The Pirate Cat Adds Thread

Swarkovski Crystals Before

After narrowly averting disaster yesterday when using a hot fix tool to attach pre-glued Swarkovski crystals to the background of the Pirate Cat--I didn't burn myself or glue crystals to my hair-- I moved onto embellishing the embellishment (so to speak).

But before I do, here's a video that shows how the crystals are attached.  There are several brands of tools, but they all seem to work with the flat-backed crystals in pretty much the same way.  It isn't quite as easy as it looks (the crystals tend to get stuck to the tool so have an old small needle ready to pry them out or move them quickly around if they aren't quite in the right place) but it isn't hard, either.  Just remember that the tool gets quite hot, the liquid glue is hot and the crystals themselves are hot, too.  I plan to talk about this in detail in the Pirate Cat stitch guide for Patt and Lee Designs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTHCbA7kO1E

Being Embellished

The crystals looked plainer than I expected once they were in place so I framed them with L shaped lines of gold metallic.  Then I added the same green and gold metallic that makes up the cat's eyes in another L.  The close-up shows three crystals, one with two Ls framing it, one with the second L underway, and with with the first gold L in position only.

Once I made the Swarkovski crystals more confetti-like, I decided the canvas is done.

Swarkovski Crystals After

I hope you enjoyed watching.  The trick or treating Pirate Cat is certainly not my usual choice of canvas but it was great fun to come up with a suitable background, figure out how to make a wonderful pirate's hat, and to play around with detached buttonhole lace on his coat collar.  I also found brick stitch makes very good animal fur when you want a delicate instead of furry look.

Many thanks to Patt and Lee Designs for making this possible!

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

No St. Charles Report--Yet

Lupe, from Tapestry Fair

So far I haven't found seen any online updates about new goodies from the St. Charles needlework show. So you'll have to make due with information about the next historical needlework class from Tricia Nguyen which she is teaching at Williamsburg this winter.  Start reading about the new threads and the project at the September 21st entry, then come forward and stare at the new threads created for this project.  Wonderful!
http://thistle-threads.com/blog/

Ridgewood Needlepoint has a great photo of the new large Lee leather bag with small round canvas, suitable for a monogram.
http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2010/09/hooked-on-bags.html

The Point of It All has banker clips to hold a rolled canvas in position in case you prefer stitching "in hand" instead of putting your canvas on stretcher bars.
http://blog.thepointofitallonline.com/2010/09/save-your-hands.html

If you love threadwinders, you'll want to see what Monica has in her online store--little silvery ornate winders that look like a cross between snowflakes and Celtic crosses.
http://www.mymarkdesigns.com/catalog.php?item=98

Tapestry Fair has posted photos of their two new Day of the Dead canvases on their website.  These are licensed designs from the New Mexico artist Manual Salas.  I just love Rosa but perhaps you prefer the floral patterns on Lupe (shown above)?  Mexican culture is a mystery to me but I have a soft spot for their cheerful skeletons that celebrate Death and the love of life that lingers after we are gone.
http://tapestryfair.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=57&Itemid=1

Stay tuned for the latest as soon as my spies report in!

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

Done! Or is it?

Finished?

The Pirate Cat is done!  His head scarf is redone to make it smoother and remove the empty stitches that were just visible under his hat.

So is he finished?  Well, no.    I'd always had A Plan for spicing up the bland background behind the kitten and now's the time to see if the plan will work.

Step One:  Jane grabs her purse and car keys, and heads to the local crafts emporium.  She hunts high and low, then squeaks with joy when she finds Just the Thing.  ON SALE!  [Yes, like the Spinster Stitcher I'm probably going to have to wait until this blows over and the cashiers forget me before setting foot in that crafts emporium again.]

Jane comes home and takes the Pirate Cat off the stretcher bars, then finds her color copy of the canvas, breaks out the goodies from the crafts emporium and this is what she ends up with.

Finished NOW?

But I'm still not done, so the Pirate Cat goes back on the stretcher bars....

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

The St. Charles Report

Things are starting to trickle out of St. Charles, MO (where all the shops and designers and thread makers and so forth are having a party about us--excuse me while I weep).  First up, Gail has taken pity on me and posted another photo of a new ornament, a gingerbread cookie version of the Statue of Liberty.
http://squiggeedesigns.blogspot.com/2010/09/more-st-charles-goodies.html

If you have your September/October 2010 Needlepoint Now, you probably have seen some of the newest things in the ads.  I highly recommend you read the ads.  They are wonderful fun!  By the way, that Pat Mazu mini sock looks like another type of fun and I can't wait to study the next stitch diagrams for the Marnie Ritter sampler.  Excuse me while I go weep over my copy's not having arrived yet.  Looking at it on their website is not the same!
http://www.needlepointnow.com/current_issue.html

Since I am already unhappy about the fun I missed, this is the perfect time to show the class Susan just attended.  Color me VERY jealous!  And a bit intimidated by the stitching.  It is amazing.
http://plays-with-needles.blogspot.com/2010/09/stumpwork-by-jane-nicholas.html

Oh, well, I just updated the Chilly Hollow Stitch Guide site with a photo of O'jishi, an article on Tapestry Fair's new quilt series with stitch guides that includes photos, and a note about June McKnight's creative consultations.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/

Anyone got a hanky?  I need to blow my nose after all that weeping.

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

The Pirate Coat's Lace Collar

Is the Pirate Cat done?

The final step in dressing our kitten is the trim on his coat collar.  I wanted something fancy so I thought of doing this in detached buttonhole so that there would be a touch of lace around the edge.  I choose #4 Kreinik to do the job and it worked beautifully.  (However, a couched line of gold metallic would be much easier if detached buttonhole intimidates you and will look almost as good to my eyes.  You know me--I can't resist a challenge, even if there is an easier way that works almost as well.)

Failed Inspection!

The last step with any finished canvas is Final Inspection, particularly if you stitch mostly at night like I do.  I have to check everything closely in the daylight to make sure I didn't miss a stitch, that there are no mistakes, etc.  Sadly, the Pirate Cat failed inspection.  If you click on this closeup, you will see two smudged areas where bare thread intersections show at the edge of the pirate's hat, one on each side.  I need to add a navy blue stitch on the right and a black stitch on the left.  I also am not happy with the left side of the kerchief around the kitten's head.  The stitches are too long in places and broken up in other places.

So tonight I will remove the long blue stitches on the left side, cover the two misses intersections, and then restitch the kerchief.

Hopefully by tomorrow everything will be stitched and I can post progress.

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