Final Finishes of Christmas Projects

Lizzie Kate.

 It was a really fun stitch.  I used threads I had left over from various projects so it is not exactly as charted.   It was basically two greens, two pinks, white and red.   I am not sure how I will finish it, but I am going to wait until I get back to California to do something with it.  I am a little surprised how much I like it!

L

Prairie Schooler 2004 Santa

Both Santas are finished now.  Not sure what I will do to finish them.  Although I love the fabric (28 count Opal Lugana Winter Solstice Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie) I am not sure it was the beset choice for these.  I do like them, however.  I am thinking perhaps blocks unframed so that I can use them wherever for the season.  I am glad I decided to do these two designs but I do not see more Prairie Schooler Santas in my future.

This is the end of my stitching finishes in Texas for this year.  Am getting the RV packed and ready for our trip.   I am partially sad to leave and partially ready to get back to California.   I have all my travel projects ready to go so I can make some progress while we are traveling along.


Thanks for visiting.

Needlepoint News

Autumn Leaves Laura J. Perin Cyber Class

I received the first "lesson" and got a little work done.  I have found that counting for needlepoint is different than counting for cross stitch.  I think the deal is that you have to count the threads, not the holes.  I am not quite sure, but I know I have had to pull out several areas and redo them when they did not work out properly.  It is very interesting working with the metallic ribbon (the gold part of the border portion).  I have never worked with it before.  It is surprising easy, but it does fray quite a bit.

Grace Dimensions Kit

It is interesting.  I am having the same counting problem.  Since this was a pretty inexpensive kit (compared to most kits....it came from Amazon), I am using it for practice.  Hopefully it will help me with the other needlepoint project.

Those pinkish stitches were fun to do.  They are called Teardrop Jessica stitches.  Surprisingly easy once I got the hang of them.   This thread in the kit is all what appears to be a 6 strand DMC type cotton so there is a certain comfort level.  There is a little metallic threads for finishing but that shoes not be a problem.  I am hoping I will get better as I am not sure I am happy with the continental stitch (I think that is what the half crosses are called).  I am beginning to completely understand the use of a laying tool.

I got these started because I want to do them while we are traveling in a couple of weeks so there will not be any progress until December or so.

Thanks for visiting.

Mid November Finishes

Managed to finish a couple of this in the past couple of weeks.

 Nora Corbett Alphabet 

This was a really fun stitch.  I am looking forward to getting it framed.

2015 Prairie Schooler Santa

Because I used a dark fabric, I changed the moon and the stars to a light yellow.  I am not super happy with the wording (I left off one word), but I think I will wait until it is ready to finish (however I am going to do that).  I sort of like the subtle wording (Although it does not photograph well) as I am not a huge fan of words in most pieces.

I am making decent progress on the other Christmas themed projects in my WIP pile while getting the house ready to close for the winter, wrapping pipes, mulching flower beds and the like so I am not getting as much stitching done.

Also getting my projects ready for the upcoming trip.  We will be in the Dallas area for Thanksgiving, then headed West as weather allows.  I really enjoy stitching on the road and will be working on some needlepoint projects during the trip.  I got them all ready to go in the past couple of days.  Photos to follow in the next post.

Thanks for visiting.

Needlepoint: A New Needle Adventure

I have been so happy with all the specialty stitches I have learned this year thanks to Chatelaine designs and all the wonderful facebook posts that I have been drawn to branch out.   I just enthralled with the stitches I have learned so far and am always looking for  a place to use them.  I have not been called to do any hardanger I think because I cannot bear the throught of cutting holes in something I spend hours stitching!  I am a big chicken I suppose.

I have done a few needlepoint kits in the past that were basically just half crosses; tent, continental and basketweave.  I got a little bored with them frankly.

After a visit to a shop, I have been looking again at Needlepoint sites and have realized a couple of things.......

There are incredibly beautiful pieces out there that are far beyond the typical 'half cross" technique that I have done before.  There seem to be thousands of variations on the tent and continental stitches.

Needlepoint canvases can be VERY expensive.....as can the fibers used.  But oh my are they beautiful!  There seems to be a huge difference in the hand painted canvases versus the canvases I have dealt with in kits I have purchased and worked in the past.

Many Needlepoint canvases do not come with "instructions".  There are "stitching guides" available in some cases, but they, too, are expensive.  For the most part, it seems that needlepoint stitchers pick their own fibers and stitches and create really amazing things.

So I have gone a little crazy trying to find out where to learn some of these wonderful stitches and found a Cyber class offered by Laura J. Perin (a needlepoint designer).  I am thrilled to be a part of it and will be posting my progress.  It is called Autumn Leaves.

I was luck enough to get the last kit available.
Just what I need is another project!

Today, Monday, November 2, 2015 the "kit" came in from Laura J. Perin.  I am so excited about starting on this new adventure that I am over the moon!  So, I put the binding on the mono canvas and looked through all the instructions....I have to decide how I am going to mount the fabric on either 11" stretcher bars that I have or a scroll rod.

I choose the teal option for this project.  The fibers are just beautiful.  This will be a first for me.

I use seam binding that I get from thrift stores to bind the edges of the mono canvas.  The canvas is very stiff so this makes the edges softer and I do not like using masking tape for some reason.  Hopefuly this will work

I have not yet found any other participants in this class but I am sure some will emerge as time goes by.

For those who follow me, I think I am going to tag these posts as needlepoint so you do not have to suffer though them if you are not interested.

Thanks for visiting and stay tuned for the "progress".