Stitching The Ground Elmer Sits On

Because this is a Christmas stocking, I want it to have a lot of zing, which means I want to use things that shine and catch the eye--things such as metallic threads, beads and/or crystals, or I can also use color to make this stocking a star on the Christmas tree.  I can also use contrasts to make elements of this stocking stand out.

Studying the Kirk & Hamilton stocking and thinking about Christmas stockings in general and how I'd like this one to look, I thought I would like to have bling in each section, whether it is the dog, the toe or the top.  The snowflakes are easy but how do I make the dog stand out with bling?  I decided that the best way to do this is to surround the dog with beaded or metallic stars in the dark blue sky and to treat the lighter blue ground he stands on as sparkling snow.  If I make the dog darker and solid with heavier threads, those contrasts should make him the focal point.

So I needed a thread and a stitch to accomplish this.  First, I pulled out all the threads in my stash which are close to the blue of the ground the dog stands on.  Keeping in mind that I wanted sparkle, I tossed out the dull threads that are wools or cottons, won't work well on 18 count canvas, etc.  I ended up with a card of Silk Lame Braid, which is a new thread from Rainbow Gallery that twists silk and metallic together into a soft thread with a little sparkle.  This thread is intended for 18 count (there is a 13/14 count-sized version) but I used a size 20 needle to get it through the holes instead of my more normal 22 or 24 as this thread is easily snagged.  I choose Sky Blue SL13 and used shorter than normal lengths to cut down on snagging or roughing up this delicate thread.
http://www.rainbowgallery.com/Detail.CFM?ID=1149

Now for a stitch.  I'd recently seen Robin King use a nice stitch for her SharonG Miss Kitty bra and tap pants set--Victorian Stair Step.  I liked the look but decided that I wanted the slant to go the other way, so I reversed it into Backwards Victorian Stair.  It gave me a little diagonal movement, especially since I used a sparkly thread that gives movement through its shine.
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2010/02/pink-background-phase-1.html

Here are two online diagrams of the normal Victorian Stair Step stitch.
http://carolelake.com/Stitches/VictStep.htm

http://www.needlesandthreadsofruxton.com/stitches/victorianstep.pdf

If you look closely at the final photo, you'll see I stopped stitching my blue snow ground the dog sits on before the painted canvas ends at the horizon.  That was the logical stopping point.  I'll continue the darker blue sky a little more to meet where I want the backwards Victorian Stair Step to end when I stitch that part of the stocking.

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

Stars: Black Marker Edition

As planned I've pulled out the sashing top layer and colored my canvas with black fabric marker in the areas that are solid black to help hide the canvas "dandruff" where the bare canvas shows. If you are using another color than black, you probably don't have to do this but the contrast of the black thread on top of the colored canvas is just too much.  The photo above shows some of the black areas marked with my black FabricMate chisel tip marker.  It looks just like a magic marker but is a permanent pigment fabric marker that is supposed to dry to be permanent after 24 hours.  The photo below shows some of the sashing restitched to show less dandruff.

You may not be able to tell in the photos but in person this really helps cut down on the lighter canvas showing up where stitches meet.

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

Candy Cane Dog Stocking: Emphasizing What's Important

Once I have decided what I want to emphasize on this painted canvas (which is basically the dog, his candy cane, and the snowflake top and toe of the stocking), it is time to work on what threads and stitches I want to use.

I like to stitch realistic canvases so I am in the habit of thinking about what things look like in real life and choosing threads and stitches that mimic what one actually sees.

There is also the rule that light colors come forward while dark things recede.  I've found this doesn't always work, but perhaps what Melissa Shirley said in her guest blogger stint here will help us refine this rule:

Melissa Shirley said:
I’ll take the opportunity to say here one of the things I think about a lot when I’m stitching and when I see stitched work is how the stitching and thread selection creates a depth of field. I want to see what’s in front come forward and what’s in back recede and I try to use color and threads and stitches to achieve that. The few “rules” I try to keep in mind are:

Threads that come forward are shiny, lighter and warmer colors, and heavier in weight. Threads that recede are matte, cooler colors and thinner in weight.

With these rules in mind, I studied the stocking.  We have the dog which I could stitch with warm browns and black in medium shades of brown with fuzzy threads like wools to make him come forward.  The darker blue sky and the lighter blue ground he stands on will naturally recede because blue is a cooler color than the brown and black on the dog. 

The red stocking toe and top are a warm red, and if I use a sparkling thread for the snowflakes, they will also be a little more prominent.

The candy cane done in red and white with a sparkling thread will also come forward.  I could also pad it to make it even more prominent.

I will still need to deal with the stocking cap and the dog's collar but those are small areas I can approach as I work him.  I may just reuse threads I used elsewhere for these areas.

This is a small Christmas stocking, so I need to remember that it must have full thread coverage to wear well and I'll need to choose threads that allow it to hold its own on a Christmas tree full of lights and shiny ornaments, all screaming for attention.

None of this has really helped me pick threads and textures, but it has narrowed things down.  Remember, you don't need to plan everything out before you start stitching.  You just need to think about how the piece will be used which effects how durable your threads have to be and how eye-catching, what you want to emphasize in the design, and what is less important.

Tomorrow I'll talk about choosing the first area to stitch and picking a thread and stitch for this area.

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

Sketching Elmer the Candy Cane Dog

I'd appreciate it if you would hold the snickering down this morning as you look at my sketch of the candy cane dog stocking from Kirk & Hamilton I am about to start working on.

Yesterday after making a color and then a black and white copy of my canvas, I put the copies and my original away and sketched what I remembered of the design.  I do this to help remember what's going on in a design that is important to me.  Compare the sketch to the photo of this design--

You can see that I didn't miss much in my sketch but then this is a pretty simple design.  The central image of the stocking is the dog and his candy cane.  The secondary bits are the snowflake stocking top and the toe.  I will make sure I emphasize these three areas as I stitch.  I totally missed the fact that the dog has a Santa stocking cap and ignored the snowflakes in the blue "sky" behind him.  These will be less important in my interpretation of this design.

I find sketches like these very useful in picking out the important parts of a design and also in discovering what is less important.

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

How to Choose a Painted Canvas: Elmer The Candy Cane Dog Stocking

The first and most important thing to do when you are choosing a painted canvas to stitch is to fall in love.  If you don't really like a design, the first time you run into a snag you will put it away into the Someday Pile, from which it will likely never emerge again.

I fell in love with Elmer here.

If you are going to do anything except tent stitch the design, it is easier to work with a simple canvas.  The beautifully drawn, realistic canvases with gorgeous shading are what I love but they are harder for a beginner at painted canvases to deal with.  Luckily I adore the Candy Cane Dog stocking from Kirk & Hamilton which I've named Elmer.  The dog isn't all that detailed and the background is very simple.  Plus if you look at the snowflakes, you can see that the painted area of each flake is carefully centered on each stitch intersection.  There is not going to be any question as to what is a snowflake stitch and what is a background stitch.

If you are a beginner at painted canvases, this is exactly the sort of canvas you should work with first.  It is simple and well painted but something I really like so I will enjoy stitching it.

After you fall in love and bring your canvas home, make a color copy.  I use copies as a template for finishing a design by cutting out the paper shape, then using it as a pattern for cutting the backing material and lining.  A color copy comes in handy if you need help figuring out where something belongs that you stitched over, too.  I sometimes also make a black and white copy to mark up with notes.

Now put the canvas and your copies away where you can't see them.  Once they are out of view, pull out some scratch paper and sketch what you remember of the canvas.  Tomorrow I'll tell you what I do with these scribbles.

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