Changes to Blogspot Layout UPDATED

UPDATE: It's become obvious that the list of blogs doesn't update properly. Blogs that have new postings don't automatically show up on the list, which sort of defeats the purpose. Right now I don't see a pattern in the updates, especially since some blogs that don't show up here are hosted by Blogspot. You'd think that they'd certainly be able to capture updated blogs on their own service! I'm going to watch this for a few days before changing how the list of blogs works again. It is possible that the blogs that don't show up don't have something enabled on their end. I'm also looking into why I can't post comments to my own blog. That's new just within the last week. Problems, problems! Anyone want to glare at Blogspot for me while I fiddle with the settings? Thanks.

I've made a few minor changes to the layout of Blog here at Blogspot. The list of blogs has been changed to display the needlepoint blogs I follow using Google Reader. However, only the five which have been recently updated are shown. I decided it would work better to give you only a few blogs that have new material than the whole list, some of which rarely are updated.

I've also removed the Canvas of the Day photo and replaced it with a photo of the original model of the Kandace Merric Household Pet Guardian Angel I'm stitching. You'll be able to see both the Squiggee painted canvas I hope to work on each weekend, and the current pet guardian angel I plan to stitch after work during the week. I find it nice myself to have a reference photo as well as the snippet of whatever someone is currently blogging about. I hope you like this also. Once all six pet guardian angels are stitched, I'll go back to a Canvas of the Day posting in this slot.

None of these things are possible with the Yahoo 360 blog so you won't see them there. Thanks for being patient while I re-arrange the virtual furniture.

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

Step Two: Stand the Cat Up UPDATED

One of the very interesting things about this series of ornaments is how the designer uses the same stitch turned at a different angle to indicate different sections of the pet guardian angel's robes. This photo shows how the oriental stitch on the jacket is turned two different ways to show the parts of the jacket. No matter what angel you are stitching, study the photos and diagrams carefully to see whether your angel stands on its head, feet or side when you stitch each section.

You can see in the photo above that the cat has to be turned to stand on its hem to stitch the two parts of the robe. The skirt is done with three different types of threads in three steps--trellis outline, fill in the edges of the center with thread #2, fill the middles with thread #3 to make the shapes inside. This brings up a dilemma--how do you decide what threads to substitute for the originals if you plan to change things?

The original model which you've already seen was stitched with DMC #8 perle cotton, DMC floss, Kreink's B lager Braid #8 and #16, DMC Medici and Paternayan wool. The jacket was done with two colors of floss and two colors of #8 Kreinik. I decided to use Petite Very Velvet and beads instead. Beads can always substitute for one metallic stitch and I wanted a plush jacket. The fur on the jacket was originally the Paternayan, so I found 2 skeins of Felicty's Gardern in colors that matched my red and blue Petite Very Velvet. Felicity's Garden is a silk/wool blend and a lovely substitute for Paternayan if you don't need something that wears like iron. The wings were in perle cotton as was the skirt except for the Kreinik metallic #16 braid in gold and silver for the decorative shapes. I'll skip over the wings for now to talk about them in detail later. Looking at the skirt, I saw that it had three steps: framework in #8 perle cotton, outline around center diamond in floss, and centers in gold or silver. I kept the centers in the same thread and size but used red Frosty Rays and blue Soft Sheen Fyre Werks to do the shading inside the diamonds. The diamond trellis framework was stitched using the Petite Very Velvet used in the jacket.

I chose threads that could do the stitch ok (don't try to do a Rhodes Heart, for example, in 17 strands of floss, it's too hard!) and that would tie the design together. (Use the same thread for the jacket and robe-Petite Very Velvet-and use the same red for the fur trim as in the jacket and robe.)

It's trial and error but if you test stitch and experiment a bit, you'll be surprised and pleased at how much fun it is to put your own threads and color choices into a design.

UPDATE: Beth wanted to know where I used the Felicity's Garden and where I used the Petite Very Velvet since she was a bit confused. Blogspot hasn't allowed me to respond to Comments for two days now so I'll update this entry in case other folks are also confused. Beth, I used the red and the blue Petite Very Velvet for the cat's jacket and long skirt. The red and the blue Felicity's Garden will be used for the fur trim on the jacket and on the wings. It's not visible in any photos yet, so stay tuned.

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

How Not To Stitch the Pet Guardian Angel Background

Before we talk about the backgrounds for the Pet Guardian Angels, I need to tell everyone who is stitching a pet for the ANG Auction that I've emailed all the instructions out. If you signed up with me to stitch one of these and you haven't gotten your emailed instructions yet, email me at chilly hollowat hotmaildotcom and we'll try again.

Now for the background. The original model photo you saw yesterday has a blue Medici wool tent stitched background, as do all the original Kandace Merric angels. That's what she specified in the instructions. Of course DMC has discontinued Medici so I had to come up with a substitute background thread that would tie all the various angels together. I choose DMC ecru --either floss or perle cotton-- in tent stitches. (Some folks will use another thread that matches the DMC Ecru color and that's ok. We just need the right color and tent stitches to make all the angels a set.) If you are curious about DMC ecru, head over to this blog to see a photo of a skein. It just so happens that Laura Perin is using DMC ecru perle in her latest design. Check out the ecru skein in the middle of the photo. You can even read "ecru" on the label. This looks like the #5 perle. I have a ball of #8 perle cotton in DMC's ecru that I'm going to use since I have six angels and six backgrounds to stitch.

http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2008/11/just-peek.html

In the photo above you see I've substituted Petite Very Velvet in red and blue for the red and black threads in the original instructions. I also used beads on the jacket instead of metallic threads. You can also see the cat's head already stitched using a fuzzy black thread (Sorry, I don't know the name but it feels like Cashmere) and you see I tent stitched an outline in my ecru tent stitches about 1/2 inch from the angel outline and started filling in with basketweave.

The tent stitches were a mistake. I should not have done anything more except do an outline around the angel for now. If you tent stitch the background first, you may need to rip out if you need to take the stitches for the jacket one thread further across the line you drew for it. I've decided to tell folks not to do the background until last EXCEPT when you are using a fuzzy thread. See the cat's head? The black fuzzies from the head and paw started getting in the ecru tent stitches as I did the background around the head. If you are using a fuzzy dark thread anywhere on your angel, you should do the tent stitches around that area first so that the fuzzies won't stick in your ecru tent stitches. The head and paw are the most likely places folks will want a fuzzy thread, particularly for the dog and cat angels, and that area is less likely to need a stitch that goes over the line that separates the background from the angel itself.

What do you do if you did the background first and your ecru tent stitches have black fuzzies from the angel's head like me? In that case, cut a 3-4 inch length of metallic thread and put it in your needle. Figure out where a black fuzzy thread is stuck in the ecru tent stitches and run the metallic thread through that hole from front to back. Because there is no knot in the end of the metallic thread, it'll go right though the hole and the metallic thread will catch any fuzzy thread and pull it to the back. Be a little careful to not use too fat a metallic thread. You want it to go through a hole already full of ecru thread without damage to the ecru thread.

I also used a length of pink hair tape (the kind you get at the drugstore to tape curls in shape) to gently remove any fuzzies that were loose on top of the tent stitches. Pink hair tape doesn't have much sticky stuff so it won't disturb the ecru tent stitches but it will pick up any loose fuzzies.

If you are curious about pink hair tape, look at this website. It's the second picture from the top labeled "professional hair styling tape." Great stuff for your stitching toolbox!

http://www.adiscountbeauty.com/page66.html

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

My Medieval Cat Outline

The first step for any pet guardian angel design is to transfer the design to your 18 count canvas. Above you see the outline of the Medieval Cat. I made a copy of the outline from my magazine, taped the sheet to a sunny window, making sure it was straight, then taped the bare naked canvas on top of the copy, again making sure the grain of the canvas was straight.

Sometimes you can line up the canvas so that a long straight edge of the design underneath falls right on the long line of canvas threads. In this case, I lined up the vertical drop of the skirt edge to a thread. You can't always do this, but if you can, line something up. Use a very thin pencil or marker. I used a blue Zig Memory System marker that is colorfast if you take the canvas swimming and that has archival quality ink that won't react chemically later when your canvas is in a museum.

HOWEVER, you will want a similar quality marker in gray or yellow or another very light color. I had to use blue to show up in photos on Blog and I'm having a heck of a time covering the line with my ecru background thread so you don't see blue. I'll tell you what to do if you have a similar problem later, but for now, avoid the issue by using a very light-colored marker.

Trace the outline on your canvas, going slowly and trying to draw on a thread of the canvas instead of a ditch. Be as careful as you can to be faithful to the design (I discovered later I'd drawn one area too thin for the threads that belonged there) but don't obsess over it. I'll tell you later what to do if you drew an area too small.

You may find you need to lift the canvas and peek at the design to see if you missed something, so using masking tape or painter's tape that doesn't stick forever to hold the canvas over the line drawing might be helpful. Once you are sure you have everything transferred, remove the canvas and line drawing from your window (or light box if you have one) and check area-by-area once again to see if you forgot an eye, a paw, a line to show a fold in the animal's face. Once you are happy, put the copy you traced from away. We'll cut out the shape from that sheet like paper dolls later in finishing.

Now get your canvas onto stretcher bars and away we'll go!

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow

The Busy Needle Has a Newsletter--and a Sale!

The Busy Needle out in Arizona has posted their November newsletter and is half-way through a big sale. The sale information is easy to find, but the newsletter link is in the pink bar under the shop photo at the top of the page.
http://www.busyneedle.com/index.htm

Jane/Chilly Hollow
Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow