Peg Dunayer Goes Biscornu

I've been having fun emailing back and forth privately with Peg Dunayer in Texas this last week.  Peg is a counted thread designer who has a new website up and running.  I've known her for a while and have had the pleasure of seeing her Marissa's Weathervane at ANG Seminar win a first place in the Class Projects/Professionals division.  It's magnificent in person, by the way.  You'll find it almost a third of the way down this page.  Look for Lee McLeron's name.  Click on the tiny photo for a better one.
http://www.needlepoint.org/WhatIs/2007/index.php

Here is Peg's website.  "Needlepoint should be as fun as eating chocolate."  LOL  My kind of designer.
http://www.pegdunayer.com/

Although Peg is more well known for her charted designs that are based on traditional quilt patterns, I am particularly fond of her etui boxes.  The gazebo is a particular favorite, but if you are a long time subscriber to Needlepoint Now, you saw the adobe house in the January/February and May/June 2003 issues.  David's Star adorns Blog this morning since in the Christmas season we Christians tend to forget everyone has different traditions.  Besides, Peg is a Star in the NP world herself!
http://www.needlepointnow.com/back_issues/2003/2003.html

We were both amused when I found this blog entry from a New Zealand stitcher who took the Circling Doves quilt pattern design Peg did for the Cyberstitchers classic quilt pattern book fund raiser and made a biscornu shape from it.  Very creative, Jocelyn!
http://pinsneedles.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/ok-so-im-years-late-making-one-of-these/

If you want to know more about biscornu, here's a nice explanation with photos of how they are assembled.
http://www.prettyimpressivestuff.com/biscornu.htm

Peg says she has designed a new pattern intended to be made up into a biscornu called "Bees-cornu" because it has four bumble bees, stitched in Fuzzy Stuff and Flair. It's not on her website yet but will be soon.  Peg also plans to add kits to the site over the holidays when she hopes to have more time so that folks can buy buttons and threads if they don't have good local sources.  Right now all her designs are chart packs only but that will change.

By the way, if you need something more on your Christmas list, you might want to buy a copy of the charted quilt designs book from ANG's Cyberstitchers chapter.  You'll have the pleasure knowing you are helping support a chapter in cyberspace for those who can't make it to a local (or not-so-local) chapter in real life.
http://www.cyberpointers.org/quilt-book.html

Congratulations on the new site, Peg.  And on your designs circling round the world all the way to New Zealand!

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

We Have Fangs

I decided to tackle O'jishi's mouth instead of working more on his eyes once the background was finished.  I've told you about the jawline (which isn't finished, I need to be rested to do the compensation and it's too crazy here with Christmas prep) but I've concentrated on the mouth recently.  This is a three part area (jaw, mouth and tongue, lips separating the two) and since the open mouth needs to be very smooth, I thought tent stitches would be perfect.  So I've been carefully tent stitching with four plies (usually) throughout the area.

I've used seven threads and have blended some of them to get lighter shades in areas.  My first step was to stitch the black outlines around his fangs and teeth.  I used Thread Gather's Sheep's Silk (a silk/wool blend) in Ink Black #SPS 050 for this.  Since this is a crewel type thread, I used a strand right out of the skein instead of plying this thread.

The dark brown areas are done with Gloriana's overdyed brown silk Coffee Bean #166.  The pinkish brown areas are in Needle Necessities' overdyed cotton floss #125 (which is now available from ThreadWorX as Shades of Chocolate #1036).  The darkest red is from Needlepoint Inc.'s Needlepoint Silk #Terra Cotta.  The red shades (from bright tomato through medium other to dark tomato) are all Soie d'Alger silk (also medium to dark- Touterelle 2615,  Feu #616, and Touterelle 2616).  I mixed two plies of the NN #125 with two of the dark Needlepoint Inc. Silk Terra Cotta in some areas to get a medium shade of the darkest red.  Since hand painted canvases vary, anyone who stitches this according to my plan will have to choose where to put and how to blend their own colors and work the largest areas in basketweave.  Having smooth stitches (I see a flaw in the photo I'll have to fix, by the way) is very important here so keep your tension as steady as possible to make all the tent stitches fat little rice grains.

Once the mouth was done, I added a bit of bling by turning the canvas onto its side and adding random tent stitches to the mouth area with Petite Treasure Braid #PB07.  This is a thin metallic in tomato red.  I often use this technique to add sparkle to a Santa's red coat as I think Christmas ornaments need metallics to compete with the lights and other ornaments.  It seemed to suit O'jishi whose mouth should have a little something extra to make it fit with the rest of the design.

Then it was time to give O'jishi some bite!

His teeth are painted in a bright gold, a more tarnished gold, and has silver highlights.  In real life O'jishi masks have brass teeth, so I choose three shades of Kreinik in size 12 braid.  The tarnished gold is Vintage Gold #002V, the bright gold is Cat's Eye #3202 and the silver highlights are in Sugar Cube #4005.  (Note that Sugar Cube is one of the discontinued Naturals colors.)  I worked vertical rows of stem stitch for each tooth, working normally from left to right and changing colors as the painted canvas changed.

I need to finish the bottom row of teeth, fix the snagged stitch on his bottom lip, and finish the jaw line before I move on.  I am not sure when this will be complete, as this is an exceptionally busy week but I'll do my best to stitch every night until this is finished.

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

Newsletters and Updated Discontinued Blues

Today is Newsletter Day, with wonderful newsletters (and terrific Christmas sales) from both Amy Bunger's website and from Needle Works in Austin, Texas.  Here are the links in alphabetical order.  

http://www.amybunger.com/current_enewsletters.html

http://www.theneedleworks.com/newsletter/2009%20newsletters/december2009.pdf

Anyone else think that Robin King's little witch canvas (in the Amy Bunger newsletter) looks just like Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series?

Interestingly enough, both newsletters mention a new tool called The Parking Spot that sounds fascinating--a combination laying tool holder and needle magnet.  It's a donut shaped magnet that holds needles with a spring-loaded gadget in the center that grabs onto your laying tool.  If you use small magnets without the power to hold your metallic laying tool or want something that will grab onto wooden or bone laying tools, this is something you'll be interested in.  Check out the photos in each newsletter to see these in action.

Janet Perry has quoted what seems to be a Kreinik official notice about the discontinued Natural "tea" colors on her website.  If you can't find any of the 4000-4006 series at your local shop, she lists colors Kreinik says will substitute until they can get replacements.  Thanks, Janet!

http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/thread-news-from-kreinik

I'm still stitching away on O'jishi but my Internet connection is wonky this morning, so I will wait to post progress photos until the connection is more solid.  Stay tuned!

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

Blog Housekeeping

Just want to point out a few things I've done with Blog while your back was turned Thanksgiving.  If you like the Canvas of the Day, click on the photo and you'll magically be transported to the site where I found it.  I can't remember if I ever told you guys this trick!   I try to find sale items but this isn't always possible as I just pick a canvas that catches my eye for whatever reason.

Today's Canvas of the Day perfectly captures my reaction to the fact that it is December 1, for example.  LOL

The canvas above is one I saw underway at Needlewoman East on Sunday at the sale.  The person stitching it filled in the black and white border's empty spaces with green, then surrounded the whole border with 4-5 rows of purple tent stitches, which set off the whole design beautifully.  It was a very clever, yet simple touch, that brought out the greens and oranges of the design.  This canvas I found on sale at The Needlepointer.  It is by Lee and is called "Holding a Yellow Cat" and is from the Chinese women with Cats series that Lee did a couple years back.  (There are more canvases in the series on this and the preceding page on sale, by the way.)  The Needlepointer has several pages of discounted painted canvases, but there is just one of each, so move quickly if you fall in love.
http://np.theneedlepointer.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=84&sort=20a&number_of_uploads=0&page=8

I added a link to the Needlepoint Groups and Thread Information area just below the koi pond.  You can now go straight to either the Kreinik metallics listing or to the huge list (with color images) of threads that Needle in a Haystack sells.  I am not affiliated with either but these are great resources for those of us who have to mail order most of our threads.

Guess that's it.   I'm stitch stitching on O'jishi but it is slow going with all the holiday chores.  And I still haven't started any Christmas cards....

EEEEEEKKKKKKK!


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

Listen Up, Santa

All the good little girl and boy needlepointers out there are probably busy making a list of goodies they'd like in their stockings this year.  I've seen some interesting things lately, so I thought I'd make a list myself.

First up are the new cat canvas magnets from Nordic Needle.  I saw them in person at Needlewoman East yesterday.  They are a lot bigger than in the pictures!  They are delicate portraits in person and sure to please any cat lover.
http://www.nordicneedle.com/PROD/7155H.html

When I looked them up on the Nordic Needle website, I discovered there are also cat magnets meant as chart holders.  Cross stitchers use these to attach chart pages to magnetic holders.  Any counted thread cat lover can use these.
http://www.nordicneedle.com/PROD/7004L.html

Laura Perin's sister found a great cheap back support for those of us who sit longer than five minutes at a time to stitch.
http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2009/11/check-this-out.html

Cheryl Fall, the About.com needlepoint guide, pointed me towards a lovely thread cutter ornament from Beth Russell Designs.  Isn't this gorgeous?
http://www.bethrussellneedlepoint.com/needlework-accessories.htm

Needle in a Haystack has some lovely glass pins that can be used as laying tools.  They offer glass needles, too.  Anyone allergic to metal needles might be interested in those.
http://needlestack.typepad.com/whats_new/2009/11/more-great-gift-ideas.html

Finally, for a one of a kind gift, Pat's Destashing Blog has a cell phone case/needle case combination.
http://stitchingdestashing.blogspot.com/2009/11/cell-phone-holder-needlecase.html


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