Classes and Clubs

Lani's Santa Collage Stitched by Carolyn Hedge Baird for Chaparral

Time for another roundup of classes and clubs at some of our wonderful shops!

The photo above is a Lani Santa collage canvas which Carolyn Baird Hedge will teach at Chaparral starting in January.  This will be taught in sections and the class will end in August of 2011 so there will be plenty of time to make it up for Christmas next year.  I grabbed the photo from Chaparral's latest newsletter since it isn't on their project page yet.
http://www.ndlpt.com/html/kits.html

Nashville Needleworks has a darling Easter egg club starting in January.
http://nashvilleneedleworks.com/home.html

Needle House in Houston has a varied selection of previous clubs to choose from and they allow you to just buy the guide or just the canvas or the guide/thread kit.  Your choice!  (Click on the photos for a better look.)
http://www.theneedlehouse.com/jm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100&Itemid=101

Needlepoint in Paradise (that would be Naples, Florida) is starting a boot club and a star club for 2011.
http://www.needlepointinparadise.com/component/option,com_virtuemart/page,shop.browse/category_id,154/Itemid,28/vmcchk,1/

Several designers have series that you can stitch to make your own club.  This is more fun for folks with a big stash or who have a nice shop nearby to find threads at, but it is a good option for the adventuresome stitcher.  First up is The Nativity from Mile High Princess.
http://www.artistscollection.net/Artists_Collection/Nativity.html

Next is the Cajun Twelve Days of Christmas.  Since the book is a special favorite of my oldest friend, I can see stitching Two Voodoo Dolls in my future!  They also offer a cross series and a fleur de lis series for other tastes.  All are by Jude Designs, by the way.
http://stitchandframelafayette.com/Needlepoint_by_Category/Category/Monthly_Series_Sets.htm

Want something classic but different?  Jane Nichols' birdhouse ornaments are said to be fabulous when stitched.
http://www.janenicholsneedlepoint.com/Whats_New.html

Jane also does a Heart of the Month and a Chair of the Month series, where she takes a normal object and does lovely variations of it.
http://www.janenicholsneedlepoint.com/Of-The-Month.html

I have had Cheryl Schaeffer's Halloween lightbulb set recommended to me as a great do-it-yourself monthly club, perfect for using up those excess threads and having a great unusual set of ornaments for your next Halloween party.
http://www.cherylschaeffer.com/results.cfm?SubCategory=51

That's it for now.  Many thanks to my spies who clued me in about many of the above!

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

Perfect Skin

Last night it was time to start working on Luna herself since the background is almost done.  (The final touch there has to wait until the rest of the canvas is finished.)  When I stitch people, I like to start with their faces but for Luna, I started with her decollete, then worked on her right arm (our right, not hers), stopping at the wrist.  I'm not quite sure whether I will pad her fingers or use bullions there so I am thinking that over while I stitch away on skin.  I hope to finish her other arm, her neck and then her face tonight.  I'm doing basketweave for these areas and the most important thing is to keep my stitches very smooth and even.  That takes time and some concentration.  Those all basketweave pieces are harder than they look!

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

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