June Pearl

I have framed up the next project!  June Pearl is one of the Heritage Ornaments from Kelly Clark Needlepoint and comes with a stitch guide by Gina Liuzzi of A Stitch In Time, San Marino, CA.  It is sixth in a 12 month series designed in 2009 as a club for A Stitch In Time and are based on the mouth blown glass shapes ornaments from the Victorian Age.  Gina Liuzzi who teaches at A Stitch In Time created the stitch guides for the series that is based on the gemstones for each month.  You can see the entire series here:  http://www.kellyclarkneedlepoint.com/victorian-ornaments and also cruise the rest of Ms. Clark's collections!  The design is 3.75 x 4.75 on 18 count and you can see I have all the fibers ready to go.  I did have to substitute the colors of the ribbon as I did not have the exact ones called for.

All the beads

Here is the finished Snowflake!  I added clear beads in the center Jessica and then all around the circle with the silver cross stitches.  Pearls went into the center of the circle of Jessicas between the two rows of white cross stitches.  Last clear beads went on all the outer most spokes  of the flake.  The design area is 6" square on 18 count and took me just over 8 hours to stitch!  Thanks again to Northern Pines Designs for this quick and fun stitch!  You can check out all of their designs at their website http://www.northernpinedesigns.com and if you have your volume on you can hear the loon!

Full Size

I did another row of the perle cotton cross stitches and then extended the spokes of the flake using the silver
Gold rush  On to the beads!

Mystery #14 is back

I picked up Mystery #14, Mystique by Loretta Spears from the framer today.  The mat matches the darkest ribbon and the frame itself is a silvery gold to complement the design.  Sorry, gals, it is mine!

Adding details

More stitching on the Snowflake by Northern Pines.  I did a four way Continental in the center with Kreinik.  Then I moved out between each of the "spokes" and did a ring of cross stitch with perle.  Finally, I am adding a ring of Crescents next to the cross stitches

The Snowflake

 Time to start some new projects!  This is Snowflake and is a design by Northern Pine Designs and I have it framed up on a 10 square of 18 count light blue.  I have all the supplies ready and they include pearl cotton, Goldrush in pearl white and silver, Kreinik braid, pearl beads and Mill Hill beads.  There are lots of great designs at Northern Pines and the website is http://www.northernpinedesigns.com  and I appreciate the approval to show progress pictures while I stitch.  So getting started:  I first did all of the tree and angled tree shapes using the pearl Goldrush.  I have also started the inner design in the silver Goldrush.  So far this design is about 5.5 from the top left to the bottom right.

Shell patterned rollup UPDATE

 Lara   mailed me her piece called  Shell patterned roll up, Loretta Spears, that she had stitched.  The instructions said to back the pieceand I have lots of gold!    Lara says this is a free pattern on the Rainbow Gallery website called Shell Patterned Roll up,

 So I stitched a piece of gold lame all around the outside of the piece.  Then I pinned it together at the top

 I used a single strand of thread to sew the seam as this is very fragile and lacy.

Last, I covered two bone rings with more of the gold lame as I did not have enough of the fabric.  I put
a loop of gold through one end for the hanger and attached a small tassel through the bottom one and
glued those in place.  I hope you like it Lara!

Time for finishing

 My mom, as many know, is a painter.  This is the lid she painted for a sewing box.  It needs the pincushion done for the top where it is unpainted--see the tan? 

 So I cut the paper template and glued it to the backer paper they provided--saw the bubble and fixed it
before the glue dried.

 Next, I started mounding up quilt batting....

 Looks like the top of an ice cream cone!

 Then I cut the outer circle from the ultrasuede

 Here we are waiting for sections of the glue to dry as we go around and tuck the fabric over the stuffing and around to the back and what will be the bottom.

 Thread up a needle and sink the pearl button for the top and then glue the whole thing in the box top before
I rimmed that with green silky gimp.  And voila!

Very pretty Mom!

In the tray

I have followed the instructions on the Sudberry tray with one addition.  I backed the piece with gold lame, like I usually do, for just a bit of extra sparkle.  It does not photograph well because of the glass on it, but the tray is finished.

Final stitches

I finished all the diamond stitches in the top band, layed in Neon Rays in between and added a Kreinik gold metallic cross stitch at the intesections.  I also resized the heart in the center band and then filled in with more of the Gloriana and Kreinik to fill in the area around it.  Next:  insert it into the tray.

Center band

The center band is finished.  I did all of the rest of the Triple Crosses to fill in on the other side of the heart.  I have now moved up to the top band.  As I have changed the pattern layout to fit the tray, I spent some time
figuring how many hearts to stitch across the band and then did them in the blue Neon Rays.  I have also started a diamond pattern underneath the hearts.  The top half are being worked in three strands of the Gloriana and the bottom half in three strands of the lavender floss.

The sides match

I finished the triple crosses around the right side design and then moved to the left and established the same pattern using the same threads.  I have now started filling in with the triple cross pattern in the Gloriana silk....zipping right along!

Here and there....

I am working on different areas on this piece each time I pick it up.  I finished the slanted Gobelins above the 7 step Herringbone first.  Then I did the long arm cross above that row and at the very top under the border.
Last, I worked the design area on the right. The purple ribbon is Overlaid Cross stitches and then there is a row of slanted Gobelins in the Gloriana and the center rows are Scotch done in floss.

Two progress photos

 The above is an overall shot of the progress on the Lara's Wedding ribbons piece.  As you can see
I finished all of the triple Crosses in the bottom band with the Gloriana's Monets Pond.  Love that color
and fiber!  Then below you can see that I have also worked the Rhodes hearts stitches above and below
the 7 step Herringbone band and started adding the gold and single strand of blue floss slanted Gobelin stitches below the band.

Florentine is finished

 Here in the overall shot, you can see the full Florentine pattern at the bottom.  I Finished the top row with more of the 340 floss and the very top "dot" is Gloriana's Monet's Pond.  The bottom compensation row is also done with the Gloriana.  Next up was to backstitch the heart and diagonal row with two strands of Threadworx to create the dark purple line.  Lastly I am working triple Cross across the bottom open band.

More Florentine

I am still working on the Florentine pattern across the bottom, and I finished with the three strands of floss in 340, then I added 3 strands of the Gloriana Monet's Pond and the top row is worked over two threads using the Neon Rays in purple.  In between the floss and Gloriana row, I then backstitched with the gold metallic.  There is still a bit more to go on this pattern.

Back to the tray

So, moving on, I picked up the Lara's tray canvas and finished the last of the borders.  The border is all being done in floss, so I finished the elongated cross stitches in lavender, added the cross stitch to the top of those in the green and then did the eyelets and diagonal stitches in the lavender.  Above the bottom border, I am just starting the Florentine pattern in three strands of the lavender floss.

217 Bicones and 48 bugle beads later

 I finished the rest of the third layer and outer border and moved to the corners. The Diagonal Star Jessicas each got a bicone corresponding to the color of the Jessica.  I then placed the 1/2 inch blue bugle beads along side of the Plaited Rays.  The directions called for green but I only wanted the green in the Venus Eyes in the center and did mine in blue.  The green brought more focus to the corners than I liked and changed to the blue to finish this piece.  The finished photo is below and in both of these you can see that the canvas is blue.  I kept track of my stitching time as I always do and this piece took 75 hours.  Thanks again to Kurdy Biggs for a great design!

Starting the 3rd layer

I finshed all of the second layer beading and the second small border and moved into the third layer and final one.  At the bottom of the picture, there is an aqua bicone in each of the Triangular Jessicas and between the Large Rhodes and the Large Crescent and then two blue 1/2 inch bugle beads.  I have finished three of these patterns with one to go.  Each of the Diagonal Star Jessicas on the diagonal has bicone stitched in the center and I have completed three of those four as well.  The outer border is filling again with the pattern of bicones and I have six of the eight sides done!  And....only poked myself once so far!  LOL

Second Layer of Beads

In the second layer of beading, I added a DB inside each of the small stars by the Sheaf stitches, inside the star Jessica in the bottom of the Interlocking Crescent and inside the stars in the upper part and one one each of the large Crescent Stars.  Inside the Cat's Eye Jessicas are 1/2 inch Kelly Green bugle beads.  I have made it around six sides of this layer in the bicone pattern and three of the 4 pattern areas.  Yes, Jane, there are a lot of these and it takes a while......and the outer border pattern of 4 crystals will take even longer.

Crystals and Beads

We made it to the crystals and beads!  Starting from the center and working our way out, I am using a single strand of beading thread but going through each bead twice to prevent the dreaded wobbles.  There is one amethyst bicone in the center star, then inside the first layer, each star Jessica has a Delica bead color 178 which is an iridescent blue purple.  The large star Jessicas each have either a Fuschia, Olivine, Amethyst or Aqua bicone in it.  The small border has a Delica bead-here forward referred to as DB, and then the 3 x 3 Jessicas has a pattern of Fuschia, Olivine, Amethyst and Aqua all the way around--here forward referred to as the pattern.

Finished corners!

I have finished the corners!  I did the rest of the rounded Sprat's Heads with the 3 ply of Gumnuts--that is the turquoise....next the large corner Crescents are done with Bijoux.  It was supposed to be done with 439 which is Garnet and the color is that surrounded by the pin in the star diagonals above on the right....but I did two of them and ran out of thread.  Not willing to order another reel, I substituted 438 and started over.  Last Ray stitches are done over the Crescents with a single strand of Bijoux.......this completes the stitching part and we are on to the crystals and beads!!

Steps 52-54

 In this photo you can see I have finished the Sheaf stitches in step 52 using the Silk Lame 05 as the base and
then wrapping stitches in Kreinik #4 031-the red.  I then did Plaited Rays with 4 ply of Pebbly Perle and the centers are filled with Gold Rush 386C.  On the corner I have done one of the Rounded Sprat's Head stitches called for in step 54 by using 3 ply of Gumnuts in the turquoise.  I still have the other 3 to do as you can see
in the overall shot

I figured you might want to see it all again and did not put the white behind it so you can see the base of the
stitching stand too!  LOL

The rest of the Diagonal Star Jessicas

I finished the rest of the diagonal Star Jessicas using more Bijoux, Kreinik and Sparkle Braid on all four corners.  I have just started the Sheaf stitches across the top of the Jessicas using Silk Lame...You can see where all the crystals are going to go, can't ya?

Happy 4th of July!

In celebration of the 4th of July and all the fireworks, I am reposting a picture of the Fireworks piece I designed for my sister.  Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!  And we are off to watch them over the
river!

Moving out again

I finished all of the Rhodes stitches in all of the colors!  I have now moved out and am starting
the corners that will square up the piece.  First with Frosty Rays, there are two Sprat's Head in each
corner.  Next I am working on diagonal Star Jessicas.  I have complete three on each corner and they
are done is Kreinik, Treasure Braid and two strands of Bijoux so far with more to come!

8 colors of Rhodes

So, in between all the 3 x 3 Jessica's are 8 different threads of Rhodes stitches....starting with the red Kreinik #4, then there are three colors of Bijoux done with two strands, then the turquoise Kreinik, another color of Bijoux, then Treasure braid and finishes up with two strands of another Bijoux....I have gotten this far around so far.....takes longer to start and stop then it does to do the stitch!  LOL

3 x 3 Jessicas

I finished all of the 3 x 3 Jessicas all around the outside using 2 strands of Bijoux 483.  I have also started step 47 which are Rhodes stitches in between the Jessicas and they are going to be done in 8 different fibers!
The first one shown is #4 Kreinik in 031 red.