Not a Good Morning

It is not a good morning.  I learned late last night that Judy Harper is very ill.  Please send good thoughts out to her and her family.
http://elegantwhimsies.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=8

http://fairy-crafts.blogspot.com/2011/02/judy-is-very-ill.html

http://needle-crafts.blogspot.com/

About the same time there was a bad earthquake in New Zealand centered on Christchurch.  I have a friend south of there and I do hope Anne, her family and her friends are well.  Send more good thoughts, ok?  Illness and natural disasters are, well, natural but that doesn't make them fun when they happen to your friends.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/

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

While I Futz With Luna's Hair

While I test stitch hair stitches to see which plays nice with Luna's cloak lining stitches, here are some things of interest for Blog readers.

First up, here's a review of Sandy Higgins' finishing book, which has been in print for many years because it is a classic.  If you are interesting in finishing your own needlepoint, you'll want to consider buying a copy.
http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2011/02/sandys-finishing-touches.html

Needlepoint Tool Time has the new small colorful sequins in stock.  Tisha had a little accident when taking a photo of some of the available colors. I had to laugh at Robin's comment that Tisha has created the Assortment Color Pack by dropping the camera!
http://stitchplaywithneedlepointtooltime.blogspot.com/2011/02/sequins.html

Are you curious about how to use sequins in NP?  Check out what Denise did with a lovely Raymond Crawford ornament.
http://nystitchingsisters.blogspot.com/2011/02/linda-has-decided-that-it.html

Finally, if you just want a little eye candy to enjoy with your morning cuppa, Stitch By Stitch has a lovely gallery of finished pieces to enjoy.
http://stitchbystitchneedlepoint.com/photogallery.html

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

The Turkey Question: How Do Stitches Meet?

Mary Lake Thompson/Melissa Shirley Turkey Canvas

Nancy sent me a note last week about her turkey canvas.  She'd run into an unexpected problem and wanted some ideas about how to overcome it.  Take a look at the background stitch in the photo above.

Now think about stitching that background around the turkey's head.  Nancy's calls this the "Who owns the line?" problem after what Amy Bunger says on this very same issue at Peggi's Needlepoint Study Hall blog.  Amy is talking about her Home Study Halloween House canvas but this issue is apt to turn up on any canvas.  Just how do you compensate two very different stitches when they meet?
http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2010/05/begin-house-part-two.html

Let me quote from the discussion Nancy and I had so you can benefit from what we worked out.

Nancy:  Hi, Jane. I'm stitching away on the background on the left side of the turkey. I'm coming up on stitching around the head and wattle and have a question about a perennial needlepoint issue: merging a vertical stitch to a diagonal stitch.

I know from Needlepoint Study Hall a good question to ask is, "Who owns the line?" I'm sure the answer in each case around Tom Turkey is "Tom Turkey." I didn't think it was such a deal as I worked around the tail. But as I get close to the wattle and head I'm not sure about where to draw the line. I don't want to distract from the turkey by putting too much background against it, but I don't think I want any canvas showing either. And that wattle is so very narrow that it could easily get lost.

Here's my thought: what about stitching a single row of tent stitches around the turkey head in the background thread? That would mean the vertical background stitches would overlap the tent stitches, not the turkey. I'm not sure I've seen this option suggested anywhere. Is it a possibility? Have you seen such a solution? 

Jane: I've been thinking about this all day since I found your note in my email box this morning. I've run into this occasionally and have done one of two things--either laid a row of stitches (couched or backstitched or stem stitched, depending on the breadth of the line I needed) on top of the line where the background and the foreground meet or I have used tent stitches as you describe.

I think you are going to have to do more test stitching before what will work but I personally would put tent stitches in the area between the waddle and the neck using the background thread. If you have a metallic line running through that area, just do tent stitches with both threads.

You may find you need to put in a few backwards tent stitches as well as regular tent stitches, depending on the shapes and how they meet. I would work the background up to the waddle, take a good look, and then pull out any stitches you need until it looks good to you, then fill in the empty spaces with tent stitches. If it looks right to you, it is. 

This is one of those questions that we all have to tackle in our own way but you are certainly on the right track thinking that outlining with tent stitches will help. I think you'll find you want more than one row but again, it all depends on how things look to you as you get your background close to the turkey's head. With so many stitches and threads available to us needlepointers, it is hard to have hard and fast rules beyond SharonG's "If it looks right, it is." That one I stick to religiously!

Nancy:  Thanks so much, Jane. I knew that once again you'd be helpful! I hadn't thought about backstitches, but I can see that they could also be useful in solving this issue. I'll tackle the background/image boundary with renewed confidence now! 

While thinking about the background, I've been putting in the pale yellow breast with more silk, but haven't got too far yet. 

Jane: Glad to help out, Nancy, even if it is just to say that you are going to have to experiment to see how to keep the little waddle from disappearing into the background. I think the contrast in colors will help you but an outline, tent stitches, or both are probably the answer.

Nancy wrote later: I finished the background yesterday. It went fine around the wattle and head. The only trouble I had was figuring out the stitch pattern where there was just a small area. I finally figured it out yesterday and will restitch a small area at the top where I goofed. Now it's on to the feathers! 

Thanks for this very interesting question, Nancy.  I'm sure Blog readers will have other tips for handling the meeting of two very different stitches.  I hope they post them here in the Comments or email me at chilly hollowat hotmail dotcom so I can post for them.

By the way, anyone interested in compensation should take a good look at Tony Minieri's four part article on this topic.  This has been republished online on the ANG website.  He breaks stitches down into four types and discusses in depth how to compensate each type of stitch.  This doesn't directly address how to handle the area where two different types of stitches meet but it is an essential resource for the serious needlepointer.
http://www.needlepoint.org/Archives.php

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

Unavoidable Delay

I had planned to test hair stitches on Sunday so I'd know that what I wanted to use there would work with the cloak lining stitches before I spent too much more time stitching the lining.  It would be a shame to finish the lining and then discover the hair stitches didn't look good with them.  Since I already know as many swear words as I need to, it's best to test everything in this area before committing to anything.  Besides, I don't like ripping out!

Unfortunately, the power was out for three hours on Sunday and all my stitching plans went out the window as it was a very overcast day.  By the time the power came back on, I was worn out from running up and down the stairs to tend to the wood fire (no electricity equals no heat) and by keeping a close eye on the kerosene and propane lamps so that Watson the Rambunctious and Curious Puppy didn't knock them over and start a fire.

But Mother Nature, after having knocked down trees and power lines with high winds over the weekend, is planning stitch time for tomorrow since she will dump 4-6 inches of snow in Chilly Hollow overnight.  So today I'll run around and prepare by restocking the bottled water we used yesterday (puppies drink a LOT of water!) and getting sunflower seed.  I'm running low and dare not run out.  I've seen Hitchcock's The Birds....

Today I recover from one weather event and prepare for the next weather event.  Tomorrow I stitch!

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

Carol's Fish Gets Fancier

Carol's Gold Fish canvas

While Carol hunted for more of the dark teal in either the discontinued Empress silk or another thread, I’ve held off posting our discussion.  She needed some time to think, after all.  But we are ready to take another stab at working out a plan for her Lillian Chermor Gold Fish canvas.

Carol wrote:

An update for you on the water thread. I've had no luck tracking down additional skeins of the Empress silk. However, I did find another thread in my stash, Baroque Silk from The Pure Palette, that is almost the same color. It's between the #29 and the #30 in the Empress. The texture is a little different, but I probably could live with that.

Hurrah!  I think the color is the most important thing.  Just make sure the amount of Baroque Silk matches the amount of the Cire in your rows of background so that they look equal.  You can ply the Baroque Silk if you wish.

I need some time to think about your ideas here. They are somewhat different from what I was starting to develop in my mind--not really the stitches, but the ideas about threads. I was leaning in the direction of using more of my Brazilian embroidery threads because I love the sheen they create, which seems to be more realistic interpretation of the fish--even though he's not a very realistic fish.

Remember, my ideas are just ideas.  They are things that I would try if I were stitching this canvas but you are not me.  You will have your own ideas.  I'm here to get you thinking about what your vision for this design is and get you moving to achieve it, not tell you what to stitch.  This isn't a stitch guide roadmap after all!

There's no reason you can't use more Brazilian embroidery threads. I'd prefer to spend all day at the dentist myself as they misbehave terribly for me, but this is you stitching, not me.

My other thought was the Vineyard silk with the metallic in it. Maybe that's similar to the Lame braid.

I thought a touch of metallic would look nice on the fish, hence the Silk Lame Braid.  It is very similar to Vineyard Silks Shimmer, but Silk Lame Braid is just a little more tender a thread and a little shinier.  There's no reason you can't use some Vineyard Silks, some Brazilian threads or other threads you happen to have in the right colors.  Maybe you should rummage around in your stash and see what you have before we pick stitches. However, I'm thinking small scale stitches, perhaps some that we can use beads among....

Carol continues:

I'm still thinking about the hot fix crystals. If there is an option for sewing, I think I would rather do that, as it would not require me to buy something I'm not likely to use again. I would really like to find something with a flat back that would allow me to sew it on that would have the same glitter as a crystal. I guess I'll be checking Fire Mountain again...

Good idea.  You may find just the right thing at the Fire Mountain online store.  There are crystal buttons available at some fabric stores, too.  I think I might look for Swarkovski crystals with flat backs without heat activated glue on the flat side.  You could use regular fabric glue for those since you are thinking you will frame this.  They seem to come in a variety of sizes so you might be able to get exactly the right size to cover the fish fin dots.  

We also haven't talked about the bubbles.  Personally I think you might want to get some of the new Kreinik holographic threads in size 16 or higher and couch some of the light blue and some of the purple in a circle, starting in the center and spiraling out, then finishing with a couched circle of black holographic thread.  That will really stand out against the background.

http://www.kreinik.com/holographic.htm

We did talk a little about the bubbles...the discussion at the time was shisha mirrors, covered in tulle. I still like the idea. Maybe skip the tulle and use the holographic thread to sew them on. I also like the idea of the spiral thing, but I would probably not do couching; I would probably use a stem stitch or something similar to give it a little more dimension. I have a picture in my head, but I'm not sure how to describe it.

Then experiment with your ideas until you are able to mimic what you see in your mind’s eye.  Tulle comes in a lot of colors so you’d be able to add a tinge of blue or purple to the shisha mirrors that way if you wish.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/ribbonstulle16.html

I know beaders attach shisha mirrors using stitches and/or beads around the perimeter of the mirror.  That will outline the bubbles which you may or may not want to do.  I found some great instructions on attaching shisha mirrors online.  I thought I’d include them here for Blog’s readers.

http://www.pintangle.com/journal/2007/8/27/take-a-stitch-tuesday-week-35.html

http://www.robinatkins.com/tips.html#shisha

I do like the idea with the washer for the eye. Maybe instead of a bead, some sort of dimensional stitch (like the circular Rhodes) could go in the the hole. I'd stitch the Rhodes slightly bigger than the hole in the washer, then place the washer on top of the stitch so the highest part comes through the hole.

As for using a dimensional stitch as the pupil within a washer hole eye, you just have to find a washer with the right size overall dimension and a large enough hole.  Time for a trip to the hardware store!  

I’ve been browsing my ribbon embroidery books looking for ideas for your seaweed and ran across the term “double-sided” ribbon.  This means one of two things--either the ribbon is shiny on both sides or it has one color on one side and a second color on the other.  It occurred to me that your bi-colored seaweed might be done beautifully in double-sided, two colored silk ribbons.  This is what they look like-

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/bluesatin4.html

Wired ribbons often come in two colors, with the main body of the ribbon one color and the wired edge a second color. By the way, I don’t know anything about this website.  It just happened to have both tulle and double sided ribbons in two colors.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/sheerribbon3.html

A colored edge wired ribbon is another way to introduce a second color to your seaweed.  The wired ribbon probably will hold its shape a bit better over time.  I’m just guessing here but it might be better to go wired than double-sided. It all depends on the look and of course you can tack down the double-sided, two color ribbon in a matching floss to hold it in place.

Anyway, let me think about these ideas for a little bit and get back to you.

Take your time thinking this all over.  This isn't a quick process.  I know you have been busy hunting for the background thread in the right color and also collecting various items like shisha mirrors, beads, crystals, tulle, and such.  This is a complex project!  It involves lots of unusual materials as well as the more usual choices of threads, colors and stitches.  It is going to look great but it won’t be a quick stitch and our planning will take a bit of work to decide on the right materials, stitches and colors.

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