A Couple More Blogs of Note

Sharing two more blogs I love today, hope you'll take a peek at them both!

 The Twisted Stitcher is mainly a cross stitch blog, but Vonna is also a professional finisher who very generously shares her methods and techniques, many of which work for needlepoint as well.  She is a genius at organizing and shares her expertise there too.  You'll also find reviews of just about every stitching frame & lamp there is.  All that plus recipes and very inspirational stitching in this very well written and thoughtful blog!

Just Another Button Company You may have seen and used JABC's cute buttons on a project, but have you seen the fabulous ideas and projects featured on their blog?  You have to check them out! Not needlepoint, but lots of felt, embellishing and other ideas and inspiration that could easily translate into needlepoint.  

More Blogs to Follow!

A while back I shared a few of my favorite needlework related blogs I follow,  here are a couple more I think you'll like:

Melita Stitches 4 Fun:  Melita Glavin is a counted canvas designer and a prolific stitcher who is always trying new things and sharing them on her blog.  Her recent forays into weaving and basket making made for interesting reading.  She keeps her readers up to date on needlework related news and events as well, including American Needlepoint Guild projects.  The best parts are following along with what she's stitching, as well as her own designs and creative process.  

The Copper Fox: I could not resist including this blog, even though it is cross-stitch rather than needlepoint.  It is what I call a "feel-good" blog because it is so cozy and creative and inspiring.  Plus she has kitties, LOL!  Her cross-stitch projects are always beautiful, but I always enjoy her thought process behind what she chooses to stitch.  I enjoy the occasional peeks into her creative spaces too.  There are recipes and home-keeping tips as well, but the best part of all are her Christmas Open House posts, which are all archived on the site.  Take a look, you won't be disappointed!

Spooky Saturday!

More cutie than spooky really!  I wanted to share two great stitched Halloween designs, the first being from Mary at the Owl Stitchery blog.  She had the fantastic idea of adding a checked border to my Halloween Night Collage.  I love it!  Really sets off the design nicely, I'm kind of wishing I had actually painted a border on the original canvas now!  Great work Mary!  Read more about it on her blog here.

This is my Halloween Sampler Cone stitched by Jennifer T.  Can't wait to see it again when it comes back from finishing rolled up into its cone shape and loaded with goodies and embellishments!

It's needlepoint, so it's never too early to be stitching for Halloween or for Christmas either!  I'm working on a series of ornaments right now.  Happy Stitching! 

Cats and Birds Make For Some Great Finishing!

Cats and birds go together like oil and water, but together they do make for some pretty creative and fun finishing to show off this week!   Here are three of my Holiday Birds series canvases finished into a very one of a kind vertical garland:

Pretty nifty, right?  That is the kind of outside-the-box thinking that you get from the creative mind of Sue Parsons at West Coast Finishing, who came up with this clever way to combine two "landscape" shaped ornaments with one "portrait" shape.  Thanks so much to Pat Thompson who stitched this trio and shared her photo, great work Pat!

And another amazing finish of a relatively simple and small canvas belongs to Diane Gasior, who stitched my "Peek-a-Boo Kitty" and sent it to Mountain Shadow Studio for this incredible piece:

Look at these great details:

Hand painted details on the finial and a perfectly matched lamp work bead for the topper-- that is some top-notch work from the team at Mountain Shadow, love it.  It is a perfect complement to Diane's lovely stitching-- I am crazy about that background stitch!

And here is a photo of Diane's inspiration to stitch this design-- her daughter's cat, Ramona:

Look at that sweet face, isn't she a beauty? She reminds me so much of my own sweet Pooh Bear, who inspired me to paint the canvas design.  Cats are obviously very good muses!

As always, if you have any EyeCandy of your own to share, please do send me a photo so I can brag about you here! :)  Thanks for looking, see you back soon! 

Halloween, Already??

No, Halloween is definitely a couple months away still, but of course you have noticed that many stores have started to put out the Halloween stuff already.  I'm always happy to see it though, even if it is only August.   I have some nice Halloween finishes to show you, both new and old.

This is Diane's great finish of my Fall Tree.  I love the pink trim and the pom-pom bow topper! 

Courtesy of Needlepoint.com in Raleigh, NC is this oldie but a goodie, my Halloween Sampler finished as a cute pillow:

Elizabeth just recently finished two more of my Vintage Halloween Pails, they look great and she's gotten them back just in time for Trick or Treating! 

Linda at Split the Needles blog did an amazing job on my Monster Mash cone and her finisher really went to town with the embellishments-- love it!!

 

Suzy has done a fabulous job stitching her Monster Mash cone too, but will it come back from the finisher in time for Halloween?  Maybe, but in the meantime, we can get a really good look at her very creative stitches:

See you next time with even more Halloween treats!

New Online Mystery Class with Sandy Arthur-- Mod Ornaments!

How exciting is this?  Sandy Arthur, the author of the fabulous "Shapes of Needlework" book series and a nationally acclaimed teacher has chosen my "Mod Ornaments" canvas for her next online Mystery Class!  Sandy is an amazingly creative designer and I cannot wait to see what she will do with this canvas.

Here's a look at the design:

Here is some information about the class from Sandy:

Class registrations are being taken up until September 15th,  with a start date in November.  I cannot wait to see the first lesson!  It seems far away now, but time will be up before you know it, so be sure to register and get your canvas ordered if you need one. Be sure to visit Sandy's blog to get the rest of the details-- click here.

See you in class!

Market Week Miscellany!

Happy New Year!! Hope your holiday season was a great one!  Mine was pretty busy, since in addition to all the holiday activities I have been preparing for the upcoming TNNA market in San Diego, as well as trying to decide on a canvas for the 2014 Stitching Games over on Stitcherie.  Maybe things will slow down a little in February, I hope!

Before I get to that stuff, I have a cute finish to show off.  Linda from the blog "Split the Needles" posted her finished "Fred" recently and it came out super cute!  This is my Peeky Kitty canvas with a lot of creative enhancement by Linda and Susan Portra.  Great work ladies, and thanks for sharing!

Next, this is the canvas I am considering stitching for this year's Stitching Games.  It's one of my own designs, the Witch's Garden Collage.  I anticipate a busy year, so I thought I had better kill two birds and get some model stitching done at the same time!

Lastly, here is a sort-of preview of what will be new in my Winter 2014 collection.  My little "Cardinal Joy" canvas from last winter's collection was a big hit, so I'm adding three companion pieces, "Love", "Merry" and "Bright".  Pop in back here next week to check them out!

Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Things to Remember About Memory Thread

Reading the Bedecked and Beadazzled newsletter this month I was reminded of just how fun it is to work with DMC Memory Thread!  The "Technique of the Month" for November is applications with Memory Thread and you should definitely check it out (if you haven't already), click here. 

This is the first project where I used Memory Thread, on my Floating Hearts canvas.  This was a featured project in the May 2010 of Needlepoint Now. I needed to "clean up" the edges of my hearts because of all the compensated stitches and Memory Thread couched around the hearts fit the bill perfectly!  As you can see, you can couch it singly or with two or more strands side by side.  

It worked fabulously for the smaller companion design, Floating Flowers as well!

This is a detail of a flower from my Wedding Cake Slice, where I used Memory Thread for both the outside edge and for four of the petals too:

The Cake Slice as completed:

Leave it to Ruth Schmuff to find a really innovative use for Memory Thread rather than just outlining with it-- she used it to pad the candy canes on my CandyLand Christmas canvas.  Here is the first layer:

And here is the final layer with the Frosty Rays stitched over the top of the Memory Thread:
 

Great effect, right?  I love how it makes it both dimensional and gives it that nice, clean edge as well.  See more of the magic Ruth worked on this canvas here.

Hope this has been informational and inspirational too!  Until next time, Happy Stitching!

Friday Finishing!

I went away for a week to visit the Outer Banks area of North Carolina and then came home to a flood of finishing! What a nice treat, I'll have to try that more often! 

Do you recognize my Spring Garden Biscornu, pictured below?  It's amazing how different it looks stitched on a green canvas (rather than the pink I used) and with different threads and buttons.  Jana Bendawald stitched this gorgeous variation using her stash threads and her antique button collection.  Thank you so much for sharing Jana!

Here is the reverse side of Jana's biscornu:

The original design was published in the Nov/Dec 2012 issue of Needlepoint Now, available from your local needlework store or direct from the publisher.

Linda blogged last week about her finish of my Peeky Kitty canvas that she stitched using a Susan Portra stitch guide.  You may remember me posting a photo of this one half-finished just a couple of weeks ago-- I was so excited about it I couldn't wait until it was done!  It was worth the short wait, as I knew it would be, how gorgeous is that fish border??  Be sure to read more about it on Linda's blog, where you will get to see a photo of "Fred", who was the inspiration behind this piece!  Beautiful work Linda, thanks for posting your work!

And in yet another great blog posting from last week, Diane shared her experience with stitching my Fall Tree canvas.  She has posted lots of great detailed photos of her process as well as some great tips on stitching with DMC Memory Thread.  Here is a picture of her stitched canvas, which is now on it's way to the finisher:

Wonderful work, Diane, thanks for "taking the time" to write such a detailed and informative post! Will look forward to seeing this one again post-finishing.

The stitch guide for this canvas also appeared in Needlepoint Now in the Sept/Oct 2010 issue.

Thanks so much for stopping by, I hope you have enjoyed the photos!  Next week I will share some of my new designs for Summer 2013!

A Tale of Two Kitties

It would serve me right if you never read my blog again after making a pun this dreadful, but having two cute kitties to show you today, I just couldn't resist!  

First off, here is my Purr More, Hiss Less canvas, stitched by Ann LaPlante and finished by West Coast Finishing, who always seem to add the cutest little feet-- it's really getting to be their signature I think!  I love that glamorous black ruffle trim too.  Great job stitching Ann, and great job finishing Sue, thanks to you both for sharing your work with me!

I'm showing this one too, even though it is still in progress.  I saw this on the blog "Split the Needles" and was absolutely smitten!   I'm hoping that Linda, the blog author who's stitching this, will see and know that I am cheering her on to finish this one.  The fish border that she is adding to my Peek A Boo Kitty canvas is absolutely inspired.  Talk about adding your own personal touch to a canvas, this one is really her very own now.  I have seen this design stitched several times and I am amazed that so far no two are especially alike.  This one is for sure the most unique so far, so please do be sure to send me photo if you have your own version of this canvas you would like to show off.  

  

Hope you have enjoyed my very punny post today, thanks for stopping by! 

Traveling Shoes

This month is cut out to be an especially busy one for me, so I knew that if I was going to finish my Stitching Games clue for May, I had better change my last-minute ways and get it done first thing.  It didn't hurt that the clue for May was an easy one (at least for me it was!) "Road Trip" was our clue and I stitched my gal some traveling shoes--  since she doesn't have a broom, she'll be clicking those sparkly  heels together to do her road-tripping! 

And since we are on the subject of witches, here's a couple of nice photos of my Witch Hat Halloween Star from over on Kreinik's blog, where they used it for a demo of their fabulous new Easter Braid thread. (Yep, it's not just for Easter canvases!)

Thanks for looking, hope you all are having a wonderful (and stitchy) Spring!

Stitchy Stuff

I realized it's been a while since I updated you on the Stitching Games over on Stitcherie.  Last month's clue was "Cheese",  so I stitched in my the face and hair on my canvas, with the story that my Little Witch (canvas by Patty Paints) was getting ready for picture day at Spell School.  Making up the stories that go along with these clues add so much fun to the actual stitching-- go check out the discussion group over on Stitcherie to see what I mean, our participants have really come up with some entertaining yarns (no pun intended!)

Next up is a fabulous stitch of my Pirate Mermaid by Andrea K of Stitch by Stitch in Larchmont, New York.  Great work, love the beads!  Be sure to check out the shop blog to see more! 

And lastly, here is a stitched and in the finishing process Garden Party Heart by Jeannine Bartnicki of BeStitched Needlepoint in Scottsdale, Arizona.  She has Carolyn Hedge Baird of the Chaparral in Houston choosing ribbons from the shop's extensive ribbon selection for the finisher to use when fabricating this into a pillow.  I cannot wait to see it when it comes back!

Hope you've enjoyed looking, I'll be back by the weekend with more from Crazy Patch Boo-nanza!

New Finishing and a Stitching Games Update

I have some really cute new finishing to show off today!  First of all is my Candy Cornucopia, stitched by Sandy with finishing by Barbara's Needlepoint, who always does a great job on their box finishes-- to check out the one they did with my Candyland Christmas, click here!  The stitching on this piece is amazing, they used my stitch guide as a starting point but did they ever expand and improve upon it!  The lettering is a great touch and I really admire how it is very whimsical in style but still easy to read.

In the detail photo below you can see the cute ribbons and buttons they added to the candy-- I love the extra dimension and texture they add!

Additionally, Barbara's Needlepoint intends to teach this piece in a class later in the year, I'll post more details when they are available.  

Thanks to Stephanie Wong for sharing photos of her finished Candyland Christmas with me-- she took it to Marlene's in San Francisco and had it finished into this fabulous leather purse, complete with a gorgeous green lining and monogramming!  It came out really great and I can only imagine the complements she's going to get carrying it around-- thanks Stephanie!

And though you've undoubtedly seen this already on Ruth's blog, I just couldn't resist showing it off one more time-- this is Ruth's own finished Garden Party Heart, done up in pink and green with cute felt "buttons".  Love it Ruth!!

Finally, here's an update on my Stitching Games progress: the canvas I chose was this, Ethel the Little Witch by Patty Paints.  The clue for January was "shape up" so I went for the very obvious interpretation and stitched her corset.  I used Neon Rays Plus and Sundance Beads in Criss Cross Hungarian.

That's it for now folks, thanks for looking and hope you are having a great week!  

Finishing Up the Year!

Happy New Year everyone!  Many hopes and wishes for all of us to have a great 2013!  Here are a couple of new finishes to close out 2012-- Linda from the Split the Needles blog just received her Garden Party Heart back from the finishers and it looks great, just check out that wrapped cording on the edge!

Ruth Schmuff had to show off the wonderful framing job done for Lisa's CandyLand Christmas, read more about it on her blog:

Looking forward to many more great finishes in the year ahead!  Happy Stitching to all!

Still More Kits!

Ruth just recently added my Halloween Collage to the list of canvases with stitch guides, and this one is by Julia Snyder herself, no less!  Look at all those great threads and beads, you know it's going to be good!

Here are the thread kits for my Fall Tree and Winter Tree, with stitch guides published in Needlepoint Now magazine.  Thanks so much to Melinda from Living the Good Life blog for her lovely photos!

The wonderful folks at Peacock Alley Needlepoint pulled these pretty threads for my Halloween Star:

The Pockettes at Pocket Full of Stitches were intrepid enough to put together thread kits for my Prismatic Quartet design, also published in Needlepoint Now.  These are the threads for just ONE of the four sections!

Threads of Virginia designed a stitch class using one of my Halloween Topiaries and now the instructions and kit are available to all, so give them a call if you are not local and they'll be happy to send this beauty your way!

Hope this has helped you to fill out that shopping list a little further!  Until next time, Happy Holidays and Happy Stitching!