Ribbons of Harmony

Well, here's the finished ribbon canvas I showed you last month:


The finished size is 9.5" by 13" on 18 ct mono canvas. Unfortunately, the photo simply doesn't do the actual project justice. You can't see the soft metallic shimmer of the aqua ribbon floss. Or the rich texture of the aqua Very Velvet Petite that is used in the larger ribbons... And the subtle variations of the "Green Tea" Watercolours don't show up so well either. But, trust me, it's quite lovely in the flesh!

This new pattern, "RIBBONS OF HARMONY", is now available on my website: www.ljperindesigns.com and is also available through my distributors.

(DESIGN P.S.: This ribbon design is just the first in a series I'm planning with different colors and patterns of ribbons. The next one I'm itching to start - RIBBONS OF HOPE - will feature pink ribbons. Caron Collection is coming out with a scrumptious new pink variegated colorway this summer that will be perfect for the confection I have dancing in my head....and I'm eager for the new thread to hit the markets so I can start stitching on it!)

Canvas Play, continued...

Here's the canvas I'm playing with...It's a photo my sister Diane took of a Gerbera Daisy. (See more of her macro photos on her blog, Going to Pieces)
She gave me permission to copy it onto 18 ct needlepoint canvas, because I was fascinated with the image and wondered if I could replicate & interpret the flower using different types of threads and stitches.


I wanted to see if I could create the look and feel of velvety petals using different thread textures. I started out using Ribbon Floss satin stitches on all the petals, but with a very limited color palette and way too much shine, the effect was over the top - so I ripped out the satin stitched petals....but left the basketweave stitches in the darkest orange (I'm really not crazy about ripping out that tight basketweave stitch - yucko - so I'll just work around it).

Anyway, I recently bought some DMC Floche thread and decided to work the stem and greenery with it. Boy, is that Floche yummy to work with! So I decided to order more Floche in yellows and oranges and see what it will look like in the petal areas....(I'm eagerly awaiting a UPS thread delivery so I can continue working on the petals.)

In the meantime, I've moved on to the border - which I added to the photo to give it a finished look. I decided to create the look of a triple mat....using #5 pearl cotton. And here's a very simple but VERY ELEGANT way to create a border for any canvas: PAD IT!!


Here's what it looks like up close:

I've layed a few long threads first, then started stitching a simple Diagonal Satin Stitch over the top of those long threads. It creates a solid but raised border that also has a soft sheen, thanks to the pearl cotton. This effect can be used with all sorts of threads....stranded silks or cottons, as well. Give it a try, if you haven't already!

(And the little orange squares in the border corners are worked with Ribbon Floss, but stitched twice - so they also have a nice little pillowy poof to them!

As for the space between the two border rows, I haven't quite decided what's going in there...I'm thinking alternating yellow, orange and maybe pink bars, but I won't really know if that works until I try it...and I can't try it until I get the Floche thread! (Maybe just one color would look better, and not compete with the flower, so maybe a simple satin stitch row will be the best option.) But I'll worry about that later.....

Canvas Play!

I had some stitching odds & ends to share with you.

Have you ever wanted to start on a new canvas, but didn't have the correct size of stretcher bars handy? Well, here's a tip to get your canvas mounted quickly using the bars you have in your stash. Get the closest size bars you have - so you can attach your canvas to at least 2, but preferably 3, of the sides of your bars.


I attach my canvas directly to the bars with staples. (You can use brass tacks as well.) Then get a long strand of a STRONG thread (I use #5 pearl cotton) and do a long sort of whip stitch from the canvas to the open side of the stretcher bar, all the way across the open side. When you get to the end, go back and pull your thread taut - or as tight as you want your canvas to be - then knot your thread to secure it.

In the photo above, I stapled the canvas to three sides of the stretcher bars, then wrapped & tightened the fourth open side. You can also attach your canvas to TWO sides, and then wrap and tighten the two remaining sides. And, if you want to be truly proper about it( especially if it's a large canvas), you can baste a wide rug/bias tape to the open sides of your canvas and then wrap your strong pearl cotton thread thru the tape - instead of stitching directly on the canvas and risking any damage to your canvas. That's the REAL way you would properly attach a canvas to a proper English type of floor stand.

But in this instance, I'm just playing around with this small canvas that I've printed off of my own printer. I asked my sister if I could copy one of her fantastic flower photos and embellish it on canvas. She graciously said yes...and so I'm off and playing with my threads, trying to see how best to interpret her gorgeous gerbera daisy!

Why "The Two-Handed Stitcher"?

Once upon a stitching time, there was a stitchery store in Palo Alto, CA called "The Ugly Duckling." It was located in what originally was a big barn belonging to Leland Stanford (as in Stanford University). Over time it was eventually turned into a charming assortment of shops plus the usual bank, hair salon, ice cream parlor, etc. But the best shop was, of course, the cozy and charming stitchery store....which at that time was primarly filled with cross stitch stuff.

They also had an intriguing assortment of classes. I was especially fascinated by a series of classes on BLACKWORK. A technique I hadn't ever seen up close and personal before. And I was smitten! The series of classes started out with a small project, just to get a feel for blackwork.... Then there was a more advanced sampler of blackwork designs....Then a medium sized medieval grouping of monks.... And finally, the PIECE DE RESISTANCE -- a HUGE elongated drawing of a medieval woman (taken from an English brass rubbing) with what looked to my dazzled eyes to be about 100 different blackwork patterns, plus gold couched outlines and real gold leather applique on her dress. WELL! I really had to take this series of classes, because I just had to learn this gorgeous technique!

I believe the teacher's name was Diane Owens, and she was a lover of ALL THINGS ENGLISH. She had extensive training in English embroidery techniques, so she was an especially wonderful teacher for this fascinating and traditional blackwork technique. I remember the class was a rather small group of women, all as excited about this piece as I was. And we all got to choose our own colors for this medieval lady; most stitched her in black, but someone stitched her in burgundy, someone else chose dark blue, and I chose a dark forest green.

We sat in a circle in the store, and each of us had a big Dazor magnifier light to use - a real luxury in those days! We even had the opportunity to buy a real English floor stand, that we learned to use properly: basting heavy carpet/twill tape along the edges of our fabric, then positioning the long, massive side bars to provide optimum stability and tautness to our long length of laced-up fabric.

Working on this huge project was so different from any other small, hand-held cross stitch project I had ever done. We all sat stitching with intense concentration, totally focused on our variety of minute and elaborately stitched blackwork patterns. And time and time again, the teacher would insist, cajole, and encourage us to use both hands to stitch. "I know it feels awkward at first," she said, "but if you work at keeping one hand on top of the fabric, and one hand under the fabric, you can pass the needle from one hand to the other, and over time it really will become more natural to you."

And she was right. Over the years, stitching with two hands has become second nature to me, and I simply don't feel comfortable stitching any other way. Of course, the advantages of two-handed stitching became immediately apparent and quite attractive to me because I realized I could stitch FASTER, and thus could get projects done quicker....which also meant I could start even MORE projects sooner. Yes, I definitely became hooked on stitching with two hands.....

And, oh, yes....I also fell in love with blackwork. Which set me off on a life-long quest to find suitable ways to incorporate traditional blackwork techniques in other, more contemporary settings.


And, yes, I'll admit there are some drawbacks to two-handed stitching.
...and as for the use of laying tools.....
....well, I'll leave those topics for another time, okay?