Warm Winds Are Blowing

Brilliant blue skies, and warm breezy days -- that's what September is like around here. 

And it brings to mind another quilt design that is similar to the WYOMING STAR I showed you last week, but this time the colors are definitely from an autumn palette.  It's called COLOR STUDY: FOUR WINDS, which is suggested by the four directional arms of this large lone star motif:

The color palette is built around Watercolours 010 - "Fiesta", which is a very versatile color, because it contains browns, rusts, greens, blues and golds -- something for every taste!  Anyway, I stitched the model with a green border, but the pattern also offers threads for a dark blue border and blue central star, with a lighter blue background accent as well.... because blue, rust and brown is such a rich, westerny color combination it would look equally stunning in this piece. 

The quilt body has lots of fun and easy stitches, as shown in this up-close photo:

The stitching is not difficult... but just fun enough to create a bit of a challenge!  And creating the arrow borders is very fast and fun and adds such a rustic touch to this design.  So if you're in the mood for a September project that definitely has an autumn feel to it, please consider my COLOR STUDY: FOUR WINDS!

Goodbye, Summer...

It's the beginning of September already, and the skies in Northern California are a vibrant blue.  Amongst the masses of green trees that carpet the hills and shade the streets there are hints of gold and orange -- a coming attraction of the next season, while we enjoy the remaining days of summer.

Those blue/green/gold colors remind me of this quilt I designed, called WYOMING STAR:

In this quilt, I decided to try something different and instead of doing the whole quilt in Diagonal Satin Stitch I added some easy stitch variations that would look like fabric patterns. Here's an up-close look at the design that shows you the stitches that give the effect of fabric swatches:

And I also decided to use DMC floss for the background colors, instead of my usual ecru #5 pearl cotton.  DMC floss is much easier on the fingers when pulling the needle through the canvas, don't you agree?  So once all the pearl cotton areas are stitched, it's fun to relax and just fill in the background sections with the finer, stranded floss.  And that makes WYOMING STAR a great project for the last lazy days of summer!

Cut Glass Dishes

 

I've been printing patterns this week, and one of my favorites, CUT GLASS DISHES, brought a smile to my face.  I love the intricacy of this design (and yes, there really is a quilt block called Cut Glass Dishes) with all its tiny triangles turning this way and that.   Very much like the triangular cut edges of the pressed glass dishes popular in the '20s and '30s.  Do you have some of them in your dish cupboard?  Dishes that were handed down from relatives in your family?  (You know... the ones that hold the pickle relish or stuffed olives for holiday dinners.)

Anyway, I pulled out the model of this design, and was studying it again.  Here's what the triangles look like up close; rather confusing in all their twists and turns (so you have to concentrate row by row) but so very pleasing when completed:

I love, love, love the colors of this piece - using Watercolours 139 - "Kelp" with buttery yellows and soft sea greens.  Looking at this piece also reminded me of some of my favorite books, the "Darling Dahlia" series by Susan Wittig Albert.

If you haven't read them (and you really must!), the Darling Dahlias are a women's gardening group in Darling, Alabama in the 1930s.  In this fun "cozy" mystery series, the author beautifully recreates the atmosphere of those Great Depression times, and I especially enjoy reading her descriptions of the clothes, gardens, and recipes of those days.  To me, reading these books are sort of like jumping into a tiny time machine, and revisiting old friends...

And something else you may find interesting:  the author, Susan Albert, is herself a stitcher and often finds time to stitch in the evenings, when the workday is done -- just like so many of us!  So if you're looking for a charming series of books to read and enjoy, I highly recommend Susan Albert's Darling Dahlia books.... and if you want a nostalgic project to work on while you read them, please consider my CUT GLASS DISHES!

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!