Are You Ready???

Do you have all your Halloween decorations out?
Have you bought plenty of Halloween candy?
Do you have a costume yet?

I've got some pumpkins on the porch, next to several pots of chrysanthemums (gotta have mums around at Halloween...) and I've got an autumnal wreath on the front door. Plenty of candy on hand, too. Although, even though I'm close to the local middle school, I don't get a lot of trick-or-treaters...But I've got plenty of candy (the kind I like, of course, just in case I'm forced to eat it afterwards...ha, ha). And I've even got a bright orange Halloween bandana for my dog Katie to wear, so she can be appropriately dressed for the occasion. (Although the ringing doorbell does start her barking frantically...Who ARE all those STRANGE people coming to the front door?!?...)

And I've got a few Halloween items hanging around the house that I've stitched over the years. It's nice to have another holiday to display our stitchery projects around the house, isn't it? Although I'm missing the HAPPY HALLOWEEN sign shown above. It's currently in New York at a trunk show...so I hope it's making lots of people smile and get in the Halloween spirit. One of the things I forgot to mention in the pattern for HAPPY HALLOWEEN is that the quilt blocks I used in the design are somehow related to the Halloween theme. The block names include: Card Trick, Toad in a Puddle, and Bats in the Belfrey, to name just a few that I can remember...


I do have this other design hanging in my house: HALLOWEEN CATS. Which I think is also very cute. (I've done it on 18 ct canvas, but it can also be worked on Aida cloth or other evenweave fabric.) I meant to send it away as well, but it was the only item I couldn't fit in the box, so I kept it here with me, while the others went winging their way across the country...

Anyway, I hope you're all ready for Halloween...Have a safe and fun evening!

It's Been Crazy Here!

I HAD intended to get more blogging done this fall, but ...OOPS, here it is the end of October and I'm still working at a hand gallop to get lots of other stuff done.

Over the past few weeks I've had to pack up and mail trunk shows to two different needlework shops - at totally different sides of the country. One trunk show is currently displayed at Ladybug Stitches in Bohemia, New York and the other is at Quail Run Needlework in Scottsdale, Arizona. Both shops are primarily painted canvas stores, yet they both requested my designs to show stitchers the fun of doing counted canvaswork.

And I'm pleased to report that the stitchers seem to be enjoying the change of stitching scenery! I've had excited phone calls from both stores saying the patterns are flying out the door. Well, THAT'S what I like to hear....It certainly gives me plenty of satisfaction to know that stitchers are eager to try my designs and maybe find a new needlework passion - in COUNTED CANVASWORK!
I always tell people that counted canvaswork is EASY...I mean, come on, who doesn't know how to count? And that's really all you need to do -- thread your needle, count (carefully!) and then stitch it on your canvas...It's not so scary -- REALLY!

And just to show you I'm not a TOTAL counted-canvaswork-a-holic, I'm showing you a few of the (ahem, many) painted canvases I have hidden away in my personal stash. (Like I have time to stitch these in addition to my own designs...but that's another story....) The top little canvas was a gift from a stitching friend...who surprised a bunch of her stitching friends with a little Halloween treat like this one! Boy, were we all delighted! Alas, I haven't stitched it up in time for this Halloween...but I'm hoping by NEXT year.....


And when I went into my local stitchery store (The Regal Rabbit in Windsor, CA) I fell in love with this gothicly cute Halloween house. I LOVE HOUSES, and this one sorta reminded me of a mini House of Seven Gables...but at first, I couldn't figure out what the gold curvy thing next to the broomstick was.It looked like the Cheshire Cat's smile to me. But then a friend looked at it and said it might be the handle of a garage door. AHA! Now I see it - it's a two-door garage for the witch's broomsticks. Pretty clever, huh? I've only done a bit of stitching on it - just the black crows (in a sparkly black Ribbon Floss) and the house siding (in a suitably gothic Needle Necessities overdyed floss) but I'm hoping I can get more of this stitched in the next few days....(dream on, Laura...)

And isn't that Halloweeny needle holder CUTE??
I love it - it's just perfect for all those Halloween projects. And it's another gift from a stitching buddy. We stitchers do love our stitching goodies, don't we?

Okay...gotta fly!
(Where's that broomstick when you need it?!?)

For All You Ribbon Winners...

this quilt's for you.

It's called STATE FAIR, and I was inspired to design it because of all my stitching friends who enjoy entering their stitchery pieces in the local or state fairs every year.

On the pattern I say that "this quilt was inspired by all of the county and state fairs that take place every year throughout the country. It reminds me of all the ribbons that are handed out to everyone who participates and contributes with their pride and hard work - whether it be in the domestic arts, livestock, or atheletic areas."

I tried to work as many ribbon motifs into the piece as I could. And I used a variegated colorway that has red, blue, green, and gold colors - all ribbon colors. And there's some soft gold metallic ribbon stitches added to give some extra sparkle to the piece. Even the "quilted" border has a ribbon banner look. And it was rather fun to stitch. And if you love to bead, there are certainly places to add a few gold beads in the centers of triangles or diamonds....

I also tried something different in this quilt design: I mixed and matched quilt blocks. Instead of repeating the same block four or nine times, I alternated two different blocks, which gives a more complex and sophisticated look. I'm liking the look of this quilt....and plan to do more of this mixed block technique. So stay tuned for more quilt block adventures for your needle and thread!!

No, I Haven't Fallen Off The Edge of the World....

....I've just been to Texas.
El Paso, to be exact.

Well, not all summer....just for a wonderful weekend, where I taught a fun class for The Counted Thread. I designed a special quilt pattern just for those West Texas stitchers and called it "Basket of Bluebonnets." I looked thru my quilt block resources and found a bunch of quilt blocks that had TEXAS in their name, and then tried to blend them into the quilt design. The two main blocks are called "Texas Cactus Basket" and "Texas Bluebonnet" - you can figure which one is which in the picture....And I even added a few different center block choices, so each stitcher can stitch the block they like best in the center of their quilt! The center blocks choices are called "Texas Tears," "Texas Treasure," and "Texas Puzzle."

I was printing up a batch of these patterns today and got to thinking that it would also look good in other colors, such as red, yellow, pink, and purple. What do you think? Can you see it stitched up in different colors?

Now for the reason I haven't blogged in months: I've been really, really, really BUSY!!! Printing patterns like a woman possessed...then stitching lots of new projects so they're ready for classes, shows, and other looming deadlines. No time to rest, think, or blog....just stitch, stitch, stitch!

Anyway, here's another pattern I had to finish in time for my Texas trip: the next design in the house series.....LONE STAR COTTAGE


That's a little armadillo button down in the corner...(check out a fantastic button website: www.susanclarkeoriginals.com for lots of her great buttons.)

Well, I wish I could sit a spell in that porch rocker, but I've got to get back to printin' and stitchin'...YEE HAW, Y'ALL!!

All Those Lovely Ribbons...

One of my all-time favorite canvaswork designers is Carol Costello.

She was designing the most exquisite things way back in the '80s. (She printed her patterns under the name, Fancy Work & Fantasies.) And I still think they're the classiest and most elegant stitchery I've ever done...even now. I stitched several of her designs, and still love looking at them and marvelling at their intricate beauty. And best of all: THEY WERE SO FUN TO STITCH!!

My sister Diane went to college down in Irvine, California in the '80s. She was in her needlepoint phase back then (she's a fantastic art quilter nowadays...) and when she went looking for a needlepoint store in southern California she found Nantucket West in Costa Mesa. And she discovered Carol Costello, who was teaching classes there. When Diane came home for college breaks, or when I went down to visit her, she would be working on Carol Costello designs and I fell totally in love with whatever project she was doing at the time.

Working on Carol Costello designs opened up a whole new world of canvaswork for me (and I'm sure a lot of other stitchers). All of her designs were counted on canvas, usually on the basic tan canvas, since that was the only "color" available besides white. I, of course, changed the color palette of her designs and stitched with more colors (hers were usually ecru on tan or very pale colors).

In the photo above, the piece in the background was intended to be ecru on tan, but I did it on white canvas in pinks and greens (my all-time favorite color combination). That piece is also rather unique because it is actually a selection of blackwork patterns - but done on 14 ct mono canvas - something REALLY ahead of its time! I have both these pillows on my bed today, and still love looking at them...and they still have things to teach and inspire me...

I remember vividly how much fun I had stitching those Carol Costello designs. In fact, that feeling of stitching something wonderfully different - something intricate and elegant, yet NOT DIFFICULT - has remained with me during all my stitching years. And it has been the benchmark for all the patterns I have designed. I always strive to create patterns that are a delight to the eye but not so difficult that they make you weep in frustration!

The joy of stitching should be just that: A JOY. If it makes you snarl, curse, weep, or fling something across the room, you are NOT having fun. And stitching should always be fun. It should be fun to learn something new; fun to add a new technique to your stitching repetoire; fun to share with friends; and once finished, fun to look at years later and remember how much fun you had creating it....

And the Next Flower Collage Will Be...

I've had a few emails from stitchers asking how many flower collages I will be designing overall in the Collage series. Well, I was rendered speechless over that question. I'm planning to stitch as many flower collages as there are flowers (which is A LOT!), and for as long as I find them interesting to stitch (which should be forever). I'm guessing that I'll be designing flower collages as long as I continue stitching....(which, God willing, will be a really long while yet...)

But for you flower collage lovers, here's a peek at the latest flower collage that I'm currently stitching right now. Can you guess what the center flower will be?
(Pssst....HINT, HINT: It's the flower in the enhanced/blurred photo above.)

In this new design, I've created another yummy pair of ribbons that are really fun to stitch...

And in the lower left box I've stitched a simple bargello pattern that incorporates the variegated color in the top row of the flower bud (see how the colors move along the rows?)

And in the upper left box, I've created a very simple floral blackwork design (using the variegated thread) that echoes the tiny four-petal flowers found in the real flower.

I also enjoyed creating the large pattern in the upper right box. I wanted an airy lattice foundation (to suggest a garden lattice)....but I used the variegated thread for the foundations stitches (instead of the solid greens) and then added rows of flowers in alternating colors of lavender. Isn't it interesting how the variegated colors of the "latticework" really looks like sun-dappled light on a garden lattice? (And viewed from a distance, that pattern has a rather rich, medieval tapestry look to it...I really like it....)

And I decided to use the newest variegated floss from DMC - their "Color Variations" thread - for the pale background filling. It's a nice, soft watercolory wash of pale blues and lavenders using only 1 ply of the cotton floss in a simple 4-way stitch. (If you are a painted canvas stitcher, you might consider using that very simple 4-way stitch to fill in backgrounds. And you can use 1 or 2 ply of a variegated silk or cotton thread to create a soft, washed look - just like in the photo above.)

Well, that's all for now....time to get back to stitchin' and graphin'!

(P.S.: If you have any favorite flowers you'd like to suggest for future flower collages, let me know.... I'd certainly appreciate hearing your ideas!)

Oh, To Be in California When the Irises are in Bloom...

The irises are blooming now in Northern California.
It's so fun to walk around the neighborhood and see all the colorful irises in bloom. I never can decide which colors I like best - they're all so luscious. And they all seem so fragile, you have to enjoy them while they appear, for they are gone from the garden so soon...

Here's an iris that's blooming in my neighbor's yard. She has drifts of purples, yellows and even some coppery bronze ones that are very different.

And look what I did after playing around with the iris photo in Photoshop... I used one of the artsy effects to create this painterly version of the iris. I just love the effect! It reminds me of a pastel drawing, or maybe a bold watercolor painting...

I can visualize this translated into a quilt, using batik fabric. But I'll have to think about how you could translate this image into a stitchery piece. The blurred edges are so soft and very Monet-like....I'm not sure how you could stitch that effect, but it's worth considering using blobs of color, outlined with light, to create that halo effect...hmmmm.

And as long as I'm mentioning iris, here's one of the first flower collages I stitched: the Bearded Iris Collage. I used a soft variegated thread (Watercolours' Harvest) that had soft apricots and lavenders. Although I stitched it to hightlight the apricot iris, you could certainly use lavender colors to create a lavender iris in the center instead.!
I wish I could stitch it up BOTH ways, to see both versions....(and then of course you could also try a pale cream iris too)...sigh...there's just too many yummy possibilities sometimes, and it's hard to pick just one to stitch...

And because there are so many different types of irises, I'm planning to stitch another iris collage sometime - I'm thinking I'll do a Japanese Iris or my favorite, the Pacific Iris (both flatter flowers that you view from above)....