Moons I Have Loved

Luna's Finished Moon-Click to Enlarge

One reason I worked so hard on the moon in the background is that Amy Bunger does such a lovely job with them.  Check out the moon behind the werewolf in this Halloweenies character.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2010/09/dr-aculas-face.html

Here's another view of Herr Wolfe.  Doesn't this remind you of photographs of the cratered moon surface from NASA?
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2010/09/peek.html

Look at the moon rising behind the house the Halloweenies folk themselves are gathered at. It's full of personality with that evil grin.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2010/05/just-another-pretty-face.html

The first step in making that moon is an unusual one--Glitter Glue!
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2010/05/glitter-glue.html

Seeing wonderful work like this is dangerous.  You can be tempted to use a terrific technique you've seen that will completely overpower the area you are stitching.  That's why I've been struggling with Luna's moon.  I want to do fancy things to it and make it as great as Amy's moons are.  But I've finally accepted the fact that this is not appropriate for this canvas.

Remember the Bridezilla clip from yesterday?  I was in great danger of making the moon the star of the show.  Believe me, it was very difficult to admire Amy's moons, then walk away from stitching any more on my moon, leaving it simple.  But that is the right thing to do for this canvas.

By the way, yesterday's close up of the moon before I finished it does a better job of showing what this looks like in person.  The photo above shows the moon in context, which helps remind us all that the moon is in the background and should remain a secondary object.

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

Luna's Moon

I have been struggling with stitching the moon for two days now.  I think I'm finally on the right track.  It's been hard because the moon is one of the few touches of color in the design.  I want it to stand out but not be too prominent.  Luna is the main thing in the design so the moon stitches must not detract from her.

If you've ever watched Bridezillas on U.S. television and heard the bride complain that her bridesmaids look better than she does, then you will know what I've been dealing with here.  That Luna is very demanding!
http://www.wetv.com/video/24835937001/bridezillas-episode-2-freakout-moment

Jane, refereeing between Luna and the Moon in CH

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow 

Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com 

Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Obits

Although it is a pretty fall day in Chilly Hollow, I am feeling sad.  I just heard last night that Stitches By the Bay in Monterey is closing.  They've sent a note to their regular customers that starting yesterday, all their in-store merchandise is 40% off.  Anything already on sale is marked down to 75% off.  They will close for good November 20th.  If you live in the area, please head over and tell them how much you appreciated their services and how much you will miss the shop.
http://stitchesbythebay.com/index.html

I also heard that the great Texas stitcher Virginia Maxwell is dead.  She is from the first great wave of needlepointers of the 20th Century and was very influential in the 1970s.  We owe Mrs. Maxwell and stitchers like her a great debt.  We would not have the great choices of tools and designs we do today without their popularizing needlepoint.  It is very sad to have a shop and a needlepointer die in the same week, isn't it?
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7239906.html

Rest in Peace.

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

Odd and Ends (with Videos)

Are you a visual learner?  Are you curious about DMC's memory thread?  (That's the thread covered wire DMC sells.)  Then you'll have fun watching these two videos that demonstrate how to couch memory thread, how to make multi-colored twisted cord from it, and how to best shape and curve it into shapes like coils and bows.  When one video ends, the other will automatically begin.  These will take just over five minutes to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F36hsPbEl8I

Are you one of those folks who just loves stitching animals in needlepoint?  Then you are going to be very happy visiting Nenah's Needle.  I've been featuring a few of her designs as the Canvas of the Day recently because I like them a lot.  Many thanks to Judy Harper, who found this site and turned us all on to the lovely work here!
http://www.nenahsneedle.com/home

By the way, Anne of ABS Designs is stitching one of the Nenah custom dog pieces.  Isn't it darling?!
http://thecapestitcher.blogspot.com/2010/10/always-room-for-one-more.html

Do you avoid using overdyed threads on your geometric projects because you can't figure out how to balance the color on each section?  Jeanne has a great explanation of how she handles this problem on her blog.
http://juststring.blogspot.com/2010/10/easy-way-to-control-color-with-multi.html

Finally, I have a second video for you.  This one is from the owner of The Point of It All and it shows how to hold a belt canvas in your hand as you stitch it.  This is perfect for folks who hate using frames of any kind.
http://blog.thepointofitallonline.com/2010/10/tip-holding-belt-canvas.html

While you have fun, I'm going to go play around with stitches for Luna's full moon.

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

Threads for Your Tree Branch

I finished the tree branches last night, but the photo shows them partly done so you can compare the wispy lower painted branches to my stitched ones.

The photo makes the branches look green although they are actually a dark gray that is a good match for the paint colors.  Mysteries of the Camera strike again!

I used Pure Palette's dark gray Empress wool/cashmere/silk blend to stitch the trees so that there would be a slightly fuzzy look to the branches, which I thought would look best.  But you could also use a #12 perle cotton or silk for a slightly smoother look.  Pliable cotton or silk floss would give you an even more delicate look.

A strand of Appleton crewel wool or one ply of Trio would look about like my Empress branches do, but plying Paternayan and using one ply would make the tree branches look a bit craggier.  Using a strand of Vineyards Silk or Impressions will make them more prominent still.

It all depends on just how close you want the tree branches to seem to Luna.

It's amazing how different something can look if you just play around with different threads in the same stitch.  I choose what I thought best brought out the slightly craggy look of the branches but there are many threads available today.  You could play around with threads from your stash and choose whatever thread brand gives you the emphasis or de-emphasis you want here.

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