Leaf medallion class, part 3

The latest information on my camera is that Canon says it isn't repairable so they're replacing it with a comparable model.  Of course, because of the holidays they're out of inventory, so I get to play a waiting/guessing game as to when it will arrive.  The positive side of the situation is that I am getting slightly more proficient with my scanner. 

I've been trying to fill in missing stitches so I can get the effect of my color selections.  To my dismay, I discovered that the top area of the Diagonal stitch with mosaic omits the mosaic stitches on the outer edge.  It actually looks good and is a variation to keep in mind, but consistency is what I'm looking for. 

I received my cucumber silk 'n ivory and used it to fill in the central medallion area with long stitches and around some of the corner hearts with basketweave.   I've also started basketweaving around the tied windmill stitches.  I also did the tied stitch in the lavendar sparkle rays.

I'm really pleased with the progress I'm making and look forward to see what next week produces.

May we all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Edit:  Make that the inner edge of the Diagonal stitch with mosaic being incorrect.

Flamingo sandal re-purpose

Several years ago, needlepoint sandals were all the rage.  Trubey designed these canvases to fit on Dr. Scholl's wooden forms.  And then they languished on the rack.  Too many people felt the wooden shoes were too unforgiving--uncomfortable and noisy.  So what to do with the canvases?  I'm thinking they'll make inserts for a nice pair of pillows.  They could also be resized to fit some of the Lee's items (like the small purse).  I plan to offer a choice of canvas for a class I'll be offering in the next few months. The flamingo canvas I blog-stitched starting June 25, 2011, is too large for my usual class project.

I'm stitching in 4-ply splendor.  The background is tweeded, with 2 ply each of white and pale aqua.  I decided to do the background in the mosaic stitch.  The first flamingo on the left is started in the Nobuko stitch.  All of the eyes will be smyrna crosses and the beaks will be alternating slanted gobelin.  I've extended the left edge of the canvas and will stitch an extended body of that green flamingo.  I also stitched 2 extra rows of mosaic on the top border and am considering adding 2 or 3 more rows to extend the size. 

Leaf medallion class, part 2

I worked alone in the shop today.  I did my good deed and called and left a message (again!) for a grandmother that her finished stocking was ready.  Thank goodness grandfather came running in to save the day.  Several other people stopped in so I was glad I was open until 2pm.  Needle Nicely is in a tourist town, so we are always open between Christmas and New Year's (closing New Year's Eve at 2pm).

I worked on my leaf medallion class.  I'm making progress.  I have decided to add a silk 'n ivory to my fibers, but it's a shade we're out of--hopefully it will be here Monday or Tuesday. 

Once again, I apologize.  I'm still using my scanner while Canon has my camera hostage.  I find out Tuesday whether they can repair it.  I finally talked with someone willing to acknowledge that a month was a little long to be fobbed off with "the part has been ordered". 

I'm up to 9 3/4" so I just have to decide on another one or two stitches.  Next week should show more progress on this, just in time to list it in the class schedule and determine what the class will cost.  And Wednesday I'll show my new home blog project (the leaf medallion is one I work on at the shop).  I confess that I have 2 projects to keep me from forgetting to bring my current project home or vice versa.  Life is simpler that way. 

I spent my afternoon baking a cake and making a cheese ball for tomorrow's festivities, just a quiet celebration with my husband and myself.

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and may we all have a profitable New Year!

Coral Class II, finished (almost!)

I can't believe that my blog entry about starting this class canvas was November 4.  It's amazing how time flies when you're doing a blog entry a day without a working camera.  I've gotten a lot of stitching done in the last month, just very little on this canvas.  And life seems to happen.

First, confession is good for the soul they say.  Hmmm.  Last week I was trying to hustle the completion of this when I noticed that my background count was off.  So, I blithely made it right and continued stitching.  No one will notice, I said to myself, the former library cataloger. 

Well, it was waving a red flag at me, so last night I cut it out and stitched it correctly.

Now I just need to complete stitching 3 rows of basketweave around the remaining 3 sides and it will truly be finished.  I've already selected the project that will replace it in my stitching life.

Leaf medallion class

Took the last of the Christmas stockings to the post office yesterday afternoon.  It's always such a relief when all of the items that customers expect actually are finished and on their way.  I expect one pillow on Monday that I wasn't sure the finisher could get done, but she made a special effort.  With that hurdle out of the way, I can concentrate on what I'll be teaching come "the season".  Demand for my classes has been down since the hurricanes (some people still haven't returned--just tried to sell their places and move on) and because of the slow economy.  Still, I try to find things that will catch people's interest. 

Today I worked on what I'll call my Leaf medallion class.  This is what I managed to stitch today in between waiting on customers and listening to Madame Butterfly from the Metropolitan Opera. 

This color is so off.  Canon is finally promising the return of my camera this week.  We'll see since it has already been over 3 weeks. 

Anyway, you can see where I didn't crop the bottom as closely as I usually do.  The canvas has a knot, so I need to make the stitch in that area cover it.  Something like a Scotch stitch or slanted gobelin should fit the bill.  Actually, even a tent stitch will cover it--knots can usually be forced to the back out of the way.

The fibers I'm using are splendor, silk lame braid, watercolors, and sparkle rays.  I started out with perle cotton, rather than the splendor, but it didn't cover well for the upright stitch. 

I want my finished design to be about 10x10 on 13m.  So far, I've got a 4x4, so I'll be spending some time flipping through stitch books for ideas.  More on this at a later date.

Mini-mystery#2 continued

I had a lot of fun stitching this.  Now I have to decide if I'm going to add anything else to it.  Laura has several suggestions on her blog (http://www.two-handedstitching.blogspot.com/)  In my earlier blog entry, I neglected to name the watercolors I selected--it's "Meadow", one of my all-time favorites because it looks like a spring meadow to me. 

First Blogiversary!

I can't believe how much I've learned about various aspects of technology in the past year.  Also, it has been wonderful to discover how helpful and welcoming people in "blogdom" can be.  And a tip of the glass to many more years.

On November 7, 2011, Laura J. Perin blogged about a mini-mystery design (two-handed stitcher).  I stitched this on 18m canvas and blogged about it on November 25, 26, and 27.  Then I thought about how it would look on 13m canvas. 

I apologize for the colors shown here--my camera still hasn't returned from its repair visit to Canon and this is the scan I did.  I haven't mastered tweaking colors on a scan like I have on my camera.  I do promise to photograph this when life returns to normal, i.e., I get my camera back.  (And I certainly never thought I'd say something like that about a camera pre-blog!) 

On 13m canvas this is almost 5 1/2" square.  I stitched it with 2-ply watercolors and used 2 shades of DMC perle 3 and 1 of sparkle rays.  I am toying with ways to enlarge it even further and will show my progress here.  Again, thanks to Laura for offering the mini-mystery.  It has been enjoyable.

Amanda Lawford boxes

I;m always looking for different ways to display stitched needlepoint.  That's why I was thrilled to see the boxes that Amanda Lawford is selling.

These have a 4" circle, which is a nice size that can even allow you to stitch something on 13mesh, though most designs are on 18mesh.  Amanda has a variety of designs available.  She also has a series of music boxes with an interchangeable music box element (so you can change the tune if you wish).  They come in different finishes.  This one could be for Valentine's Day, but as you can see the melody is "Winter Wonderland". 
 

Gone fishin!

Today started out inauspiciously at the shop.  I walked in the door, hit the light switches and immediately noticed a rolling black-out.  I don't understand how it works, but if the electric power isn't "full strength",  the light fixtures take turns being on.  And the air conditioner keeps trying to come on (nice way to burn one out!).  After turning everything off, I grabbed my cell phone (the shop phones don't work when the electricity is off) and called the town electric's emergency number.  Thank goodness Vero is a small town and it took less than 2 hours for the problem to be fixed.  Not quite long enough for the shop refrigerator to defrost, I'm sorry to say, since I've been procrastinating about tackling that little chore. 

But this blog is about needlepoint.  This is a fish purse canvas designed by Joanie Sherman.  It was fun to stitch.

Here you can see that I used the mosaic stitch for the teal stripes and the yellow areas of the tail.  I also did yellow smyrna crosses.  The red circles are Kreinik metallic.  The remainder of this view is done in basketweave or continental stitch in perle cotton.

The nose is done in the Victorian step stitch.  The fin which was on a separate piece of canvas was stitched in the mosaic stitch.











This is the finished purse--it was finished with a teal ultrasuede hard gusset and back.  The perle cotton shoulder strap was a mix of pink and teal.

You can see that the fin was lined and then attached to the purse.  It's enjoyable to carry since everyone notices it.  Thanks, Joanie.