Mini Mystery Monday, A February Valentine, pt. 1

Here's a little ornament that can be stitched quickly (there will only be two parts to this design) so you can have it finished by next week -- easy peasy!

You'll need just a few threads:
-  a variegated Watercolours thread (pick something valentiney);
-  a #5 pearl cotton solid color that is dark (for the borders);
-  two #5 pearl cotton solid colors that are accent colors - one medium and one light;
-  a metallic thread that matches the medium accent color (it can be a ribbon metallic like Ribbon Floss, Neon Rays+, Kreinik 1/16th Ribbon or a braid like Kreinik #8 Braid);
-  an 8" x 8" piece of canvas - white, eggshell, or any other color you want to play with (you'll see  some of the background when you're done stitching). 

Here's the beginning graph to follow, and again, it's a quarter graph so you can stitch the first quadrant, as shown below, and then turn the graph around to stitch each of the remaining quadrants.

To start stitching, make a hole in the center of your canvas, and then count up 20 threads, to stitch the first diagonal row of triangles (shown in red).  Once you have that first row in place, you can use it to stitch the remaining rows on the graph.

It's much easier to get that first row of triangles in place BEFORE STITCHING THE CENTER EYELET FAN.  Trust me, you want to leave that big center eyelet diamond until LAST.... it's much easier to fill it in AFTER the other rows are in place.  If you want, wait until next week, when the rest of the graph will appear, and you can stitch everything else, before finishing with the center space.

An by the way, when you do stitch the eyelet, place all your stitches going DOWN into the center hole (which you should enlarge as much as possible, because there are going to be a LOT of threads going down into the hole - this graph just shows the first layer!)  And your first stitch should be the VERTICAL ONE.  Then go in every other hole. All the way around the diamond-shaped center. 

Well, go run and get some threads and a piece of canvas.... you'll have this one done in no time at all!  See you next Monday....

An Old Favorite Shines Again

I was printing up some older quilt designs this week and realized how much I enjoyed stitching this classic SHINING STAR design:

I always wanted to quilt something this complex, but knew I could never get all those fiddly triangular shapes to match up if I sewed them, so I figured out how to create the pattern on needlepoint canvas -- and THAT I COULD DO!

This is one of the few patterns that uses four variegated Watercolours threads, combined with four more solid color pearl cottons.  I was focused on re-creating an Amish quilt, with those rich jewel-tone colors of blues, purples and pinks.

And I LOVED stitching this piece!  It looks complex, with all those small elements, but really it was very easy and fast.  (Personally, I think it's one of my easiest quilts to stitch...)  I worked just one quadrant of the star first (the upper right section), and once I had that section completed, I could use it to continue stitching the remaining three quadrants that are mirror images of the first. 

Working the rectangular outer border was a no-brainer, too - except for keeping track of which color goes where!  Then I always leave the ecru background for last.... and on this piece, the different stitch directions create a really dazzling play of shifting light and dark ecru. Here's a shot that shows what I mean:

I created this design back in 1998, and at that time I only had a black and white printer to use for the graph.  Because this really is such a classic design, and truly one of my all-time favorites, I decided to take the time this week to revamp the whole pattern, incorporating COLOR symbols this time around (woo hoo), so it's much easier to work from the graphs and is a breeze to print on my big color laser printer.

So if you love Amish quilts (like I do) and want something really fast and fun to stitch, please consider my newly-updated SHINING STAR!

Mini Mystery Monday, January pt. 3

Just a few more stitches and we'll be done with this month's mystery piece, so let's get started!

All that remains to be done is fill in the area between the zig zag rows.  Here's the next graph for you to follow, showing three possible options:

And again, you can see that I've selected three different filling stitches you can choose from.

Option A is the simplest; lay whichever thread you want (the fatter metallic ribbon is a good choice), then couch it down with a few straight stitches done with the thin #8 Braid metallic, or even your dark pearl cotton color.

Option B is another fast and easy filling; just lay a trio of diagonal stitches in the zig zag space and cover the intersections with a metallic straight stitch.

Option C is the more complex filling, but it's not hard; it's a wonky, "stretched" cross stitch that fills the space and is then tied down at the middle with a small metallic stitch.  Here's what that Stretched Tied Cross looks like up close:

It's a strange stitch in that it's three stitches covering a four-holed area, but somehow it works.  It looks especially good using the fatter metallic ribbon, tied down with the #8 Braid.  The fatter ribbon thread covers a multitude of sins, so if you get your stitches in the wrong holes it's OKAY... the stitches cover the space just fine, no matter where your three long stitches are placed.

After you fill all your zig zag rows, all that's left to do is add some beads. Again, you can decide how many or what type of beads you want on your piece.  As the larger graph above shows, I've placed beads at the points where the snowflake/star tips touch.  If you stitched the Eyelet Stars, you can also add larger beads in those holes, to alternate with smaller beads at the star intersections.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this Mini Mystery piece.  It's a very versatile ornament and would be fun to stitch in lots of different colors and threads.  Please experiment with different stitch combinations as well.... I'll bet you'll come up with lots of great ornaments using this one design!

First New Pattern of 2013!

Here it is, the start of a New Year.  And you know what that means?  MORE NEW DESIGNS to share with you!  Woo Hoo!!

I'm hoping you're gonna love this one, because it's something some of you stitchers have requested over the past year - another season in the Long Panel series.   So, TA DA, here it is:  the LONG WINTER PANEL.....

I had fun stitching this one up, since it's very monochromatic (using the french blue family of DMC 930/931/932) with LOTS of shimmer and sparkle with two metallic ribbon threads, plus lots of silver and blue beads. Here's a close-up of the middle section; the blue arrow is pointing to the sky blue metallic ribbon, the purple arrow is pointing out the snowflake (there are three of them on the panel) made with really cool twisted bugle beads, and the pink arrow is pointing to the ice blue metallic ribbon:

 When I was designing this piece, I was thinking about the colors and shapes of SNOW: snow-covered mountain peaks (see the jagged mountain peaks that divide the sections?) .... different composite stitch patterns that suggest snowflakes or falling snow..... and of course blues and teals and silvers.... all built around  variegated Watercolours 157, "Polar Ice".  I stitched this 4.5" by 16" design on the pale "french blue" mono canvas, but it could also be done on pewter.... or hey, how about the white with silver metallic canvas?!?  Veeeeerrry Wintery.  Brrrrrrr.....

And ahem... I even received a surprise Christmas gift from a friend that matched this project PERFECTLY!

Talk about a beautiful, blingy blue scissor fob!! Whew, this one takes the prize, and I loved using it as I stitched this icy blue piece.  (Thanks, Laurel... how did you know I needed a blue one, huh??)

So if you're in the mood to work another long panel with a decidedly wintery palette, please visit my website (www.laurajperindesigns.net) and get the rest of the information.
Happy Friday Stitching!

Mini Mystery Monday, January, pt. 2

I hope you have your foundation work done for this cute ornament, because now we're going to fill in those empty diamond shapes with some fun starry/snowflake elements.  AND, you'll have some creative decisions to make over what type of snowflake/stars you want on your ornament.

Here's the next graph for you to work from:

I've chosen some simple Rhodes Stars for my starry snowflake elements, to give you some idea of how the alternating colors will look.

A second option is to make Eyelet Stars, where each arm/stitch goes DOWN into the center hole, thereby creating a hole that is an excellent place to add a bead later.

The third option is to make a complete Rhodes Star, where each hole is filled, and thereby creates a really fat/full diamond shape.

Here's a detail graph of the three different kinds of snowflake/star elements you can use:

Option A is the Eyelet Star, with a center hole  that can be left empty or filled with a big bead.
Option B is a "light" version of a Rhodes Star, which creates an airy feel to the space.
Option C is the "full" version of a Rhodes Star, where every hole is filled and creates a nice plump star.  When worked with the flat metallic ribbon, the finished raised shape adds great texture, and a whole row of these beauties is very eye-catching.

All three versions cover an 8 x 8 thread diamond shape.  And of course, you can alternate the different types of snowflake stars if you want, and also alternate the colors and thread types as well.... so go ahead and mix & match to your creative heart's delight!

Next Monday we'll finish up with the final filler element, and guess what?... you'll have some more creative choices to make then, too!    See ya then, Mystery Stitchers.

Mini Mystery Monday, January 2013

Well it's almost the start of a New Year, so doesn't it seem like a good time to start another small mystery piece that will kick off our new stitching year? 

To get in the proper mood, let's think about January and the winter season....  What colors do you associate with winter?  What colors make you think of swirling snow and chilly skies?  Okay... now go to your stash and grab a handful of threads that give you a feel for this time of year, and be sure to pick:

- one variegated #5 pearl cotton
- one dark (or medium) solid color #5 pearl cotton
- one metallic ribbon thread that matches your variegated thread
- one thin metallic, like Kreinik #8 Braid, in a base metal color (silver, gold, copper, etc.)
- a 7" x 7" piece of 18 ct. mono canvas in any color you want to play with

[Pssst": the finished piece will be stitched "on point" (in a diamond shape) and will end up as a 6" by 6" design.]

And here's your first graph, which is a quarter graph that only shows one quadrant of the design:

First things first!  Find your center point of your canvas and make a tiny hole as a visual reference point, using your needle tip (you'll cover it up later when you add more elements).

From there, begin working the zig zag rows with 1 ply of the 3-ply variegated #5 pearl cotton, making Straight Stitches that go over 4 canvas threads. Remember to skip the right number of threads between each row, as indicated in the graph.  Easy peasy, right?  (And remember: turn the graph around to complete the other three sections of this design.)

Once you have the zig zag rows stitched (or at least the first quadrant) you can start to add the outer border.  I've shown you this border before (in one of our fall 2012 mystery pieces) and I think it's really fun to create.  I call it my "Woven Border."  Start by laying the long diagonal stitches, using 1 strand of your dark pearl cotton, like this:

Then add the rest of the horizontal trios, so it looks like this:

Lastly, add the remaining "woven" stitches, with the trios of vertical stitches on top:

Continue working the other three sides of your border, turning the graph around to match your canvas area as you stitch.  Now if you get your foundation pattern in place and the outer border done, you'll be ready for next Monday when we'll start filling in with fast, fun elements that add some sparkle and zing!

 See ya then.... and have a Happy New Year's Eve tonight! 

Happy Holidays

May All Your Holidays be Merry and Bright!