The Evil Eye-UPDATE

I stitched all the dark french knots at the top of the head and I had the canvas upside down. I was using six strands of DMC 3799 and doing two wraps on them. When I stopped stitching, and turned the canvas right side up to take the photo, I realized just how evil looking this guy is tonight! I am sure he will get friendlier when I tone down the dark color!

To SF Sunset: The lid set for the Tooth Fairy Box came with the kit I bought on eBay. The kit was purchased from www.pfos.com. You could check with them and see if they sell them separately. Anybody else out there got any ideas as to the whereabouts of these? Post a comment here or send me an email and I will let SF Sunset know.

UPDATE: Jane in Chilly Hollow says: "the boxes are from Julia's Needleworks and that Bristly Thistle carries them, among other places."
http://www.bristlythistle.com/june.html

Lesson Two, and Part two

I finished all of Lesson one, part one by returning the shape to the diamond with the flat base Sprats Heads. I alternated between the Floche and the #4 Kreinik. Step two of lesson two is use the #4 and do the border shown on the left side. It is stitched over 1-2-3-4, 4-3-2-1. I will resume the border next time.

One extreme to the other

I started the last of the new projects in the rotation. It is a lot smaller that the last one!
I bought this canvas by Julia on eBay to stitch for my great niece and nephew. Her website is here:
http://needleworks.ehclients.com/index.php/jngallery/
They had purchased it from Pocket Full of Stitches.
http://www.pfos.com/
This canvas is 20 count and it came with the frame for the box along with the picture.
I am using Kreinik #8 braids with the exception of her face and hands. Those were stitched with DMC Rayon. First, I stitched the hair in 191, a very soft yellow. Then I did the face and hands in the pink rayon. The wings are worked in 032, the opalescent white. I outlined the wings in 008HL and then filled them in with 4001. I started working the basket weave in the top right corner in 014. I will do the stars in 002HL as I get there.
I have seen several of these boxes and think they are so cute. I am happy to stitch this one for the kids!

I don't want to scare you....

but this is going to be a Napkin Ring. Judy Harper of Possibilities (link to her blog on the right) has designed four different Halloween napkin rings. I am going to blog stitch these for her! So this is another one of the new projects that are in the rotation. Judy has painted this on 18 count canvas. I stitched the head tonight using Kreinik #4, 2 strands, of 052F. This is one of the glow in the dark fibers! How cool is that? Then I filled in the face with one strand of Kreinik #8 in 003 red. All of this was done in basketweave, with a few tent stitches. The Pavillion stitch to the right of the face is done with 2 strands of the red also.
Jane commented yesterday that I am doing a variety of stitching techniques in all these projects! I had not realized that I put together such a variety of techniques until she mentioned it. I always want to try different projects so I can continue to learn different styles and techniques. Some of my projects are driven by requests, others by what has caught my eye. I hope you are all enjoying the variety!

Hummingbird and Honeysuckle

This is another one of the new projects being added into the rotation. It is a cyberclass and it is designed by Luan Callery. Once again, Luan out does herself in beautiful photos, excellent instructions and stitch diagrams, and also is available through email if you have any questions. This piece is worked on a 15 x 15 piece of linen twill and tonight I mounted in on the Evertites and traced the diagram as instructed. I also started step one and worked chain stitch with two strands. Below is what I accomplished so far.


Designer has asked what are stash credits. Jane in Chilly Hollow and temarimath have started this. Each time I empty a spool, card, skein of fiber that I am using from my stash, I get one point. Each time I have to buy any fiber I will subtract a point....It is just an entertainment, but as we try to be frugal and reduce our stash before it collapses onto us, it will be a reminder to me to do so.

Perfume Anyone?

Isn't this gorgeous? This canvas is one of Sharon G's perfume bottles! A friend of mine has requested that I stitch it for her to go with her husband's shaving brush--also by Sharon G. When she asked for it, I started looking for bottles at Sharon's site.
www.sharong.com/catalog/perfume
Linda loved this one, so I started looking for it. I knew I was going to be in CT in July and called Thistle Needleworks and asked if they would order it for me. www.ThistleNeedleworks.com
It wasn't in yet when I visited but I knew Judie and her great staff would send it to me. When I received it, I contacted Sharon Garmize and asked her permission to blog stitch the piece. She is always so pleased when we stitch her pieces on the blog and she also told me that she was thrilled that there has been a resurgence in interest in the bottles.
We will be going back to CT in October for the wedding so I wanted to get this in the rotation to ensure I have it finished.
Tonight, I started by doing tent stitch on the gold band at the neck and at the bottom of bottle using Kreinik #12, color 002. I then also did a running stitch from top left to bottom right on all the diagonal lines of the bottle pattern. It looks great in person and I know it will show up more when I do the background as well.
Oh, and I have also decided to start doing stash credits on the right side. Thanks, Jane in Chilly Hollow--who got the idea from www.temarimath.info!

Back in the swing

I finished the May Stitch of the Month for the ANG program by Tony Mineri on the collar tonight. I still have the right cuff to do and a little triangle down by the bottom of the kimono. For this stitch I am using #12 Kreinik braid in 002HL and Soie Cristale--three strands.
I am also back to rotation stitching and will be introducing a couple of new projects to replace the completed Kick Back and Stitch and the Fireworks piece.

A Drift of Smoke

I thought they needed just a drift of smoke.......just like on the fourth of July! I stitched a single strand of Flair in the vertical wave stitch.......Mark this one done!

Final Sprays

I finished the outside burst using Kreinik #4 in silver. You may note that I used the heaviest fibers in the centers and then worked outward using lighter weights as I went. The DMC Color Infusion Memory Wire is the heaviest, followed by the stranded Silky, moved to the Silver Lame, and then Gold Rush. The last two were the DMC Sparklers and finally the Kreinik #4. All of the spokes of the bursts are couched down, which may explain why it took a little longer to get all of those in. I have one more thing to add to this, so the fini will be tomorrow night!

Another burst

I finished putting in the DMC Sparklers in the blue and then the rest of the silver Gold Rush around this section in the burst. There is still one more row to work on the top spray, which I will do on Sunday. I should have it finished then.

Some blue in the mix

Tonight, I first laid in two strands of the new DMC Sparklers in the Blue used in the bottom right burst. You can see it on the left side of the top spray. I then came back and filled in more of the middle spray with the silver Gold Rush. I did it this way as I want the blue to be very faint and not on top of the silver. Since my drawing lines are very close, I figured this would be the best way to work and I will continue to work this way all around the spray.

Two down......

Yes, it is true! The blue one is done! Another card of Gold Rush in silver and I called it! The top silver one is the final spray of explosions which I will resume stitching tomorrow. I bet I get this done this weekend! The little silver dot at the bottom is my earth magnet....somehow it snuck in the picture.......

Round n Round

Still working with the Silver Gold Rush, and will be on both the red and blue, I did the final outer circle for the red burst! Seeing the photo, I see a couple of places I will add an additional leg, but overall, I am very pleased with how this looks. This will be done in a few more days!

Rings of Silver

Tonight I put in the silver Gold Rush around the top burst. They now all have this ring around them. Both the red and the blue will each get one more ring of silver while the top/silver one will not only get more silver but a little bit of color. This is moving very quickly and each day, it looks more like fireworks!

Woohoo, I won!

This has been a wonderful day! First of all, I was listening to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Gone-Stitching today as Renee Seidman, owner of the Gone Stitching shop was interviewing Tony Minieri. It was a great interview and you should check it out. It is episode 7. Jane in Chilly Hollow mentioned that these shows are available on line, and I listened to them all and caught up last week. I also went ahead and entered the contest. Today, they drew my name!! I don't win contests as a rule, but I am thrilled as I will be winning a Boots Bailey evening bag and the finishing for it! www.bootsbailey.com Thank you both! This is wonderful! I do hope that more of you will be listening to the show and if you can't catch it live, you can do like I did last week and listened to them all! Enjoy!

Then, I got a call from the framer and The Diamond Iris is finished! So I stopped on the way home and picked it up. Here it is:
Tonite I finished the Silver Gold Rush on the Blue explosion as well as the Red one!

A very productive day, don't cha think?! LOL

Enlarging

All of these need to continue the explosions so I began. First I used the Silver Lame Braid and did several spokes. I did not like them. It is a great fiber, but since they are in the center round, I did not like how they looked. So, I took them all back out. This is the Gold Rush 18 in Silver. I am still deciding if I like this or not. Comments would be appreciated today!!

Shiny Silvers

I worked the top spray tonight. The DMC Color Infusions Silky and Sparklers do not come in white or silver right now. So, I switched to DMC Marlitt in white--2 strands--and Kreinik #4 in silver--one strand. The long spokes are worked once again in the Silver Lame Braid. Tomorrow I will start working further out on the sprays.

Adding the blue

Getting right to business, I used two strands of the Royal blue Silky Color Infusion and two of the Dark Blue Sparklers Color infusions and started around the right explosion. I then came back with a single strand of the Silver Silk Lame braid.

These are the fibers on the great new dispenser DMC has created for them. When the threads arrived, they are held down on the back with the label. You will notice there are two slots on the top to catch the thread in. It is then wound around plastic tabs. There is also a hole in the top so that they can be hung. Nice!

Can you hear them?

Judy in Texas says she can hear them already! I think after tonight's progress she may even start seeing these! I finished all the way around in the red Silky and Blue Black Sparklers. I then added the Silver Lame Braid around it as well. Before finishing the final sprays on this explosion, I will move over to the right and complete the inner burst in another color--but that is for tomorrow night!

Third Center

First I put in the top center of the largest spray using the Silver Color Infusions Memory Wire. Again tonite I worked these as a modified eyelet, eliminating the need to couch each spoke. In order to keep the center hole from becoming huge, I worked in the four center holes, instead of just one.
Then on the left side, I started with two strands of the red Silky and two strands of the Black Blend sparklers. I laid these four strands in first, working around the center spokes. Next I used a single strand of the Silk Lame Braid to lay in additional spokes as I extend the display.

Another explosion

I know I said I was going to get back into the rotation stitching.......but this is just so much fun! I finished couching the rest of the first center down with the Kreinik silver cord. Then I started and got the second center all stitched in. I did this a little differently and only had to couch two legs of this center. This , as a reminder, is all being done so far, in the new DMC Color Infusions Memory thread in silver. It is very easy to work with. As I take it off the plastic, I run it over one of my thread straighteners to get rid of the kinks. It lays in place very easily and I do use my laying tool to keep them in line at the center hole.

Who said Fireworks??

Once again, I have a black canvas as a background! I hope you can see the fireworks I have sketched in with white. The canvas is cut 22 inches wide by 28 inches long as I want to end up with a piece that is 18 x 24 for framing. The fibers I will be using are pictured next:
From the top down: DMC's Color Infusion Silky in Royal Blue. This is a 100% Rayon thread.
Next is DMC's Color Infusion Memory Thread in Silver. This is a Viscose, Cotton, and Polyamide fiber wrapped around a copper wire.
Third is the DMC Color Infusion Sparklers thread in Black Blend. This is 100% Polyester.
Fourth is DMC Color Infusion Silky in Red.
Fifth is DMC Color Infusion Sparklers in Dark Blue.
Before I continue, I am very excited about trying all of these new fibers! They can be used for all kinds of needlework, scrap booking, and paper arts. There are ideas at www.dmc-usa.com and several of the needlework stores are already carrying these!
Also shown are some other possibilities : Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille and Petite Facets. Renaissance Designs Shimmer and Shimmerlite. Pizzaz, and Silk Lame Braid. Not pictured is Kreinik Cord in Silver.
My goal is to create a large fireworks display done mostly in the silvers with some touches of red and blue, as they would show up against the Fourth of July sky.
I started with the Color Infusions Memory Thread in Silver in the lower right display. I have first pierced my 18 count canvas with my laying tool, and am using a #16 needle to bring the fiber to the top of the canvas at the center and back down at the edge of the spray. I am putting thee stitches in each of the center holes before moving to the next section. Then using a single strand of the Kreinik silver cord, I am couching each leg to the canvas.
The possibilities of the Memory Thread are endless. Not only can they be couched and stitched like I am doing, but just couched only to the top. They could be braided and used in a multitude of ways and since they come in a host of colors the possibilities are endless.

Off to see the framer!

So, at Jane's suggestion, I skipped most of the chores!! I did do some flower bed weeding before it turned too hot, and a couple of loads of laundry too, but then I stitched!! I finished the last of the top left border. Next I used an outline stitch around all of the leaves and stem. The instructions said to use the darkest green to do them all. I did not like how that looked as I thought it too harsh. So I only used it on the darkest leaves. Then the next value went around all but the lightest one, and for that one I used the second lightest value. Last, using some Kreinik in 093, I couched down #12 with #4 around the petals on the flower itself. Thee last two steps really define the flower very well! So I will back it with the white fabric and see what magic the framer will work!

Not quite!

I tried to get the top left border completed but did not make it. I did the first pass from the bottom left of it to the top right. I started back down and you can see the needle off to the left. I will have to finish it tomorrow along with the rest of the Iris detail and hope I can get that all done! Do click on the photo to enlarge it and see the detail.

It is so exciting!

The center background is done!! Tomorrow....the outer border! Then some final touches you will like...... And, just wait and see what I am adding to the rotation! Yes, I will be getting back into the rotation stitching, and I will be adding yet another project! She must be crazy....I know you are thinking that, admit it....yes, you are....but you are going to love it!!

Third side done

I skipped back over to the outside border and completed the left hand side using the Threadworx overdyed. This completes the third side of the outside border and only the top left one to go! Jane mentioned that the center background looks lacy and in person it really does. Since it is a single strand of the Perle Cotton, it creates a very nice background worked in the T stitch. Remember I changed this stitch from the single running cross as I wanted the heavier pattern to surround the Iris . I like the way it looks against the lighter weight outside border too! This one will be done before the weekend is!

Backgrounding the Center

Tonight, I worked on the center background by completing the T stitch. I am using one strand of the DMC #8 Perle. To work this stitch I turn the frame and work from left to right across. Since this is such an open stitch, it must be ended and started in the border of upright Gobelin stitches. I also work with fairly short lengths of thread. I am pleased with the progress I made on this section tonight.

Left outer border

I decided to switch up tonight and instead of doing more inside background, I switched back to the outer border. I worked the first pass of the left hand border with two strand of Needle Necessities in the running cross stitch. I did also put in one row of the inside second pass and you can see that on the left side as well. I may just alternate doing these so as not to get too bored with filling in the backgrounds. There is still just a little more to be done with the Iris too.

The first pass

I completed the first pass of diagonal stitching on the background of the iris! The diagonal runs from top right to bottom left. Tomorrow I start the top left to bottom right pass. This is all being worked with one strand of DMC #8 Perle Cotton.

Around the Iris

I am working the background around the Iris itself. I have been using DMC Perle in size eight. It is supposed to mirror the outside border, but I don't think I am going to do the running cross stitch on the inside. I think there should be some differentiation. Juli, the stitching group moderator suggested the T stitch and I was thinking of that same stitch. So, by popular vote that is what the background is going to be. It is taking a little time to over and under each diagonal row, but I am getting there. Now you know why I did a zoom closeup of the piece....you needed to be able to see the white on white and how much progress I have made!