It's Time to Celebrate...

...a new stitch guide, that is!!

I've just finished and printed my next Stitch Guide, and this time it's done for LIBERTY (18-870), by Sandra Gilmore.  Here's how I stitched Miss Liberty:

It's a small canvas (apprx. 7" x 8.5" with the stitched borders), but it's a strong and powerful image of the Statue of Liberty.  I've stitched her in the luscious Bella Lusso merino wool threads, but the pattern offers you a choice of a wool version (like my model) or a silk version (featuring stranded Splendor silks), so you can pick which version YOU prefer to stitch.

LIBERTY is stitched mostly in Tent Stitch, but I've used some Straight Stitches in her hair and crown points, just to add some texture.  The bargello/rippling sky background is meant to suggest flags or banners, and is done with 1 ply of DMC Floche.  The photo makes it look sketchy, but in different angles, the light play off of the rippling sky is really cool and looks embossed, also adding subtle movement to this quiet image.

I created the outer border by blending two #8 pearl cottons together -- to suggest polished metal and architectural accents, which just reinforces LIBERTY's enduring strength and beauty.

If you would like to stitch LIBERTY, please contact your local stitchery store and have them order the canvas and stitch guide from Fleur de Paris (www.fleurdeparis.com).  By the way, I'll also have the stitch guide available on my website, if you already have this canvas in your stash!

And between you and me:  I am absolutely mesmerized by the beauty of this canvas and the way Sandra Gilmore has painted only LIBERTY's head, focusing on her gaze, which is steadfast, unwavering and ever-upwards.  I am fascinated by the way this image is cropped -- with her raised arm and golden torch left outside the frame of the canvas, because we all know it's there and by painting it this way, Sandra allows us to use our imagination to supply the rest of the statue, while staring into LIBERTY's face....I must tell you it was truly a beautiful and serene piece to stitch!

A Correction, A Reminder & A Hint

Just a few quick notes, Stitchers:

If you recently purchased my LONG HORSE COLLAGE, there's a thread number boo-boo on the Materials List.  For the copper metallic thread, I listed Ribbon Floss 148-019.  It SHOULD BE:
144-019. 
So sorry for the mistake and any inconvenience that may have caused you!


And.... just a reminder that there's just one more week to sign up for my next cyber class,
HARVEST TIME:

So if you're in the mood to stitch a small, fun project with lots of grapes, please visit my WEBSITE and sign up! 

And....pssst: stop by tomorrow for my next blog posting, where I'll be revealing my next Stitch Guide!!
(HINT:  it's a patriotic one, perfect for this long weekend's red, white & blue holiday....)

 

A Favorite Star Returns

Over 15 years ago, I designed one of my first needlepoint quilt patterns, and it was called LONE STAR.  It looked like this:

I stitched it on the old tan canvas (didn't have eggshell in those days) with just one skein of Watercolours 018, "Peacock" and a handful of ecru #5 pearl cottons.  It's been very popular over the years, but recently I thought it would be fun to give it a bit of a facelift and bring the pattern up-to-date, adding a few more thread colors as well as creating an easier color graph to follow.
Here's the revamped version, which I'm calling NEW LONE STAR:

And it still uses that lovely Watercolours 018, "Peacock", but it also uses two blue pearl cottons and two brown pearl cottons... plus the same ecru background, but also a bit of metallic bling, with a royal blue Ribbon Floss for some accent stitches.

It was fun to get back to stitching a quilt, using fast and easy long, diagonal satin stitches and straight stitches.  This was a good "no-brainer" project for when you don't want anything hard to think about, or you want to just stitch and watch tv in the evenings, and not do any complex counting.  And I STILL love that blue & brown variation of Watercolours' "Peacock" -- it's a classic!

The other nice thing about this NEW LONE STAR is how easy it is to switch out the colors.  Just pick out your favorite variegated Watercolours thread, then choose two colors to match -- this uses two blues and two browns -- and grab a few skeins of a background color (I use ecru 95% of the time).

Can you see how it would look in fall colors?  Oranges and browns, maybe??  Or how 'bout a true Halloween version, using that great Watercolours 231, "Ethiopia" for rich golds, reds and purples?  And I can also see this done completely in REDS... how perfect would that be for a holiday pillow this year?

Anyway, if you'd like to have fun stitching my NEW LONE STAR, for an up-dated version of a popular design, please visit my website and get more of the stitching and ordering details.... and oh, yeah...have a happy, stitch-filled weekend!

California Dreamin'....

Stitchers: are your bags packed? Are you ready to go to the ANG Seminar in Anaheim this coming week for stitching fun in the sun...with time off to shop til' you drop?

Be sure to visit with Diana, from NEEDLEPOINTS LTD. in Garden Grove, CA., who is running this year's seminar boutique.  I've sent her a few of my models and a big batch of patterns for all you eager shoppers.  So check them out and be sure to say "Hi" to Diana for me..... And oh, yeah, have a great time meeting new friends and starting new projects -- there's nothing like Seminar to get you super-excited about stitching!

Ridin' Down a Happy Trail...

I've wanted to do another WESTERN COLLECTION pattern for a long long time. Perhaps a lot of you have already stitched my favorite fetish design called "TURQUOISE BEAR COLLAGE" that looks like this:
 

I love, love, love Indian blanket patterns, and have also collected carved Indian fetishes as well that I think make nice insets for my collages.  Over the years, stitchers have asked when I would be doing another "western" piece and for some reason it's taken me a while to get back to these colors, patterns and images that I love.

First, I wanted to create a companion piece to the turquoise bear design; this time featuring a jasper horse fetish I have in my collection.  I've been working on it on and off for the past year.... And finally, I''m happy to announce my new Western collage piece is DONE! And it's called the "LONG HORSE COLLAGE":

I had fun creating the western stitch motifs, like the blanket in the upper left,  the "horsehair" ribbon band at the top, the copper horseshoe... plus graphing out a stylized horse ...and then shopping for just the right jasper fetish stone to tie on his back:

Choosing a color scheme for this project was harder than I thought.  I collected a few different colorways - one lavender & brown that has a more subdued feminine feel; or there's the green & brown combo that has a lush forest feel to it - and I've included those thread lists as options on the pattern.  But for the model, I went with the blue & brown threads, because it's so typically western in its feel.  Here are the three color combinations with their main Watercolours threads:

At the bottom is the BLUE & BROWN version, using Watercolours & Wildflowers 260 - "Sticks & Stones" along with blue, rust and brown #5 DMC pearl cottons; plus a copper and blue metallic ribbon as well.

At the left is the LAVENDER & BROWN version, using Watercolours & Wildflowers 016 - "Bark" which also uses lavender, rust and brown #5 DMC pearl cottons; plus a copper and lavender metallic ribbon.

At the right is the GREEN & BROWN version, using Watercolours & Wildflowers 010 - "Fiesta" which uses green, rust and brown #5 DMC pearl cottons; plus a copper and green metallic ribbon.

Frankly, this design would look rich and western in ANY of these color combinations, and they all look terrific with the rust red horse!  And as I was working on this project, it brought to mind lots of happy memories of horses I've known and loved over the years, so it ended up as a stitched memorial to all of them....Truly a satisfying piece to stitch, on so many levels.

So, if you're in the mood for a nice Western project that will carry you down a happy trail of memories, please visit my website and read more about ordering my new LONG HORSE COLLAGE.

A Touch of Fall

Here in northern California, there's a faint touch of fall in the air, and the grapes have started to ripen a few weeks early ~ even though it's only the beginning of August.  And that reminds me that it's time to offer "HARVEST TIME" as a fall cyber class again. 

I don't know what it is about this project  ~ whether it's the plump clusters of grapes that are so fun to stitch, or if it's the rich luscious burgundy & green colorway of Watercolours "Camouflage" ~ but it's definitely a favorite of mine, and from what I can tell from stitchers around the globe asking for it, it's a popular favorite of stitchers as well!

So now's the time to think about harvesting some of your own grapes.....

Go visit my website: www.laurajperindesigns.net to read all about this fun up-coming class and register for it today.  

(And if you want to open a bottle of wine and raise a glass in celebration of the coming fall harvest, go right ahead!)

Hydrangea!

Last month, to relax and take a break from all my counted canvaswork projects, I pulled out a painted canvas I had in my closet, done by Sandra Gilmore called "HYDRANGEA".  I was really enjoying working on it, because I didn't have to worry about graphing any of the stitches and could just "play" with it.... I used some blackwork patterns (only I stitched them in white #5 pearl cotton), created some easy checks, tent stitched the watering can and all the flowers, 

then went back and "embossed" some of the petals by straight stitching (with rayon ribbon floss) on top of the tent stitching, like this:

   
.... added a woven border, so in no time at all, it ended up looking like this:

When I showed it to some of my stitching friends, they just loved it and asked me if I was going to create a "stitch guide" for it, so they could stitch it the same way I did.  [In case you were wondering: stitch guides are the latest trend in needlepoint today.  Buying a hand-painted canvas can be quite an investment, not to mention all the threads you need to stitch it... so it's rather intimidating to try and figure out how to interpret a canvas so you can enjoy stitching on it and still be true to the artist's original vision.]  My first panicky response was, "No way, I have too many other projects, to even think about tackling a NEW one...".  And then as more stitchers asked about a stitch guide, I calmed down and thought, "Hey, why not give it a try and see what happens..." 

So, sure enough .... I sat down and wrote a stitch guide, and you know what?  I had a blast!  I created a fresh new layout, hunted out some new fonts, did a few stitch diagrams (but didn't have to graph out EVERY stitch!) and even included closeup photos of the different stitched sections.   I then contacted one of my favorite wholesale distributors, FLEUR DE PARIS, because they handle Sandra Gilmore's canvases and asked if they'd like to carry my stitch guides as well.  They did.  And the rest, as they say, is history....
 

Soooooo, I have a new sideline -- Needlepoint STITCH GUIDES by Laura J. Perin Designs!  As you might imagine, I'm really excited about this new development.  I mean, who wouldn't love to have a reason to buy more wonderful threads and stitch more painted canvases as beautiful as Sandra Gilmore's?!?  So I'm off and running.... and shopping.... and stitching....

P.S.:  I'll be selling just the stitch guide on my website (www.laurajperindesigns.net) , but if you are interested in getting the canvas and guide together, please contact your local stitchery store and they can order it for you from Fleur de Paris in Los Angeles.

P.P.S: And in case you were wondering... Don't worry, I'm still going to be producing counted canvaswork designs. (You should see the string of them waiting to be finished in the coming months).... but doing a bit of painted canvas work makes a nice change and certainly re-energizes me for all sorts of new projects!