Off to the Beach with Needle Crossings

Needlepoint.com is having a Needle Crossings trunk show.  To get the 20% off discount if you are ordering online, use the code "NC" in your shopping cart.  The canvases are mostly beach-themed canvases.  If you are sick of winter and would like to spend a little time on the sand, you might want to pick up one of these charmers.  Move fast, though.  I don't know how long the trunk show will be available at this shop.
http://www.needlepoint.com/all-canvases/needle-crossings-trunk-show.html

By the way, the March newsletter is up on their website as well.
http://www.needlepoint.com/newsletter

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

Creating Dimension with Threads and Stitches

Who's In Front?

Most folks would take a look at the Ladies of the Night series and want to stitch them because they are glamorous and spooky, but that wasn't really the main reason I was eager to stitch Luna--I wanted to stitch her to learn how to stitch adjacent black areas so they were distinct from each other.  To do this I am using texture (i.e., mixing metallic threads with silks and wools) and dimension (i.e., making some parts of the canvas look raised and others look flat through my stitch choices).

Take a look at Luna's hood and hair.  I wanted the fur trim to stand out a bit from her hair while the back of the hood should recede more than the hair and fur trim.  This is how things look in real life and this canvas is realistic enough that I want to mimic that look.

Her bangs (or fringe if you speak British English) should be a bit puffier than the smooth sides of her long hair.  The cloak over her shoulders should be a bit more prominent than the long black dress underneath.

I stitched French knots with wool for the fur trim, used Petite Very Velvet in tent stitches for the back of the hood and the shoulders, and choose long stitches in a mix of wool and metallics for the hair.  The bangs (or fringe) are stitched in stem stitch using Baby Alpaca (from & More) to make them look puffy and slightly raised.  The Petite Very Velvet used on the hood and shoulders was considered for the long gown but it looked too heavy and crowded, so I used it only for the exterior of the cloak and stitched the gown in Impressions (a silk/wool blend) in tent stitches instead.  I took advantage of the heavier look of PVV on the cloak after I realized it was too much for the entire long gown.

The next challenge is to make the raven perched on her elbow stand out without overwhelming the canvas.

Wish me luck!

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

Judy Harper's Obituary

Judy's family has posted an obituary of Judy and her stitching career on the front page of her website.  I have been updating my first posting that announced her death with all the memories of Judy her stitching friends have posted, but this is the official obituary.
http://elegantwhimsies.com/joomla/

I'm going to miss her so you can be sure I'll sign up for the newsletter to hear when her website goes live again as her family works to preserve her unique stitching voice.

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

Wanted: One Shorebirds Panda

A friend of a friend is trying to find Katie Molineaux's panda canvas (shown above).  If you have it in your stash or in your shop and are willing to sell it, would you please email me at chillyhollow at hotmail dot com?  I'll put you in touch with the person who is lusting after this lovely design.  Thanks!

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

The D.C. Subway Map is Finished

The Ruth Schmuff Metro Map is Done!

Tuesday I got a wonderful surprise in my email In Box--a photo of Barbara's finished D.C. subway map!  You may remember that Barbara was my first volunteer with a problem canvas she was willing to blog stitch here.  I asked Barbara for her final thoughts on stitching this design and here is what she said:

"I really want to thank Jane for her help with this canvas. While I have been doing one type of stitching or another since I was 11, I am a relative new comer to painted canvas. I look at them and have no idea what to do. Thanks to reading Jane's, and other, blogs for several years I have made a few feeble attempts on some small canvases but this is the largest one I have attempted without a stitch guide. I must admit with Jane's help I really enjoyed the experience. I have a large stash of threads and got to try out several of them. Some I did not end up using (although it was fun to try them out) but others I did. I especially liked J Walsh Silk Perle and will try and find places to use it again.

I am very pleased with how the piece came out, especially the Capital and the Washington Monument (both of which were Jane's suggestions). Beading the Capital was more difficult than I thought it would be - getting all those beads to fit, and doing black on black was very hard to see, but I am very pleased with the result. While those are my favorite parts I am pleased with the whole thing and really want to give another of the canvases in my pile a go. Jane - thank you again for a wonderful learning experience."

Barbara, everyone here is thrilled to see how your subway map turned out and appreciated greatly the opportunity to discuss this canvas and various approaches to stitching it.  Those who would like to re-read the articles about Barbara's canvas can put "metro map" in the search box in the upper left corner.

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