Last year I made Halloween trees for my grandchildren (Yes sons, I did not do this for you…such is life.) I really wanted more lifelike trees but settled for Black Christmas tree like trees.  I would have posted these to my blog last year but we all know I am not the best at writing to the blog…And then too I was busy stitching and finishing. The response of my grandkids was too cute and worth all the work and all the reward I needed. How can one put a price on, “Oh Grandma, I love you!”

I charted one and gave to the local needlepoint shop to give away as a cross stitch or needlepoint freebie…a treat from me and them. Until this year I forgot to finish charting the designs and so they will not be released until next year…too late for this year. But I will share one with all of you…my treat. If you cannot read print the design from the blog, email me (sudu@kc.rr.com) and I will return the email with a PDF file attached. Please put Candy Corn pattern in subject line or you might go to the junk mail and that would be no treat.

The scissors are Flying Witch Scissors from Uncommon Scissors http://uncommonscissors.com/ although I think I may need (not want but need) to order black cat too, and maybe owl…and… Can one have too may scissors?

 And I almost forgot to bring my Halloween sewing box out…I blogged about this when it came back from the finisher…couldn’t wait to show it off Blog: http://sudukc.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=575)  then and then I forgot to bring it out with my witches.

It is too cute and took me forever to stitch…I am not a cross stitch person but in a weak moment had to have this… I think Just NAN (http://www.justnan.com/) does such cute things and I believe Silver Needle in Tulsa (http://www.thesilverneedle.net/index ) was my enabler.. I’m grateful she does lots of limited additions because I am so far behind the curve that usually they are all sold out by the time I see them. Probably a good thing for me otherwise I would have a box full of Just Nan UFOs and I don’t do much cross stitch.  

Happy Halloween and no tricks please.

ttfn…sue

I was reading blogs I bookmark this week-end and Jackie at Dog Daisy Chain http://dogdaisychains.blogspot.com/  posted an intriguing statement. “As I work on struggling to regain my creativity and meet deadlines, I envy those who are able to sit and hand sew.”

Do those that are paid for designing needlepoint struggle more with creativity than those of us that just stitch because it is cheaper than a shrink? Do deadline stifle creativity or enhance creativity? Does stitching other designers work or painted canvases stifle our own creativity?

Jackie went on to say that even if she doesn’t like a technique or piece she learns a lesson or technique that she “…promised myself I would return to. Other lessons were learned. Stored up for future use. You learn something with every piece you make.”

I agree, you learn from every piece you stitch. Whether it is a new thread or stitch you are going to love or hate; an idea or technique that helps with that “ah ha” moment for another project that has been waiting for that moment of enlightenment; or just something that does not work no matter how hard or long you try to make it work. I think we can learn from each other in a class, just stitching together, at a guild meeting or online. We are a social group and we learn by association. We offer our ideas and observations but the bottom line is whatever we chose to stitch and how we stitch it is our choice alone. There are no “stitch police” that are going to tell us we can’t do something.

What would needlepoint be like if we were all still stitching the continental stitch using silk or wool? We’ve come a long way and the future is unlimited by our own creativity. So next time you don’t feel very inspired or creative, just remember that someone out there may be inspired by your work.

And most of all remember… learning is being creative.

ttfn…sue

First, I need to apologize for not posting to my blog…life just gets in the way of my fingers. And sometimes it is a choice of reading all the really interesting blogs I have bookmarked or writing. Since I am more a verbal person the choice is easy for me I would rather here what you all have to say than write my blog.

That said, I found this very interesting give-a-way and it made me think about why I needlepoint…

http://artneedlepoint.com/

Why I Love Needlepoint…Share with us why you Love Needlepoint!
Please let us know three reasons why you like to needlepoint.
How often do you stitch?
Do you usually stitch alone or with other people?

My answer:

I have been needlepointing since I was about 8 yrs old with some time off to be a teenager and a young mother. Being a young mother I needed something to keep my sanity and needlepoint was cheaper than a shrink (reason 1). I tried cross stitch, it was less expensive but not as rewarding. I love to take a blank canvas, combine threads and stitches to make a design (reason 2). Today with all the threads, stitches, canvases and teachers available needlepoint is endless and such fun to do. Guilds, shop stitch-ins or just friends getting together is so rewarding and inspirational (reason 3). I think it is so rewarding to see all the different color and thread combinations that will be produced from a class project or just two people stitching the same painted canvas. Our personalities can shine and it also can be a history of our lives; when we look at our stitching we can usually remember what we were doing in out lives and how we were feeling. I try to stitch every day…A day without stitching is a day without sunshine. I love to stitch with friends but I also love to stitch alone…it really does not matter as long as I stitch!

Why do you needlepoint?

ttfn…sue

 Since I am having a spell of Frog Stitching, I decided to set aside and compute instead. I know that the way my week is going this may be risky, but I need to feel productive.

 Back in April…see I’m on top of things…I prefer to think of it as digesting, processing and implementing important information. Anyway Cyn Stitches of Windy Meadow wrote about how she keeps track of her needlepoint (http://cyns-stitches.blogspot.com/2009/04/journalling-needlework-april-9-2009.html) .

I have kept track of some of my needlepoint and am trying to be better about it since I ask my teachers and designers to please write down what they stitch as they are stitching it. It makes it so much easier to remember when you want to write the instructions or stitch guide. I keep a notepad next to my stitching area and try and remember to write down all important info. But like the Cobbler’s children I don’t always practice what I preach.

 This week I have been trying to update my stitching notebook. I have several types of entries.

Some of the older entries only have basic information: I do try to include designer/teacher if it is a painted canvas, kit, or class. 

Others have more: I like to always have a picture of the finished product and an up close photo if needed. I am trying to include area of stitching, stitch used, thread (name, color & number), and number of stands/ply used.

And some even have a stitch guide.

I prefer the last two stitch guides but I don’t always do this, but I am trying to be an example to myself and others.

 These are just some of the ways Iam trying to  keep track of my stitching. How do you keep track of your stitching?

ttfn…sue

Time must fly because I know I am not spending all mine. I blink and a week is gone; if I turn around the month has flown bye…can’t imagine what would happen if I fell down.

I have been working on documenting my pulled thread pieces and I’m also incubating ideas for the covering. I’m also stitching tombstone ornaments for my grandkids Halloween trees I started last year. One of my sons suggested I do stockings for them too…I think he was quite surprised when I told him they already exist; but since I do not do Christmas stockings for the little ones I figure Halloween would be a bit much. Anyway, I’m saving their teeth (they would expect me to stuff it with treats) and not stitching stockings.

But today in a blinding rainstorm…it wasn’t raining when I started to the framers and he is a ½ hour away…I picked up the Orna Willis piece I won my mistake last spring (See my blog: http://sudukc.wordpress.com/2009/03/07/finished-laying-threads/

http://sudukc.wordpress.com/2009/03/02/i-lay-i-layed-i-will-laythreads/

http://sudukc.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/sue-is-computing-and-stitching/)

I originally was gong to put it in a box but then decided to frame instead. I really like the way it turned out.

Oh drats, I just noticed I have a mistake in the tombstone…it is not centered.  I will be frog stitching tonight. But do you get the name: Kerry M Off (Carry ‘m off). I have Candy B. Good too… I think the names are pretty good maybe next year I’ll do Congress cloth and some of the epitaphs we have in a book; some are pretty funny. Okay I’m off to the graveyard to frog stitch.

ttfn…sue

My birthday isn’t for another week but my present came early. I have wanted a WWI embroidered postcard ever since I saw them a couple years ago at the Liberty Memorial WWI Museum (http://www.theworldwar.org). My wonderful husband (deserves more than usual designation of DH) told me to go for it…if I could find one for less than an arm and a leg I could get one. I found several I liked, I watched and bid on several on eBay (search: WW1 Silk Embroidered Postcard) but only won this one. It is my favorite and feel very lucky to have won it. Some are just postcards but this one is like an envelope with a small card inserted. Mine came from www.stamps-auction.com, isn’t it wonderful? Now I just have to get it framed.

 ttfn…sue

I’m having my cuppa and reading blogs this morning and have one of those “ah-ha” moments. You know this stuff in the back of head but it just doesn’t seem to surface until…

Kathryn at Threads of Desire http://threadsofdesire.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-floss-tosses-dont-always-work.html  or  (http://threadsofdesire.blogspot.com/ ) put it into words. Yes, I remember learning this in sewing class at school too, but Kathryn must be younger than I and so it is not buried as deep in her memory bank.

This is something we all need to be refreshed about; it makes a difference when stitching with different weights of threads or number of plies in the same piece.

For examples:

Using two different weights of thread to execute a stitch…

Couching a ribbon thread with 1 or 2 ply floss, especially if you want a self color couching.

Overstitching: layering threads over previously stitched areas.

Etc…

Some of these things we just do from habit  but occasionally we will have something not look quite right and as they taught us in art school…it is probably a color value mistake.

Isn’t it amazing what surfaces when we stimulate each other through our blogs!

ttfn…sue

I mentioned the Eagle canvas in a previous post. It is a perfect canvas to give to an Eagle Scout. I bought this one on Ebay and I keep looking for more. I have even looked for other Eagle designs I could use but so far have not found any others I like as well.

 I knew who the designer was and contacted her through her web page; it was stated that multiple canvases could be done of retired canvases. I received a brief email stating this canvas was no longer painted and that even multiple copies could not be ordered. I think this designer has even stopped painting canvases.

 I used the original canvas but I would like to do others for my other Grandsons as they reach the rank of Eagle Scout; I have possibly 5 more Eagle Scouts and maybe more (yes, I am going to be a Grandmother again.) And this is my quandary…if the canvas is not being reproduced,  am I going to be in copyright infringement if I adapt this canvas for my own use and never sell them?

 As I said I am still looking for these Canvases on eBay but have never seen another one in two years.

 What do you all think?

Ttfn…sue

    Easter time has lots of Random Stitched pieces. Bunny in yellow sweater was not meant to be a realistic interpretation of a bunny, but I stitched his fur like I thought a real bunny would look. On the face you can see all the stitches radiate from his nose. The ears are separated by a row of tent and are stitched to the contour of the shape. His paws were stitched in separate areas; each paw looked like I was three separate sections. 

Another whimsy bunny is the bunny in a carrot. His ears were Random Stitches and the thread, Peluche helped accent this stitch. In fact really long stitches could be used here since the thread had such great texture.

And my favorite bunny is Peter. Peter was a kit from Creative Needle (I think)… sometimes you still see him on Ebay. When I first went to work at a local shop, every Grandmother in our area stitched this bunny for her grandchildren…every grandmother but me. I just did not care for kits nor did I like the threads in this kit. Our store model sat right above our Epic threads and people would ask me how I liked Epic. I’d never tried it so all I could tell them was others who had stitched  with it seemed to like it. One day Peter and Epic threads came together in my head and so this Grandmother bought Peter and stitched him. The only threads from the original kit were the threads used in his eye, nose and mouth. His fur is 5 Epic threads, blended together. He is my favorite stitched bunny and probably one of the best Random Stitches I have stitched so far. 

The Tailor of Glostershire on my stitching bags is also Random Stitch. Again I probably used 6-8 different Epic threads.

The Eagle I did for my Grandson he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. The original canvas I bought on Ebay; I contacted the designer and was told the canvas was no longer painted and would not paint the multiples I requested! I wish I had kept the original canvas, but that’s another blog too.  Anyway, I used Caron Impressions for the white feathers on the eagle. I love the way he looks and if you notice where the white feathers meet the black body and wing…I stitched the white up to about an inch from the bottom, then I stitched the black areas, and then went back and stitched the rest of the white feathers.

And really the hair on the back of this angel from ABS Designs (http://thecapestitcher.blogspot.com/ or http://www.absdesignsonline.com/ )is Random Stitch too…Random Bullion Knots. You can see hoe the stitch overlaps here; it does not split the threads but it is the same technique, Sure glad this was a small area.

And here is Lucy…finally stitched. Lucy has 8 or 9 Epic threads for her fur. I like this Lucy but she is nowhere as cute as the real Lucy! My family thinks the needlepoint is wonderful, but then they like most things I stitch. I am showing you the back side too…I know this is not something we do very often but I want you to see that I am not methodical about where the Random Stitches are placed.

But the very best piece of Random Stitch I have ever done is Leopold (Leo just would not do) the Lion.

  He lives in New York with my friend Linda H. She gave him his own chair in a special place in her home. Leopold took almost a year to complete and he had at minimum 15 different Epic threads in his mane…a couple of these threads were just dye lot changes. Dyelot changes happen with space dyed and overdyed threads. Leopold could almost walk off the canvas, he is beautiful! I loved him even before he was finishhed into a big pillow and got his own chair!

And this is the Long & Short of Random Stitching!  ttfn…sue

 P.S. May not be back for a couple days, I have two student handbooks to update.

Before I ever stitch, I Goggle pictures of animals if I am not familiar with the animal to see how nature makes this animal’s fur/feathers grow (I did this for the eagle, Leopold, (more about these later) and I had the original picture I used to have Lucy painted). I look at the canvas and get an idea of how I want the fur to I look and visualize the stitched piece.  I visualize how I think the areas move or change and I begin to divide the areas into sections. You could make a copy of the canvas and draw lines on the copy to help if you are not a visual person. I look for starting points in the pictures; ( See the top drawing at left: everything somwhat radiates from the red dot but the red T are some of the parts in the fur…just like the parts in our hair.) Then find the best starting point on my canvas. Sometimes there is more than one starting point and sometimes it is not a point but a line or area. There is no one correct way…ever had a bad hair day?! (second drawing are suggsted stitching lines )  Then Unlike the diagram I am showing, I work in small sections. I will randomly pick an area and stitch the first line of fur (for our discussion the purple stitches shown on the diagram) then I will stitch the blue stitches. I fill in this area or sometimes will do several of these divisions (see Lucy picture yesterday); then I fill in these areas. I save the single overstitches until large areas are completed; then you can see the areas that need a different color or need to be lighter / darker.I try to make all the stitches work as I am stitching but I have done my fair share “Frog Stitching.”  I have even taken complete areas out, but like any technique, the more you use it the better you get. But the beauty of Random Stitching is that if you have the general direction of the fur correct, you can add subsequent layers of additional color to help make the fur realistic.

I do Random Stitching a bit different, but does that surprise anyone who knows me.

 #1: I use a Chenille needle (I use a Chenille needle for much of my stitching, but this is another day’s blog). Chenille needles are sharp and will pierce not only the threads but the canvas as well.  #2: And I stitch from the lower to the upper (clean hole to filled area.) I do this so I can change the direction of the line and still connect to previous stitches. Notice I did not say filled hole, you may not be using a filled hole…I have even been known to pierce the canvas threads if need be. I usually use a minimum of two strands/plies of thread when I am stitching the base layer and I try to split these strands/ plies as I stitch. The base of my Random Stitching is done the way diagramed but then the stitches on top are randomly stitched and can come up anywhere and go down anywhere.

 Another secret is the thread. I use mostly Epic yarns for my fur (http://www.epicyarn.com/index.html ). I have also used Felicity’s Garden and Newport Harbor threads from Rosebud Designs (http://www.rosebud-studio.com/yarn-menu.htm). All these threads have dyelot changes but when you are doing Random Stitch this doesn’t matter as it would if you were stitching a background with this thread, you want the subtle changes of color for fur.

 This is a brief general method of how I stitch Random Stitching. My best advice, jump in and try it, practice, practice, practice. Next blog I’ll show you some of the feathers and furs I have stitched.

ttfn…sue