Join the Club!

Nordic Needle's Counted Canvaswork Club, that is....

Nordic Needle is offering the very fun NORDIC PANEL project again in 2015.  And they've added two more colorways besides the original red/blue/green version: one is in summery blues and yellows (glimpsed on the left side of the photo), and the other is in holiday reds and greens (as seen on the right side of the photo.  Here's a closeup of some of the stitch patterns:

So if you want to work on a fun (and not terribly hard) project for the next few months, please visit Nordic Needle's website to find out all the particulars....

And.... HAPPY FRIDAY!

Singin' the (Happy Dance) Blues

I'm dee-lighted to report that I FINALLY got my icy blue beads (after hunting high and low on the internet for any available 6/0 size) and was able to finish beading my new, new, new NORTHERN LIGHTS design this weekend. Whew, I'm soooo happy to finish this new counted canvaswork design and get it on my website for you.

I've been eager to share this shimmery piece with you, since I know there are lots of blue and aqua lovers out there... I mean, who doesn't love blues and aquas??.... And this one is totally FUN to stitch, with no difficult stitches -- just lots of shiny, easy stitch and thread combinations that create a dazzling finished work of art:

 The piece is built around a favorite variegated Watercolours thread - 068, "Mediterranean" (2 skeins) - but I also provide instructions on how to pick out other color palettes if you want to choose your own colors and amaze yourself with your favorite color combinations.  (And hey, wouldn't those separate diamond blocks make totally fun ornaments?  What a fun way to try out some wild and crazy color combinations!)   Each diamond block uses totally different stitches, and if you notice, I tried to alternate straight-lined blocks with curvy-lined blocks - just to mix things up and add some variety to the different areas.

I always enjoy making the snazzy corner "fan" stitches -- working the bottom layer with 1 ply of the 3-ply variegated Watercolours, then placing the second layer of stitches on top, using 1 strand of the softly shimmering Ribbon Floss threads. The most important thing is getting them to lay flat and smooth, but a laying tool works wonders, as does one of your fingers!   And I hope they remind you a bit of those shifting colors of northern lights in the cold winter skies, since they were my inspiration for this piece.

Anyway, NORTHERN LIGHTS is finally available for you eager stitchers.... so please visit my website: www.laurajperindesigns.net for all the latest ordering info. 

Meanwhile, Back on the Stretcher Bars...

I know, I know... it's been a while since I've done some regular blogging.  But I've been very busy dividing my time & energy between designing and stitching several types of projects, and by the end of the day it's hard to focus enough to string words together... I'm hoping to get back in the bloggin' groove this new year, so here's to the start of another fantastic stitching season!

Wanna see what I'm working on for the New Year?
 
Here's a counted canvaswork piece that's almost finished.  I'm waiting for icy blue beads to arrive, before I can finish the model and release the pattern (with beads included).   I'm calling this one NORTHERN LIGHTS, because it's got lots of blue and aqua shimmers in it:

The patterns and stitches are actually very easy, but mixing and matching different threads makes it look more complex than it is....Very Very Fun!!  Psst: it's actually a companion piece to one of my favorite designs, JEWEL BOX, which was done in greens and pinks:

The other project on my stretcher bars is THE SENTINEL, another gorgeous painted canvas by Sandra Gilmore. The owner of FLEUR DE PARIS (distributor of Sandra Gilmore canvases) asked me if I'd like to do a stitch guide for this fellow, and of course I said YES!   I've got him hanging on my office wall, and his unblinking stare continually reminds me that ahem, I've got to get back to work on him:

So far, I've figured out a border; started working on the birch trees; and now I need to get started on the wolf's coat.  I've got a pile of soft Bella Lusso wools for the wolf, and plan to do him in overlapping long stitches. Wish me luck on that!

Hope your New Year is off to a great stitching start, too....

Just a Reminder...

Happy New Year, Stitchers!

Are you busy working on new projects for the new year?

If you want to start a fun little ribbon project, you might want to sign up

 for my RIBBONS WITH MONOGRAM cyber class that will start in February.  

And what's fun about this project is you have the choice of several different colorways:

The stitches are easy, the threads luscious, and it makes a sweet little pillow, too.

So if you're interested, please sign up now; registration ends on Sunday...

 and HAPPY NEW YEAR STITCHING!