Moving up

I completed the weaving down to the bottom of the piece, and then started working towards the top. The threads do pass behind the brush and are not tied off until I reach the right side. Since this piece is very narrow, I make sure I tug each part of each letter so there will not be a slacking issue.

This is how I did that

Jane has asked how I figure out how to weave the words into the background on pieces. I apologize for not having explained that before. I redid what I had scribbled on a sheet last nite, this time on time count paper. First I just wrote out the word Shave. Then I shaped the individual letters to both fit in the squares and to retain the shape of the letter. Next a few spaces to the right, I drew in another S, then skip a line below and another S, and finally below that another one back to the left.

Tonight I finished one entire pattern of the sketch so you can see the words as well as the entire blank line below the first set, and took this photo for you to see how it works out. To start each row, on the left side, I put a pin stitch in the ditch and then come across the bottom to the first stitch to fill in. I work the pattern across and finish with another pin stitch on the right side and trim the thread as I complete each row.

What in the world....

I am sure when you look at this you are asking just that!! Tonight I set up my weaving pattern on a 12 stitch to the inch piece of grid paper. I will be weaving the background, like the other one, with the word Shave, using white DMC pearl cotton. I only got a few rows in tonight, so I am not sure you can see the beginning of the words, but it is there.
By the way, I too, like the first one better and that is because of the colors. I like those greens but I am doing this to match colors in their bathroom. I will also be adding the letter in the center of the emblem on the base, but, not until the weaving is all done.

Then and now....

Jane in CH asked me if there were differences between the first shaving brush and this one. Yes! There definitely are. The one on the left is the first one and was done in different shades of green than the one I am doing now. I also did the bristles a little different on the right one. I did finish the bristles on the current piece tonight. I added in the rest of the cream stitches and also unraveled a piece of Trebizond and did the edge stitches for a little twist and shine. The same colors are in both pieces except I am using a different camera than I was then. Tomorrow night I will start working the background.

It is supposed to look like

bristles on the brush. I got a lot of it in, but not all of it! As you can see, the left side needs to have a couple more bristles at the top. The right side still needs a few more fill in stitches at the top, and, the entire cream color of the top need to be filled in with the split stitches so it will blend. I hope you get the general idea, though.
Thanks for all the great comments on the Circles box! They are quick to finish when you can do a lot of spraying!

Another one finished!

This is the Circles pattern by Lois Kerschner I finished a couple of days ago. I sprayed a paper box gold on the outside, and with the blue suede spray on the inside. Then, I cut a circle to match the design area from thin cardboard and covered it with very thin quilt batting. I wrapped the piece around that and glued it to the top of the box. Last I added the gimp. First I glued it around the outside edge. When that was dry, I then glued each of the designs down the side all around the outside edge. The gimp is approximately and 1 1/4.

Back on track

There, now I feel better. On both side of and in the middle of the center emblem area was painted with shiny paint. I add a single strand of Accentuate to the three plies of Silk Mori for these areas. Then I did the rest of the offwhite and the yellow with the three strands of Mori. It was not too difficult to take out, but I really dislike that stitch!

Did you ever...

have one of those stitching nights when there wasn't much time, and then all that stitched was not what you meant to do?? I just did! I meant to add Accentuate to the cream silk in the areas that were painted glitzy. So, I spent the rest of the time unstitching and will correct the fibers tomorrow night! I am glad I know how to do the ripit stitch so well!

Some gold, some black

Moving up from the bottom, I completed the decal below the oval, the oval and the black neck of the brush. I used three strands of the black DMC Rayon and one strand of the Kreinik gold for the decal and around the oval. The neck of the brush has a few solid black stitches. Then, I took two strands of the darkest green Mori and blended it with a single strand of black to give the marbled look to match the base.
Tomorrow night I will start the creams and yellows on the base.

Let the stitching begin!

As I mentioned last night, I am stitching the Shaving Brush by Sharon G, for the second time for a friend. She has asked that I use a different shade of green (to match their bathroom) than I had used on the first one. I also had used all of some of the other fibers, so I am doing close approximations on those. I should also mention that, as a rule, I do not stitch two of anything, so I don't write down thread changes, except what I note on the blog! LOL But, these are good friends, so I agreed to do it.

I started the base of the brush, which is to look like Malachite. I have three shades of Silk Mori in green, a complimentary blue green in the lower left corner, black DMC Rayon floss, and Kreinik oo2, size 12, gold. I used three strands of the silks and floss to complete the section below the emblem. I used a single strand of the Kreinik gold to complete the single row bands.

I normally work most pieces from the top down, if possible. In this case, I did not want to do this as the bristles of the brush end up as the focal point because of the layering. So, like the first one, I will complete the base and then the bristles.

A repeat performance

Yes, I am going to be stitching the Shaving Brush canvas painted by Sharon G, for a second time. A friend of ours saw the first one and has asked me to stitch it again for her husband. I was fortunate to find the canvas again, at the Thistle Needleworks in Glastonbury, CT. Here is their website. http://www.thistleneedleworks.com/ I have no affiliation with the shop, but do go there every time we go to Connecticut! LOL
I will be using different greens this time, but doing the rest of the colors pretty close to the first time. (Insert here: it would have been smart to write down all of colors I used!) There will be a few changes, but not many, so I hope you follow along.

This one is finished!

I completed the finishing on the purse ornament. This piece is by Kathy Schenkel also.
First, I used a pink moire for the backing. I stitched around the outside edge, with the sewing machine, believe it! Then I turned it inside out, and put a little bit of quilt batting in it so it pouches out like a purse does. Next, I hand sewed a gold trim all around the outside edge, and then added two gold beads for the closure. Last I stitched a gold chain on for the handle. It is really so cute! This is for Peyton's little sister Kailyn, my great niece. Both pieces will soon be on their way to Grand Rapids to them!

Back from the Framer

I picked up Carole Lake's, White Gold in a Purple Passion from the framer. I love how it turned out and now have to decide where to hang it! I love this kind of problem to solve!

It is a finish UPDATED!

Here is a better photo!

Tonight I finished finishing the Penguin stocking--try saying that fast five times! This is a Kathy Schenkel design that I stitched for my great nephew, Peyton. I lined the inside with white satin and the back is blue moire to match the water. I stitched the gold braid trim around the top, just at the seam where the lining meets the canvas front and moire back. I used #4 Kreinik to stitch this down. Then, I tucked the little penguin in the top. Unfortunately, I set this against black velvet to take the picture and his arms are hard to see! But he really does have them:
http://needleartnut.blogspot.com/search/label/Penguin%20stocking will show you!

Circle Top is finished

I finished this tonight! I did another Smyrna Cross Combination in the bottom center with the Kreinik braid and then did a buttonhole stitch around the outside with Petite Frosty Rays. I also did the basketweave to fill in the rest of the background. The directions call for a couched thread half way around the buttonhole stitch, but I did not like how it looked, and took it all out! The subtle blue shades in the white background balance the heavy dark on the left. It really could be water washing up on the beach!

A very strange thing

The last few days blogger has been misbehaving again. After comments are posted, there is also a spot where links can be created. Blogger has been adding a link everyday to a blog. It has been directing us to the same blog everyday. http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2009/04/harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince-by.html is the link from today. I checked the Blogger help information but could not find any information regarding it. I sent the blog owner, Kristi, a note and asked her not to add the links. She said she had not been adding them. She also asked me to forward any new ones that popped up to her so she could see them and I agreed to do so. Then I got the following note from her:

"I posted this question on my blog and also in a blog network that I belong to - this led me to the blogger help site as it appears you are not the only one suffering from these "False backlinks" as they are called. Blogger is claiming that this is a search engine problem and not one that they can fix. They say that if you don't want to have to keep deleting these - then you can choose to shut off the backlink option on your dashboard. Here is a link describing the problem and "fix" in more detail.http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help-troubleshoot/browse_thread/thread/dc85edef8898d7d9/7779ab8f3f5c63a2?lnk=gst&q=backlinks#7779ab8f3f5c63a2If this link doesn't work - you can go to Help Resources in your blogger dashboard - and click on Known Issues - then you have to search a little bit to get to the backlinks issue."

If you run into this, there is a fix! Thanks again Kristi for all your work!

the right side

I finished the basketweave above the Four Way Bargello, continuing in #5 Pearl, color 800. Then I did the Octagonal Rhodes stitch below it using three strands of Weeks Dye Works, color Icicle. I also used this thread to do the three Jessicas on the right. Last I filled those with 032 #8 Kreinik. The background will be filled in with basketweave after I finish the stitches on the bottom.

Jessicas & French Knots

I did three Jessicas in the top right hand space above the Spider. I used a single strand of DMC #5. I then filled each of them with Kreinik #8 in Pearl. The Jessicas are done over 5, then 4, then 3 threads so they vary in size. I also started doing the basketweave in the top area. Note to anyone else that might be doing this piece: The directions say to do the basketweave in color 800, but the photo with the project actually used 799 in this area. To keep this looking right I will continue to do the basketweave in the area in color 800.

Eyelets and all

I finished the final few Symrna Crosses to fill in the rest of the Round Bargellos. Then I filled in the open area in the middle on the left with eyelet stitches. I used Needle Necessities overdyed floss as I did not have the DMC mouline called for. Last, I took out the Raised Spider above the four way Bargello. I realized it was too small and too low in the design area to look right, and so I restitched it a little larger and up a bit higher. I like it better now!

Happy Easter everyone!

Almost....not quite

I worked on all the Smyrna Cross Eyelet Combinations in all the sections of the Round Bargellos. I still have just a few to finish at the bottom. These are all done with the DMC Rayon thread using two strands. Some are done in the Delft Medium and the others are done in the Navy Blue. Also some of the Smyrnas are done in the Delft and other are done in the Navy. This is a great shiny thread, but can be a pistol to work with. I do use short lengths to keep it under control which may be why I did not get them all done. Spent a lot of time threading the needle! LOL

Circles, everywhere!

All of the circles are in! I did not get all of the centers filled in, but that is on the list for tomorrow. Hopefully, I will also get a few of the other areas filled in as well! This is working up very quickly and is also going to be a great box top!

More Rounds

I am moving down the left side of the Round Bargello patterns. You can see that the top ones show four different colors. Then the first diagonal lined area has three colors, the second one has two, and the bottom one has one. These will also have a Smyrna Cross Eyelet Combination worked in the centers, but I thought I will fill in more of the patterns first. When the entire piece is finished, I will go back and cover any of the white drawn lines as needed.
If you love bargello, please go and check out Laura Perrin's blog. She has a new design you will probably like!
http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/

Doing Spiders

I changed the working order for a little bit. I wanted to put the Spider stitches in so I could continue working the Round Bargello pattern down the left side. With those completed I could fill in around the top one, which is a Ribbed Spider. After laying the foundation stitches with a single strand of DMC #4, I did the over and under weaving until all the ribs were covered. On the Raised Spider, I started the same way. Weaving over and under on this one makes the entire thing stand away from the canvas.
Great variations starting with the same foundation!

Some here, some there

First, apologies for forgetting to put the backing under the canvas before I took the picture! You can see the leg of the light next to my little space heater! Sorry about that!
As to stitching, I completed the centers of all the Round Bargellos in the top rows using two strands of DMC Rayon floss. These were done with the Smyrna Combination stitch. I then started the next area in a different combination of colors for the second band that will carry down and to the right. I also did one of the third band with yet another combination. The bottom band will have yet another variation. Stay tuned!

More of the same

I finished the top of the circle and then added a partial and full Round Bargello pattern in the DMC colors. I stopped where I did in the third row from the top as there will be a different design there before I fill in the rest of this area. I also have to work the centers of each of these round Bargellos. Compensating this type of Bargello is very easy as the stitch is a six count stitch over 5 threads.

Round and Round

I started filling in the dark blue painted area with the Round Bargello pattern. I am using DMC #5 in 823, 799, 312, and 336. This section will cover from the top of the circle to the first diagonal line runs from the left to the lower right--up to the four way Bargello design. The DMC #5 is providing excellent coverage on the 18 count canvas using a single strand.

Diamond Rhodes

The Diamond Rhodes stitches are worked below the Bargello Rounds and next to the Four Way Bargello using a single strand of Kreinik #8 in color 194. They are very pretty and sparkly, so please enlarge so you can see them.
Tomorrow night I will continue with Bargello Rounds above the light blue ones I worked the other night.

Round Bargellos

Above and to the right of the four way Bargello, I did the Round Bargello stitches. I used four strands of Crescent floss as I did not have the Weeks Dye Works called for. By the way, I am using a laying tool on all of the Bargello, as I always do. These stitches are over five threads and this ensures that they are laying flat and the sheen is so much prettier. After completing the Round stitches, I did Smyrna Cross Eyelet Combinations using a strand of Kreinik #8 braid in 032 pearl. This piece is meant to cover a seven inch box top.