Pink Orchid - Part II

Darn, the colors aren't true. I've tried two separate cameras, w/wo flash, under true light and sun light. The box comes out looking too red and the stitching color is off too, sorry. Anyway, thank you all for your comments on Pink Orchid. I'm always happy to hear from you.

This small piece went fast and if it hadn't been for all the stripping of the floss, I think I would have set a personal record for quick finishes. I think of bargello as being the op-art of needlepoint. It can be wavy or jagged or perpendicular, the sky's the limit really. It's made a resurgence in recent years, not that it ever went away, and it seems it's once again getting the attention it deserves. Personally I enjoy a bargello project every so often to offset the complexities of many of the other projects I seem to gravitate to.

But not all bargello works up so quickly nor can it all be stitched without constantly watching the pattern/chart. Emperor's Garden is such a piece. It's a unique piece using all traditional materials. I had to really keep my concentration intact on this one. By traditional I mean stranded wool and 13 ct canvas. I'm not an expert so I don't really know why 13 ct is known as bargello canvas. Calling Janet Perry and other bargello aficionados to address this topic.

As promised, here is Toni's other colorway turning her Pink Orchid into Purple Passion Flower? I think it's also quite beautiful and is another example of how a color change and, in this case, changing the finished size can create a very different look. I love her green leaf beads against the dark purple. I think shades of blues and yellows would be wonderful color choices too.

It's amazing what you can do with needle and thread and a chart, isn't it? Keeping in mind that I stitched the smallest size I used less than one skein of Threadworx Overdye, and that was using all 6 strands. Same for all the floss, less than one skein per color except for the medium pink where I used nearly two. Always having a variety of colored blank canvas on hand in my stash and the beads were part of mixed bag purchased at Hobby Lobby, I was able to keep the project cost down to just a few dollars. Except for the finishing. Yes, the finishing or framing, always gets pricey. No exception here, the box was $108. Well at least I had it in my stash and it now has a purpose and soon will have a new home.

Well thank you kindly for visiting here today, I hope you had fun working along with me on this one. Up next, tackling one of my favorite WIP's, Marnie's Renaissance. Or I could continue with the Red Kerchief, let's see now, where did I put Cyn's article on project rotation? Or I could always check out needleartnut's blog, Pat seems to have rotation down to a science.

PINK ORCHID BARGELLO

by Colorado needleartist/designer Toni Gerdes.

Isn't this a beautiful adaptation of the bargello pomegranate? Toni Gerdes did a wonderful job presenting this bargello project recently at a local EGA meeting. To me it wasn't even a close call whether to stitch this simple, fast and colorful design. Toni used the stitched piece in the photo above as the insert for a hot pink, ultrasuede portfolio. Yes, it's just like an artist's portfolio, it unfolds, has handles and is perfect for carrying larger projects. I love bargello and was quite ready to get started on my own piece. NAN certified, Toni is a beautiful stitcher with great teaching skills, translation: she could teach me anything.

Getting started was easy, choose your colorway. I chose pink canvas and Threadworx # 11011 overdye as my base color. Then using light, medium and dark coordinating shades of both DMC and Anchor floss. Toni's design instructions come in 3 sizes: 6",8" and 11" square. I chose the smallest size as since I already had a HP Needlepoint hand-poured lacquered box just looking for the right design insert.

I actually purchased this box a few years ago for another project, took my stitched piece to my LNS to make sure I had the right color. When I got it home, in my lighting, it clashed. So with the shop's no return-no exchange policy, I was stuck. All's well that ends well.

To start, baste a large "X" across the canvas to identify center, then begin working in quadrants. The first stitch begins 6 threads down from the center hole. I pin-stitched at 3 threads down and using 6 strands of stripped floss I carefully laid my first stitch covering the pin stitch. Bargello in particular calls for the use of a laying tool and this project is no exception. Especially when blending light and darker threads.

The pattern is 1,1,1,2,2,3,4,3,2,2,1,1,1 with a step of 2. So if you can count to four and keep your wits about you, you can do this. For this bargello project it's important that you always begin each new length of overdye thread from the same end every time. Threadworx is a precut overdye strandable thread making it easy to determine which end is which.

Next is filling in the dark green leaves in tent stitch. The tent is done in a different direction for each quadrant. I was nearly done when I suddenly notice a huge knot on the back of my canvas. I began negotiations with myself as to whether to risk cutting the bugger out, leave it there or frog.

So after frogging one entire leaf, since I couldn't get it untangled, I stitched it again. Boo Hiss, naughty floss. I should have taken a picture of that knot, you would have laughed. I did....just not right away.
Now I'm ready to begin the rhythmic bargello starting with the darkest green floss, then the medium, then the lightest shade.

Following with the lightest pink. The real fun begins when the various colors are blended together to give the piece graduated shading. At first this is done blending 3 strands of two colors. Following with either the lighter or darker color on either side of the blended row. I would recommend sorting your threads on thread cards and numbering them. For the shading to be effective, the designer has chosen shades very close in color and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between some of those close in color.

I've finished the four pomegranates and am ready to move on to the stitching that will fill in making this a 6" x6" square.

Someone once told me how to avoid the "teeth" that show through on long stitches, I forgot what the trick to that is. Anyone out there know what I'm talking about? Next time I will also include a photo of a completed piece in a different colorway. Thanks for visiting today.