Cat Topiary Garden: Miles to Stitch

Remember last time I used skip tent (or basketweave twill since I'm doing this on the diagonal like Ruth Schmuff does) to stitch the two small bushes lurking behind the gate?  And I told you I was going to use a variation of that stitch on the topiaries?  That's exactly what I have been doing, except instead of doing tent stitches on the diagonal as in the diagram here,
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2010/06/one-of-my-favorite-stitches.html

I am doing tiny cross stitches with my darkest green DMC cotton and the medium green DMC cotton I used on the hedges out front. You can just see what I've done in the photo I posted last time which I've reposted here.  The little yellow-green bush behind the gate is in skip tent, the tiny bit of topiary behind the cat topiary is in skip cross stitch.  The profile is higher in skipped cross stitch which makes it a tad more prominent.

I've turned the canvas upside down and am working the big bird topiary in the middle rear first.  The base of the bird topiary is dark green but a bit towards the top of the base is lighter green.  I am switching colors as I near the edge.  I plan to fill the entire bird topiary except for the very edges with this skipped cross stitch.  The edges will have French knots.  At least that is the plan.

Base of Bird Topiary Underway

This photo shows my progress to date.  It's going to take quite a while so I'm going to switch to a new project with a deadline and work on that most of the time, just doing skipped cross stitches when I am too tired to do anything fancy.  But not to fear, I'll be working on this.  I'm just not going to post again until the first topiary bush is done.

Anyone working this with me, use 1-2 plies of your thread to make the skip cross stitches.  When you get to the top where there is a lot of light yellow, stop.  That's where the French knots will go but I plan to do all the bottoms of all the topiaries in skipped cross stitch before I tackle the tops.  So leave those areas alone for now, ok?

I have a deadline for this piece also (mid-September) so I will be back to it, promise!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Victoria C. Frank Needle Art Tours

Since we have been reading about all the fabulous trips fellow stitchers are taking this summer, I thought you might like to hear about Victoria Frank's needle art tours.  Here is her website.  Right now she has two upcoming tours--one to Portugal and one to Phoenix.
http://vcfinc.com/

These are five star, luxury trips.  They are centered on the needle arts with an emphasis on learning.  If you would like to hear more, check out the Blog Talk Radio interview with Victoria herself that Gone Stitching did for their podcast.  Scroll down to find Show 62 on this list or download the podcast.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gone-stitching

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Needlepoint Etc. Sale

I've gotten word of another sale, this time at Needlepoint Etc., which has everything in stock on sale at 15% off until the end of July.  There's also free shipping for orders over $250, a pretty nice deal if you are mail ordering since Needlepoint Etc. is located in Honolulu, Hawaii.   Happy browsing!
http://www.needlepointhi.com/catalog/specials.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Odds and Ends and Stitch Guides

I have noticed that 30-40 folks a day visit my other blog--Chilly Hollow Stitch Guides.  I even occasionally get an email (sgfromchnp@gmail.com) asking me for help finding a guide for a specific canvas.  As a stitch guide writer and a friend of many other stitch guide writers, this makes me happy. Thank you all for your support!  I'll continue to announce updates and new articles when they are posted to CH Stitch Guides.  Remember to use the search function or scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on a keyword that interests you to find information that is beyond the first page.
http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com/

I've heard that Ridgewood Needlepoint is closing.  This is not good news--I have greatly enjoyed Elaine's blog and the shop is always doing something interesting.  I don't have the details but apparently the shop sent out emailed notices to their customers recently.  I can't say I am really surprised to see a shop close --a shop owner I know slightly confided she pays $6000 a month in rent for a location that's not particularly prime or in a large town!-- but it is not great to hear that such a good shop is closing.  The life of a shop owner is not easy and I can see folks would get tired of the grind or want to retire.
http://www.ridgewoodneedlepoint.com/

In better news, Needlepoint.com's Kathy Schenkel trunk show has arrived.  To get 20% off if you are ordering online, use the coupon code Kathy at checkout.  The site seems to be down right now but it's early Saturday morning.  Hopefully by the time this article publishes on Sunday the broken link will be working.
http://www.needlepoint.com/all-canvases/kathy-schenkel-trunk-show.html

If you have a shop you love, why not buy something this week?  Even a skein of DMC cotton helps pay that rent, you know!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com

Australian Stitching Shop Tour

Corliss has been traveling in Australia and of course, squeezing in as many visits to needlework shops as possible.  Since she works at Needle Works in Austin, she is using the shop blog to report back to us stay-at-home types.  It's lots of fun to see what she bought and hear about the shops where she bought her treats.
http://www.stitchinginthetexashillcountry.com/the_needle_works/2011/07/stitching-downunder.html

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com