A Grinning Border

Not too many borders are as cheerful (in a macabre way) as the one I finished last night for the iPhone case.  No, I didn't work on Cha again.  We are busy cleaning up a tree that went down in the storm that took our power out last week and I was just too tired to do anything besides a simple charted pattern.  Maybe today I'll get back to Cha if we don't finish clearing away the treetops and stacking the part of the tree that is suitable for firewood.  I am getting too old to do physical labor and still be able to sit and concentrate on needlepoint later.  Sigh.  Oh, well, the mess is almost cleaned up.

As you can see, the top border on one side is finished.  I also positioned the first motif in the border that will continue to the other side of the iPhone case while I had the count down.  Then I finished the grid on one side and have started filling it in with large Xs.  Once they are all done, a large + sign goes on top of the X in each box.  I'm using the new holographic Kreinik for the border but a regular purple Kreinik in size 4 braid for the background pattern.

This is easy stitching as long as you don't totally zonk out while doing it.  Just what I needed last night!

I'm getting nostalgic for the endless tent stitch background on Cha.  At least I was making progress on that design but didn't have to think while I was working it.  Here's wishing you some mindless relaxing stitching of your own today....

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

Tips and Resouces

I've run across some useful tidbits online recently, so I thought I'd better post the links before they get lost again among all the bookmarks I maintain.

First, here is a great finishing demonstration for a Christmas ornament (see August 7, 2010 article).  This is a miniature pillow finish.  Scroll down to the previous article for a miniature ornament finished flat.
http://focusonfinishing.wordpress.com/

Little Shoppe of Stitches has a brand new set of Stitches of the Month this year.  I think the roof stitch particularly interesting and can't wait to see what August's stitch will be.
http://www.littleshoppeofstitches.com/stitchofthemonth.html

Pocket Full of Stitches has updated their Sale page.  There are lots of bargains we haven't seen before.
http://www.pfos.com/SalePages/sale1.htm

Need some fabulous hand dyed ribbon?  These pleated ribbons are beyond beautiful!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/53104744/silk-shibori-pleated-ribbon

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

A Few More Anne Jerlow Originals

From Anne's Five Geishas

Long-time readers of Blog will remember the geisha canvases I stitched for the ANG Auction in Baltimore. I've been a fan of Anne Jerlow's designs ever since, but many of them are not available now that Anne is dead. Tapestry Fair distributes some of her designs, but not all of them. If anyone knows Anne's good friend Mary McCarthy (who used to live in Phoenix part of the year but who perhaps has moved back to Canon Beach, Oregon where she owned a shop at one time) or if you remember Mary McCarthy's husband's name so that Tapestry Fair can narrow down the search, do let them know. Peggi at Tapestry Fair would love to license more of Anne's lovely work.  If you browse the Tapestry Fair site, designs with AJ in their number are Anne's.
http://www.tapestryfair.com/

Five Geishas Underway

Peggi from Tapestry Fair has sent me a few more photos of Anne's canvases for a slide show of her work.  These are Anne's originals, which she has not yet re-touched so they are not on the website yet.  Peggi writes, "When I was working with Anne, before putting the designs into production, I would over-paint them in order to tighten up the line work and stitch -paint the design. As she got older her eyesight wasn't as good and the painting looked a little fuzzy, so my contribution was to clean them up. Her drawing was just so great that it seemed a shame not to tweak them into really fabulous canvases. This group was not yet tweaked and never got added to the Tapestry Fair line. The Southwestern wolves are actually coyotes (but not living in Az. how could you have known that?!)"

The Single Geisha Canvas

The turkey and crows quilt blocks are not Anne's designs. Peggi when she emailed me with a few more of Anne's designs (yes, I bug her constantly for photos!) mentioned two class pieces she is doing for Family Arts in Phoenix.  I've included them because they are so interesting.  You'll probably see the finished models in Family Arts' ad in Needlepoint Now in the future, but they were so different and interesting that I thought you'd enjoy seeing them here.  You can ask Family Arts for class information if you live in the area.

http://www.familyartsneedlework.com/

And now here is the slide show!  The finished pillows are Anne's designs done by customers of Phoenix Needlepoint, the shop in Phoenix that Peggi owns.  The crows and turkey are Peggi's work for the Family Arts classes, but everything else is pure Anne Jerlow.  Enjoy....

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

The Grid (With Skulls)

Life continues to be exciting here in CH, so I was dead tired last night and ignored Cha for the easy stitching to be had on the new iPhone case I'm creating.  I've almost finished the grid that is the first step in SharonG's brocade variation stitch.

I'm using one ply of JL Walsh silk/wool (it comes in a strand that breaks down into five plies).  I'm stitching one side of the case at a time.  In the photo above you see two skulls floating on top of the background pattern and that I have started a border at the top.  The black thread is Silk Lame Braid which I love/hate.  The effect is lovely but I find I have to use short lengths as this thread unwinds as it goes in and out of holes.  I'm going to switch to a size 20 needle the next time I work on this project as I think it might protect the thread better than my current size 22.

Which reminds me--you probably will want to take a look at Gay Ann Rogers' latest technique tips on her website.  Gay Ann is a counted canvaswork teacher who creates beautiful, feminine designs, particularly samplers and "smalls" which are the little scissor and needle cases that needleworkers love.  This time her tips are all about thread tension.  It is a Must Read for anyone who wants to improve their stitching.  If you have never visited GAR's website before, have fun exploring.
http://www.gayannrogers.com/site_2/Techniques_13.html

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

Powerless

Last night we temporarily lost electricity due to a big series of thunderstorms that moved through the area, so once again I didn't work on Cha's tail feathers.  Instead, once the power came back on I started to count the SharonG brocade stitch to see if it worked within the 5x6 inch space I am going to stitch for an iPhone case.  If you click on yesterday's link to the Stitch of the Month project SharonG did and look at brocade variation stitch, you'll see it is a framework of over two stitches that build up a block.  I counted out the blocks and then worked out how many would fit into the space without too much compensation.  I will put a border at the top and bottom of the case to fill out the area, and have started putting the stitch on one side of the iPhone case.

I also counted out the main motif I choose (which luckily has a border included) and have done a little stitching there, just to see how it would look.  Luckily this was a quick stitch as I didn't have a lot of time before bed once the power came back on.  The chart I am using is below.  No laughing!  I am stitching this for someone who really likes scary things and I remember how obsessed with Egyptian history and mummies I was at her age.  This chart is from Goosefairy.  I suspect it is a knitting chart as knitters, much more hip than I ever will be, are into knitting skulls on their scarves/gloves/sweaters/hats.  If you google "skull charts" you will be overwhelmed with various sizes, shapes and patterns of skulls and bones.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67828223@N00/3268797153/sizes/z/

Keep your fingers crossed that nothing interferes with my working on Cha tonight!  Else I'll be stitching purple skulls again.

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