Frankenstein and the Pixie

My Monitor Edge is Too Prominent

I've been working away on my Computer Pixie,* enjoying every bit of her.  She has presented challenges, though.   There is a lot of dimension in this piece.  The Pixie is in front of the computer, the tote bag is in front of the chair, the beach ball is behind the computer monitor, etc.  My first real issue was with the edge of the computer monitor.  I worked it in padded satin stitch, using Flair over perle cotton padding.  See how far forward the monitor comes?  It is overwhelming the Pixie's arm and the glass she's holding.  That was easy to fix--rip out the Flair and remove the padding, then restitch the monitor's edge in plain satin stitch.  It worked!

Frankenstein Fingers!

This closeup shows that the new monitor edge is much less prominent, but it also reveals another issue--I gave the Pixie Frankenstein fingers!  What you see are bullions done in the darkest pink floss.  That is the color the fingers were painted but when you see them stitched, it screams "WRONG!"

So I ripped again.  This time I went with the palest pink floss.  Using the dark pink drew too much attention to the Pixie's hand, detracting from the glass of tropical punch she holds.

Better Fingers

The new fingers work much better.  You don't see them before you see anything else and you don't think Dr. Frankenstein's monster, either.  The moral is you don't always need to copy the painted colors exactly.  The original color won't work with every stitch.  Bullions are plenty prominent already without making them dark pink against a light area like the glass.

The Pixie Relaxes While I Stitch Blanket

Here's my progress to date.  I have a lot still to do of course.  Once I finish the blanket her chair's sitting on, the Computer Pixie needs wings, antenna, tote bag and contents, shells and a starfish, not to mention chair arms and legs!  Stay tuned...

*The Computer Pixie is by Ruth Schmuff.   The canvas comes with a stitch guide by Sheena James which I have mostly ignored so I can have fun trying to solve the dimension problems this design presents myself.
https://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/product/computer-pixie/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 13, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Hummingbird: A New Mystery Class UPDATED

Ruth Schmuff has announced the next mystery class for Bedecked and Beaddazzled--Zecca's "Hummingbird."  You can find out more about the class which will start in March on the shop website (second link below).
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2017/01/it-feels-like-spring.html

https://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/product/hummingbird-2/

As always, I'll update this article as Ruth posts progress photos.  The first lesson Ruth works on the background, throwing in a twist or two.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2017/03/texture.html

Then she tackles the poppies.  One stitch for the red poppies, one for the orange.  But Ruth changes the threads around so that the poppies that use the same stitch look different.   Cool!
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2017/03/poppies.html

Now the little hummingbird!  Ruth uses him to show how you can create birds with various sizes of beads. Very clever, as always, Miss Ruth.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2017/04/he-can-fly.html

The final lesson was mainly about the leaves.  As always, there are many fun touches.
http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2017/05/leaves-leaves-so-many-leaves.html

And here is Zecca's Hummingbird as a pillow—lovely!
https://bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/2018/06/a-tiny-bird-flew-home/

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 18, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

The Needlepoint Love Story at Thistle Hill

Ada Hayden just posted the newest heart sold at Thistle Hill's needlepoint exhibit as a fund raiser. She designs them every year and also included a photograph of the first three annual hearts.
http://eyecandyneedleart.blogspot.com/2017/01/happy-new-year-little-bit-late.html

The 2017 exhibit is February 22-26.  The details are on Thistle Hill's Facebook page which I am not linking to since only people signed in to Facebook can see it.  The earlier hearts may be purchased through Historic Fort Worth. (No idea about the 2017 heart.  You may have to go to the exhibit to buy it.)  I think you will have to call or email them if you are not in the Fort Worth, Texas area.
http://historicfortworth.org

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 19, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Perfect Pom-poms

Enriched Stitch just got their rabbit canvas back from the finisher--and it's wonderful! The trim is perfect for the design, enhancing it instead of drawing the eye away from the design.
http://astheneedleturns.com/black-and-white-and-fun-all-over/

I believe the rabbit design is from the Meredith Collection, formerly the Elizabeth Turner Collection, but no credit is given and the design isn't listed on the shop's website.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright January 14, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Beads and Bullets UPDATED WITH KREINIK

If you like adding beads to your needlepoint, sooner or later you will have a pile of tubes of beads you have to organize in some fashion.   If you visit the big online bead stores like ArtBeads, Fire Mountain Gems or Fusion Beads and search for storage boxes, the  results are staggering.  I've tried several ways to keep mine in order.  First I tried the little "Chicklet" boxes that fit in a larger box.    The best photo of this system I found is on eBay.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/180-g-Miyuki-DELICA-Mix-11-0-Japanese-Seed-BEADS-Clear-Flip-top-Containers-Box-/361895498247?hash=item5442a71207

This is great if you like to store your beads by color but you have to add stickers to the boxes and write down what they are if you do stitch guides like me.  I have to know what brand, size and color I've used.  It's a little limiting for me, frankly.

So next I tried stackable storage boxes and laid a row of beads in their tubes in each.    This is similar to what I tried.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plastic-Stackable-Clear-Storage-Carry-Container-Tote-Organizer-Craft-Case-Box-3-/272143782482

Some of mine clip together so you can pick up the entire stack of small boxes at once or unclip the one you want.  Others just rest on top of others of their size. All are available in office supply stores.  I have discovered this works for me except some of the bead tubes don't have secure tops.  I have one box that has a bead soup of all sorts of colors I will have to sort out and put each back in their tube.  I also waste a lot of space as I don't like to have more than one layer of beads so that when I take off the lid, I can see the colors.  So I'm still trying for the perfect bead storage solution for me.

I might have found it, courtesy of Sundance Designs.  Those of you familiar with Sundance know that they sell beads as well as painted canvases.  (If you aren't familiar with their work, have fun exploring their website.)
http://www.sundancedesignsonline.com

I discovered that Sundance stores their bead tubes in cartridge boxes!  If you don't live in a rural area like I do, you may have never seen the plastic boxes that are used to store handgun and shotgun shells.   The box below is specifically for shotgun shells.  They are perfect for storing tubes of beads upright!
http://www.ammoboxes.com/ca50se.html

I bought myself a box that will hold fifty tubes for $2.99 plus tax today.  My box is seven inches long by three and three quarters inches high and three and a half inches wide.   In the photo above you see the plastic box closed with a selection of bead tubes that I grabbed to test how well they will fit.

Here's the inside of the box.  I put the longer tubes in the back and the shorter in the front. No matter the diameter or height, they all fit nicely.  However, you cannot see the colors of the beads in the smaller tubes.  I will solve that by using this box for my selection of gold, white, clear and black beads, the colors I use the most often.  My box came with stickers for labels so I may label the top gold and white on each end and the middle black and clear beads.  Note that the very long bead tubes for Japanese beads probably won't fit.  You can only store tubes shorter than the three and a half inch height of the box with the lid closed.

I purchased this at Dick's, which luckily has the gun and fishing sections next to each other.  Fishing tackle boxes are equally useful for storage, fairly cheap and they come in a dizzily array of sizes and configurations.

So maybe it's time to check out the sporting goods sections of places like Walmart, or sports stores like Bass and Dicks.  Your beads will thank you!

UPDATE:  After this article published I got a laughing email from Sandy Arthur, who sent me this photo of her Kreinik storage boxes which are clear ammo boxes, sized for rifle shells I think.   Sandy says there are smaller boxes available but she always picks the larger ones.

Sandy Arthur's Kreinik Storage

Sandy says everything but size 16 braid fits in these.  And you can see the labels because the lids are clear and the colors are somewhat visible through the clear sides.  Nice!

Many thanks to Sandy for allowing me to share this additional tip for stitching storage with ammo boxes with you.


Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow
Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com
and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com
© Copyright February 11, 2017 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.