It's Ornament Time!

It's time to think of new ornaments, and also time to learn and practice new stitches and techniques! For this reason, I've reached into my own e-booklets of ornament shapes to get ready.

I had already made two with backgrounds of needle blending (a red one and a pink one) so I'd have something to practice Sharon Boggon's Tuesday stitches on, plus a few things I'd like to do with DMC Memory Thread. I stitch these backgrounds while watching something interesting on TV or watching a movie, as I like to keep my hands busy, and want something that requires no thought.

I started drawing the basic ornament shapes several years ago so as not to waste time, canvas, and threads on just scraps - but ending the experiment activity with something useful and (hopefully) pretty.

The first picture is an ornament I showed here not too long ago, as I was working with Memory thread, and also the new Kreinik Holographic metallics. Sharon B. had posted that wonderful "cloud filling" on her TAST thing on PINTANGLE, so all I had to do was copy one of my own shapes to decorate. (This one was taken from my booklet of "Traditional Ornament Shapes.")

The second picture is also a re-run, and shows some basic shapes I drew long ago for learning and playing with new stitches and techniques. These have all been put to use, which is much better than wasting effort on scraps.

Now - a commercial for me. While I do have these on my web page as e-books, I've also put them now in an Etsy shop, with which I've entertained myself setting up for the last two days. I am an idiot with these things, so it's a major triumph to get it done. You can see them HERE.

I've also been working for the last few days, after thinking about it for a few weeks, on tutorials for beginners at painted canvas stitching. The first consideration, of course, is choosing an appropriate canvas - a simple and well painted one. I'll hopefully be ready to start this by tomorrow or the next day. Don't give up on me yet - I've been slow due to hot weather being disagreeable and a lot a chaos going on. This too shall pass.

Christmas Cuffs Stitched

I found the old scans of the cuffs I finished stitching for Madeline and Julia! They hadn't been blocked yet - I leave that to the finisher. These were the smaller version, as I did two sizes at that time. Some of the stockings on the market are too large and heavy looking for a smaller fireplace.

When I started painting stocking cuffs, I made a tracing of a kind of "standard" size stocking by a designer whose shape I liked - some of them are rather strange looking, even though the designs are lovely. Then I traced what I thought would be a suitablel size - depth - for just the cuff only. That, I drew also a bit smaller, which is what I used on the William Morris and the Poinsettias. These two cuffs are 9" wide at the top and 8" wide at the bottom.

On the William Morris piece, I left only a little bit of white at the top and added beads. The rest is stitched with Splendor silk and outlined in Kreinik metallic gold. The "grapes" are made with bump stitches and Flair. At the bottom, I added amethysts, which are Madeline's birthstone.

The poinsettias also have beads at the top, and the rest is worked to resemble cloisonne' with just basketweave in silk and outlined in metallic gold. The berries are bump stitches in Flair. December birthstone is turquoise, so I added them to the bottom on a "chain." There is also the factor that the color is beautiful with red - something Faberge' used in many of the enameled pieces.

The two angel cuffs were custom for two little girls in another family. I wanted them to still be pretty when the girls were grown - and not something childish they would outgrow - as this is quite an investment in time spent stitching, and also the sentiment is appreciated for many years in the future..

These stocking cuffs with the body of the stocking made of velveteen are really pretty hanging from a mantle against a fireplace - much nicer, I think, than several very busy whole stockings, and not so heavy looking. Also, the time factor in getting them done isn't so daunting!!

Stocking Cuffs! More Old Files

I was looking through old files again today, and found a whole folder full of stocking cuffs I had forgotten about. LOTS of them.

For many years I did nothing Christmas, as there were no shiny/sparkly threads to make them look right - and also, the images are simply not in my head, as I "see" other types of design.

About twelvle years ago, after I had moved back to Austin and decided to start designing painted canvas again, I painted some for various customers of the two shops here.

There was also the factor that I had become a grandmother, so anticipating that I would have more than one of them, I knew I'd never do a complete stocking - nor would I want to stitch one. (it would take too long) I like the look of just the cuff with the body of the stocking being velveteen.

I've never been a fan of needlepoint Christmas stockings, as they are generally too "busy," and have too many things going on that really don't show up well when hanging over the fireplace. As decorative accessories at Christmas, the cuffs with a plain body are great!

The William Morris cuff looks really bad in this scan, as my ink was running out when I made the copy - so it doesn't show up well, and has strangely colored streaks on it..

I painted this one later when Madeline was about four years old, and Julia was a new baby - and showed her a collection so she could choose what she wanted. I was astonished that she chose this one! The other grandmother, also an "art" person (she was a curator at the Kimball Museum in Fort Worth for many years, and did her master's in Art History) was not surprised, as she said that of course our granddaughter has wonderful and sophisticated taste.

I stitched it with a lot of metallic gold outlines, and had less white at the top. That was worked with pale green beads on white, and her name was machine embroidered on the foot of a dark blue velveteen stockiong. It was really pretty! Julia's had red poinsettias with some turquoise "jewels" here and there, as she is a December girl.

The next scan is one of a pair, but I can't f ind the other one. I had a lot of fun painting the originals, but discontinued it quickly so I wouldn't have to do it again.

The two cuffs with ornaments are simple and effective, I think, and names fit nicely over the strings that dangle the ornaments from the swag. I used as inspiration the ornaments showing almost every year in the Smithsonian catalog - these gorgeous art museum catalogs, including MFA Boston and the Metropolitan are outstanding for visual images to inspire one, but I'm always aware of copyrights, and some things I only use for personal and not commercial - like the Metropolitan Museum angels. I started doing those for myself in 1985, and adding one every year..

I've seen a number of these same ornaments, over the last few years, interpreted by several designers - and recently they are absolutely beautiful with other embellishments added, and used as individual tree ornaments. I stuck to simplicity and stitch counting for mine, as I felt necessary for using several in a small space.

I have to stay out of the files now for a few days and get some work done that has lagged behind with my chaotic lifestyle lately - but I'm enjoying weeding out old files and finding things like this.

Bargello: Simple and Simply Beautiful!!!

This picture is from Liz Morrow's blog, and she's announcing that she has the patterns for sale - I'm getting in line to purchase them for myself! She says "for beginners" - but I would love to do them, and play with changing colors for different effects and looks.

Do go see them. (Click here) Sometimes, simplicity is the most effective - and these would be a pleasure to stitch. You could use simple fibers, or go nuts with really jazzy ones. Classic ornaments for any decor!!

Ornament Progress: Before and After Beads!

It's rather incredible how different these two ornaments are when stitched with different threads and in different colors. Starting with exactly the same drawing on canvas!

The red one is coming to life with the addition of the beads, which glitter and sparkle in person. A close-up of this (click on it to enlarge) shows the basketweave on the flower petals done on every other row to accomodate the beads.

I could have used red beads, but am very fond of the way the clear, hexagonal ones look, as it 's more like ice crystals on the velvet of the background. The flower centers are DMC Satin Floss.

I drew another one for stitching with the pink and purple threads, as I don't like working on my own painted canvas - it's easier to see this way. The background stitch is T-Stitch, which has a nice but not overwhelming texture, and it's done with DMC cotton floss. I ordinarily use 4 plies, but in this case, I used 5, as it's on a white background, and the canvas is prone to show through with this stitch. Anne Stradal calls it the "dandruff effect," and neither of us is fond ot it. If I had worked on the painted version, I would have used 4.


As mentioned before in the previous post, the outline should always be stitched first, as it makes a clean, smooth edge - particularly when using a textured stitch like this. It gives one a definite place to start and stop - much easier and no ragged edges.

I wanted this version to contrast totally to the tree ornament red one, and I think it does. The cotton floss is matte, and the pearl cotton used for the leaves makes a nice, contrasting bit of shine, as does the Satin Floss on the flower centers. The petals are made with Rainbow Gallery Flair, and the large flowers will be made with Petite Frosty Rays, for a bit of difference against the background.

Again, if you missed it, the pattern for this ornament is on Freebies, etc., and is available for anyone to print out and use.

P.S. on this one: If I were stitching the "red" one with a white PVV background and red flowers, I would definitely use red beads on the flowers.

A Beautiful Blowfish

When Gail Hendrix (Squiggee Designs) showed me this beautiful little canvas, I had instant recall of my father, when I was a small child of not quite four years old, introducing me to the wonders of the things that lived in the sea. He had just joined the Navy, and was training to go away with the Pacific Invasion Fleet (WWII), so we were at Ft. Pierce, Fla. - just a small village so long ago.

I remember clearly the day he picked up a little blowfish out of the water to show me how it puffed up its tiny self to frighten off an enemy, or to be too big to swallow.

Anyway, besides that, this little ornament has such personality and lovely color, I begged to stitch it as a model for her. My first thought was to pull out shiny/sparkling fibers, but that was too much, and I opted for simple #5 perle cotton with a bit of YLI Ribbon floss for the yellow and the spots under the pearls. Basketweave is all this piece would allow, as she needs no more adornment than those gorgeous pearls attached to her. Besides the beauty of the pearls, I had just finished research on the symbolism and history of pearls when I started stitching this ornament, so am even more enchanted with the decoration. Pearls were the first recognized gem many centuries ago, and have represented the moon, as well as purity and perfection - and also other desirable feminine traits. Besides - they are sooooo pretty!!! This little fish is so small, I'll have it finished in no time, and will add 3 rows of stitching around it for finishing - most likely in a "Caribbean blue" color, as that will also serve as an outline around the fish.

Next on my agenda is to get the instructions and charts finished for my "Blue Sugar Egg" that I have just finished. (this is the part I don't like doing - it resembles "work.") Then it will be available at my web store as an e-pattern to download and print.

Anne Stradal of The Cape Stitcher has finished the wonderful ornament with my beloved St. Marks lighthouse on it - she had "challenged" me to a stitch off, but I knew she would do a better and more imaginative job of it, so I just watched her - and fantasized about being there once again. The weather is cold enough right now that the 'gators are hibernating and will stay put so one can safely get out of the car and walk. Do go visit her blog and see it (as well as a charming little guardian angel ornament she is doing as a special gift for a friend who needs it.)

Choosing Stitches and Threads

There is an excellent tutorial on Anne Stradal's blog this morning (The Cape Stitcher) on choosing threads and stitches for needlepoint projects. The artwork, as usual, is charming - and her canvas preparation is great, as she stitch paints with great care. Anne believes, as I do, that the design should be dealt with as a whole, rather than as individual parts. Too much textural interest will distract and suffocate rather than enhance.

P.S. also please notice that the circle is drawn perfectly symmetric - this not only makes the canvas look nice, but it's easier to stitch neatly. Just drawing around a glass or whatever may look O.K. before the design is stitched, but it's not good canvas preparation, as the circle usually appears a bit or a lot lopsided after it's worked, and is difficult to finish as a round ornament.

An new "Freebie" this evening

Be sure to jump over to the other blog - Freebies, Etc. - and see the new ornament posted this evening! Simple and quick - and great for using stash materials.

Stitching Gail's Mittens (by proxy)

I've been watching Margaret Travis stitching on the custom mitten ornaments that Gail Hendrix did for her children this year, and had to go look at more of them in Gail's e-bay store. I found several delightful ones - but this one with "CoCo" on it caught my eye - both because it is really pretty, and because my daughter has a cat by that name. (Chanel is her idol) Anyway, just studying it on the screen, I can plan what I would do if I were stitching it.

These things of Gail's are too pretty in color and pattern and too well painted to be suffocated with a lot of textured stitches and too many different kinds of sparkle. I prefer the look of a rather plain background - basketweave - in either silk or the wonderful Very Velvet (by Rainbow Gallery), and then some great decorative stitches on appropriate design elements, plus a good scattering of beads.

I am not good at drawing lines on the "Paint" program, which is where I did this - but they will do for this, although quite squiggly. At the very top, I drew inked squares where I would put Smyrna cross "bump" stitches - probably with something like Renaissance Shimmer, as it is a sparkling thread, but not "overkill" on the sparkle as some threads are. This can be repeated at the bottom, as there are more little squares in the same color, but separated by one background thread. At the bottom also are some white dots, where I would put beads.

Back to the top: The lines pointing to the turquoise shapes indicate where more beads could be placed, wherever the "dips" of the warp threads are. Also a bead would do in the center of the little red/orange crosses. Moving down, the 3 x 3 stitch squares could be "bump" stitches, and the line under them worked in the same thread, but placing a bead on every other stitch on the warp "dip." The purple motif also would be lovely with a bead in the center of each one, and on the name, beads can be used wherever there is a warp dip, stitching the rest in thread.

If you study a small project like this, you can see many many interesting things that can be done to enhance it just a little bit without ruining the basic effect. I had to also show "Gucci" just because it's a great name - I need a new cat to name Guggi. Personally, I like Givenchy perfumes, but don't think I can see myself out in the yard at sundown yelling such a name to call the pet in for the night. It probably wouldn't answer anyway. I failed to mention that Gail told me CoCo was a Pug dog - I have no idea who Gucci was. In Austin people keep pigs, goats, and snakes for pets. Hmmmm.

Something new! A "Freebie" Ornament

I just posted a "Freebie" ornament on the new blog. I'm a bit (or a lot) clumsy at this, as I haven't done it in a long time. My thought is to do this once per week if I can get to it - I used to write a weekly, illustrated newspaper column, and wash, iron, shop, cook, and clean for six children - in addition to producing a major line of painted canvas. Now pore old Granny just doesn't do much to be useful. My magazine deadlines (Needlepoint Now) are two months apart, and I don't market painted canvas any more. Oh well. I play on the computer a lot.

Anyway, I really loved - and still do - sharing these things and encouraging people to do things for themselves, so will offer lots of patterns, techniques, and tutorials this way. My designs are simple, as I do not like a lot of counting. I think the most one has to count on this one is six - and that is only for the centers of the four corner petals. I simply will not work having to look back and forth from a chart to the canvas!!

Anyway - enjoy! If there is anything you would like to see, just let me know.

Mrs. Santa has a Heart! Donations for Research

My article in the current issue of Needlepoint Now deals with the wonderful idea presented to me by Old Town Needlework in Scottsdale, Arizona, where Alice Borge is planning to "run for the Cure" in November for a good friend who has breast cancer. There are certain canvases - many of them in fact, that are designated as "profits donated to cancer research." This also includes the wonderful children's art from the program at M.D. Anderson - proceeds going to cancer research for children. (Denise de Rusha provides the painted canvases) The store has a section too, of canvases for donations for heart research.

Heart disease is actually the #1 killer of women in this country - and having been touched with major illness myself, this is of primary concern to me. When I decided to do this article - as I would love to see shops and designers across the country follow - I asked my friend Gail Hendrix (see her blog and her e-bay store posted on my list) to design a special piece for me to show, as I really love her style. (Another splendid designer, Anne Stradal, also provided a canvas for this article - an egg for breast cancer, as she is a ten year survivor herself. Do see her site listed here as "Anne Stradal's Catalog")

Gail has recently told me that she plans to donate a percentage of her wholesale for this little ornament to heart research, so I wanted to show it again. My condition would not have been as devastating a few years ago if I had heeded the warnings or known the meaning of the symptoms - or if my mother had been aware of symptoms when I was a child. (actually, it never kept me off the dance floor or the water skis back then, but it was bothersome at times) Also - a few months ago, the needlepoint community here in Austin lost, suddenly, a very dear friend and an active member of our "stitching group." She didn't even know she was sick, and went to bed one night thinking she had pulled a muscle in her left arm - and never woke up. Again, if we were more aware of this heart thing - and if there were more research being done, these things might be prevented.

Do take a look at Alice's store: Old Town Needlework Also at Gail's sites. I think it would be great to have this little ornament on the tree at Christmas - or displayed year round, as it symbolizes a donation to heart research. Besides - it's awfully cute!!

UPDATE: I just got an e-mail from Anne, telling me she also donates proceeds to breast cancer research - to the Susan B. Komen Foundation. Here's the egg, in case you have missed it - it's charming! Also, as are Gail's canvases, it's stitch painted, which makes it super easy and pleasant to work.

Squiggee's Gingerbread People

I've been busy today with no time for stitching - but I want to show these wonderful gingerbread cookies in Gail Hendrix's collection. Besides being whimsical and wonderful - and different from most others, they are so beautifully painted, one never has to wonder where to put the next stitch. Also, notice the little charms and embellishements she uses on her presentation. Almost too cute to remove for stitching!!

You can see the entire slide show, which is delightful with quite a few of these, by going to her blog at Squiggee Land.

Mini-Stocking Finished! (a tutorial)

This was just getting started with the cuff - where you can see the "A" begun with basketweave on every other row - warp threads only, as the beads will need to be placed in the "dips" of the weft. I used YLI Ribbon Floss for the background, as I didn't want the matte look of the Very Velvet of the body of the stocking. This, incidentally, is a great example of something simple and quick, sparkly and glittery that can be done with just threads left over in the stash from other projects.

This is the back of the cuff, where you can see the basketweave worked smoothly, skipping under the drawn letters. This should always be done, rather than starting and stopping and going around the lettering, as it prevents the unattractive "pin hole effect." Basketweave, smoothly and properly done, makes a really nice, padded, smooth surface, as opposed to using continental or half cross, as so many are tempted to do. These two stitches should NEVER be used on mono-canvas, as it can't hold the stitches evenly, and that ugly horizontal ridging occurs, along with uneven stitches - no matter how much care is taken.

Another important thing to remember is that the white or light colored background needs to always be done before the colored elements - as tiny fibers will pull loose otherwise, and make the edges of the white look "dirty" or fuzzy when it is pulled through the mesh next to the color.

This is a shot of the name on the cuff almost finished with beads - you can see how they were placed into the weft threads that were left bare. And last, the finished mini-sock!! It will be lovely in the firelight of Nina's house on the mountain - if she doesn't blow up her stove and get soot all over it.

Due to the velvety texture of the Petite Very Velvet (Rainbow Gallery), I used just basketweave in the body, as any textured stitches don't show up well. I did put "T-Stitch" on the heel and toe, as they needed a bit extra - it barely shows, but enough.

Excitement - a New Store!

We all just got lucky - great event! Gail Hendrix now has an e-bay store. Many of us have enjoyed looking at Pat Miller's blog, Needleart Nut, where she stitches Gail's marvelous birds and mounts them on stands - complete with tail feathers, personalities, and beady eyes. Until now, Gail has been totally wholesale, and her work was found only in shops. Love this internet! I'm showing these two ornaments, as my beloved north Florida (Tallahassee and the little towns heading down to the coast) is on my mind these days. Tallahassee isn't palm tree and flamingo country, (but the 'gators are there) -nevertheless - these things are to Florida as Longhorns and bluebonnets are to Texas. You can go to Pat's blog to see the birds, in progress, stitched, and finished.
Notice, as you enlarge these pictures, the wonderful charms and other embellishments she adds to the canvases - as the millefiore beads that look like oranges and grapefruits - and notice the flamingo angel tree topper! I will enjoy stitching this one. Do go to her store and look at her other goodies.

Jewels and Talavera

This isn't "resting" and taking a day or two off - it's more creative avoidance, as I should be working on two specific projects I'm not looking forward to. Responsibility. Perseverence - all that. Anyway, this is a progress report. The mini-stocking now has a name. I will probably do the bead thing on the letters, as it has those spots of glitter that look so fine against the Petite Very Velvet of the background on the body of the stocking. This thread doesn't really show up well except as basketweave, in which it resembles a patch of velveteen - beautiful for showing off beads and the Vintage Kreinik gold braid. I did work the toe - and will do the heel - in T-stitch, which barely shows, but gives just a bit of texture interest which was needed.


I don't like counting - and will not do anything in which I have to look back and forth between a chart and the stitching work - My idea of "counted canvas" is to count with the drawing pen before I start. (Anyone who can count to 4 can do this pattern.) by doing this, it is easy and relaxing to stitch without having to think or count!


Next, while I was painting an order for a Talavera mini-stocking, I found two more drawings I had never painted - and a third one that made a great companion with the one I was painting. I decided to go ahead and paint these while I had the colors mixed. That is classified as "work" I believe, so now I can play a bit - and then do the BIG ONE I've been avoiding.

A Few Days Off??

I am always amused/annoyed when people exclaim over my state of self employment: " You only have to work when you want to. How wonderful!" Well it doesn't work that way. I have no paid vacations, no paid days off, deadlines to meet, and other responsibilities whether I want to or not - and there are many many days that I would fire myself permanently if I could find a suitable replacement. About ten days ago, I decided to re-do one of my "create your own" type design patterns, and put it into e-pattern form for my web page. I spent four days in front of the computer doing text and layout - and got a bit carried away, producing a monster of 26 pages. Consequently, my back "went out" and I was laid low on the heating pad for two days. Then of course, I had to catch up on work that had been waiting. Finally done, three days ago I decided to take a two or three day break and just rest myself, watch trash on T.V., read, and stitch - basically enjoying myself with no pressure. Strangely, every time I do this, I seem to produce a volume of work - and actually enjoy it! Maybe I need a serious new way of looking at this design business thing. Anyway - what I have done now is to expand on two ornaments I did a while back (stitched) in my "jeweled chains" series and draw some new ones for Valentine's and Easter. This, of course, called for some serious stash diving after I had spent time re-organizing the bags and drawers. Had to dump it all out again and dig for treasure!!

These two mini-stockings are a little bit bigger than the one I have already shown on a previous post finished.
I don't know if I'll ever have time to stitch these things, but I envision all of them in various ways with different kinds of threads and metallics - beads, etc. The enjoyment of this design - the "chains" is that different fibers give them different looks. I have quite a few threads (understatement) from the distant past when I first started playing around with "jewels" - first on Faberge' crosses and eggs, and later on jeweled sea shells.

Next - an update on what I had intended to do on my "days off" - just stitch and finish the new Crazy Quilt ornament and an older "rollie," which I haven't yet picked up. Maybe tomorrow - as I just received a huuuuge package of gorgeous silk ribbon from River Silks, which I'm anxious to try. Self employment is good after all - I do have these options at times. The new "jeweled chains" pieces will eventually end up somewhere on my web page as "e-patterns" - the kind you download, print out, and draw for yourself onto canvas, dump out your own stash, and choose your own colors! However, this is another of my options - I will not destroy my poor back again by sitting here longer than I should - will exercise self discipline and a bit of good sense. (maybe)

Beautiful Bargello in Metallics!

As promised - a look at Inge Wooley's bargello ornaments, which I have had filed away in a box for about two years, intending to get them out and see if I could dissect and re-do them just for fun. Two of them appear to be prepared for making a top for one of her zippered moire' jewel cases. Anyway, her work, as always, astonishes me. When I met her, she was knitting gorgeous Aran sweaters for the Neiman Marcus downtown Trophy Room - but within a year of that meeting, she was buying my Imari canvases for her shop - and we soon started Creative Needle together for production and marketing of these things. I got lucky, as I tell people - as she has maintained the quality of the canvas design and preparation for 37 years. We still get together from time to time, and totally enjoy time spent brainstorming and exchanging ideas, etc. I think we have both slowed down a bit, but as she says, "What else would we be doing?"



The first set of ornaments is two that were done in the "4-way" style, and are quite striking done in metallics in Christmas colors. The second set shows just the regular "straight across" style with the little motifs across the center. Great fun - and probably the first I will start with to see if I can figure out what she did (lots of counting here).


The third set is, again, the Florentine style done in the 4-way format, which means it turns at the 45 degree angles and changes directions. Dorothy Kaestner did a wonderful and fascinating book on this subject in the 70's. Finishing the show and tell with one more of each style - the one on the right being a simple, traditional style design. Hopefully I can finish my present tasks and get to the fun part - trying to figure out what she did, so I can stitch them in different fibers for a different effect! These, incidentally, were stitched before either of us discovered the Kreinik metallic ribbon - wonderful stuff, as it lies completely flat and covers well as upright stitches - much prettier than the braid.

Bargello and Beads and Stuff

I'm not quite down to the Jurassic level in the UFO's box, but I did find these today from the far distant past - probably about five years ago. I was speaking (by e-mail, of course) with Inge Wooley today of Creative Needle, and was reminded of the gorgeous bargello ornaments she was doing at about the same time - our minds still seem to work on a parallel even after all these years. I will dig those out tomorrow and show them. Anyway, this was, I think, about the time I discovered the world of colored metallic braids that Kreinik has - as all I had used before was the gold and silver. It was a whole new world. I was also re-discovering Bargello, and trying to remember how I did it 30 years ago. With this one, I just dug white threads out of the stash - several different kinds - and used them with different stitches for textural effect. It was an easy matter of just marking the horizontal and vertical centers of the circle, and starting in the center, as good bargello is when it's symmetric. (Those gorgeous old Elsa Williams flame stitch/Florentine patterns were different).

The next one is simply four motifs interlocked - a simple thing to do - and then the metallic braid Raised Spider Webs in the centers. The white backgrounds are stitched with my beading technique of stitching basketweave on the warp only, then filling in with beads on the weft. They look beaded solid!! The red and green stitches are made with Rainbow Gallery Frosty Rays.

If you click to enlarge both ornaments, you will notice that I make a row of tent stitch always all the way around the ornament - it makes it look neater, it finishes better, and is just more attractive. The red and green one also has two rows of basketweave around the outer edge so as not to lose any of the bargello stitching in the finishing. On the round one, the outline was stitched first, so that the bargello doesn't look ragged around the perimeter.

More Buried Treasure

Cleaning up a bit and going through boxes yesterday, I found more! This is an ornament that was done when I had started exploring bargello again several years ago - and also making ornaments with threads in my stash. This one began as just a simple sketch of a shape - and then laying the canvas over the inked drawing. After stitch counting with the drawing pen on one side, I duplicated it on the other to make the entire outline symmetric. Notice also that the outline is worked with tent stitch to eliminate messy places where the upright and other textured areas end.



I did mark the vertical centers, top and bottom, of the ornament on canvas as a point of departure for the design stitching - then just kind of "took off" stitching. The bottom part is worked with Rainbow Gallery Flair, which I really enjoy for this sort of thing. These are easy to create, as you might just mark bands across the shape and see what you can come up with as far as color and stitches. With beautiful fibers, it's not hard to make something wonderful and colorful. Actually, there isn't much bargello on this one - I got diverted!

This poor thing has been put away for a very long time - dates back to some of my first experiments with beads. It's a bit lumpy, etc. I think I probably abandoned it when I realized I should have marked the center top and bottom, and made the diagonal stitches go in different directions - making a 45 degree angle "V". If I can find the beads I was using, I may go ahead and finish it, as it is colorful!!! Again, I used the Flair for the checkerboard effect - and, of course, Kreinik metallic gold.