done an amazing job stitching. You can buy the kimono canvas and Ruth's stitch guide (written with Joan Lohr) via your shop. Here's a photo of the matching kimono canvas.
http://store.apneedlearts.com/kimono.html

Jane's Wisteria Fan:

I decided I wanted to stitch this beautiful piece without using Silk Ribbon Embroidery.  That's going to be hard as SRE is the natural choice for such a lovely piece, but Blog is all about exploring painted canvases, so I decided to try to come up with something totally different.  I hope I succeeded.

This canvas has four distinct areas:  the wistera flowers, the stems and leaves, the background, the black stick and the brown handle at the base of the fan.  Starting at the bottom with the brown handle, I think I would use a thin wool thread like Burmilana, Appleton crewel or Gloriana's Lorikeet (or J. L. Walsh's silk/wool blend if you can get it at your local shop) to work Baby Blanket stitches in the brown handle triangles.  

Baby Blanket can be found on page 23 of Julia Key H. Snyder's book, Backgrounds and Such.  It is just a row of long diagonal stitches tied down at each thread intersection with a tent stitch followed by a diagonal row of reverse tent stitch.  Fill the entire area with these two diagonal rows, alternating them.  You can use more plies of the thin wools for the long stitches and fewer plies to tie them down.  You'll get texture in this area which is appropriate for something that is likely to be rougher than the paper fan itself.  Skip the gold lines until the brown stitches are in, then couch a line of antique gold colored metallic (I would use Kreinik's #16 braid in Vintage Gold 002V couched down with #4 braid in the same color).  Use the same thread to stitch the gold brads on the black stick once you have it stitched.  

For the shiny black lacquered stick, we need a shiny thread.  I think I'd choose Sparkle Rays in black and stitch the stick with tent stitches, then add the gold brads on top with the Kreinik used for the fan handle lines.  I am not sure what shape the brads are from the photo, but they need to be raised a bit, so perhaps a Smyrna Cross would work.

 http://www.rainbowgallery.com/Detail.CFM?ID=761

http://crossstitch.about.com/od/crossstitchvariations/ht/stsmyrnaxs.htm

For the background I would carefully choose three shades of lime green in silk or cotton floss to match the canvas and tent stitch the whole thing, making a careful transition in colors.  If you use 4 plies for your tent stitches, you could work from 4 plies of the dark lime to 3 plies of dark lime plus one ply of medium lime, to 2 plies of dark lime plus 2 of medium lime, etc. to introduce beautiful gradual shading to this piece.  

Once the background is finished, I'd choose Mandarin Floss in darker greens and browns for the stems, curly vine and the leaves of the wisteria. (Don't forget to stitch the stems of the flower clusters.)  I love the natural looking greens and browns in the Mandarin Floss line. Packed stem stitch would make lovely bark, then you could use slanted stitches for the leaves and couch a line of black or very dark green perle cotton for the tiny twining vines.  

Only the wisteria blossoms themselves are left to be stitched.  These come in lovely shades of blue, of pink and white, and of purple.  This is the perfect place to use a silk or a silk/wool blend.  Stitch the small buds at the bottom of the flower sprays in all tent stitch.  To create dimension in the larger flowers, I think I would stitch the bigger back petals in brick stitch (over two threads) and the front smaller areas in tent.  

Then I'd go back and put a lazy daisy stitch around the perimeter of the larger petal areas to make them stand out.  Position the base of the lazy daisy at the base of the petal and the tie down stitch at the tip to make a sharp point.  Shape your lazy daisy stitches to fit the shape of each petal.   Use the same thread whether you are doing a tent stitch, a brick stitch or a lazy daisy stitch.  Or you can go fancy and use a metallic thread like Silk Lame Braid for the lazy daisys to add a bit of gleam to the canvas.  It's a fancy fan, after all!

Hope you enjoyed this lovely Lee design.  It's a classic!

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

Canvas of the Month: Bonnie's Wisteria Fan

This month's Canvas of the Month is from Lee and it was chosen by Bonnie (we take turns picking a design for this Blog feature). It's one of Lee's fan canvases, the Wisteria Fan F743. We don't know the size of this canvas or what count it's on, but I will assume it is an 18 count piece for the purposes of choosing threads and stitches.
http://www.newleesneedlearts.com/files/catalog/f/album/slides/F743.html

There is a matching wisteria kimono canvas, which Ruth Dilts has done an amazing job stitching. You can buy the kimono canvas and Ruth's stitch guide (written with Joan Lohr) via your shop. Here's a photo of the matching kimono canvas.
http://store.apneedlearts.com/kimono.html

Bonnie's Wisteria Fan:

I have a small collection of fans – most which are paper fans that I purchased when I was young. I have always been drawn to them, thus the ‘call’ of this canvas to me.

I would start with the wisteria. I have seen a couple of wisteria pieces that were all beaded for the flowers – they were gorgeous. So that is a great idea, but I would try another direction. I think a strandable silk like Splendor would provide a great sheen for the flowers. Long and short stitches would work and allow the rounded edges to not be a headache. Make sure the stitches all angle towards to base of the flowers. An overdyed thread would be great to make the flowers more realistic if you can find the right color combinations otherwise just make your own shading as you go with the long and short stitch. If using overdyes I would reverse the strands in the needle so you don’t get striping, but blended colors.

Leaves would be done in a cotton overdye to give them a little depth in color, but the cotton would make them recede behind the flowers. A feather stitch would work great for the leaves or a leaf stitch if you didn’t want the center vein of the leaf. The stems would work great in a stem stitch with the same fiber. For the tendrils I see a couple of choices. A perle cotton couched with a single strand of floss would allow the couching to disappear and the twist of the perle cotton would emphasize the twist of the tendril. A whipped backstitch with a floss would also make a wonderful twist.

Lastly for the wisteria part of the canvas you have the branches. My first thought was to do a padded stem stitch band with wool, but I am concerned that would make the branches too prominent compared to the flowers. So I would try the same stitch with no padding or maybe switch to filling the branches with stem stitches. The thread with some wool provides the third texture in the wisteria – the flowers, leaves and trunk are all different!

Next I would tackle the background. This part was tough to come up with a stitch that would work. I originally wanted to do a darning pattern, but stitch direction is an issue. So I needed to find something that didn’t have a strong direction look to it when done. I think I would try a single strand of the light green color floss or a very subtle shaded overydye, so most of the wonderful shaded color would come from the painted canvas not the thread and stitching. For a stitch I would try a four way continental, a little wavy stitch or maybe a reverse basketweave would give a nice fabric look.

The bottom part of the fan would look great in a cotton overdye to give it the wood look. I would try a knotted stitch breaking the stitches at each of the divisions. The three sections on the right would be angled one way and the ones on the left in the opposite direction. Remember the sections at the bottom are reversed from the ones at the top!

Lastly we have the black edge. I am thinking a simple tent stitch in black silk. A Smyrna cross with Kreinik metallic would work for the brads. Depending on how you plan on finishing this you may want to complete some of the white area with a darning pattern of some sort with a light coverage thread like floss or #12 perle cotton. That completes this great fan!

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

Canvas of the Month - Bonnie's Buddha Cat

This month's canvas of the month is a Brenda Stofft design called Buddha Cat. This is a 6x10 inch design on 18 count canvas.
http://www.brendastofftdesigns.com/Cats%20and%20Dogs.htm

Bonnie's Buddha Cat Ideas:

This month with the cat canvas, I would start with the cat. I think its time to so some turkey tufting with a strandable wool/wool blend fiber following the shading on the canvas. The center of the ears would be a tent stitch in a cotton floss to make it distinct from the fur. The paw pads would be a padded satin stitch in floss to raise them up a bit to match the fur. The eyes would be silk, done in tent stitches and with a stem stitch outline – maybe add a little metallic for the sparkle in the middle of the eye. The nose is a padded satin in silk and the mouth a stem stitch in the floss.
Next I would move to the robe. All of the shaded folds make it tough to come up with a stitch that would work. Ideally a stitch that would make a wave pattern would be perfect, but it is such small areas. I started thinking maybe just lay horizontal satin stitches in a strandable silk breaking the stitches at the dark lines and the breaks would create the folds, but the idea of a horizontal stitch on a robe that lays vertically seems off to me. So I would maybe try some vertical satin stitches over three or so instead, maybe in groups of two staggered so that you end up with a diagonal feel, but not too strong of one. So I would do two over 3 vertical satin stitches, then drop down one hole and do another pair and then drop down one hole, and so on. I would make sure I compensate at the dark lines so the idea of a fold stays. Each side would form a diagonal down towards the center so would mirror each other. The middle which isn't angled could just be down in staggered pairs of just a row of satin stitches depending on how tall it really is. After the robe is all stitched, if the folds aren't prominent enough, I would go back in and stem stitch them in a slightly darker color or maybe even the same color with maybe just one strand so there, but not bold. There are a couple of dark areas that appear to be the lining of the robe. Those I would simply tent stitch in silk. That leaves just the bracelets and the belt buckle on the cat which I would simply bead.

The pillow is next. I envision the part the cat is sitting on in a rich velvet, so I would do satin stitches in very velvet making sure it lays smoothly. Then I would take silk and lay it in long straight stitches toward the middle of each petal for the pale green parts – this would mean changing the direction of the stitches as you go to match the direction of the petals. So it would be vertical at the top and bottom, horizontal on the sides and angled to fill the spaces in the middle. I might even pad under the stitches to give the petals a more raised look on the edges. The middle of the top petals would be a version of the sheltered diamonds pattern from Brenda Hart’s Favorite Stitches 2 – you'd have to compensate to make it fit, but the middle would be a metallic and the edges a silk. The smaller leaves at the bottom would just be the silk part of the stitch without the middles. Lastly I would take a metallic braid or cord and couch it all around the petals and leaves to get that nice smooth rounded look.
Now what is that behind the cat? A sun or what? For lack of a better guess on my part, I am going to go with the sun. So I would find a nice fiber with some shine – maybe a metallic, or maybe something like Flair which would just catch the light or maybe something like Neon Rays since it has a nice sheen to it. I think to get more of the light play, I would go with something like vertical and horizontal pavilions which is essentially one row of vertical diamond patterns followed by one row of horizontal diamonds. Now if you tell me that is something else, I may change my mind entirely!
The letter to the right I would tent stitch in silk or they might be fun to couch some really thick metallic for them depending on their actual size. And that leaves the background. Since it is black and stitching on black is tough, I may be just tempted to leave it unstitched. If I was going to stitch it, I would pick a #12 perle cotton for some texture, but no shine. Something like the crazy rain stitch or even the gobelin wave II stitch from Brenda Hart’s Favorite Stitches 2 book would be fun. Neither fills up all of the canvas holes but with the perle cotton would provide some texture to the background.


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

Canvas of the Month - Jane's Buddha Cat

This month's canvas of the month is a Brenda Stofft design called Buddha Cat. This is a 6x10 inch design on 18 count canvas.

http://www.brendastofftdesigns.com/Cats%20and%20Dogs.htm

Jane's Buddha Cat Ideas:

Canvases with large areas of black are always tricky for me.  Not only it is hard to see black threads on black canvases, any fancy stitch you do will often not show up very well so all that work is wasted.  It is tempting to just tent stitch the black background behind the Buddha but I'm going another route--I'm going to recommend working a gold border in satin stitches over padding around the outside edge of the design, then work a light coverage stitch using a thinner gold thread right on top of the black.  After all, there is no rule saying you have to use the same color on top of a painted area of canvas!  I would use something along the line of Brenda Hart's Blackwork Vertical Hexagons (without the central motifs) from p. 87 of her Favorite Stitches Two.  Stitch it all over the black area including the gold Chinese characters, then go back with more of your gold threads and using packed stem stitch, cover the Chinese characters right over the background blackwork stitch.

The final background area that will use gold threads is the golden halo around the Cat Buddha's head.  I think I would couch this in concentric circles, using a brighter gold than the gold in the Chinese characters, the blackwork background or the border.  Obviously you will need a variety of sizes of gold threads for these areas, working from a heavier cord like Kreinik's #16 or #32 braid for the border that is covered with something like Treasure Braid ribbon, to a thin metallic like Accentuate or blending filament or even Petite Treasure Braid for the blackwork pattern over the black area to a more substantial #4 or #8 braid for the Chinese characters.  You can couch the padding heavier braid with the very thin blackwork thread on the halo or you can go so far as to totally bead the halo.  I think I would use a shinier gold like Coronet Braid for the halo and couch it myself.  

Once the gold areas of the background and border are stitched, I would work on the stylized lotus petal cushion the Buddha meditates on.  For the blue centers of the lotus petals, use Beetle Stitch (page 18 of Brenda Hart's Favorite Stitches One).  You'll have to compensate for the end petals.  Tent stitch the green shading below the blue petals, then use long slanting and upright stitches for the petal outlines.  Top off that stitching with couched gold outlines.  The blue cushion itself that you can barely see should be tent stitched in a thread that is soft and not shiny (Petite Very Velvet?  A wool-silk blend like Impressions?), but I'd do the petals themselves in a shiny thread.  

Ignore the gold bracelets on the cat's feet and the gold belt buckle until the end.  I'd cover those areas with tiny (size 14) gold beads but that needs to wait until the cat and the pink sari are stitched.

For the cat's paws and chest and face, use a soft wooly thread and use a combination of tent and brick stitches.  The tent is for tiny areas like the inner ears, the nose and mouth lines, while the brick stitch (over two threads) is for the rest.  The eyes should be done in silks and tent stitched, with either a clear or white bead attached as the pupil highlight.  If you think a bead too prominent, use a white or silver metallic and do a cross stitch for the highlight in both eyes.

The pink robe should be stitched all in tent with something like Vineyard Silk or Planet Earth's silk strand thread except for the sleeve and lapels which can be done in long packed stem stitches.  Layer more packed stem stitch on top to raise this area slightly. 

Once you finish the stitching, attach the beads for the belt buckle and bracelets, then scatter a few sparkling hex gold beads around the canvas at random, on top of the design.  (If you beaded the halo, you might want to omit this step.)  Frame or make into a flat finish stand up as a meditation aid for a dear friend who does yogi or put this piece somewhere you see it each morning to remember to breath deeply and calmly in times of stress.

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

Many Thanks to My Guests

Here's a great big thank you to both Melissa Shirley and Bonnie, who graciously took time out of very busy schedules to talk about stitching butterfly purse canvases.  I hope you enjoy the canvas of the month feature, especially this month when we have such a lovely design series to talk about!

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

February Canvas of the Month (Melissa Shirley)

This month I am lucky enough to have two guest bloggers talking about how to stitch a butterfly canvas.  When Bonnie proposed using the new Melissa Shirley blue butterfly purse canvas as this month's project for us to discuss how we'd stitch it, I remembered that Melissa Shirley herself had just finished stitching the brown tiger butterfly canvas from this series.  So I asked Melissa if she would allow me to share photos of her stitched butterfly purse and talk about how she stitched it.  And she said yes!

You can see all the butterfly purse canvases and the other butterflies in the series on Melissa's website.
http://melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?bsn=1

In her essay below, Melissa tells us her purse was finished by Marlene's.  Here is their website, in case you would enjoy browsing all the fabulous finishing that they offer.
http://www.marlenecustompillows.com/Purses/purses1.html

Now, here is Melissa to talk about her brown tiger purse canvas and how she stitched it.

Melissa Shirley's Brown Tiger Butterfly Canvas

I am so flattered that Jane asked me to contribute to this blog. I’ve never written a stitch guide so anyone reading this will have to bear with me.

I started stitching my butterfly purse in the fall and although there were several in the series to choose from I chose the Brown Tiger Butterfly because the greys and browns and rust colors are my cup of tea, especially in the autumn months.

I have another, larger butterfly purse nearly finished but I became disappointed in the way it was turning out, specifically the butterfly itself. It was too flat even though I had done a lot of beading on the wings and elsewhere. It was a lesson for me and I went into this project with all that in mind.

I’ll take the opportunity to say here one of the things I think about a lot when I’m stitching and when I see stitched work is how the stitching and thread selection creates a depth of field. I want to see what’s in front come forward and what’s in back recede and I try to use color and threads and stitches to achieve that. The few “rules” I try to keep in mind are:

Threads that come forward are shiny, lighter and warmer colors, and heavier in weight. Threads that recede are matte, cooler colors and thinner in weight.

I’m also a great fan of light stitching and generally letting the painted canvas show through, especially in backgrounds or when ever it seems appropriate.

I generally use simple stitches. I tend to rely on color and texture more than a cacophony of stitches since I just don’t have the repertoire and experience to mix stitches as well as I would like. I am a student.

My Brown Tiger Butterfly Purse:

I started with the background behind the butterfly. It’s a flat floral pattern, cool grey flowers on a black background. I cooled it down a bit more and stitched the flowers with a Diagonal Mosaic Stitch in blue (Trebizond Silk, 653). The black is stitched in Elongated Continental with 12 Strand Treasure Braid from Rainbow Gallery (TR265).

I scoured a few stitch books to find what I wanted to use for the wings of the butterfly keeping in mind my disappointment with my other butterfly.  I had already chosen a Kreinik Braid of warm grey (011C, #16) and settled on a stitch I found in Suzy’s Small Stitches called Staggered Mosaic that I used in both directions. I left a few stitches out of the stitch and created a nice cup for the beads I wanted to add. I took my stitching to my local bead store and picked out beads (about 6mm) that fit into the cups. I chose two kinds of metallic looking beads to show the shading in wings.

I used the same Kreinik braid I used on the wings for the body of the butterfly. I padded the body and covered it with long vertical stitches that I lashed down with a black Kreinik Braid (005 #16) and used that same black braid diagonally to stitch the butterfly’s head.

I used a white Kreinik braid (032C, #16) and a Tapestry braid (#12, 4002) on the edges of the wings and piled on pearly seed beads (size 15) in white spots on the wings.

Next I stitched the top leaf border background with 2 or 3 ply of Mandarin Floss (M838) from Rainbow Gallery and filled in the leaf with Sundance Beads (14H, color#4) straight up and down, every other hole.

I then stitched the bottom border stripes, top to bottom this way:

#1 River Silk (4mm,No.61),
#2 Green cube beads (4mm) straight up and down,
#3 Kreinik #16 Braid (032C) over 3 straight up and down,
#4 Flair (F567) Elongated Continental,
#5 Fuzzy Stuff (FZ31) and
#6 Flair again, diagonally, over 2.

The gold borders around the butterfly and the top and bottom borders are stitched with a Kreinik Tapestry Braid (150V, #12).

I had the hardest time with what I thought should have been the easiest part, the side “tiger skin” borders. I tried a number of threads and stitches, ripped out a lot and finally settled on a cross stitch, over 2, using another Kreinik Braid (022, #16). I also smoothed the edges of the tiger stripes with plain stitching using the same braid. The lighter brown is stitched with Impressions (1134) using the Encroaching Gobelin stitch.

The last thing I have to say about my purse is the finishing. I sent it to Marlene’s Needlepoint Finishing in San Francisco to be finished in brown leather and it is gorgeous inside and out. Sadly, someone once wrote that the finishing of needlepoint is a necessary evil. I think it is the final step that should not be taken lightly. I have played around with finishing some of my own, smaller needlepoint projects but I know finishing needlepoint is an art unto itself and it can make or break the success of a much loved and labored over piece of needlepoint, so I always send anything I really care about to the finishing experts who are truly artists.

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

February Canvas of the Month (Bonnie)

The February Canvas of the Month is a new Melissa Shirley canvas called Blue Butterfly Clutch #1363F. This design is 16 inches wide and 9 inches high on 18 count canvas. This design comes on 13 count canvas also, and is available as a smaller pillow design that doesn't have the elaborate side panels.
http://www.melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?index=3961&cat=70

Bonnie's Blue Butterfly Canvas

I am actually contemplating purchasing this piece and stitching it as a pillow. Melissa has the same butterfly in a square pillow shape, but I am drawn to the outside panels on the purse version, so I am thinking of adapting it to a pillow. Like a purse, though, a pillow has to have durable stitches and threads. At least they do in my house with 2 kids and 2 cats! So that means, most of my stitches are simple with no beads or anything that may catch or not wear well.

I am going to start with the butterfly since I want that to be the focal point. The body is done in horizontal satin stitches. Pad slightly first, then stitch with an overdyed cotton. Then go back over the top with darker cotton and put in single horizontal stitches to represent the divisions. Another thread the might work for the body, if you can find the colors is a chenille, again with the division stitched in with maybe a solid cotton to match or a small perle cotton. I think the texture of the chenille would be great! I though first about using very velvet for the texture, but I think it would be too heavy.

For the wings, I would use Splendor or a strandable silk mixed with a blending filament or Accentuate for some sparkle. Stitch in long and short making sure it’s on the short side since this is to be a pillow. Follow the directions of the wings. The divisions are a stem stitch with a strandable silk or maybe a couched silk perle. The dark at the top of the wings is basketweave in silk, stitch each side in the opposite direction. The brown in the middle (not the body) is a basketweave in silk with slightly less plies than the blue so it recedes. Lastly the antennae use a Kreinik cord and couch in place after you complete the background.

Now to the background behind the butterfly. My first thought was silk ribbon for the flowers a wider ribbon that would make the distinct petals, but I am concerned that would make the focus the flowers not the butterfly and I am not sure it would hold up on a pillow that well. I would tackle all the light blue background in an alternating continental with cotton floss. I am thinking cotton since it will give a different sheen than the silk on the butterfly. Or maybe so there is no blank canvas showing through (which you would have to add a liner fabric behind), a Parisian stitch or Hungarian for a nice vertical stitch. For the flowers, maybe a perle cotton for texture or just white floss stitched in a satin stitch. I might be tempted to try a thin silk ribbon and see what it looks like, the idea of silk flowers just won't go away! I would stitch the satin stitches in all the same direction, but break the stitches at each petal end so you ‘see’ distinct petals when you are done. The middles are either small eyelet or a simple Smyrna cross – still trying to keep these flowers behind the butterfly. Lastly the stems in a floss in either a stem stitch or tent.

The borders I would pad and then satin stitch at an angle to look like cording. Maybe a metallic or maybe a gold colored silk so not so bold.

The right and left panels would be done in something like Silk ‘ N Ivory or Burmilana. I am trying to find another texture that is different than the butterfly or its background. Another thought might be a twisted fiber. In order to get the shape of all of the designs, I would stick to simple basketweave for the whole thing.

The top and bottom border would be done in a similar fiber as to what is chosen for the side panels. On the lower panel, the flowers would be satin stitched like the ones on the middle background. The background is just basketweave. The lattice work, I would lay a strand across each line and then couch it down invisibly for the most part with a decorative couching stitch at the intersections. Or maybe just tent stitch them changing the directions to match the direction of the line so it appears as a line when stitched. On the top panel, the flowers are again satin stitch with French knots on a stock for the center. May find the French knots too prominent and just go with an eyelet type stitch that matches the painted shape. The stripes are done in horizontal satin stitches. You will probably need multiple columns of stitches for each stripe of blue so the stitches don't get too long.

That’s it! There are so many things you could do if you weren't concerned so much about wearablility and kids/pets. I could see beading the butterfly, silk ribbon for the flowers as just a start. It all depends on what you are planning on doing with the piece.

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

February Canvas of the Month (Jane)

The February Canvas of the Month is a new Melissa Shirley canvas called Blue Butterfly Clutch #1363F. This design is 16 inches wide and 9 inches high on 18 count canvas. This design comes on 13 count canvas also, and is available as a smaller pillow design that doesn't have the elaborate side panels.
http://www.melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?index=3961&cat=70

Jane's Blue Butterfly Canvas:

The blue butterfly purse canvas is done in mostly blue and white with gold lines that divide the panels. The side panels have lavender touches and the butterfly itself has some cream or yellow, browns and possibly black on its wings and body. Since this is designed to be made up into a pocketbook, I need to use durable threads that will stand up to handling. I also want threads that have a bit of shine to them so the natural choice is to pick threads from the silk/wool blends like Silk & Ivory/Trio, Impressions or Silk n Cream. All seem to have good blues and lavenders and snow whites as well as a nice selection of browns and deepest black, but I think I'll add Vineyard Silks (which is all silk in a tapestry-type thread) to my mental stitching of this canvas as it has the Shimmer line that has metallic fibers mixed in.

Starting with the side panels, I'd stitch both sides in tent stitches but vary the threads. Trio is strandable so use the three shades of lavender in Trio so you can blend colors as you work. Once all the lavender stitches are in, work the blue pattern in Vineyard Silk Shimmer so that there is a bit of sparkle from the metallic thread there. It is a little boring for us embellishment artists to work so much basketweave (or tent) but this is a purse that will need to stand up to being carried. Once the two side panels are done, lay long lengths of gold metallic thread (Kreinik 002 in size 16?) along the gold separation lines. Cover the lines of gold thread with Treasure Braid Ribbon in a matching gold, with stitches laid perpendicular to the underlying Kreinik. If you want more sparkle, switch to a gold Fyrewerks Softsheen. I think regular Fyrewerks would be too much sparkle for this pieces.

For the top section with the blue flowers, work the columns in the background in Scotch stitches, either varying the blocks to fit the widths entirely, using two or three stitches to fill the area or compensating. (Or all three!) This article shows various sizes of Scotch stitches to better illustrate how to vary the stitch to fit the space.
http://www.summerlouise.com/2009/01/stitch-each-week-scotch-stitch.html

Use your Trio (or another silk/wool blend) and lay it carefully across the width of the Scotch stitches. You might want to start with the white columns and remember not to drag blue threads across the white areas in the back. You will avoid a "shadow" from the darker thread that way.

I'd switch to Kreinik overdyed metallics for the two-toned flowers and use a matching dark blue in regular Kreinik if you can find it for the dark blue flowers. If you can't find a good blue in metallic threads, try some Vineyards Silks (Shimmer again) in the deepest blue to match or see if Caron's Snow in blue is the right shade. Stitch the petals with brick stitch over 2 threads, then go back to add the white stamens in the flower centers. Use Caron's Snow in white for those stamens and just lay the white lines across the blue brick stitches. Attach a few clear hex beads in the center of each flower, using a doubled and waxed ply of white DMC cotton floss. If you want to add blue to the flower centers, use blue DMC cotton floss instead.

For the bottom band which is a trellis pattern, lay the long threads to make the trellis diamond lines. Couch each thread intersection with a stitch in the same thread to secure it. Remember, this is a purse that will be handled so you want the long lengths of thread secured.

Fill in the white background with white Caron Snow in all tent stitches (or basketweave). It will sparkle a lot which will lift the blue flowers. Work the flowers in Vineyards Silk Shimmer (or blue Snow) to make them look more like the background, or work every other stitch in tent and add more iridescent hex beads in the bare spots. I'd probably not do this myself since beads and hard wearing aren't going to mix well but it sure would look nice! You could always use a small thin metallic thread and work a cross stitch in between each skipped tent stitch instead of a bead. That gives you a slightly beaded effect and is more hard-wearing.

For the central butterfly pattern, I think I would use my Trio again to stitch the pale blue area in a pavilion stitch. Pavilions are diamond shapes and there are a lot of variations. Choose the right scale for your background. It should look like the white diamonds in the bottom panel but be smaller. You may find you need an extra ply of your Trio to completely cover the background. Here are two different Pavilions but you can choose from many versions of this stitch.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2001/01-08j.php

Once the background is finished, stitch the darker blue flower stems with long vertical stitches that cover the stem, using Trio. The white flowers themselves should be stitched in long stitches that radiate from the flower centers, but first outline each petal with stem stitch. (For the flowers you could use either Trio or the white Caron Snow.) Then cover the outline with the long stitches so the edges of each flower are raised. The center of the flowers would look great if you added a small mother of pearl button there. You should find the correct size in buttons for baby clothes at fabric stores. Stitch them securely. You might want to use a small clear hex bead in each button hole to further secure it. An alternative would be to attach some of the Swarkovski hot fix crystals to the center of the flowers.

The body of the butterfly is last. First, pad the body of the butterfly horizontally and then lay long vertical stitches over the padding. Use Trio for the light and dark browns. However, it might look lovely to use brown metallic for the antenna and body segment lines. Use the same thread for the top edge of the wings. Again, pad this with stem stitch the same way you did with the white flowers in the background, then go back over with vertical long stitches to cover. Now work your way down each wing using Brenda Hart's mosaic stitch variation, stitching each segment in slants going in the correct direction toward the body.
http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2007/dec.php

I'd use a mix of plain Vineyard Silk and Shimmer Vineyard silk in the same shade of blue. You could do the long stitches in the regular Vineyard Silk and then add sparkle by using Shimmer Vineyards Silk for the small group of three stitches. Once a section is done, outline it in stem stitch with a blue metallic thread, probably one of those you used for the flowers at the top of the design. You may want to add shading lines right on top of your mosiac stitches. If you do, switch to a sharp needle. You may also want to use a thinner metallic than what you used for the flowers at the top of this purse design.

Finish up with the brown edge of the lower wings, adding a little cream there. You can either use long stitches like the upper wing brown line (without the padding) or tent stitch the cream area.

My version of the purse would be simpler than if I were framing this but it'll make for a spectacular pocketbook to carry to elegant parties for years to come.

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

January Canvas of the Month (Bonnie)

For this month's canvas, Bonnie and I are doing a stitch plan for one of the Vogue magazine cover designs available from Studio 2. I don't know the canvas count for this piece but we'll just pretend it's 18 count and go from there. It is a 10x15 design called "DECO-03 Vogue 1928" and comes with a little pearl dangle to attach as the lady's earring. You can see the canvas on the Studio 2 website, but you'll have to go to the link and then click on Vintage Posters on the left side of the page. It's in the third row, right.
http://www.studio2ltd.com/studio2index.html

Bonnie's Deco Vogue 1928:

Start with the faces, all done in strandable silk with a tent stitch, except satin stitch the lips vertically.  Outline the eyes as needed.  Women's neck also tent stitched in silk.  Man's eyepiece is a clear fiber like prisms in a 4 way continental.  His mustache a thin wool fiber like Designer Dream in satin stitch.  What ittle hair you see on both in a cotton floss, stitch in the 'proper' hair direction.

 

Since this is the 20's, the lady's outfit is all done in silks with some understated sparkle.  Not sure this is fashion correct - but it was the time of the flapper outfits and fabrics were going away from wool and cotton to silk and chiffon so I am going with it!  Starting with the end of the sleeves, satin stitch in tubular fiber like Frosty rays, the direction of the stitch changing to match the folds.  The red at the end maybe a Kreinik braid stitched in long stitches. The bodice a strandable silk in a slightly fancy stitch like the double straight cross.  It is essentially an upright cross with a smaller cross stitch in the middle.  I am thinking it will be less bulky than a Smyrna cross but add interest.  Maybe even attach a bead when you do the cross stitch on top for more sparkle.  The collar and the sleeve top should also be in strandable silk maybe with a blending filament or Accentuate mixed in to better match the sleeve bottoms.  Maybe something simple like upright cross to tie in with the bodice or maybe play with a herringbone turned sideways on the sleeve.  Thinking I would ignore the gold outline all around and stitch over it or maybe bring in a Kreinik and just tent stitch it.

 

Both the men's and lady's gloves are a simple tent in strandable silk, outline stitched in a single ply for the fingers. The man's top coat is again in a strandable silk in a parisian stitch which is a combination of vertical long and short stitches so simple, but elegant.  The white piping I would try just couching lengths of a twisted silk. The vest is a strandable cotton or wool in a cashmere stitch.  The white shirt in a cotton floss with a simple stitch like an upright cross with less strands so appears to be on the bottom.  Satin stitch the bow tie in the strandable silk used on the dress, padding the middle part of the bow to give dimension.  For the buttons I would see if I could raid my button box and find something that could be attached.

 

His Hat in a black silk, satin stitched horizontally in vertical rows to make columns around his hat, the brim in tent stitch or something simple.  The black band again a silk, but satin stitch vertically to be the opposite direction as the top.

 

Lastly the background.  Since the rest of the piece is mostly silk, I would switch to a single strand of cotton floss in some light coverage stitch.  The letters would be couched to get the best looking curve on things like the 'O' in maybe a twisted silk or a perle cotton.

 

That's it!  This was a tough canvas for me since it is completely unlike anything I have stitched.  But that is part of the challenge and fun of these monthly canvases we stitch only in our minds!

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

January Canvas of the Month (Jane)

For this month's canvas, Bonnie and I are doing a stitch plan for one of the Vogue magazine cover designs available from Studio 2.  I don't know the canvas count for this piece but we'll just pretend it's 18 count and go from there. It is a 10x15 design called "DECO-03 Vogue 1928" and comes with a little pearl dangle to attach as the lady's earring. You can see the canvas on the Studio 2 website, but you'll have to go to the link and then click on Vintage Posters on the left side of the page. It's in the third row, right.
http://www.studio2ltd.com/studio2index.html


Jane's Deco Vogue 1928:

I'd start with the faces first and tent stitch the skin for both with either a silk or cotton floss, using 3-4 plies. Then work the lady's neck and the bit of her collar bone showing until you get to the top of her dress. Do the bit of the gentleman's neck that is showing also.

The eyes and lips come next. I would leave a gap between the lady's red lipsticked lips by not stitching the inner mouth at all. Once the eyes are in, use stem stitch for the nose lines and eyebrows, the lady's bit of hair visible and the gentleman's hair and mustache. I'd use the same silk or cotton floss for the features that I used for the skin, by the way.

I'd also tent stitch the hands and then add stem stitch shadow lines to each. I think the lady is also wearing a glove but you could use the same thread as her skin if your lady is gloveless. I think I'd stick to a floss type thread for these, and use the same cotton or silk brand you used for the faces and features for the gloves. Now let's tackle the gentleman's monacle. I like using Water N Ice for a glossy effect. Just do long horizontal stitches and a laying tool to make sure they don't twist. Make sure you come up and go down inside the outline of the monacle. Once the Water N Ice glass is in, stem stitch around the monacle to outline it, using the same black thread that you used for his mustache.

Continuing the gentleman, use continental to outline the brim of his hat with your same black thread used for the features. Then do packed stem stitch for his top hat band (or you could couch lengths of black Very Velvet for an elegant touch). I think I would find a soft grey thread in a silk/wool blend for his top hat and elegant suit. Choose a thread that has a slight sheen to it. This is an expensive evening suit after all! Use tent stitches in your chosen thread for the brim of the top hat, then use brick stitch for the top of the hat. I think I'd then outline his gray suit with a perle type thread in an very pale gray, couching it with a matching color of floss (one ply). Forget about the buttons for now. First stitch the right half of the collar and suit in Interlocking goblein that slants /. Next do a mirror image interlocking goblein that slants \ for the left half of the suit and collar. If the canvas is large enough, you might be able to attach baby buttons in mother of pearl for the suit buttons.

Now tent stitch the white shirt front, using the same thread you choose for the gloves. Once that is done, it is time to work on the vest and the shirt collar points. These seem to be four shades of peach here. Since the bow tie is also peach, choosing threads is going to be tricky here. You need light peach for the shirt collar ends, medium peach for the vest collars and a darker medium peach for the vest around the buttons. You need darkest peach for the center of the bow tie and to reuse the darker medium peach for the bow tie wings. Since there are a ton of shades of Splendor silk, I believe I'd try to use Splendor here. I think I'd tent stitch everything (except the buttons again) except the bow tie. I'd do the wings of the bow tie in long laid, padded diagonal stitches and and then pad the center of the bow tie with long laid vertical stitches. Make the bow tie's center padding a little higher than the wings of the bow tie.

Once the vest stitching is done, you can do the buttons. This time, try either a big French knot with the same peach you used on the vest proper or do a very small circular couching. Splendor has matching colors in the silk perle size 8 line called Elegance. If you can get a little of that in the matching color, I'd use it and couch it down with the vest stranded silk. The way you go depends on the actual size of the vest buttons.

Now that the gentleman is out of the way, let's do some simple background. The perfect stitch would be something that looked vaguely Art Deco in a nice wool that exactly matches the blue shade. There are a great many Pavillion stitch variations. I like Pavillion Variation #6 from Brenda Hart's Stitches for the Millennium, page 103, but any vaguely diamond shaped stitch will look lovely here. You want a medium-sized stitch that looks Art Deco to you.

Did you make a color copy of your canvas? You'll need it because you need to completely cover the lettering and date with the background, then couch on top of it. If you can get DMC's memory thread, I think their silver would look great for the letters. Couch it down with silver blending filament or Accentuate. If you can't get memory thread, try using a silver or light gray Silk Braid in tent stitches. Even a metallic braid (size 16?) will work.

For the lady's hat, use whatever thread brand you used for his suit and top hat if you can match the red color. You want her hat to have the same texture as his, so use brick stitch for her hat also, including under the brim. Once you finish, couch a thread or two right above her eyes to show the tiny brim. You might want to continue this couched line right over the top of the brim from the left side to the gentleman's chin.

Now for the lady's clothing. She wears a dress with fan shaped sleeves and a see through net neckline. The colors are darker versions of the gentleman's vest so choose two even darker peaches than you had before for the dress proper and for the edging of the fan sleeves.

Use skip tent for the netting top of her dress, then tent stitch the darkest peach shade. Skip the gold lines that outline the netting and that are at the top of her arm at the shoulder. Go back and couch down a perle type thread in gold here. I think I would like Silk Braid as the gold is subtle. You might find a similar peach in Silk Braid with gold threads woven in. That would look very elegant but be subtle. I think the arm you see is also covered in netting so work from the shoulder to the solid part of her sleeve and cuff in skip tent again. The sleeves themselves should be tent stitched inside each fan wedge. Use more of your gold couching to outline each section and then top off the sleeves with a double couched line of the darkest red-peach color. There is an area behind her right sleeve that I don't understand. More sleeve? Regardless, tent stitch it. There is the same unexplained stuff in the left lower corner. Tent stitch it also in the right colors.

Attach the pearl earring or perhaps attach hot fix crystals to give her a dangle rhinestone earring in an Art Deco pattern.

Then frame this and think of a wonderful evening out in the late Roaring Twenties!

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

December Canvas of the Month (Jane)

The December Canvas of the Month is a 4 inch ornament (on 18 count canvas) from Rebecca Wood Designs called "Down the Chimney".  Chosen by Bonnie because of its simple and traditional design, you can see the canvas and others in the series on the Rebecca Wood website.
http://www.rebeccawooddesigns.com/ornaments.asp?pageno=24

Jane writes:

This traditional design would make a lovely ornament no matter how you stitch it, but since the holiday season is always so rushed, I thought I would try to stitch it a bit differently in a very simple style.  You will need just one thread, either Kreinik's 032 frosty white in blending filament size or Accentuate #300 Opal White.  You could also go gold instead of sparkling white and use Kreinik's 002 gold in blending filament or Accentuate #023 Gold.

Now stitch snowflakes all over the canvas.  Use stitches like the Square Eyelet

http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/98-08.php

and the Smyrna Cross

http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/1999/99-02.php

as well as the Double Straight Cross

http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2001/01-03.php

and perhaps a few Upright Crosses to scatter big and small snowflakes across the design.

http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/1999/99-04.php

If you want a large star in the night sky, use the Medallion Stitch (although I'd stick to just snowflakes myself).

http://www.needlepoint.org/StitchOfTheMonth/2002/Nov.php

If you are feeling particularly fancy, put a few crystal clear beads (preferably the hex shaped ones to add sparkle like Mill Hill's Magnifica beads #G11009) in the center of some of the largest snowflakes.  It will also add to the festive snow and ice feeling if you use the same beads to bead the rounded edge of the ornament in finishing.  If you choose gold instead of white for your snowflakes, use a few gold beads, preferably Mill Hill's Magnifica beads in #G11036 Victorian Gold as they sparkle more than round beads.

Finish this with either white or gold braid trim into a round ornament.  Put a piece of gold lame underneath the canvas so that more sparkle shows through.  Hang this on your tree, turn on the Christmas lights, and enjoy!

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

December Canvas of the Month (Bonnie)

The December Canvas of the Month is a 4 inch ornament (on 18 count canvas) from Rebecca Wood Designs called "Down the Chimney".  Chosen by Bonnie because of its simple and traditional design, you can see the canvas and others in the series on the Rebecca Wood website.
http://www.rebeccawooddesigns.com/ornaments.asp?pageno=24

Bonnie writes:

First of all warm holiday wishes to everyone who reads this!

This looks like a fun little canvas!  I may have to add it as an ornament to stitch for my girl’s ornament boxes.  I have these boxes with a few ornaments of various techniques that I have made over the years for them with the idea that when they leave home they will have a start for a tree of their own.  I started this the plan of adding one ornament a year, but that didn’t really work.  Some years I add two, some one, some none, but the collection is growing.

This Santa needs some rich textures for his robe and bag, but since the ornament is small there isn’t a lot of room for decorative stitches.

I would start with the Santa suit in a small diagonal brick or a tent stitch (maybe over 2) trying to match the shading with 2 colors of Silk ‘N Ivory. Since the area is so small may find it easier to just tent.    Fur trim in encroaching gobelin – Silk n’ Ivory to match the rest of the coat or a furry fiber, either one slightly brushed when done stitching.  Maybe do turkey tufting for the pom-pom on his hat.  Gloves, a simple tent stitch in Silk ‘N Ivory.  The belt would be a vertical satin stitch in Patent Leather or Ultra Suede.  And finally the boots would be a diagonal satin stitch in patent leather.

Santa’s face and his features are done in a strandable silk in tent stitch since it is such a small area.  His beard and mustache are tent stitched in a fuzzy very white fiber like Designers Dream and then random french knots over the top. May need to add a second color to get shading between beard and mustache or decide to let it all grow together with one color.  Make sure you don’t use the same fiber for his beard/mustache as you did for the coat!

For the chimney, I would use framed brick Cashmere (Amy’s Cookbook chapter 14) in an overdyed cotton for the bricks and a solid color cotton floss for the frame (mortar).  Not sure I would worry about the different shades of the sides of the chimney when picking my colors or do something simple like just change the direction of the stitches on each side instead.  Snow would be Kreinik 032 braid or Caron Snow in random upright crosses (some long upright crosses, some ‘normal’) to try to get some depth or maybe just staggered cross stitches.

I would stitch Santa’s Bag with a T – stitch (also called woven stitch) in two shades of petite very velvet.  Add gold beads on top for the dots on the bag. For the tie on the top of the bag, use a length of Kreinik braid and tie a small bow on the top of the canvas or a knot with end dangling.

And last, the sky in a  4 way continental or Alicia’s lace with a 12 perle cotton or a single strand of cotton floss, just go right over the snowflakes and then add them on top.  Snowflakes, a Smyrna cross in 032 Kreinik braid – may want to vary the size of the braid to get different size snowflakes.

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