A Little Flag Waving

I've been inspired by Coni (SPINSTER STITCHER) who is starting a new project that she will be stitching during the Beijing Olympics. She's going to stitch a lovely American Flag project called "Patchwork of Peace." How appropriate!

After watching the opening ceremonies last night, I've decided to jump in to the Olympic Stitching Event by stitching up a little flag canvas I created from the photograph above. (I've been itching to have an excuse to start stitching on it, and now I have one! Isn't it amazing how eager we are to find ANY EXCUSE to start a new project? ....Never mind how many other projects we have ALREADY started in our project pile?....)

And of course, I'm off to the local stitchery store to get my threads...I'm thinking Splendor silks for the red, white and blues...to be blended with a simple basketweave stitch thruout (and maybe some discreetly padded borders!)

Well, I'm off to shop....Talk to ya later!

Psst....

Want to see some neat old embroidery charts that have been digitalized and offered free to the stitchers of the world? Visit MY AUNT'S ATTIC (click the link on the right.) You can then click on the charts shown and they enlarge for you to view them and THEN you can copy them to stitch!

Or like me, you can just browse through them and let their old-style beauty inspire you to pick up a needle and thread and START STITCHING!

It's A Classic!

Many years ago, I designed this LOG CABIN quilt design that had a decidedly Amish feel to it. The photo doesn't really show the truly rich jewel colors of the design, but you get the general idea....

Anyway, I've always wanted to do another version of the Log Cabin block. But this time I decided to focus on just ONE four-way block and have fun with the colors. Recently, I sat down and stitched up this version, which I call my CLASSIC LOG CABIN:


This version uses a variegated Watercolours (32 - "Passion") with primary reds, blues and greens and a deep navy background. And though you can't tell from the photo, I added some red sparkly Ribbon Floss in the blocks' "hearth of the home" centers, as well as along the outside border blocks.

Pure Americana, isn't it?

(DESIGN P.S.: I also wondered what this pattern would look like in another colorway. This is such a classic quilt pattern, and the design is so simple, but so strong - it's terrific for playing with color... So my Mom volunteered to stitch up an alternate version - in pinks and greens with a splash of lavender. I can't wait to see it...I'll post a picture of it when it's finished, so you can see it too.)

Blackwork Mystery, part 3

I've posted the third and final part of my BLACKWORK MYSTERY SAMPLER on my website.

Here's what my finished model looks like:


I'm so very disappointed that you can't see the really bright, shiny metallic I used for the third "layer" of this design. If you look back at my threads photo, you can see the spool of shiny turquoise Kreinik blending filament that I used. Those are the tiny turquoise glints you get on this piece, when you finish adding your metallic work.

I particularly like using Kreinik's blending filament as a metallic accent in blackwork because it gives a really subtle but great ZINGY accent. It gives off these little zaps of sharp metallic lights throughout the piece, which is a surprise and delight to the eye.....Really! You'll just have to stitch with it yourself, to see what I mean....

Also, you'll see that the finished design has lots of "wagonwheel" elements in the overall piece. I've done many blackwork designs where I've stitched the wagonwheels in Kreinik blending filament and WOW, the effect is very elegant and eye-catching! You might like to try that option some time, too.

I'd like to point out at this time - after you've stitched parts 1 and 2 - that you have lots of options to fill in the remaining empty spaces. I've chosen the "wagonwheel" elements, but can you see how you can change the look of the patterns by adding other elements? Can you visualize how it might look if you put DIAMOND SHAPES or FLORAL SHAPES inside the circles, instead of the wagonwheels? And you can always put cross stitches, upright crosses or smyrnas just about anywhere. I've inserted a few cross stitches and upright crosses to show you how easy it is you add these simple elements in your blackwork patterns.

That's one of the fun things about doing blackwork: it's so geometric, you get to add or subtract the various elements you like into the pattern, thus creating new and different patterns every time you stitch. It's a good way to dabble in designing.... and a very fun way to play with colors, pattern density (how light/open or dark/filled you make your pattern) and pattern design.

And...for you bead lovers, there are lots of places to sprinkle some beads, if you so desire. On the final graph, you'll see some suggested places to put beads. Follow my lead, or feel free to bead it up to your own satisfaction!

Anyway, I hope you've enjoying stitching this little project with me!

(P.S: In my typical designer-eye style, as I was stitching this one I was leap-frogging ahead to more ideas for other projects...SO STAY TUNED FOR MORE FUN FUTURE PROJECTS!!!)

More Kimono Trios

As long as I'm showing you the kimono series, I thought I'd show you photos of the other two.....

THREE SPRINGTIME KIMONOS


and THREE WINTER KIMONOS


They each use just one variegated colorway - with a trio of separate accent colors. And isn't the variety amazing? Pretty neat illusion, huh? Something to think about when you're stitching a project and you need a way to tie separate elements together. Remember: LET THE VARIEGATED THREAD DO THE WORK FOR YOU. This is a really good way to pick out thread colors. Find a variegated thread you like and then match your solid colors to it. Chances are, you won't go too far wrong if your colors match the variegated skein.

(And no, there isn't an autumnal trio. I think I ran out of kimono energy and never got back to designing the last in the series.....sigh, I'll just add it to the list of 1,534 other projects waiting to be created in my head....)

THANK YOU, LESLEY!

I'm going to end the month of July by saying a big "THANK YOU!" to Lesley of Tintock Tap for giving me a Brillante Weblog Award. What a lovely surprise....


And what a great way to share our favorite blogs with other like-minded readers!

Here are the rules:

1. The winner can display this award on their blog.
2. Display a link to the person you have got the award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs that you like.
4. Set the links to the blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a comment on the blogs you have chosen.

Well, limiting it to seven is too hard, and there are just too many wonderful blogs to read, don't you think? I'd like to list all of them... But I'll pick these favorites, among all the other favorites I have listed on the right (click on their titles on the right, to visit their blogs):

Cyn Stitches
Jane's Chilly Hollow
Life, the Universe and Stitching
Love to Stitch
NEEDLEARTNUT
Possibilities, etc.!
Spinster Stitcher
Tintock Tap

The Old Switcheroo

While I'm talking about the fun of working with variegated threads, I should show you how my "Switcheroo Effect" works on some of my kimono patterns. Here's one of my kimono trios: THREE SUMMER KIMONOS. (I also have THREE WINTER KIMONOS and THREE SPRINGTIME KIMONOS, which also use the same technique.)


Anyway, I used the SAME variegated thread for all three kimonos...but I used THREE DIFFERENT solid color accents (with a matching metallic). Each kimono takes on the tone of the solid color yet they all blend together because they have the same variegated foundation thread (I used The Thread Gatherer's Silk 'n Colors 056 -"Mermaid Shimmer".) I was curious to see how much of a color change would occur when I tried a trio of Switcheroos.... and I was pleased to see how well my idea worked.


Here's the kimono on the left. The primary foundation of the kimono patterns is done with the variegated silk, and the accent stitches are worked with a sage green (it's the color of the tent-stitched lining area.)


And here's the middle kimono. The accent color is the dark teal silk in the lining area. Isn't it amazing how much darker the middle kimono is, having the darker accent color worked thruout the pattern?

Finally, here's the kimono on the right, which uses a turquoise accent color.

Please notice the different composite stitch patterns used on each of the kimonos. I consider it a point of honor NOT to repeat my stitch patterns, so I always have fun creating new and different stitch combinations for all my designs.

These kimonos are worked on 24 ct. pale green Congress Cloth and the overall size of the design is 5" high and 15" long. I've also stitched just one of the kimonos by itself, and they're equally fun to stitch.