A Little More Finishing

These photos are of some items I finished myself. Last year I went to Syracuse & took a finishing class with Pat Mazu (my stitching sister was supposed to come but she opted for emergency gall bladder surgery instead). Last year I finished a few items myself, but never did the detail work on them, like closing them up & putting the little hangars on the ornaments. The class gave me a whole new appreciation for finishing. This batch is a group of Teeny Mittens & Socks from my Fireside Stitchery Club. They are really fun to stitch & come with great little stitch guides. I learned that it is very, very difficult to turn a mitten thumb. Very Difficult.

This next batch are some teeny mittens I picked up at our LNS. The one with the "D" was the first one I did, & then my DH & DD became jealous as to why there were no mittens with their initials on them. So, I picked up a few more teeny mittens, & embroidered on some initials. Frank pretty much lost his thumb on his mitten. Oh well. My grandmother always said it was the imperfections that made hand made items perfect. You're right, Nanny.

These are two more small boxes that I finished on my own. I did these from some charts that were in Needlepoint Now in the September/October 07 issue. I have the materials to do the rest---I did one other that I finished last year. The other boxes remain on "The List." It's gloomy here in NY---so much for my plan to sink my toes into the sand at a local beach for a few hours. Working on the Ponza canvas has made me want to hear the ocean a little. But not today. I will have to be satisfied with stitching. Sigh. :)

Enjoy the rest of the weekend....Denise

A Whole Lotta Finishing Going On

While I have been busily stitching away on my Ponza canvas (I will post a photo of my progress soon, I promise), quite a few things have come back from the finishers. Here are some candy canes for you to check out.

I think they are fabulous! Some folks like a bunch of ruffled ribbons on top; I prefer not, as I think it takes away from the stitching. Not that I think too much glitz at Christmas is a bad thing, though!

Here are a few more candy canes. You might notice that there's still one missing.

Our LNS says there's no rhyme or reason as to what comes back first. As our LNS has closed for almost 2 weeks, it will be a while before I see any more finishing. Luckily, though, I've saved up more finishing to show you all on another post--including a few I finished on my own!

Enjoy the weekend! D

Merry Christmas Mystery Class

Just opened my newsletter from Bedecked and Beadazzled and Ruth announced the canvas for her next mystery class which begins in October. It is a Raymond Crawford canvas that has all different Christmas designs in the border and the center of the canvas says Merry Christmas. I can only imagine what magic Ruth is going to work on this. Check it out on her website http://www.bedeckedandbeadazzled.com/ and click on news and events. In Ruth's newsletter she said that the class is limited so if you are interested sign up soon. What a fun project to get us all in the Holiday spirit.

Progress is really coming along on the Mellow Background. Will post a picture as soon as I have the background done.

Linda

Magi of the Orient

Last night I finished the Magi of the Orient and this morning I mailed both Jen's and mine off to Amy for finishing. They will get to Amy before the Christmas cut off so we should have all six pieces this year for Christmas.

I thought this was going to be a quick stitch since it really did not have any composite stitches but I was wrong. Never seem to complete them in under two and a half weeks. Amy as always did a fantastic job in her stitch and thread selection. The detail on all these pieces is amazing. The Angel of the Lord should be arriving any day. I want to get the background done on Mellow Yellow, the long distance class I am taking with Ruth Schmuff, before I start the Angel. Hopefully, this will not take long since it is on 13 mesh but again the background is a three stitch process.

Linda

A New On-Line Community

Ruth Schmuff of Bedecked and Beadazzled has just started a new on-line community for us. It is called Stitcherie. I just joined and cannot wait to start communicating with fellow stitchers. Ruth just announced Stitcherie on her blog, It's Not Your Grandmother's Needlepoint, today.
In her announcement, she says that it is a community for all needlework skill levels and is designed for us to come together to discuss projects, ask questions, share our ideas and just have fun. You can join groups or start your own and even post pictures of projects you are working on. What a wonderful idea. Thank you Ruth for opening up another line of communication for us stitchers.

Linda

Ruth Schmuff

Here is a picture of my next project. It is a Melissa Shirley canvas with stitch guide by Ruth Schmuff of Bedecked and Beadazzled. Ruth is not only a very smart business woman but she is also a fabulous designer. Ruth has done an amazing stitch guide for this canvas and her thread selection is spectacular. The class is taking place in her store and meets about once a month. Each class is a total mystery. You do not know what section is being done and you have no idea what it will look like until the day of the class. I am taking the class "long distance". My stitch guide and threads are mailed to me right after the class is held. This is such a fun concept. The best part about it is that you are always surprised with the next step and it keeps you wanting to come back to see what wonderful idea Ruth comes up with for the next section. Another great part of this class is that you pay as you go along. You do not have a large expense for the class all at once. It is spread out over the length of the class. In today's economy, this is a real plus. You do not have to think twice about taking a class because of the cost. Now you get to pay for it as you go along.
Ruth is going to be doing another Mystery Class starting some time in October. It is called Merry Christmas. I cannot think of a better way to get into the holiday spirit. I do not know any of the particulars on what the design will be but knowing Ruth you can be guaranteed that it will be gorgeous.

If you are lucky enough to live near Cockeysville, Maryland, you can take a class from Ruth directly. Unfortunately, I do not live close enough to go for a one day class but I can still partake by doing the long distance class. Ruth is very good about answering any questions you might have and will usually answer your questions within 24 hours or less. If you have never been to her store Bedecked and Beadazzled, please treat yourself and go visit. Every time I go visit, I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. The store itself is beautifully displayed and the selection of threads and canvases just take your breathe away. I try to visit at least once a year. A must to add to your list of stores to visit.

Linda

Painter's Windowbox

Here is my most recent completion. I think it just jumped into the lineup because of its bright colors & the fact that it's on 14 mesh canvas; sometimes, you just need something that doesn't have teeny holes.

I did the window section (where the orange window frames are) using Water & Ice, in the clear & in the blue tinted colors. I think it made the blue nicely intense, reflecting a beautiful summer day (which we've had very few of here in NY, I might add). The orange window frame was carefully laid in gobelin. I did the leaves in all different stitches, wanting them to be from different types of plants; I just kept reaching for my books, looking up "leaves," & trying something new as it caught my eye. Most of the threads are Needlepoint Inc. silks and some Vineyard Silk (for the browns). The flowers were my favorite part, in ribbons of varying diameters, between 4 mm & 7 mm, in both solids & variegated.

I am going to drop this off tomorrow at my LNS to have a pillow made...what do you guys think? Frame it out? What kind of trim, if any?

I was able to pick up the thread I needed to finish the water on my Ponza canvas. Hopefully, I will be done with the water this weekend & show you my progress.

Have a great weekend!! Denise