The Pirate Cat Has a Sweet Face and Brocade Shirt

A Face and A Shirt

Last night I had a little more time to stitch than has been normal recently, so I finished the Dotted Swiss stitch on the kitten's shirt by doing tent stitches with Shimmer Vineyard Silk in a darker brown shade than the Classic Vineyard Silk.  If your shop doesn't carry the Vineyard Silk line, let me just say you can buy four types of this silk tapestry style thread:  Classic is a solid color thread that looks like a soft silk/wool tapestry thread although it is 100% silk.  It's soft and stitches on either 13 or 18 count beautifully.  Shimmer is Classic with a metallic thread woven in so it is slightly stiffer.   Tone on Tone is Classic dyed in various shades of the same color and Merino Wool s a wool thread I haven't seen personally yet.  Here is more about the brand.
http://www.vineyardsilk.com/products.htm

Anyway, using Shimmer Vineyard Silks for my tent stitches added just a hint of sparkle. I was hoping that it would make the shirt look like heavy brocade.  In person it is a nice effect, although I doubt you can tell in the photo above.

After my success with the shirt, I decided to finish the cat's face.  I'd already stitched the eyes and pink nose/mouth in tent stitches using perle type threads.  I wanted to use brick stitch for the rest of the face, just like I'd used it for the paw.  I think it turned out quite nicely.

Close up: Would you trust that face?

One of the things you have to consider when using more than one stitch on a painted canvas is what will happen in the area where two different stitches meet.  Will you have to compensate?  Will that look good?  Tent stitches slant /// and brick stitches are upright lines ||| so you can see there might be gaps.  In a few places I squeezed in another tent stitch if a straight stitch didn't look like it would cover but mostly the brick stitches laid up against the tent stitches nicely.  Mixing tent and brick stitches probably worked well here because I was using size 8 perle cotton and Trebizond silk which is the same diameter and will spread out a bit on 18 count to cover well.

With the pirate hat, shirt and face stitched, I can now work on the bandanas around the kitten's head and neck.  I wanted all those areas finished before I laid in long padded stitches for the kerchief areas.

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

September Canvas of the Month: Bonnie's Imagine Canvas

The September Canvas of the Month is from Lani Enterprises. It's a "gift tag" that reads Imagine. This canvas is on 18 count and is four inches wide by seven and a half inches tall.
http://www.lanienterprises.com/catagories/Sayings/Tags.html

Bonnie's Version:

This month’s canvas to me says fun so the plan would be to make it glitzy with lots of raised elements!

I would start with the wallpaper background.  Since this is the background I would chose a #12 perle cotton (or flower thread, if you still have some in your stash) and use a simple horizontal satin stitch on the stripes.  It would be light coverage so the wallpaper would  fade into the background.  Next up are the swirls.  I would look for a silk perle and then couch it using a single strand of matching strandable silk.  It will probably take multiple rows of couching to cover.

Next up is the imagine tag.  I would start with the background behind the lettering in a skip tent.  Again, this is a background element, so make it light.  I would couch a Kreinik metallic braid with matching Accentuate for the lettering.  I think couching gives you the best looking curved letters like the ‘G’.  The border would be cross stitched rather than tent stitched to raise it up a bit in probably a #8 braid.  I would test this out and adjust the weight as needed, but I would want it to be raised, not flat.  The rest of the frame could be tented in silk or a silk lame for some sparkle.  Finally on the tag are the circles – I would try a Smyrna cross or an eyelet whichever fills the space the best in the same metallic used for the raised red border. Another idea might be to attach a sequin with a clear bead in the middle.

Now we move to the pink/purple area to the right of the flower.  Here’s where a color copy of your canvas would come in handy.  I would do a Nabuko stitch in a strandable silk completely covering the dot pattern.  Then using your color copy as a guide, attach either beads or sequins over some of the tent stitches of the Nabuko stitch.  (Although if you use the beaded suggestion later for the flower you may just want to use French knots done in silk so you don't have too many beads!)  No need to cover all of the small stitches, just some. Looking at your color copy will give you an idea of where to start and once you get going just fill until you get something you like.  The top edge of this area would just be a padded satin stitch done with the same strandable silk you already used.  Then move over to the turquoise area and simply tent stitch that area in strandable silk.  It’s a small area, so the stitch needs to be simple, but I would want the weight of it to balance with the pink/purple area.   You could even put in a few beads if you wanted or French knots in a matching color to give you texture.

The last remaining large piece is the flower.  I was looking at the River Silk web site for some ideas on this.  I see a couple of possibilities there in their gallery.   Either method I would be ignoring the dotted petals and just picking ribbons I liked.  One possibility is to try the punch needle flower.   The middle could be either all in French knots in a silk that would match or beaded.    Or another possibility I might try is the gardenia flower that is ribbon and beads.  There is even a project sheet on the site you could follow for this choice.  Either would look great and make the flower pop.

The very last piece of the piece is the flower at the top hole.  To be honest this has me stumped.  I would leave it to the end and see if something pops out as an idea.  I would think about looking for a button that would do the trick to attach, maybe more silk ribbon, or maybe even just a padded satin stitch for the petals in a silk changing the stitch direction as I go to make a fan shape that would mimic the petal shape.

That is it!  A fun piece that will make your imagination soar!

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

Pirate Shirt

Last night I discovered I was running low on the black perle I'm using for the Pirate Cat himself, so I concentrated on his little shirt after I finished his little baby paw and put in a few pink stitches for his nose and mouth.  (I think of the Pirate Cat as a kitten, you see.  Having personality in mind helps one come up with stitches and threads since you would naturally use silks on a geisha figure while a clown would call for bright colors such as in a cotton overdye.)

The shirt and the cuff are pretty small areas, which can be difficult to find stitches for besides tent stitches.  You will remember I used brown Vineyard Silk in tent stitches for the tiny bit of the signpost that shows.  The cuff and shirt are larger, irregular areas, which means they are perfect for a small stitch that is a favorite of mine--Dotted Swiss.  What you see in the photo above is Step One--do cross stitches on every other stitch intersection.  For the next row, offset the stitches so that each cross stitch is under an empty space on the row above.  Before you know it, you have little bumps in a regular pattern everywhere.

Step Two is to stitch the unstitched areas with tent stitches.  Very easy stitch and I like the texture.

I could stop after Step One and let the gray paint interact with the Vineyard Silk to make the shirt pattern but I have something else in mind.  You'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what it is....

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

The Pirate's Hat and Cat's Paw

Last night I finished the gold trim around the edge of the Pirate Cat's fabulous hat, then turned my attention to the cat's face.  I want a delicate look since this is a kitten dressed up in clothes too big for him, so I decided I would try using perle cotton in brick stitches for the little paw to see how things would look.  If they look the way I want, I can go on to work the face.  If not, it is easy to change.

In the photo above I have worked the white part of the paw that holds the signpost and also stitched the signpost itself with a few tent stitches in some medium light brown Vineyards Silk I had.  I think I might work the gray shirt and sleeve in dark brown instead of gray so I was careful to choose a brown for the sign's handle that would work with the thread I pulled for the shirt.

Here's a closeup of the paw.  I think I like how it looks, so I'll work the black area of the paw in the same manner and then start the cat's face.

Before I forget, Marianne now has the Patt and Lee Designs Pirate Cat canvases in stock if you want to buy one and stitch along.  There's no affiliation except I like shop owners to do well.  The better they do, the easier it is for us stitchers to find supplies, and I do love Marianne's used book descriptions.  Your shop can also order the Pirate Cat canvas from Patt and Lee Designs but as far as I know, only Marianne's shop has this canvas in stock for direct order.
 http://www.newneedlepoint.com/

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