Last Week to Sign Up for PACIFIC TIDE POOL Cyber Class!

 Just a quick reminder that this is the last week to sign up for my new PACIFIC TIDE POOL cyber class that will start in late January....

If you want to create your own unique miniature beachscape, complete with starfish, seaweed, limpets and sea urchins, this is definitely the class for you!  But be prepared to work lots of bullion knots (I'm not kidding, stitchers!)

So splash on over to my website to read all the particulars regarding this class, as well as find the registration information. 

Free Christmas Gift For You!

 Ho, Ho, Ho...

T'is the season for holiday treats and surprises, Stitchers,

so here's a sweet little stitching gift from me to you --

a fast and festive CHRISTMAS SQUARE:

 

If you stitched up the AUTUMN SQUARE I posted for Thanksgiving, 

you'll surely want to stitch this companion ornament

 in your favorite holiday threads.

It's just the right size for a hand-held project,

 a small design to work on after all your big holiday pieces have been stitched,

 or something you can tuck into a purse for an on-the-go piece!

I hope you all have the Merriest Christmas Season,

with lots of fun stitching projects, and lots of treats to eat, too!!

ENJOY...

Guess What's Available Now?!?

It's the very fun, very festive NORDIC PANEL that I designed several years ago for Nordic Needle's first Canvaswork Club.  The pattern (in the original red/blue/green palette) is now available on my website:

Are you as crazy about colors and patterns as I am?  Then this long panel piece might just be the perfect project for you to stitch in the New Year!

The stitches aren't difficult -- straight, diagonal, smyrnas, rhodes, and french knots -- but they're used in clever combinations that are a pleasure to work up.  Here's a peek at one of the patterns:

And here's a look at the central bargello band, plus the blackwork band below it done in a variegated Watercolours thread:

All done in fun red, blue, green and gold threads that replicate happy Nordic sweater patterns.  So if you're looking for a project that will give you a jolt of color and boost your spirits during the long, cold winter months, you might want to add NORDIC PANEL to your wintertime stash!  Please ski on over to my website, for all the thread types and ordering info...

Giving Thanks

As a way of saying "Thank You" to everyone 

who's purchased, stitched, and supported my designs,

I've got a sweet little freebie chart for you to print out

and stitch up.

It's called "LITTLE AUTUMN SQUARE" and picks up a few

of the small Autumn elements from my recent

"FALL HARVEST PANEL.

So, print it out, pull some threads,

and start stitching!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Weekend...

And don't forget to enjoy those yummy turkey leftovers later on!!

A NEW Cyber Class for a New Year!

Want to try a totally different stitching project next year?  Want to step outside your counted canvas comfort zone??  Well, take a look at my next, new cyber class, called PACIFIC TIDE POOL:

I actually designed this project for a stitching seminar 'way back in 2008, and it's been languishing in my TO BE SHARED pile for years!  Anyway, I finally pulled out the piece and after checking that the threads are still available, I'm offering it as a 2017 cyber class. 

Please know this design is NOT counted from a graph, Stitchers!  The design is approx. 6" x 6" on a 12" square of 18 ct. canvas (sandstone with brown marbling).  You start with a blank canvas, with just the basic shapes drawn in (pre-drawn canvas provided in kit)... then you build up the tide pool vignette element by element. 

There's quite a variety of threads used in this piece: solid color and variegated cottons (floss and pearl cotton), plus specialty threads and metallic ribbons  -- all in seaweed greens and amethyst purples -- which give a really rich, textured look to this finished piece.

While the actual stitches aren't complex, I'm rating this project for "experienced intermediate-to-advanced" stitchers, because there are lots and lots and LOTS of Bullion Knots done on this piece, and if you don't know how to make them or don't like doing them, you surely won't enjoy working on this piece!   You'll need to create your purple anemones out of many layers of bullion knots:

The starfish is also made out of Bullions (with some needleweaving done around the center):

And let me tell you, by the time you're done, you'll be thankful that this is a small piece, and not a large one - grin!!  But seriously, Stitchers, once you get a feel for making long loopy bullions, it's not so bad.... and actually rather freeing to make overlapping bullions in different types of threads - just consider it a college course in bullion knot making!

So if you're up for a stitching challenge in the New Year, why not splash on over to my website and check out the details on my new PACIFIC TIDE POOL cyber class?!?

PLEASE NOTE: Recently, my website provider was "updated" and froze my website in a spring 2015 version!  Today I have been able to add my newest items, but I'll have to re-enter all the data for previous patterns, as time permits.  If you're interested in a pattern you don't find on the website, please email me and I'll send you a custom PAYPAL invoice for it.  Thank you for your patience while this issue is being fixed/restored/dealt with.

New Holiday Ornaments!

Due to the popularity of my previous HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS - Series 1 and 2, I decided I needed to create another fun set this year, called HOLIDAY ORNAMENTS, Series 3.

Each ornament design is 5" x 5" on 18 ct canvas (and 3.5" x 3.5" on 24 ct. Congress Cloth). I've stitched my models on the Santa Fe Sage green canvas, but really you can stitch them on any color (you'll stitch solidly on the canvas, so none of the canvas shows).  As you can see in the photo above, I stitched all four designs on one piece of canvas, but you can certainly stitch each one on a separate piece of canvas, or even in a vertical row, for a bellpull effect.

I also consider these cuties as "mix and match" designs, because you can switch out the colors of each border to suit your favorite look.  To show you how they look, I did two of the pieces in red pearl and red metallic borders, but if you prefer, you can stitch ALL four ornaments with a red and white border, for a matching look.  You can also switch out the inner patterns around the tree and stocking to red & white, green & white, or red & green - you choose!  And it sure would be fun to mix two packages with two ornaments in ONE design!  As you can tell, there's a bunch of ways to play with this design, and the stitches are all easy ones, so they really are fun to stitch up. 

MATERIALS NEEDED:  Watercolours 025 - "holiday" with DMC #5 304 (2 skeins), 890 (2 skeins), 3345 (1 sk), white (2 skeins)... along with YLI Ribbon Floss 148-021 (2 sk.) and 148-039 (2 sk.) - or Kreinik 1/16th Ribbon 002 (3 spools) and 031 (3 spools).  Stitch on four pieces of 8" x 8" 18 ct. canvas or ONE LARGE piece of 14" x 14" canvas for all four designs.

UPDATE, as of Nov. 15th:  I've been able to edit my website today, so you CAN order this fun pattern off the website!  Go check it out!!

PLEASE NOTE -- If you're interested in adding these new designs to your holiday collection: my website is currently frozen in an older 2015 version, thanks to recent "updates" done by my website provider, and I can't edit/add new products. They're working on the problem, but I have NO idea when my website will return to normal.  Sooooo, if you want this new design: please email me with your order request, and I'll send you a custom PAYPAL invoice, and we can do business that way!
   
HAPPY FRIDAY, STITCHERS!

Enjoy This Day!

Hope your Monday is filled with lots of pumpkin joy

and plenty of sweet treats and candy!

 

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Hey, Stitchers: Are you ready for Halloween?

Got plenty of candy?  Bats?  Witches' Hats??

  

Are all your jack o' lanterns carved? 

Have you decorated around the house with lots of orange and purple?

Then you're ready for HALLOWEEN!

HAve A SpOokiLy FuN TiMe!!

Pssst: If you're interested in any of these fun designs,

 please fly on over to my website and look under the SAMPLER COLLECTION for the

BARGELLO & PUMPKIN, HALLOWEEN RIBBONS, and HALLOWEEN WREATH

shown above!

October's Here

 The days are shorter, the nights are colder.... Leaves are falling, and it's time to put out the pumpkins!
As far as seasonal decorating goes, I like having autumn pieces around my house that can be enjoyed before and after the Halloween holiday, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite with you....

PUMPKIN HARVEST, which is a small piece (about 4" x 10") of plain ol' Tent Stitch done on 18 ct. brown canvas.  You also get to choose from several stitched sayings (Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, and  Celebrate the Bounty of the Season).  You can find this in my "Secret Garden Collection".

RUSTY O'TOOLE is basically a sampler piece with LOTS of different fall elements.  Besides stitching a happy scarecrow, you get to make pumpkins, Indian corn, sunflowers and crows!  You can find Rusty in the "Sampler Collection".

And then there's HARVEST MOON HOUSE, which I have hanging in my entryway, so I can see it coming and going around the house!  Love, love, love the bright spill of pumpkins that glow across this rustic cabin's porch.... You can find this piece in the "Secret Garden Collection" if you scroll down on the left sidebar.

And I can't forget the Sandra Gilmore painted canvas I stitched last year, and created a stitch guide for, called FALL SPLENDOR.   This is a BIG piece, and fortunately, I didn't have to stitch the whole background area - just the muted gold leaf pattern, while leaving the brown canvas unstitched.  And boy, am I glad I can hang it in my house and enjoy it now!

Anyway, I hope this has inspired you to get out stitched projects for fall decorations... and maybe try a new project or two.... HAPPY FALL STITCHING, EVERYONE!

Gathering Pumpkins

 Now that it's October, it's time to start collecting pumpkins and leaves and sunflowers to decorate the house.  And this year, I've been busy stitching some new seasonal decor.... I've just finished a lovely new design called FALL HARVEST PANEL:

Oh, boy... it's got LOTS of glowing pumpkins, leaves, sunflowers, acorns, crows, and even some Indian corn!  Here's a look at it up close (although the model is actually darker and deeper, and the scanned image doesn't really do it justice):

It's stitched on 18 ct. canvas in the brown color, which really makes those pumpkins and autumn leaves POP.  There is so much color in this piece that I couldn't find anywhere to add any variegated thread - except for the outer border area, where I used the gold/orange mix of Watercolours 280, "Calabasa" to add a golden glow to the fun checked and wavy borders. 

This time around, I wanted to design something other than Halloween Jack-o-lanterns, witches, and ghosts, so I stayed with a natural theme, so I could enjoy hanging this piece in the house from September to November.  I included as many fall items as I could think of, including acorns, sunflowers, crows, and even itty bitty ears of Indian corn.  Here's another peek at the fun stuff you get to stitch:

 So if you're in the mood to stitch up a pile of pumpkins, please visit my website to see all the ordering info for this new FALL HARVEST PANEL.   And, HAPPY WEEKEND STITCHING!!

Stitch Some PRAIRIE FLOWERS!

 

  

Earlier this year, Nordic Needle in Fargo, North Dakota asked if I would be interested in designing another panel piece they could use for their new canvaswork club.  Their previous club project was the very popular NORDIC PANEL I designed for them using bright primary colors and geometric Nordic patterns.   This time around, I wanted to stitch something with summery colors and happy floral patterns.  Here's what I designed for them, called PRAIRIE FLOWERS PANEL:

Oh, boy, it was so very fun to stitch, with all the different flower patterns!  I was inspired by the pinks, yellows and golds of prairie wildflowers and tried to keep that in mind as I created different stitched flowers in each section.  Here's a look at it up close, with the "fantasy flower" section highlighted for you:

Doesn't that look like fun?!?  Each floral section is so colorful and fun to stitch - nothing too hard or too complex - honest!  And you even have the choice between two colorways: PINK or BLUE, as the handful of threads show below.... and yes, the kit includes the cute little bee button, too!

This new club project will be starting in October and run for six months, so you have plenty of time to stitch and enjoy it, especially during the dreary winter months.   If this piece appeals to your gardening fancy, please buzz on over to the NORDIC NEEDLE website: www.nordicneedle.com to find out more about joining the club....( you can also see what the blue colorway looks like, since Jessica, one of their employees, stitched up that model!)

Happy Stitch-Filled Weekend!!

A NEW Collage Design!

Last week I showed you some of my favorite flower collage for summer, including the ever popular CALIFORNIA POPPY COLLAGE:

 Well, I just finished a piece that perfectly compliments it, called CALIFORNIA QUAIL COLLAGE:

I've wanted to do a collage piece with a bird in the center for ages, but haven't been able to get around to it until this summer.  I realized a California Quail design would be a perfect summer-into-fall piece, so I got straight to work and stitched one up.  Instead of using the same "Woodlands" colorway that I used for the poppy piece, I went with the softer "Kelp" colorway, because the aquas, golds and browns have a Western pastoral feel, as well as a Southwestern desert feel.

And quail -- aren't they the cutest birds?  I was amazed as I was graphing him out, how many different colors there are in his body.  Lots of color changes as you stitch, but you're only using a few strands of each color, so it somehow gets stitched up pretty quickly....  Here's a close-up look at the quail, as well as a peek at the patterns in the boxes:

It's a fun one to stitch, with luscious squares of composite stitches, plus a handful of cheerful California Poppies!  So, if you're a California Quail lover, like me, this might be the next fun project for you.  Please fly over to my website and check out the new CALIFORNIA QUAIL COLLAGE information.

Summer Flowers

Summer is a fun time to stitch up some seasonal flowers.  What better way to spend some time outdoors on a hot day than stitching on a project filled with summertime flowers, colors and patterns!

Actually, I was doing some printing this morning of a few of my popular Secret Garden collages, and that reminded me how fun these were to stitch up, because they all have small blocks of stitches that are totally fun to work, but not so extensive that you have to spend lots of time on them.  And they're all built up around a luscious variegated Watercolors skein, so seeing the colors and patterns come alive on your canvas is a real delight.

Anyway, I thought I'd share some pictures of the ones that evoke the deep warm days of summer.  Here's CALIFORNIA POPPY COLLAGE:

And BLUEBONNET COLLAGE:

 
The warm RED POPPY COLLAGE:

And the very perky PANSY COLLAGE:

All have the look and feel of drowsy summer gardens, don't they?

So if you're interested in sitting in the shade and stitching up a garden, please mosey on over to my website and check out all the flowers growing in the Secret Garden Collection...

I Love SNAPDRAGONS!

 

I just finished a new stitch guide this week, called "SNAPDRAGONS", to accompany Sandra Gilmore's painted canvas of the same name.  The minute I saw this smaller canvas (8"x 10" on 18 ct. canvas) I was smitten.  I love snapdragons and this lush bouquet had me grinning with pleasure.  Then there are all the different vases and dishes -- a china lovers delight! 

This was a pretty straight-forward canvas to figure out and stitch: the china is all tent stitched (or basketweave stitched where possible); the blue vase is also tent stitched in sparkly metallic ribbon threads; the cream vase uses shiny ribbon thread as well, but the ribs are slightly padded to create a more realistic raised texture.  For a satin sheen, I used more rayon ribbon thread for the chair fabric, as well as on the gold chair back.  I found a simple blackwork pattern to use on the wallpaper stripes, as well as a simple diagonal blackwork pattern for the table/tablecloth.  Here's look at the canvas up-close:

The last things I stitched were the bouquets of flowers.  The white roses gave me a chance to try a technique I used on the climbing roses on NANTUCKET: I used white Ribbon Floss and instead of laying each stitch flat, I deliberately twisted the thread and laid it with a soft twisting curl on the canvas, then couched the curve in place with a soft stitch of the same ribbon thread.  Working a bunch of those stitches created the effect of tightly furled roses, and overall I'm very pleased with the effect.

 

To tackle the masses of pink snapdragons, I  tent stitched practically the whole bouquet, from the darkest colors to the lightest; then went back around and added irregular diagonal satin stitched petals wherever I could figure out where to put them - concentrating mostly on the lightest pink colors, to give the illusion of depth in this shallow tablescape.

If you're smitten with this wonderful painted canvas by Sandra Gilmore, you might want to order it from your favorite needlepoint store, who can order the canvas and guide from FLEUR DE PARIS (Sandra's distributor).  I have just the stitch guide available on my website, if you already have the canvas and are inspired to start stitching! 

Time Flies When You're Stitching!

I couldn't believe that it's been almost two years since I offered PATCHWORK PARFAIT as a cyber class!  I guess that's what happens when you've got your head down and fingers flying over multiple canvases month after month - grin...

 

Anyway, I think it's certainly time to offer this popular class again... so if you missed it the first time around, now's your chance to sign up!  It's a large piece - 11.5" x 11.5" on a 16" x 16" piece of 18 ct. eggshell canvas, stitched with a handful of gorgeous silk threads.   And to add extra spice to the color choices, I've taken out the two palest, spring colorways and added two bold, fall colorways - PURPLE and GREEN.  Here are the color choices for the October 2016 class stitcher:
 

 
Isn't that a yummy selection of colors to choose from?  And in case you're interested, the palettes are build around these variegated silk threads: 
TEAL =  Waterlilies 121 - "evergreen"
BLUE =  Waterlilies 229 - "oasis"
RED   =   Waterlilies 045 - "flame"
PURPLE = Waterlilies 231 - "ethiopia"
GREEN = Waterlilies 245 - "savannah"
And all of the colorways include matching Ribbon Floss and Kreinik 1/16th Ribbon threads as well. 

The nice thing about this project is that the stitches are NOT DIFFICULT, as you can tell from this detail photo:

Indeed, once you have the sections/borders counted out, filling in the boxes is very relaxing and quite a non-stressful project. A good project for working on over time, picking it up between other more demanding pieces.  I think of this piece as part geometric, part sampler....but totally fun to work up!

So if you want a gorgeous geometric sampler to work on this fall, please visit my website, and see all the other PATCHWORK PARFAIT class particulars and ordering information.