Fun Browsing in All the Heat

Canvas by Barbara Bergsten

I have some fun things for you to ponder this morning.  First of all, Pocket Full of Stitches has their Barbara Bergsten trunk show.  This is notable as they are selling from the trunk show at a 20% off discount, making this a great time to pick up a fun project.  Put the money you save towards a new Stirling bag to showcase your stitching.  Remember, you can go to Barbara's website (second link) to download a stitch guide for each of her designs.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2010/07/its-trunk-show-time-again-ps-new.html

http://www.barbarabergstendesigns.com/stitch_guides.htm

Too hot to stitch where you are?  Then go browse the collection of vintage needlepoint purse sites that the About.com guide has collected.  Even if you have no intention of buying, it is fun to browse fashions of yesteryear.
http://needlepoint.about.com/b/2010/07/06/vintage-needlepoint-handbags-on-the-net.htm

Are you looking for a source for the tiny size 15  beads?  & More has added photos of the colors they carry to their website.  Mill Hill beads are around size 11 in most cases, to give you an idea of how much smaller size 15 beads are.
http://web.me.com/andmorethreads/_%26_more/BEADS_%26_BEADING_THREAD.html

Want to make your own beads?  Just cut metal purl into the custom size of your choice and attach like any bead.  Mary Corbet's website shows how to use metal purls (and how to fix any problems with the fat little coils).
http://www.needlenthread.com/2010/07/goldwork-thread-metal-purl.html

This morning I substituted a photo of my blooming day lilies for my own portrait on Blog.  They are the only thing in CH that likes this hot and humid weather!

By the way, it looks like Blogger has fixed any problems with the Comments now. I suspect that the new Stats system they have added to blogs that use "Blogger in Draft" caused the trouble.  If you blog via Blogger and use their "Blogger in Draft" system instead of the more stable standard system, check your Dashboard for the new Stats tab.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, do not worry.  I often have no idea what I'm talking about either!

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

Notice Anything Familiar?

3/4 Wide Diamonds

Welcome to Day Three of the second big heat wave of the summer here in air-conditionless CH.  My brain is melting. I'm having to wash my hands in cold water periodically to do any stitching at night and I finally gave up and watched television instead yesterday.

I did get the second layer of stitching done on the bird's body, though.  Notice anything that seems familiar?  No?  Look at the wide diamonds background at the bottom of the photo, then look at the hot pink stitches that lay on top of the tent stitches on the bird's body. You are right:  I am using three of the four steps of wide diamonds to embellish the bird.

Madonna was right--wide diamond stitch has reappeared in my stitching!

It took me three tries to come up with the right thread for this.  I tried the mauve silk used on the bird's body (too close to the tent stitches' colors to stand out), used a thin metallic (looked too metallic and shiny), and finally settled in on a ply of Eterna silk in Hot Pink.  It reflects the light differently from different angles and is more/less prominent depending on the angle you are viewing the bird from.

I'm not done yet.  I just ran out of steam last night.  It's way too hot to stitch!

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

Stitch Guides Blog Updated

I've updated the Stitch Guides blog with a new article listing some of the stitch guides available for SharonG canvases and have added a complete list of guides available from Janet Perry to her earlier article.  You can visit Stitch Guides here.  Remember to use the search box at the upper right to explore what is available.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/

I'm trying to add Paypal to the site so you can buy my guides directly from me if you want a PDF file (instead of having to email me to set up a sale) but it's not cooperating. Wish me luck!

By the way, the Comments section seems to be broken here on Blog.  I moderate all comments but somehow I can't publish some of them today and others keep showing up to be published although I have already.  Expect the unexpected until Blogger fixes this.

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

More Tent Stitch Excitement (With Diamond Rays)

Cha: Bird Body Underway

Due to popular demand (not really), I did more tent stitches yesterday.  I managed to finish my goal of 1/3 of the background in continental stitches (one of the tent stitch family) and also completed the bird's breast and underside in basketweave (also a tent stitch).

I wanted to mention that I used four plies of the darkest purple color (Gloriana overdyed silk floss) but only needed three plies for the medium mauve and the pink (both Splendor silk floss).  Both brands of silk are a strand made of 12 plies, but the Gloriana seems thinner.  I needed more of it to cover up the pink smile shapes painted on the canvas.  It may be a difference in the underlying type of silk used, or it may be that the purple thread got thinner in its many trips through the dye bath necessary for this very dark shade.  Regardless of the reason, you may find yourself needed to adjust plies to make sure all your tent stitches are the same, regardless of the colors you use.

Once the lower bird body was finished, I mixed it up a bit by adding rows of diamond ray stitches on the bird's back, which you can just see between his wings.  These were done in one ply of the same pink Splendor I used on his underside.

The paper head is gone in this photo.  More on that later on....

On a personal note, I found the cat Tommy dead this morning.  He had been failing for a long time as he was very old--he'd lived with us for almost 18 years.  Great mouser, Tommy, and a very sweet cat who purred loudly whenever he saw me, and who lived to hunt.  I shall miss him and I am glad he died in his sleep instead of having to be put down at the vet's because of his failing health.

Tommy Tune, Good Cat

UPDATE: Thanks for all the consoling messages about Tommy's death.  I can't post them here (Blogger is having trouble with Comments) but I appreciate them greatly.

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

The Excitement Never Ends

Background & Breast Tent Stitches

Today's progress report on Cha consists of more tent stitches.  I haven't quite finished the background area I planned to do before moving onto the bird, but all that tent stitching started to get to me, so last night I moved on and started the bird.

I made progress.  I tent stitched the small purple tail feather and started tent stitching the bird's breast.  [Jane laughs at the look on Blog readers' faces.]  I know, I know!  It's not quite what you expected from me.  But there's method in all that tent stitching.

Check the photo carefully.  Why does Jane have a cut out piece of paper attached to the bird's head with magnets...?

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