Playing the Variation Game

As I worked up O'jishi's background--which is 99% done--I have been thinking about a possible border and stitches for the mask, I've also been thinking about whether to fill the empty line between the alternating cashmere pairs with tent stitches.  And if I stitch over that empty row, what thread should I use?

I got a private email from Marj the other day.  She was impressed by my idea of making a border around O'jishi using my background stitch in a different and contrasting thread like the coral red Watercolours.  She'd never heard of doing such a thing and said she'd never have thought of it in a million years.  But for me, coming up with this stuff is second nature now.

I might have seen someone switch colors instead of stitches for a border before (I don't remember doing so but I scour each stitching magazine and online photos of finished pieces for such ideas), but it is now my habit to play the Variation Game when I am thinking about stitches.
The Variation Game is just wondering what will happen if I change threads to mix thread textures?  Or add beads, or omit them and use French knots or Colonial knots instead?  What happens if I drop part of the stitch, or add another step? What will happen if I stitch this stitch in a different order? What if I let the steps in the stitch fade away to nothing (ala Marnie Ritter)?  What if I use the same stitch but a different color to make a border?   What if?  What if?  What if?

It's a fun exercise for me and it allows me to analyze a stitch to see how to create something new from it.  In O'jishi's case, I decided after playing Variations I would add a bit of sparkle to the dark brown shaded areas by filling in the empty line with tent stitches done in the milk-chocolate-mixed-with-silver metallic thread from Kreinik called Spiced Chai #4002 (size #4 braid).  I plan to leave the lighter brown stitch centers empty.  In this way I hope to make the dark shadow more solid and leave the lighter background more insubstantial.

In this close-up photo you can see some of the tent stitches filled in above O'jishi's head.  I've started to work down the left hand side between finishing more regular alternating cashmere pairs stitches in the background.  I'm following the dark paint exactly.  If a dark shadow area ends in the middle of a tent row, I end my metallic stitch at the same spot.

You may be able to tell from the photo that my size #4 Kreinik braid doesn't completely cover the thread intersections.  This is a 13 count canvas.  If I wanted complete coverage, I would use the #12 tapestry braid size which is larger than #8 braid and smaller than #16--in other words, the perfect size for #13-14 canvas tent stitches!  But remember, I want light coverage so the fact that some of the canvas color shows next to the metallic thread is perfectly ok with me.

Before I forget, here is Kreinik's size/color card.  It lists their metallic colors and shows which colors are available in which sizes.  Bookmark this page if you haven't already.  It's very useful but also hard to find on the Kreinik website.
http://www.kreinik.com/articles/color_cht.html

I could have used a copper or a gold or silver metallic for these tent stitches, or used the same light tan Mandarin floss and the same darker brown Splendor silk that I used for the main body of the stitch, or used beads in a row, or left the tent stitch row empty and just scattered beads here and there on the background.  There are a lot of possibilities and playing the Variation Game helps me come up with ideas.

Then I just sort through the possibilities and decide which I think will look best.  The Variation Game may not be for you, but it's an easy game to play and it'll give you many, many ideas for your canvases, especially if you happen to be stuck on an area.

Thanks to Marj for asking about how I came up with my border idea and reminding me to tell you all about the Variation Game.

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: Little Pilgrim Girl (Bonnie)

November's Canvas of the Month is from Melissa Shirley. It is a 4x5 inch design on 18 count canvas of a little Pilgrim girl carrying a pumpkin in a pie tin. It is part of a set of six Thanksgiving-themed designs which you can see on her What's New page right under the new Halloween designs.
http://www.melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?bsn=1

This isn't the first time Melissa Shirley has designed a piece of a little girl carrying a pumpkin in a pie tin. One of her Victorian Halloween vintage postcard designs has many of the same elements.
http://www.theneedleworks.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=&products_id=1330

Below are Bonnie's stitch ideas for this Canvas of the Month. Jane's ideas are in the earlier blog posting.

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I think the main idea on the canvas, especially for the girl in the middle – is keep it simple – lots of cotton threads.  We are giving thanks for the simple things in life like sharing a meal with family and friends!

Starting at the bottom and working around the frame and the background:  Acorns – a skip tent for the top with French knots in between, or all French knots in a floss or slightly overdye floss, bottom in a simple vertical satin.  The dots in between a Smyrna cross or plain cross-stitch if that is too bulky.

Background of bottom – basketweave in an overdye cotton with the plies reversed so color ends up mottled not striped.  Row between bottom and ground, vertical satin stitch in floss or a strand of PC laid horizontally all the way across and couched horizontally with perle cotton.

Leaves –leaf stitch in an overdye silk or if can't find a good match pick a couple colors of silk and do some leaves in one color and some in another.   Leaf veins a single satin stitch in silk or stem stitch if can't get satin stitch where needed, branches a whipped stem stitch in a perle cotton or floss for texture.

Frame – double woven basket stitch with a fiber that looks like a rough basket – maybe a perle cotton or a linen or ….

Background – try to find a darning pattern with a leaf image or create one, done in a #12 PC or 2 strands of floss so very light.

Ground – basketweave in overdye floss, maybe a few very small French knots thrown in here and there to make clumps of dirt, or randomly cross a few of the tent stitches for the same idea.

Then to the main feature the girl and her pumpkin!

Pumpkin – horizontal satin stitch in silk, carefully laid.  Make sure follow ribs of pumpkin.  Stem tent in a perle cotton for texture.  Plate is all tent stitch since the main show is the pumpkin not the plate!

Face, hands – tent stitch in strandable silk

Hair – stem stitch or long and short following direction of hair in a cotton overdye with only a slight color change

Skirt and Top – upright cross in two to three shades of linen, or if not available, cotton floss, shading as needed

Apron – reverse basketweave or Hungarian stitch done in cotton floss or perle cotton (depends on what used for skirt and top, don't use same for both), ribbon done in an overdye with same stitch

Collar and cuffs – something with a diagonal feel like diagonal mosaic or scotch stitch same thread as apron

Hat – Nobuko or woven plait in direction to match angle of hat.  Again same thread as apron – adding a strand to the middle section as stitching to give that raised look or if using perle cotton try using a different size in middle section.

Shoes – tent stitch over two if room so different then the ground, but not too noticeable, in a suede.  Or if not enough space, just tent stitch.

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Thanks, Bonnie.  It is always a delight to do blog entries with you!

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: Little Pilgrim Girl (Jane)

November's Canvas of the Month is from Melissa Shirley.  It is a 4x5 inch design on 18 count canvas of a little Pilgrim girl carrying a pumpkin in a pie tin.  It is part of a set of six Thanksgiving-themed designs which you can see on her What's New page right under the new Halloween designs.

http://www.melissashirleydesigns.com/gallery/?bsn=1

This isn't the first time Melissa Shirley has designed a piece of a little girl carrying a pumpkin in a pie tin.  One of her Victorian Halloween vintage postcard designs has some of the same elements.

http://www.theneedleworks.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=&products_id=1330

Below are Jane's stitch ideas for this Canvas of the Month. Bonnie's ideas will be published next.

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When I looked at this piece, it seemed to need a very traditional treatment.  Thanksgiving is a holiday that celebrates family and the harvest and all the wonderful things in our lives we are grateful for.  If that isn't tradition, I don't know what is!  That doesn't mean this has to be a boring piece, though.  I think the first thing I would do is find a darning stitch of an acorn shape to use in the background behind the little girl.  If you can't find anything suitable, copy the row of acorns at the base of this design, then scatter them in the background in tent stitches using a slightly darker pumpkin color than the background paint. I would suggest finding a thread that matches the background color, then a slightly darker color.  You can put the acorns in rows or just scatter them around.  I'd scatter them myself.  Once you have acorns, tent stitch the lighter pumpkin color.  

Now move to the golden arch and tent stitch it with the correct color.  If you can find a silk/wool blend to match the color, it would look lovely.  The leaves need to be stitched in long and short stitch using the right colors.  I would use silk flosses for them.  Then stem stitch the stems of the leaves in whatever black DMC floss you have at hand.

Tent stitch the gray ground the little girl stands on, then do a single thin border row in the same pale pumpkin color you used for the background.  Again, use tent stitches for this tiny border.  If you are sick of tent, use tall and skinny cross stitches two threads high but only one thread wide.  

For the acorn border base, use the darker orange thread from the leaves to tent stitch the dark orange background behind the acorns.  Use a gold metallic in a tiny cross stitch over the dots between each acorn.  Now stitch the dark brown tops of the acorns in cross stitches, using the same dark brown you chose for her dress (next section).  The light part of the acorn proper should be stitched in your pale pumpkin background thread.  Use one tent stitch for the acorn base and do long horizontal stitches for the acorn proper.  

Tent stitch the little girl's brown gown in three shades of a thread that is not very shiny.  Try using something like Petite Very Velvet or Vineyards Silk that will look like a glowing wool outfit.   Her dress is not fancy but you do want texture and warmth there.

Tent stitch her hands and face and features, matching the colors to any silks you have.  I love how silk gives skin a glow.  Use the black DMC cotton floss from the leave stems for her eyelashes, using one ply to lay down little stitches to match the painting on the canvas.

Give her either French knot curls in wool or try using packed stem stitch if you prefer less curly hair.  Use cotton or silk  floss for the hair if you don't use wool.

Tent stitch the pumpkin pie tin in the same gray thread you used for the ground she stands on.  You will also need to tent stitch the crimped edge in shades of yellow that you used for the leaves.  

The pumpkin itself should be in three shades of silk floss, using slanted diagonal long stitches on the right and left side and then a straight horizontal stitch for the middle section.  Top off the pumpkin with a stem done in stem stitch and make your leaf at the base using lazy daisy stitches done on top and/or beside each other.  It's ok if the green paint underneath shows.  That will give the base of the stem dimension.

Tent stitch the tiny black shoe (Petite Very Velvet in black or a wool thread that looks like felt when stitched), then use white silk for the little stocking and then the apron string that goes behind her back (also tent).

Now for the fun part - the cap, cape, cuffs and apron.  For these you will need silk flosses in white and pale gray, and also need the silk flosses you used for the leaves.  Start with the ribbon hem of her apron and using the shades of yellow, stitch the area with Interlocking Goblein.  Compensate carefully at the top and bottom of the area as you don't want the band's top or bottom to be jagged.

Tent stitch the little bit of the apron below the yellow hem band, matching the white and gray shading with your silks.

Stitch the cuffs in the same Interlocking Goblein stitch.  You may want to use an outline stitch for the gray area below the front cuff instead of trying to use Interlocking Goblein there also.

Use Interlocking Goblein stitch for the cap except for the ruffle around the edge.  If you want you can substitute padded satin stitches instead of Interlocking Goblein but the shading will be harder if you do.  However, you can always add a few gray stitches with a sharp needle on top of the padded satin stitches if you like.  You can also put them on top of the Interlocking Goblein to show the shade lines of the cap if you prefer.  

For the broad Pilgrim collar, do vertical long stitches at the top nearest the next.  The next indented area should be done in horiontal long stitches.  Then finish the broad bottom of the collar with Interlocking Goblein. 

Now tent stitch the cap's ruffled edge with only 3-4 plies of your white silk. When you are finished, go back with 2-3 plies and do detached buttonhole right along the very edge, just covering those white tent stitches.  That will give the cap a little eyelet-looking ruffle.

The final step is to stitch the apron above the yellow hem band.  Use Interlocking Goblein again, although you may wish to once again add gray stem stitches among the very edge of the apron in front instead of switching colors.

If you really want something a bit fancier (although true Pilgrims would not wear fancy aprons), try Damask Stitch (from Stitches for Effect, page 27) to give the apron a bit of texture.  If you use fewer plies, the gray shading will show through.  If you completely cover in Damask Stitch, you will need to stitch the whole apron in white, then put in shade lines using your gray thread in stem stitches in the right places.

This will make a lovely Thanksgiving ornament for years to come, no matter how you stitch it.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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

Some Progress

O'jishi's background is about 75% finished.  I am trying to get as much done as possible during the holiday season as by now the alternating cashmere pairs are second nature. I got a lot of stitching time in before holiday chores took priority this weekend.

Hope everyone isn't as busy as me and that any holiday preparations you are doing go quickly and easily.

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

Not My Fault

I got a hilarious email from Judie of Thistle Needleworks/Alex Paras Needlework yesterday.  She just finished designing this painted canvas kit which is called Chilly Santa and posted a photo on her Alex Paras website.  Almost immediately she was asked if it was based on Chilly Hollow!  LOL

No, this is not my fault.  I don't resemble Chilly Santa in any way, shape, or form (although I do have gold wire rimmed glasses, come to think about it).
http://store.apneedlearts.com/chsaex.html

When I quit laughing, I asked Judie about her use of DMC memory thread for the gold glasses and the white beard, specifically if she had any tips for using it.

She replied, "I found it very easy to work with -- this is the second piece I have used it on. The gold held up very well, but I have found that the threads that are wound around the copper core wire sometime fray a bit. Others have recommended dipping the ends in FrayCheck but I found that all I had to do was snip off the unraveled ends."

Thanks for the memory thread advice, Judie, and for the laugh.  Now I guess I'd better be cautious about eating everything in sight over Thanksgiving and Christmas or I might actually be mistaken for Chilly Santa later on!
Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow