February TIF: I Remember it Well!!

I think Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold sang that in GIGI - I loved it! I haven't really decided on any one fine, big project to begin and work on during the month, but as I start each new small one, it seems to now bring back a memory of something about needlepoint "back in the day," as someone has said. Apparently this is happening to many who began stitching about the same time I did, or under the same circumstances: i.e. nothing but wool or cotton floss to work with, and no really exciting and novel items to make. Pat, (NCPat to many of us - but also of the wonderful blog "Needleartnut") showed a bracelet and earrings last week that she is making - or has made, so of course I had to go investigating that one, and found that jewelry, indeed, is a big item at the present time. I am, currently, working on recreating the "lace" designs I worked back in the 70's - and it occurred to me, with collaboration with her, that due to the great metallics and shiny ribbon floss and sparkling beads, jewelry could, indeed be created - the kind that sparkles a bit. In the beginning, when I hadn't been painting canvases very long, a shop owner asked me to do some small Christmas ornaments for her - I did, and was horrified when they came back stitched and finished, to see that lthe little squares and rectangles worked in Persian wool and stuffed like little clunky pillows were just plain ugly. They sold very well at the time, but I have not since, in all these years, designed any Christmas stuff - mental block, I think. Of course the picture has changed now, and ornaments do, indeed, sparkle and glitter and shine - so I am stitching "jewelry." Oh boy!! The second picture is the drawing I made on canvas this morning - will stitch it after I catch up with my other obligations. I think it would be super on black canvas with just a few black beads on the background - but I didn't want to do battle with drawing on black today - hard on the eyes. If I get around to stitching it, it will have red flowers, green leaves, and gold metallic lace trim - and a white beaded background. Pat is looking for buttons to cover with these earrings, and will send me sizes soon, I'm sure. Even before Sharon announced the theme/topic for this month's challenge, I was thinking back to how few resources we really had in the late 60's and during the 70's for interesting needlepoint pieces - but we enjoyed it immensely anyway. (Quite addictive, it is.) I think this is probably what has led me to go back to the beginning and re-do many of my old techniques and designs. Now possibilities are, it seems, almost limitless for things that can be made with this wonderful fiber medium.