Christmas Flowers Progress

I have been having so much fun with this canvas. Finished the stitching on the "flowers" (all but the much needed tweaking and the stems) and am so tempted to break a Cardinal rule by attaching the button stacks to the centers pronto... before the whole thing is stitched....but alas I have resisted so far.

But I was anxious to see how the background shading would turn out. The stitch is listed as Mindy's Background Stitch and I just love it. It adds so much to a canvas including texture and interest and is fast moving. Another good thing about using this stitch,  particularly when there are so many breaks in the background area,  is that it's rhythmical enough so you can easily refer to what you've already stitched instead of having to go back and forth to a chart when you're jumping around the canvas.

Background threads used: Gloriana silk in Halloween Green, Needlepoint, INC silk in Acid Green Range and RG Splendor . These threads stitch like a dream. Also worth a mention is the green used in the black and green circle, Planet Earth's Silk. I have been wanting to use this thread ever since one of every color was purchased by DD as part of my Mother's Day spree. The sheen on this silk is beautiful.

I'm trying my hand at needleblending on the background too. I'm not sure if it can be technically called needleblending if you only use two strands. My understanding of needleblending is to use at least three plies so you can effectively blend, but two seems to be working here, at least to my satisfaction.  - I've only used two strands because the openness adds to the texture and also because the canvas is so beautifully painted it actually enhances the shading gradation. 

I did needleblend using three plies when stitching the center circle of the black and green "flower." But instead of following what I've done, I would like to refer you to Anne Stradal's blog for a tutorial and more information about needleblending. Anne is a master at this technique and she knows all the nuances, ins and outs and is a wonderful teacher.

Once I finish the upper background and stems, I'll move down to the stripey/polka dot areas. Maybe try out DMC's Memory Thread somewhere. Thank you for stopping by today, I'm always glad you're here with me.

I am not happy about

muddying up my blog with Blogger issues; however, I don't feel I have much choice in the matter. I tried to leave a comment on my OWN blog (and other blogs as well) this morning (in response to a comment) and was continually redirected to the sign in page. What's up with that? Blogger redirects me to the sign in page when leaving comments if I select Google Account when choosing a Profile. If I choose Anonymous, the comment goes through. It happens whether I'm using an IE browser or not. I tried seeking a solution through Blogger and was unsuccessful in finding a solution. Ugh. Frustrating. If anyone out there knows the answer why this is happening and can shed light on a solution, please leave a comment....that is if Blogger lets you. LOL!

Thanks. Off to less frustrating things....let's see, where did I put that bag of M&M's a.k.a. Stress Tabs!

Mindy's Whimsical Christmas Flowers

Here we go! I'm very excited to have started stitching on my Christmas canvas from Mindy's latest whimsical collection. The design size is approximately 8x8" and segmented so nicely that it should keep one's interest fresh and take no time at all to complete. Most finishers have late September deadlines for Christmas finishing and I'm going to try to get it done by then. : )

The first thing I usually do is make two photocopies of the painted canvas using one for future reference (many times painted canvas design details are covered up by thread before the area is actually completed, leaving you at a loss when you go to add beads, buttons or additional stitches). The second copy I use as a road map of stitches and/or threads. Yes it takes time to do all this but it moves things readily along when you get down to the fun part - stitching. On this particular design I have not designated all the stitches to be used and plan on repeating some and deciding others as I go along. Confession: To help me with stitch selection, I discovered and am using a stitch guide created by Tony Minieri and found in the June/July issue of my very favorite needlepoint magazine, Needlepoint Now.  Mr. Minieri's guide is for a similar canvas and I consider myself extremely lucky to have this available for ideas. He's a pro and I've only heard stitchers sing his praises for his inventive use of stitches and thread. YAY!

The threads, chosen by Mindy herself, are fabulous and so far I am loving them. Beginning the first circle using Planet Earthy's (PE) 6-ply silk in two shades of green and Bella Lusso's Merino wool has been a delight. The twist of the Silk has definition but lays very smoothly. The Merino wool is amazingly soft and strong. This is the first time I've used these two brands of threads and I am impressed. The white area was stitched in Alternating Mosaic using Perle Coton and is the "underlayment" if you will, for the button stack. The green circle area is stitched in basketweave and will eventually have sequins attached inside the two-tone green circles.

Next up is red and white polka dot circle. I'm using PE's silk in red for the Diagonal Plait (love this interesting and quick moving stitch) and the Rhodes using Petite Sparkle Rays in white.

On any given day....




Really? In Colorado?



in my neighborhood you're libel to see anything. Honestly. Well actually, the camels aren't in my neighborhood, they're "down the road a piece."  No,  not at the local zoo or nearest Renaissance Festival, they reside a few miles away and folk tale actually claims they once roamed wild in the Colorado mountains... back in the day. Imagine how surprised/delighted I was when seeing these baby camels just hanging out and grazing in the pasture like ponies. It took less than a year to grow into young adults. They spit you know, so don't get too close.

 



 

Proud Coloradan






Yes Virginia, there are camels in Colorado!





And then to spy the three Great Horned Owl fledglings on DD's deck was a total unexpected pleasure. Funny creatures to watch as they seem to arobicize their necks a lot. On this day they were practicing flying from the deck rail to the nearest bush. Sooo cute. The mother (or father) was perched on the edge of the house watching their progress too.



Weapon of Mass Destruction



Cute Comes in Threes



Thanks for indulging me today while I share with you some of the reasons why we love living outside of town. It never gets old in terms of scenery and surprises. In case you're wondering if I've been stitching...I have. I accidently left my camera with my photos of Christmas Whimsy progress at DD;s house this weekend and will post in a few days. Hope you have a wonderful week filled with lots of stitching opportunities and good weather. It's been hot here allllllll summer and I'm over it....weather Gods out there are you listening? I'm Over It. 









I've made....

...a little more progress but am not convinced this is exactly what I want. I'm actually trying to keep things simple this time, taking into account that this and the squirrel will eventually be finished into pillow tops.(The Very Velvet should hold up to that even if someone DARES to rest upon one which is doubtful...highly doubtful.) Having said that, it's a bit challenging keeping things simple in the needlework world don't you think? I often fall prey to the concept of trying to make things look fairly realistic which doesn't have to happen all of the time. It's a habit I'd like to break and feel comfortable with doing so.

Speaking of the squirrel I've had a notion that I could stitch him along with the raccoon....maybe instead of getting started on my aforementioned Christmas Whimsy canvas??? Well maybe I won't happen to have another set of 12x12" stretchers available. Just maybe the Christmas Whimsy is already on a set of 12x12"s. Just saying. :) In either case here are the threads I am planning for squirrel. Oh, wouldn't the tails be great done in turkey work? Did I really just say that and document it on the Internet. Oh No She Di'nt.

Well have a fun weekend everyone, relax and enjoy safely everything you do. I hope your weather is favorable for stitching too.....if it isn't yet, it soon will be.

I See You!

Quite a while ago I was on a spree at Pocket Full of Stitches located in Lubbock, TX. With mandatory stash enhancement efforts underway (once one foot set inside the door), this and a companion squirrel canvas by Melissa Shirley were mine. I've had both kitted up almost from inception but the timing wasn't right to take them both on....Now it's several months later, and at the behest and pleadings from my husband to break out the wildlife I'm embarking upon the raccoon.

There's no stitch guide unfortunately, but I do have enough books containing suggested stitches for fur, feathers and probably fins to fill half a fhelf. Given how little I enjoy turkey work, I'm going to do my best to avoid this obviously appropriate stitch choice by choosing warm and fuzzy threads instead. So far Rainbow Gallery's (RG) Petite Very Velvet fits the bill big time. First, it's very "pettable" and second there's no need to lay threads.....happy day. Yes, you do have to make sure this fun to use thread doesn't twist and the colors are somewhat limited but it's great for my purposes here. I'll also use a little Whisper, Fuzzy Stuff and Alpaca (all RG threads) throughout for the body, head and tail and have pulled RG's Splendor, Caron's Impressions and J.L. Walsh Silks for the leaves and background. Nothing gets set in stone with me making the decisions, however; it's pretty much trial and error....lots of error unless a professional has selected the threads and provided a stitch guide. One of these days I'll get the hang of making these decisions more quickly but in the meanwhile I'll plod along ever grateful for a well stocked stash closet.

Along with this piece I have been working on a pilot class project for the past month and a half that has been taking up most of my stitch time but is nearly completed. So I decided to get one of my newest acquisitions (Mindy's Christmas Flowers) up on the stretchers and will begin this and stitch simultaneous to the raccoon. I usually don't do this but I'm in the mood to live dangerously these days so I'm goin' in!

Now that I've whiled away the morning doing blog things I may as well just forgo everything else that needs my attention and get back to stitching. Sounds good to me. Thanks for visiting today, I'm really glad you're here.