All Done

Unlike me, some folks have actually finished a project recently. In totally random order, let me present Jane's first six Twelve Days of Christmas mini stockings, fresh from the finisher's.
http://janew1102.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/04/oh-how-i-love-surprises-in-the-mail.html

Pat framed her Carole Lake piece beautifully, didn't she? This is called In a Purple Passion but it's in the white/gold colors instead of the original purples.
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/2009/04/back-from-framer.html

Michele has finished her Grand Hotel box. If you want to see the entire rectangle before it was made up, look for the earlier April blog posting called "Grand Hotel Needlepoint Finished" in the right hand column. The Grand Hotel is a landmark in Michigan and of course that's where Michele's shop Bristly Thistle is located.
http://bristlythistle.blogspot.com/2009/04/grand-hotel-needlepoint-complete.html

Pierrette has finished her Loretta Spears mystery #13 piece. This is called Superstition. Lovely, isn't it?
http://lovetostitch99.blogspot.com/2009/04/superstition-mystery-13-by-loretta.html

Stephen finished his Academy of Vocal Arts pillow for the auction. Hope he raised much money for the cause!
http://rittenhouseneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2009/04/ava-pillow-finale.html

Linda has her first monthly All That Glitters ornament back from the finisher. This is fabulous!
http://nystitchingsisters.blogspot.com/2009/04/back-from-finisher.html

Finally, Margaret has finished her Squiggee schoolhouse from the Gingerbread series. Isn't it darling?
http://cranecottage.com/stitchingblog/?p=921

Speaking of Squiggee, Gail Hendrix has finished Emperor Ming as a model for her line of needlepoint canvases. Isn't he marvelous, darlings?!
http://squiggeedesigns.blogspot.com/2009/04/emperor-ming.html

You can admire more of Gail's models and see the notice of her designs' new distributor on her website. We wish you a long and happy relationship with Dream House Ventures.
http://www.squiggeedesigns.com/

Congratulations, everyone. Keep up the good work.

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

Holi Has Beaded Wings

I finished the arrows on Holi's wings last night and added gold beads at the tips. Can you say--Over the Top? LOL

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

No, You Aren't Seeing Things

I've been planning a new style for Blog for a while and this morning I implemented it. I hope the changes make things easier to read.

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

Holi Has WINGS

Holi's wings were pulled out and the stitches adjusted so they touched instead of having the gap between them you saw before. Even though the gap was supposed to have a thread cover it, I like them better this way.

Holi is rapidly reaching the point of Too Much. Generally speaking, one can vary the colors, stitches, and textures (that would be the thread types such as smooth cotton versus fuzzy wool versus metallics versus shiny silks) in a piece and for a coherent design you probably should only vary two of them. I have used cottons and silk perles and fuzzy Wisper and metallics in this piece, used a lot of colors, and used a lot of stitches which are not really related to each other. The only unifying theme at all is the green used in most of the areas of the design. Holi isn't anything like my usual pieces but sometimes one has to try something different. I deliberately set out to make Holi colorful and vibrant to the point of earthquake and it looks like I've succeeded.

I'll put beads on the wings, that's for sure! LOL

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

Holi's Hearts (For you, Barbara)

I got a note through Yahoo 360's messaging system that I wasn't able to answer Friday morning. The default if you use this system to send messages is No Replies Allowed, so when Barbara asked what the heart stitch on Holi's skirt was called and where she could see the stitch diagrammed, I wasn't able to reply privately. Barbara, this stitch is called diagonal hearts.

Diagonal hearts, like most of the stitches on the pet guardian angels that are new to me, seems to have been created by the designer Kandace Merric. I have not seen this stitch anywhere else. I looked again last night in my books but it isn't there, at least not under this name. If you happen to have a copy of the February/March 1992 NP Plus, you can see diagonal hearts diagrammed. But I bet the percentage of people who have a copy in their collection is low.

So last night I pulled out my black 10 count plastic canvas and stitched a diagram. You see my pretty awful looking attempt above. I should have pulled some tapestry wool to stitch this so it wouldn't have looked so awful but I didn't have the time or energy to go looking for it last night so you all will have to forgive me for the twisted threads. It's not possible to get good stitches if you use so little thread for a larger count ground material. So stop snickering and look at the diagonal row of red hearts. This is the basis for the stitch. I hope you can see where the diagonal lines go over two lines and where they go over three. (If you count boxes, it's over one box or two.) Once you do a diagonal line of hearts, you add the orange tent stitches around each side of the hearts. The red bits are where a contrast like a metallic thread goes, also in a tent stitch. The partially completed heart in the second line of diagonal hearts shows how I center the next row to make sure everything fits correctly into the framework of tent stitches.

And that's it! Hope this is helpful, Barbara. Kandy Merric has made us a lovely stitch.

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