Framed Mystic

After a trip to the framer's we now have Mystic back!  This is the one that I totally changed the colors on to reflect my sister's tastes.  It is matted in black and in a polished copper frame....totally awesome!  And, she loves it....it will hang at her house now!

The beads! UPDATE

I added the copper bugle beads to the V at the top.  The very bottom section has black Magnifica beads in alternating directions to follow the flow of the threads.  This finishes the piece and I will get it ready for framing.  Thanks again to Ruth Dilts for the wonderful design and her permission to post it to the blog!

The design area is 5 x 7.5.....why it works so quickly!

The lower sections

I completed the last two sections of stitching.  The Burden stitch is laid in with Neon Rays Plus in black and tacked with #4 Kreinik 021.  The bottom pattern is stitched with Cresta d Oro and Renaissance Designs again.  Next up--Beads!

Back at it!

Yippee!  Time to stitch today!  Instead of filling in the next section with the Cashmere stitch in three metallics, I decided to fill it in with Slanted Gobelin in one color of the Cresta d Oro.  I then did the black Slanted Gobelin stitches in the next area toward the center.  I used Ombre 3200, a variegated thread, for the center "feather" which is worked in the Plaited stitch.  It does remind me of a Frank Lloyd Wright design as some of you have commented in previous posts, and, I really like it!

Section I

Section I is done on both sides with the Kreinik # 8 in 021.  I have started the next area in the center three times, and ripped three times.  I don't like how the fibers look next to each other as this area is worked with 3 different ones.   Maybe I can come up with a better combo by tomorrow.

F & G

Section F is the Sprats head which I worked with Cresta D Oro color 42--adding another shade of copper.  I then did the Diagonal Romanian and Knotted Stitch in Black Cresta D Oro for section G.  I started sections I with Kreinik #8 braid in copper 021.  The left one is done and I started on the right one.  Section H is worked in beads and will be worked last to avoid catching all of the fibers on the beads.

Progress!

I got to stitch!  I finished  the Burden stitch area by couching the Neon Rays Plus with the Kreinik #8 copper.  I then did the Rhodes stitch in the center square with Neon Rays Plus again in the black.  The two side panels are filled with Double Upright Cross stitches using Antica in color 8, copper.  Yippee!     A previous comment asked about my stitching in the well of the stretcher bars.  I prefer this method of attaching the canvas for several reasons.  I don't catch threads on the sides of the bars.  If I drop my needle or beads, they don't hit the floor.  It is much easier to end threads on the back as I am not fighting the bars on the back.  I also think it keeps the work clean.  Hope that helps!

More copper

The middle two boxes are filled with Christopher Mosaic stitches and Continental done in Pizazz by Renaissance Designs.  The next two boxes have the base of the Burden stitch done with Neon Rays Plus in black and the  vertical bars are worked on top of the one on the left with #8 Kreinik in 021.

Two full boxes

I finished all of the outlining with the black Cresta d Oro.  I filled in the top two outside boxes using Cresta d Oro in 40, a coppery black and Kreinik # 16 in 021 HL for the Diagonal Cashmere stitch.  I am using stash and changing the piece to a copper and black one.  This is going to be a high shine piece.  DH and I have been to Mystic, CT several times over the last several years and just this past September as well.  This last visit, they were holding their annual garlic festival!  What fun to wander through the crafts, artsists, and food vendors as well as the gardeners that were selling garlic--most of which I had never heard of!

More boxes

Actually, boxes and triangles today.....I was hoping to finish the rest of the outlining but got most of it done.  I should be able to finish the outlining tomorrow and maybe start filling in with stitches.  I think you can see the silver flecks in the canvas in this photo.

A smaller project

The snowbird was a large piece, and I headed into the stash bins looking for a smaller one and found Mystic.  Mystic is by Ruth Dilts  and the design is worked on an 8 x 10 piece of 18 count.....called for white, but I am using white with silver flecks in it.   Oh, and......big surprise.....I am changing the fibers!  The design instructions say to work the outline of the entire piece in Panache, black.  I am using Creta D'Oro, in black in the continental stitch.   I like to work from the stash......I actually thought it was inching towards me the other day.....anyway.... The original design was worked in black with light and dark sandstone and I will be changing those too.....This design has always caught my eye and I picked this up a couple of years ago.  It will work up fast, and I hope you like the color changes I am making.  I will be following all of the stitches Ruth had designed, just in different colors and fibers. Pop on over to her website and check out all the goodies she has waiting for you there!
http://www.ruthdiltsdesign.com/
  Hope you can stay tuned