More New Canvases

The Needlepointer is starting to update their website with the new things they bought at the January trade show.  The designs are listed by their description.  There are many styles and designers to enjoy here, so take a browse and see what catches your eye.  Not everything is brand new but everything is choice.
http://www.theneedlepointer.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=47

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

Odds and Ends

Need some cheap scissors for teaching kids to stitch or for that trip you are planning?  Check out the new items on the Needlepoint Tool Time site.
http://www.needlepointtooltime.com/category/22868497

Are you puzzled by how to use overdyed threads?  Janet Perry mentions a XS site article with basic tips on the ways to use overdyes.
http://www.nuts-about-needlepoint.com/overdyed-thread-techniques-demonstrated

Wondering if your shop is going to be able to get in the colors of Paternayan wool you need?  Needle in a Haystack updates us on the situation.
http://needlestack.typepad.com/whats_new/2011/01/paternayn-supplies.html

The great English needlepointer Anna Pearson has posted an article about the differences between continental, half cross and basketweave on her blog.  If you ever wondered why basketweave was harder wearing, this article is for you.
http://anna-pearson-needlepoint.blogspot.com/2010/07/stitch-knowhow.html

Just want to look at eye candy?  Are you interested in Halloween?
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2011/01/its-halloween-somewhere-right.html

Do you prefer Christmas?
http://melindaslivingthegoodlife.blogspot.com/2011/01/noel-is-finished.html

Are you a fan of Laurel Burch's art?
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/01/were-feeling-laurel-burch-y.html

Or do all things kimono set your heart pounding?
http://japanese-embroidery.blogspot.com/2011/01/beauty-of-kimono-and-obi.html

I hope you find something in all the links above that interests you.

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

Kelly's Tassel Club

If you were paying attention yesterday, Kelly Clark posted a comment on Blog about her new tassel club.  Remember the pear club that lots of shops offered last year?  This year Kelly's doing another club.  The painted canvases are on her website but not the finished photos. More canvases are on the next page so don't forget to push Next.
http://www.kellyclarkneedlepoint.com/winter_tnna?page=3

Ruth Schmuff has a photo of the finished models on her shop blog.  You can see the back side of one tassel in the photo and there's a note that the club itself will start next June.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2011/01/my-oh-my-oh-my.html

In her comment, Kelly promised her website would be updated soon with photos of the tassels and offered to send me photos to post here.  I can't wait to see more!

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

Nancy Starts Thinking Turkey Feathers

Turkey with Border Tests (Nancy will use left border)

Nancy and I are starting to talk about the turkey proper since she has her background and border stitches chosen.  I wrote her:

I'm glad you agree that the background stitch should run from the upper right to the lower left corners (see example above). I didn't realize that would make it easier to stitch--I was thinking about the background flowing the same way the turkey will walk--but of course it does. Me, I always choose the easy option. That just makes sense.

As you browse your stitch books, don't think feathers, think oval or rectangular shapes. Feathers themselves are roughly ovals but longer feathers could fit into a rectangle if it were long and thin. After all, Tony Minieri choose a rectangular stitch done over a line of metallic for the owl we are watching Madonna stitch.
http://frontrangestitches.blogspot.com/

 This sort of thinking will help you broaden your choices of stitches for feathers.

Personally, I would stick to tent stitches for the foot, claws and leg as well as the head, beak and wattle. I'd use different types of threads there to get the effects I wanted instead of stitches because the areas are small and detailed. I know we talked about using a metallic for the foot and leg just to get a realistic effect. Consider mixing two colors of metallic in your needle for that foot. You can even do a #8 Kreinik paired with a skinny Accentuate in a slightly different color to add depth. Or you can mix in one ply of a dull floss to tone down the metallic if it seems the right shade but too shiny to you. There are lots of tricks to making a thread do what you want and one of them is mixing colors or textures to stitch an area.

Which leads me to the red head. I think I might mix a lighter red metallic with my chosen thread for the wattle's highlight. Then I'd stitch the red shading of the head down the neck onto the red breast in tent stitches. Once that is done you can add metallic highlights at random using a very thin red metallic by just turning the canvas on its side so that the head points right. Do random tent stitches here and there right on top of the first layer of stitches with your metallic to mimic the iridescence of a real turkey's feathers. I've done this with a Santa's coat to add just a touch of sparkle to a Santa ornament. It looks good and is easy to do. Just take your black and white photocopy of the turkey and mark areas where you think you want metallic highlights, then turn the canvas and the drawing and put stitches where you marked. (This works nicely for adding sparkle other places on the turkey although you probably will be using other stitches besides tent on those parts.)

You have both flosses and twisted perl- or tapestry-looking threads available for stitching the bird which means more test stitching but you also might be able to use a reddish floss one place and the same or a very similar shade of silk/wool in another place to give a different texture with the same stitch. That's just something to keep in mind.

Consider a big bead for the eye but one that is oriented so that the hole shows instead of the bead being turned on its side so that the hole is parallel to the canvas. If you use one ply of cotton or silk floss, you can go through the hole 2-3 times to get it at just the right angle that the hole becomes the eye pupil. You can also use a colored floss that contrasts with the bead so that you have a black bead and a very dark green thread (or something similar). This gives depth and more character to the eye although you will have to try various threads and stitch positions to get an effect that pleases you. It'll be more work than just plopping a bead there, in other words, but these little touches turn a canvas into a masterpiece. Of course the eye is going to be a later addition to the head but I wanted you to start looking for a suitable bead.

Since you've already marked out leaf stitches as one you want to try, how about a little test stitching to see if that stitch just works for the upright tail feathers or if you can position them elsewhere. Remember, you can adjust the size of the leaf stitches to fit your area, making them taller and wider (or shorter and narrower) as the canvas changes shape. They don't have to completely cover the painted canvas, either. You might like an open stitch effect in certain areas.

Look for fan shaped stitches in your books as the breast feathers look like little fan stitches to me. You could also use buttonhole stitch done in a fan shape for there although it makes a ridge. You might have to use floss for a button hole "fan" to minimize the ridge.

Have fun rummaging around and trying stitches. Once you have a few you like we can talk about how to make them work together.

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

Stars: Gregory Peck Finished (with a Treat)

Gregory Peck Block Finished

Yesterday's scan of Stars made me realize that I needed to add a few more beads to the center star, this time at the sides where the star touched the terracotta lozenges.  Photographs and scans are really useful when it comes to pointing out problems that your eye just doesn't see.  For example, there is a white hair stuck to the top leg of the star in the photo above, courtesy of Watson (looking guilty below.)  I didn't see it until I looked at the scan.

The culprit

I used black beads this time.  In order to keep the bead sizes the same whether I was using black or violet beads, I used Mill Hill's Magnifica beads.  These are faceted beads, roughly size 11 (or 11/0, depending on how the size is written).  Using the same brand and type helped me keep the bead sizes the same.  Sometimes you will want to do this, sometimes different sized beads will look better.

Gregory Peck's on the right, middle row

Once the beads were added, I finished the sashing that surrounds Gregory Peck.  I'll put Stars away now until I finish Temple of 1000 Cranes and its stitch guide, then I'll move on to the Ava Gardner block on Stars after I work on Luna a little.

Progress to Date

Here's my progress on the total design to date.  As a special treat, I have a photo of another finished Stars.

Arlene's Pink and Blue Baby Stars

This photo was contributed by Arlene.   It is notable because this is the only pastel Stars I've seen.  Arlene stitched this as a baby gift for a close friend so she used pink and blue as the main colors and alternated pink and blue as the highlights in each square.  It was exhibited at Woodlawn a couple of years ago where I saw it.  Note the variation on the border which squares it off and makes it easier to frame.  This piece and my experiences while stitching my version of Stars make me want to see it done in ecru and beige with red and gold accents or all in grays or white and silver.

Thank you for sharing this with us, Arlene.  It's beautiful.

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