Back to the Beads (and Mindy)

I'm back working on the three canvases by Mindy, and enjoying every minute of it, as the colors and patterns are beautiful, and they are perfectly stitch painted - never boring.

I have only just now started working on this one, and was in the mood for something pleasant but mindless - so began by putting in the white fretwork (in Kreinik #12 braid, 032) This geometric white line effect is all over the canvas, and is a unifying element in the busy design with so many colors.

Speaking of colors, the entire canvas will be done in DMC cotton floss except for the Kreinik braid. (Also will use clear Sundance beads on the flower design.) When I chose the thread colors, I decided to use just a very slightly lower intensity than the canvas is painted. The bright pastels are lovely, but I like them a bit more subdued - not much, but a little.

This canvas is, as are the other two, a process of being able to work on separate areas as I tire of one and move on to another. This is why they never lose my interest! Wanting to see what the next area will look like stitched is what keeps me going and entertained.

The next picture is showing part of the metallic gold fret on the upper left side. I have already started filling in the purple as it travels over from the solid area. This is intriguing, as I want to see what the shaded colors look like beneath all that fretwork!

You can also see the beads and how fine they look - the clear beads applied with the background color makes them blend well. Incidentally, this canvas is worked mainly with silk, as that's what I had in my stash to begin with - some of my very favorite colors. The other two will be done in DMC cotton floss.



















Next is a shot of the leaves with the gold begun. This too is a kind of mindless exercise, and then exciting to see what they look like with the threads filling in.
This is barely begun in the lower section.

The black fret is also interesting, but I have to fill that in during broad daylight - maybe even outside if I'm up to hauling my magnifier outside. Working on black on 18 mesh canvas is no longer the easy thing it used to be. Hmmmm. Anyway - more in a day or two.

I posted pictures of all three of these canvases previously, so anyone who missed it can just click on "Beads" on the side bar labels and find those.