The cuff on the hat has a body

Yes, moving on, and I added his head and his body in Petite Frosty Rays in a brick stitch. Then his little pink heart for his cheek is worked in Mandarin Floss--stitched twice to pad it. His carrot nose is worked in Neon Rays--also stitched twice. I used Petite Frosty Rays instead of the called for Neon Rays because it has the gold strand in it. I think it looks like the marks on a carrot. Then, I used Sparkle Rays to make the French knots for the coal eyes and mouth.
Thanks again to Cheryl for allowing me to blog this design!

Percy is finally strutting his stuff!

Since the middle of last week, Percy is now putting on a show several times a day. He hops up on the back of the rollback truck and prances by my window! Pretty soon, he starts fluffing his tail....He starts to strut back and forth........

and shows off his behind first with all those downy feathers on his back
and then will turn and show the full display! He prances about..for quite a while like this.....

turning every which way to make sure we see him!
We are still having a great time with people who come in and say "did you know there is a peacock out there?" LOL and, others "where is the peacock?, I brought the kids!"

Meanwhile, we will just keep feeding him.....and now there is talk of a pea hen!

Patchwork Snowman

Now, I would like to introduce you to Patchwork Snowman by Cheryl Schaeffer! I purchased this canvas and stitch guide from my LNS as soon as I saw it--it will be another gift. I would like to thank Cheryl Schaeffer for her gracious approval to blog stitch this piece. I would also like you to visit her charming website and see the over three hundred items in her catalog!

http://www.cherylschaeffer.com/index.html

And the stitching begins! I have done the Turkey Work in Mandarin Floss and Sparkle on the cuff on the hat as well as the pom pom. You will notice I have not cut and trimmed it as yet. I will wait and do that after I have stitched all the surrounding areas. I have also outlined the hat in a tent stitch using Splendor.

This will be lots of fun, and I hope you come back often to see the progress!

The box for #10

Here is the Kick Back and Stitch, number 10, finished and ready for the party! I did this box the same as the last one. The inside is sprayed with the suede paint, and the exterior has been painted with the gold. After applying the canvas to the top with glue, I also glued the gold Christmas trim all the way around the edges to finish it.

Les Ballons is finished!

This is a stunning piece! If you have it in your stash, by all means stitch it! I finished the upright cross stitches with the Watercolours. Next, I added Delica Beads, color 165, and then used the Watercolours to do the VanDyke border stitches and the diagonals on the opposite sides of the circle. Last I added more of the Delica beads in the diagonal stitches.
It not only works up quickly, but as with all the Kick Back and Stitch, has wonderful instructions and a multitude of color ways.
I am working on the finishing and you will see that in a day or two!

Midnight Garden box

This shot shows you the top and the side of the box. I purchased a wooden box with lid. I sprayed the inside with spray Suede. It took a couple of coats, but alleviates the need to line it with fabric. I then sprayed the outside and top of the box with gold. I next pulled the canvas over the top and cut it to fit the top. I then glued all four sides to the top. Next I folded the corners and glued those. Last, I glued the velvet rick rack ribbon around the edge.

The top view shows the ribbon bow I tied to the top. This will be for a special pin to be attached to the top, by the recipient.

Les Ballon

This is the next Kick Back & Stitch design by Terry Gifford that I am working. This is another gift that I need to complete for an upcoming birthday. The original is pictured in greens but this recipient likes these colors. I created the circle by stitching Smyrna's around the design with Perle Cotton. Then the interior Smyrna's are done using Pebbly Perle, P86. I attached the blue metallic bugle beads, passing through twice, with a dark purple beading thread. Last, I started the upright cross stitch using DMC Jewel Effects. I have changed the fibers called for in the design in order to shop my "stash".
I have been finishing for the last couple of days, and by tomorrow hope to have at least one photo for you to see of those!

The Royal Angel

Yes, I finished all the border stitching tonight! The Dalmatian is ready to finish. Jane in Chilly Hollow is writing the finishing instructions for those of us that are stitching these Guardian Angel Pets so I will set this aside for a while. I will post a photo when he is all finished and ready to fly to Chilly Hollow.
Thanks to Kandace Merric for allowing us to stitch these for the ANG auction and to take liberty with her instructions so that each one will be unique!

We have wings!

I worked on the wings last night. I finally decided on the Angel's Wings pattern in Linda Corirossi's book, Canvas Embellishment, Exquisite Needlepoint Stitches Made Simple. It suggested using two different fibers. I did the first pass in Neon rays. Then, I did four or five other threads and did not like any of them! I finally settled on the #12 Kreinik braid in color 100. I finished it tonight. Then I resumed the basketweave around the outside edge. I made it to around the bottom of the top overskirt. It is the home stretch!

A Halo and more background

I used some of the blue Goldrush and two strands of the gold and braided a halo for this angel. Then I started filling in the background around the win and down to the top of the overskirt. Tomorrow I will fill in the wings and hopefully get a little more background done!

That's some collar!

I finished the background around his head and back stitched clear down to the start of the wing and then over a little bit. I then got the 002HL #8 Kreinik to do the needle lace collar. I put it in and did not like how it looked. Sooooo, I took it all back out! I thought it was too lacy for the geometric lines of his royal coat. I pushed the chair over in front of the bookshelf and cruised until I found the Diagonal Weaving stitch. The lines flow with the robe, in my humble opinion, and I hope Kandace approves!

He's back......

No, I haven't forgotten Mr. Tudor dog. You can see I have been working on him along with the finishing of the other two pieces. I did his head using four strands of black and white DMC, and outlining his head with a single strand of black. His eye has a tiny French Knot for his highlight. And, I have done a lot of background on him. I have the collar, his halo and the wings left to do. And, a lot more background! He will be done before we know it!

Finishing the Holly ornament

I decided it was time to finish the Holly ornament by Jody Designs. http://www.jodydesigns.com/ This is laid out on a piece of black so that you can see what I am using. On the top left is a piece of white velvet and the top right is a copy of the completed design. On the bottom right is a green ribbon that matches the left side of the holly. In the middle is a piece of foam, and the right bottom is the finished piece, with the muslin strips still attached from being attached to the frame.

First I cut out the piece from the canvas, and to the right of it, the piece of corresponding velvet for the back. On the bottom row, is the paper copy cut to size of the stitching and on the right is the piece of foam cut this same size. Actually two of them, as I need one for the front and one for the back.

I then shaped the front and the back around one of the pieces of foam, each. I also glued the green ribbon that will be the hanger to the back. Jody provides the ribbon for you and if you look at the top of the photo you will see the gold label with her name on it. I wanted to include this on the ornament as well.

I then glued the front and the back together and let it dry overnight. Last, I glued the green trim around the outside edge.

I mailed this piece to my sister in Grand Rapids with her recent birthday card. She just loves it! I talked to her last night so I know she has it and therefore was able to post the final pictures.

Jody Designs now has a presence on Facebook if you would like to stop by and see what is going on over there!

Everyone has dibs on this one!

I finished it! The background worked up very quickly! Since the recipient is a blue fan, I am sure she is going to love it! I will be putting it on the box and will post a photo for all of you as soon as I complete it. I added the final coat of paint to it today.
I am glad you all like this one and apologize for starting any battles over it. I however, am going to Anne's for my birthday as she gets chocolate turtles! Yum!
I have a couple of other designs by Kick Back and Stitch that you will see in the future. Maybe there will be another one in blue, and pick and silver!

Not quite.....almost!

I thought I would get this done tonight, but the best laid plans.......Anyway, I did do the crescents on the vertical diamonds with the navy Kreinik and added in the beads on the sides of each. Then I started the background with two strands of DMC 822. When I first got home from work, I added another coat of gold spray to the box it will go on as well. Now, I know I will finish it tomorrow night!
The Kick Back and Stitch patterns are great to work with as they list a multitude of color combinations and you can create your own as well. Picture this done in purples, blacks, off whites, or even reds and greens as a Christmas ornament.

Some blue and some gold

Tonight I added the #8 Kreinik in navy on the horizontal diamonds. I also added three gold beads at each point. Next I added the single ply of gold thread to the vertical diamonds. This afternoon, I painted the box that this goes on with a spray gold. I also sprayed the inside with a couple of coats of suede in a beige. I hope to finish the stitching on this tomorrow night!
By the way, thanks for all the great comments and requests for this piece for your birthday too! I will have to keep that in mind! LOL

I am also working on

Yes, I am working on XOctagon #10. This is the piece I worked on at the Super Bowl. First I used Rainbow Gallery Tiara and did the Smyrna Cross stitches. Then using Perle 5 in the powder blue, I did half crosses along each side of and between the Smyrna Crosses. Then using five different shades of DMC floss, I worked the diamond pattern that are horizontal, and then the vertical one. Next I used gold to fill in the horizontal diamonds. Last, I used navy blue Rainbow Gallery Very Velvet to do the dark blue outlines on the vertical diamonds. I will work on this for a couple of days to get it finished as it will be a birthday present. I will also be working background on the Tudor Dog to catch up around the stitched elements.

What I did....

Remember last night, I said I could not decide about the underskirt border? After I finished the blog, I sat looking through the instructions and the photo, and I figured it out! The overskirt border was to start in the center under the sleeve and make the curved shaped up to the top of the piece, in an entirely different pattern! I had misunderstood. So, I decided that I would continue the same pattern for both skirts so it all matches. I really did not want to rip all that out and start over. I think it looks just fine....that is just my opinion, but I am staying with it. I also added the Mill Hill Petite beads, 42041 to the center of the gold designs in the sleeve. I finished the background on the left under the paw, and then started the background on the right at the bottom edge of the skirts.

The bordered underskirt

Adding the border on the underskirt was a bit of indecision for me. I could not quite tell the direction I was to follow for the top, so as always, I did what I thought looked the best. I started with the Kreinik gold and worked oblong cross stitches vertically at the bottom of the underskirt. Then I worked horizontal stitches across the top of it. Then I outlined the entire thing, again using the gold. Last, I put in upright cross stitches to fill in the X created by the oblong cross stitches. This is one classy angel!

The Royal Bodice

I started the bodice by working a diagonal Mosaic stitch in the blue Gold Rush. Next the Mistake Stitch using the 002HL was put in the center of the Mosaic pattern. Last, a single French Knot is in the center using the 032 pearl Kreinik. Then, I finished compensating the sleeve to sit next to the bodice. I stitched the paw using four strands of DMC black and white.
I started the basketweave next to the paw and since the Splendor 961 is so close to the white, I outlined with a single strand of the black to distinguish the paw from the background.
This is stitching so quickly, maybe because he thinks royalty is entitled to such!

Fancy Schmanzy

First, I finished the flower medallion by using the gold braid to fill in the small straight stitches on top of the previously finished tent stitches. I also filled in another compensating row on the top and side. I had decided not to put in the called for flower thread but instead filled in the sleeve with the repeat pattern to make it a more solid design. I hope that makes sense to you. It is supposed to look like the material was "pinked" on the blue thereby allowing the gold flowers to show through and I thought by making the gold flower more predominant the blue would recede. I think it worked. The directions call for an upright cross stitch over the center of the flower using the pearl braid. I put in a couple and did not like them. I am thinking a bead....... Anyway, I then put in the two rows of tent stitches in Kreinik 002HL on the sleeve. I then laid two long stitches of Gold Rush between the tent stitches. Next using the 002HL, I worked the plaited cross stitch over the long stitches.
Last, I moved down and filled in the basketweave out past the edge of the sleeve.

Beginning a royal sleeve

I started the sleeve tonight by changing the six strands of DMC floss for the Gold Rush I used on the outerskirt. First I worked the cross stitches and then the upright cross stitches. Next, I used the Kreinik 002HL gold to create the flower medallion in the center of each design with tent stitches. I also put in a little more of the background under the sleeve, and defining it for completing the rest of the sleeve.
I have been checking my stitch books for a possible variation for the wings and have come up with a couple of possibilities, but we still have time to decide.

Blame it on the Super Bowl

So sorry there is not an update on the Tudor Dog tonight. We attended the annual super bowl party with a group of our friends. I did take some stitching to work on, but did not get enough done to post a photo, and you will see the project in the future--promise! Tomorrow night I will be back working on the Tudor Dog. Hope you come back to see what I accomplish!