Ouch!

I've been off line lately due to a few life events (some expected some not), one which does not allow for me to sit and stitch or surf for very long. WTH???  No carrying anything either if you know what is good for you. Ever have a rib cartilage injury? It's painful and seemingly the only comfortable position one can maintain for any length of time is lying down. And even then I require "hoisting" up and down. Ridiculous. Because the ribcage protrudes inward when one is sitting in a slouch while stitching, that can only happen for short spurts at a time. Same with surfing the net. Now what?  Guess which rib? The one that requires me to wear my gramma bra otherwise it HURTS! I did it to myself too; instead of rising up from my office chair and bending over to pick something up off the floor like a normal person, I leaned over the arm of the chair and reached and separated the soft tissue from the rib. AHHHHHHH!!!

Anyway, I've retrieved this last week from the framers but couldn't get it online until now;  I think they did a pretty good job. I wish the computer image better depicted the 3-dimensional features which is one of the things that makes this a special piece. Additionally, the frame is also deeper than it looks here setting everything back so the curtains stay well behind the front of the frame. I am happy with my very own Monet.

I have also been working on my cyberspace mystery piece, which apparently isn't such a mystery anymore. It's coming along quickly with all the large stitches and would probably be done by now if I weren't....sniffle sniffle....injured.

Well that's it for me now. I've got to see what you all have been doing out there in blogville. Talk later.

Curtain Time

The curtains have been attached to Red Kerchief and I've only got a little housekeeping to do before taking it to the framers. Invisible thread was used to attach the pieces of lace. I have never used it before; it's tiny, sort of like using one strand of gray hair-only stronger. True.

Creating the openings in the doors worked out really well. I thought that the horizontal and vertical "bars" of the window frames would be flimsy. Not so. They remained very sturdy and even the last window frame to be stitched was not a problem. I will never be afraid of cutting canvas again.

I see I could have taken a little more care in folding the curtains back but that is something I will take care of once it's framed. Anyway, the photo at left was taken with both canvases still on the Evertites; the foreground canvas situated in place on top of the background canvas. This creates dimension and during the framing process there will be spacers used to keep the canvases apart. Glad I'm not the framer, this seems tricky.

Well it's done and I am happy dancing all over the place. On to the next project. I've been eyeing the pink walnut lately. It's so small and will only take a little bit of my time to get it finished. I have been "playing" with the interior and have discovered my fingers are clumsy working with the slick fabric and small space. Not much I can do about it so I am trying not to get discouraged, but that is the only thing holding me back from completing this pretty piece.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my blog today. I get so much done knowing you might be by for another visit.

RK-The Final Frontier

I'm about to take the final steps on Red Kerchief. It has been a wonderful project and I do recommend anyone wanting to take a class from designer Caela Conn Tyler that you do not hesitate to do so. You will learn and accomplish much in the process and have a first class piece of needlework in the end.

My final frontier on this piece is the cutting and stitching inside the window panes of the door. It's a big step for me and I've been practicing on scrap canvas. Once the canvas is removed from the stretchers, the procedure then is to cut within 4 canvas threads inside of the stitched window casings making a rectangular opening. Then diagonally cut through three more threads in each of the corners-creating four flaps. Fold back the canvas flaps to the wrong side of the canvas and finger-press them down leaving one canvas thread exposed above the stitching.


Begin with the designated sequence according to the instructions, align the canvas threads and start binding the edges with 4 strands floss.

Once all the windows have been bound, the canvas will be reattached to the stretchers and the lace curtains will be sewn into place.

Red Kerchief, Pink Walnuts and the Fan

I just can't be disciplined. I try and just when I think I'm doing great, my true self emerges. Alas, I've put down Kerchief, just to take a little break. A break?....from what? I love this project, am having fun and it's working up quickly. What more can one ask for? Variety? Oh yes, variety, as in, I want to dig in and start something new. There I was nearly finished and now I am on the verge of sabotaging my best laid plans. Probably just a deep seated inner-child rebellion (remember that from the 70's? LOL!). Oh inner-child be off with you and take your new canvases, threads and stitch guides with you! Lest I fall prey to your capricious project philandering. Those words of banishment did not work and this post is turning into a Peyton Place of project infidelity, stitching transgressions and yes, uncontrolled impulse.

But not before I share with you my progress on the Kerchief foreground canvas. Of the six door panels, the top four will be cut away (yikes! with my scissors?--not without surpervision) to expose Camille. A small area remains on the left part of the door jamb and then I'll fill in the two lower door panels, the stitching around the inside of the windows - then cutting away of the window canvas, some clean up here and there and finally attaching the lace curtains. Brillant! The threads have been delightful to stitch with throughout the entire project and include a variety from DMC, Walsh/Silk Wool, Simply Shaker Overdye, Threadworx, and Bijoux. I've enjoyed the variety of stitches too which include Long Armed Cross, Linen Fold, Perspective Gobelin, Padded Diagonal, Trailing, Outline and Binding to name a few. I'll keep you posted on the number of stitching hours logged when I'm finished.

Bless me Father for I have strayed.....and the first stitching transgression came in the form of a pink walnut. I don't want to say too much about this just yet other than it is an old art form and I think you'll be surprised when you see the finished piece.

It has been a nice departure from my beloved canvaswork though. Just for a few hours mind you (yeah right). I'll have more on this little gem in a later post, just wanted you to see what I've been up to while on my Kerchief hiatus.

My husband has been out of town for a few weeks- isn't that always the way it starts? No one around to supervise stitching progress, leaving the door wide open for that interloping new project to wheedle its way in. Then without having to make the bed (don't worry I'm not a total slouch, I pull the covers up over the pillows--good enough) and very little cooking happening,  there was plenty of time left to stitch into the wee hours and think/focus/obsess about the next project, I mean once the Kerchief is at the framers, that is.

The Fan on Black wins. Eventually I thought, what can it hurt to flirt with a new project? It's not exactly an act of infidelity, per se. So I pulled the threads, kitted the thing up then conveniently left it next to the bedroom stitching throne. Before I knew it, I had it on the stretchers, threw a needle magnet on it and away I went. And look at the progress, nothing like "new" to arouse your needle and rejuvenate your thread. Excuse me. After a twelve hour frenzy I finished about 3/4 of what the photo shows.

This is one of the bargains I found at our Chapter yard sale in November - only 10 bones! Thank you Cynthia. It uses beautiful and fun threads that have been a dream to stitch. Using Flair, beads, braid, more beads, silk, beads, Watercolors and beads.

Since I began this post days ago, I've completed the upper right section and the small area to the lower left. Leaving the outlining, background and framing. I didn't find working on the black canvas difficult at all. Again, I'll discuss it further once it's ready for the framer, which could be sooner than later. But for now I'm calling a halt to this fickle trend of project hopping. I've had my fun. I'm ready to finish these up and cross them off the list, visit my priest and walk the straight and narrow down the fidelity path of loyalty, singlemindedness and trustworthy.....nevermind.

Camille

Have been making progress on Red Kerchief as I continue to enjoy stitching on this project. BUT....I've been distracted, waylaid, whatever you want to call it. Family health issues (not to worry, all is well thankfully) that included a short hospital stay (not me) and I thought I'd get some stitching done, but not meant to be. Sometimes distractions are way to much to overcome and I just couldn't concentrate.

That was then, this is now. Over the weekend I nearly completed stitching Camille. Loved getting her face shaded just so, and the stitches chosen for her coat and kerchief were perfect. Primarily using Burmilana which is one of my favorite threads, it does tend to fray a bit but keeping the thread length to a minimum fixes that problem. I changed one thread out, the Silk Serica; as much as I like working with silk I just don't like this one though many stitchers do. But even with the sheen and brilliant colors offered I find it too difficult to work with. Using Rainbow Gallery's' Flair for the ruffles is a great idea and so forgiving! Stitching for 18 hours (not all at once) over the weekend, the background canvas is nearly (nothing like photography to show my stitching imperfections and omissions!) finished. YAY!

I can't stress enough that if you want a unique project that packs a lot of bang for your buck so to speak, this may just be the project for you. It looks a lot more difficult than it is. I can honestly say that whether it's the small size of each area, the stitches and threads chosen, or just the thought of having a Monet hanging on my walls, this has been the most fun I've had stitching since my Gossipy Geisha Kitties.

Next up I'll show the progress on the foreground canvas; I'm closer than I thought at getting this done and am already mentally moving on to my next stitching adventure. Thanks for stopping by today, more later.

Closing in on Camille

Showing more progress the photo on the left depicts the nearly finished "forest". After all of the Diamond Rays were stitched you then go over some of them with the Ermine Stitch using Pine. It's really a nice shading technique for creating the illusion of trees in the distance. On the right are the three steps of the Hurdle Stitch - a composite stitch I had never used but really, really like. Why? It goes quickly! And once you get your bearings it flows along smoothly and rhythmically.  Because it's done in three steps, you get the hang of each step without having to constantly refer to the chart, etc.  I actually liked the way step one and two looked before adding step three. The thread, Simply Shaker Tin Bucket has such a nice variegation it's almost unnecessary to add a third element. BUT, years of parochial school have taught me to follow the directions. I hope to make enough progress over the weekend so I can begin stitching Camille. Excitement!  Thank you for taking the time to stop by today.

The Forest

Left side - Red Kerchief
Don't know if I instinctively decided the next section I would start would be the tree and background forest or if I was just impatient and wanted to see how the snow and trees would fit in together; but the right side background is actually what I should have stitched..."all in good time, my pretty, all in good time". LOL!

The tree trunks are worked in outline stitch with Caron's Wildflowers Black Forest. Using one strand this variegated thread is in between the #8 and #12 Perle Coton in weight, but has more of a matte finish making it perfect for a tree trunk. The stitching on the trunks took about one and three-quarter hours. The tree's needles are worked in a variation Diamond Ray pattern using Pine by The Gentler Art Sampler Threads; a lovely hand dyed over-dyed floss. The background "forest" also uses a Gentler Art thread, Simply Shaker in Green Pastures. I've left the link to Gentler Arts in case you're not familiar with these beautiful threads.

I really like the way the canvas came pre-shaded in appropriate colors allowing for the use of very light and subtle stitches (unconventional Ermine stitch), that effectively take advantage of the background tinting. Total stitching time for the greenery 4 - hours so far. Seems slow but the stitches actually move along quickly, it's the starting and ending of the threads that takes a little more time on an open pattern design like this. I am thoroughly enjoying this project as Caela's design has just the right tempo to it; you just begin to get anxious to finish one section and before you know it you're on to the next! Perfect timing for this instant gratification girl with a slight tendency of adult ADD.

HERE WE GO!

I am so excited that I will be taking you along on my next stitching odyssey which just might become the "pièce de résistance" of the year. When I first saw professional designer Caela Conn Tyler working on the Red Kerchief model, I knew right away I had to take her class. I mention Caela often on my blog and one might say I am a Caela groupie; there are a lot of us out there. Anyway, her concept of Claude Monet's Portrait of Camille Monet, The Red Kerchief, is most amazing in that she has achieved her interpretation by using foreground and background canvases. It's my first framed 3-dimensional needlepoint. There are several threads and techniques used, some familiar...others not so much, making this a unique and exciting project. Currently, Caela is offering The Red Kerchief at The 39th Annual Callaway School of Needle Arts  and the EGA Great Lakes Region Seminar.

Naturally Caela's work and mine vary dramatically, what you'll get here is my attempt to do this fabulous design justice. To begin, I've chosen the background canvas for purposes of this blog, but I actually completed the foreground canvas as assigned during the pilot class. This took place earlier in 2009 and I have been waiting for just the right opportunity to present it here.

Using Evertites, the line-drawn and shaded canvas is ready to go. I was totally unfamiliar with the technique used on the first step which was to apply Angelina. What the.... hmmm, Angelina. If you are as unfamiliar with Angelina fabric as I was, go here for a great tutorial.

Basically Angelina comes in a small sized bag for around $5-6 and sort of looks like spun glass or angel hair. Apparently it's readily found in quilt shops. The left photo depicts Angelina fibers after they've first been spread apart and then pressed with an iron. On the right photo, it's basted in place serving as background for the snow stitches. Clever! Notice the iridescence? Depending upon how much you spread out the original fibers, it will determine how opaque the pressed pieces appear.

Using regular sewing thread for basting (which will be removed once all the permanent stitches are in place) and a sharp needle to go through the Angelina, I'm ready to move on to stitching the snow.  The snow is stitched in Long Tall Sallies combining white floss and Accentuate (with a little light grey thrown in for good measure). Remember that this side of the snow will be covered by the curtain hanging on the foreground canvas and is stitched rather randomly suggesting the effect of glimmering, drifting snow. I'm hoping I've done this well otherwise we'll be viewing this with the curtains drawn! LOL! Prep time (iron fabric, cut and baste onto canvas) about an hour.  Stitching hours: 2-right side only

Here I Am!

Hello out there in stitcher's blog land! It's been a while and even now I only have progress to report today, no photos. I have been feverishly working to complete the stitching on my Rooster project, Marnie Ritter's beautiful Renaissance piece, and a second cuff bracelet. My goal is to have the stitching done on these pieces completed before Thanksgiving. I have a commitment to do so to myself of course, but formally to one of the Chapter's I belong to that has their finished projects challenge coming up.

I began writing this post a few weeks ago and have since finished the bracelet and the rooster. WOOO HOOO! Happy dance now in progress. Both of these projects were stitched primarily in basketweave with specialty threads and, because of the size and heavy painting on the rooster canvas, my fingers feel totally abused.  Progress on Renaissance continues to be my main focus, I have all the full diamonds completed leaving only the half diamonds. I have not obtained permission from Marnie to post a progress photo at this time, but hope in the future it will be okay. You can view her photo here; keep in mind that if you're interested she will be teaching this piece at ANG's 2010 Seminar in Columbus, OH next Fall. Once Renaissance is finished I will return to stitching Caela Tyler's Red Kerchief piece, which is also in line for completion by the end of the year. I wish you could find an opportunity to stitch Caela's most unique design at Calloway in January.

That will conclude my WIP's for 2009 therefore freeing up some space on the queue for 2010. But what about my 2009 list of projects?  Ahh yes, that telltale list looming over there on the right side of this blog. I can only say that I did not begin most of the projects slated for 2009 but I did manage to finish several things that were not in queue. I will soon have my 2010 goals set which may or may not include things from '09. This is always a fun ritual for me; deciding upon which fabulous projects I plan to stitch in the coming year.

It's good to visit with you a little today.....and also give my stitching fingers a rest.  Oh by the way, where did they hide the spellcheck feature on blogspot?  See you soon.