Geishas and Missing Pictures

The latest issue of Needlepoint Now is just now out, and I'm having questions about the mention of Gail Hendrix's beautiful Geishas. The pictures inadvertantly were left out in my article - so you may look at them, along with lots of other gorgeous and whimsical things she has designed on her web page. See it HERE.

I had to add an extra - her "Shopper Rollie" which looks suspiciously like Gail herself. (complete with Chanel purse)

The picture of Jan Fitzpatrick's Moroccan rug was also left out - but there is a link in the post just under this one to see her beautiful work.

Turtles and Eggs - Spring is coming!

I was checking out Gail's slide show this morning with her eggs - and she has posted a picture of the most wonderful red slider turtle - a shaped one like her crabs and frogs. I have already whined, begged, and otherwise hinted for her to send him to me quickly, as my son Joe also loves them. Would he be a splendid paperweight stuffed with BB's?? Anyway - go see this beauty at her blog, in addition to the eggs.

More Ecclesiastical Needlepoint!

Addendum: For a stunningly beautiful slide show of Church Needlepoint, go to Gail Hendrix's blog and admire. She is the best!!

The Beautiful Sea Critters

While I do appreciate all the kind comments, please remember that the colors, designs, all of it are absolutely Gail Hendrix of Squiggee Designs - and has nothing to do with me. I simply stitch them in the colors and pattern she has created - in a way that won't distract from the artwork. They are a wonderful break from my own designs, as I get awfully tired of mine - and Gail's are beautifully painted and very easy and delightful to stitch.

To see more of her beautfiful canvases, see her blog and her e-bay store - listed on my side bar under "favorite blogs." Thanks so much, also, for visiting and for taking time to comment.

The Sea Horse all Finished!!

He's finished, and isn't he beautiful!! Gail puts the beads on the model canvases, but again, as on the blowfish, I left them there and just stitched around them. Her choices of color and size are remarkable! The placement of the black bead on his eye truly gives him personality and expression.

Anyway - he is all done, and I'm anxious to start the next project. This was, as usual, quite entertaining. I just wish I were faster.

Stitching the Seahorse

I'm not exactly a "turbo-stitcher" like Gail is, but I'll get there eventually. This seahorse is, as usual with her canvases, delightful to work.

Threads used are entirely silk, as that's what was in my stash in the right colors (I love silk anyway). However, cotton floss would also be effective, as the colors are gorgeous and the pattern is busy enough not to need a lot of "fancies." I used for the white lines, the Renaissance Shimmer, as it needed a bit of sparkle - but not a lot.

The silver metallic is Kreinik #12 braid in the Vintage, as I wanted gleam and not sparkle in this instance.

In the detail you can see where I made smyrna cross "bump" stitches for small accents. This is an effect I enjoy doing when no more embellishment is called for - or "overkill" in texture. It's simply a matter of making the bump wherever there is a configuration of four stitches square - the lines point to them. Hopefully I'll have this beauty finished sometime tomorrow, and can start on the small, multi-color fish that I really look forward to - an incentive to finish the seahorse!!

The Fish is Finished!

What a joy it is to stitch on a very small piece with such delightful colors and personality! Also a joy to be able to complete something worthwhile in a short period of time - a feeling of accomplishment without stress.

Gail had sent me, along with the fish, a photocopy in color to show where to re-place the beads after removing them for the stitching, but I decided not to remove them at all, as it's simple to just stitch around them.




Hopefully, in this detail picture, you can see the difference in the surface textures of the threads I chose to use. Silk would have been too smooth, so I chose to use perle cotton instead for the body of the fish. The floss, which is normally my preference, would have also been too smooth. (However, for a bit of contrast, I did use floss for the dark pink patch and the spots in the same color.) The perle cotton has a ropy twist, so makes the surface of the body appear a little bit rougher - kind of "pebbly."

The green spots and also the yellow are YLI Ribbon Floss. This was used because the color is great, and the shine is a nice contrast against the more matte look of the cotton. Gail painted the gold parts in metallic gold, but the Kreinik I usually use seemed a bit heavy - so I opted for the YLI ribbon floss in Honey/Copper - which has a bit of sparkle. In person it is beautiful!! I didn't want a lot of glitter/sparkle, etc., as I didn;t want any distraction from the gleam of those gorgeous "pearls."


It is always a good idea to stitch about three rows of basketweave around the ornament, as a few stitches would be lost in the seam allowance. A really competent finisher usually needs no more than this.

I have shown with arrows that I drew lines 3 threads out from the horizontal and vertical stitches - even when there were only two or three stitches. Then, just "connect the dots" on the diagonal, and you will have a smooth, even and consistent seam allowance outline.

The color was chosen to contrast with the body of the fish, and also to give the idea of the beautiful blue/green water in which this little fish lives and swims. It will provide a tiny outline around the shape when the finishing is done.

Next on my agenda is this gorgeous little multi-colored companion, and I can hardly wait to get started. It will take some serious "pondering" (and a whole box of stash threads dumped out) to select the right threads and colors, as one mustn't just pick threads to match each little segment - they must coordinate and look right as a whole.
Then comes the Sea Horse, which is one of my favorite critters of all - I have studied marine biology, and this animal is a fascinating one! Gail did a splended job of making him beautiful.

These canvases of hers are giving me a great relief from stitching on my own designs - as that gets really tiresome. (especially when deadlines are pushing.) It's good to have friends who are great designers, and who also know how to put a design on canvas properly!! These are easy and delightful to work.

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.)

Geishas: Dressed and Coiffed!

Anne Stradal has finished stitching the "Nippon Textures" canvas by Gail Hendrix - and has done a beatiful job of it. Go visit her blog HERE, and read the fascinating research she has done on Geisha hair-dos.

Anne has challenged me to a "stitch-off" on her St. Marks lighthouse she painted for me (My old "stomping grounds in north Florida). I'm afraid she will make me look second rate now, but I will try it - and look forward to watching her.

Gail's Irises

Gail Hendrix has met the challenge some of us threw at her, and is now blog stitching one of her new designs - a beautifully drawn and painted canvas with three irises swirling and dancing inside a circle.

She has also included a mini-tutorial for basketweave, and has explained why she uses (and prefers) simple fibers. Do go visit her at Squiggee Designs. A short while ago, she insisted she couldn't stitch, and that painting was her only thing. She is a fast study, I think, or didn't want to admit how much she knows.

More Geishas on Canvas!

Wonderful way to start the year for my morning coffee wake-up browse. Anne Stradal has just sent me a note that she is starting to stitch the Nippon Textures canvas from Gail Hendrix. (see this in my earlielr post from a few days ago) She explains a bit of the how and why she will do it on her blog this morning, along with a bit of history behind the style of the art that is adapted here - so do go take a look. (The Cape Stitcher)

Anne does make the comment that she very rarely stitches on other people's canvases,, as she is a designer, and busy with her own models. I have felt the same way for many years, but find myself working on hers and Gail's myself, as they are delightful and so beautifully painted. - and Anne is also currently stitching my "Nellies Imari." There is a lot to be said for a well painted canvas!! It will be interesting, as always, watching what threads and stitches she chooses - and why - as Anne is conservative in her canvas enhancement, depending on the artists's own work for the beauty of the piece. Gail has told me she is also looking forward to this experience!!

"Nippon Textures" - more Gail Hendrix!

I'm very pleased to learn that Anne Stradal plans to stitch this beautiful ornament by Gail - another of her Japanese pieces inspired by the wood block prints of the Edo period by the great Harunobo.

The word "Nippon" is derived from Dai Nippon, meaning Great Japan, and the expression comes from the Chinese ideograph for the place where the sun comes from - or Land of the Rising Sun, as it is east of China, and therefore where the sun rises from. (interesting trivia here)

Anyway, Gail's interpretation of this art is superb, and her adaptation to a 7" circle of needlepoint canvas has the simplicity, grace, and beauty of the art of that era. The painting has movement by use of the lines, and the eye is led where the artist wants it to go by the repetition of colors and small pattern textures.

Anne has an excellent sense of color, and is an advocate of elegant simplicity in her choices of stitches (very few textured stitches) and the use of simple threads, with only a few of the novelties for accents - so I do look forward to watching it's progress. Be sure to watch at her blog, The Cape Stitcher!

Squiggee is now Stitching

Be sure, while blog hopping in the next few days, to see Gail Hendrix's latest endeavor. This is a lady, who about a month ago, was still insisting she could do nothing but basketweave with wool, as we did 35 years ago. She is primarily a designer of painted canvases - wonderful painted canvases, as they are stitch painted and otherwise beautifully done. Anyway, in desparation, as she needs stitched models to show, she decided to do her own - with accompanying stitch guides. I bravely (snif) packaged up a stash starter bag for her out of my own. (I think very highly of Gail and her work). It's unbelievable what she has worked out all by herself! Go take a look! This "jeweled" beauty is from her collection of crab frame-weights. As I don't use a frame for stitching (and neither does Gail), I would stuff it with BB's and make a paper weight for my desk.

I think this is a good example of what one can work out with just common sense and good taste - whereas too many classes contribute to confusion and overkill in decorative threads and stitches.

The Joy of the Painted Canvas!

(The well painted canvas, that is.) When I first generously offered to stitch this for Gail Hendrix to use as a model for her Squiggee Designs, she didn't know that I would have wheedled, begged, even offered to pay full retail for the pleasure of working with the beautiful colors and fun subject matter. After I received it, I pulled out every thread I could find in my stash - which was considerable, as this is one of my favorite color palettes- the "Caribbean" colors. I had lots and lots of leftovers from my own binge of designing sea shells and reef fish five or six years ago.

However, as I began to study the canvas, and decide what to use, I realized that overkill on the novelty fibers would ruin it, as would a lot of textured decorative stitches. I put away most of the threads with sparkle, as the beads that were already attached with fishing line on the back (I LOVE this - different from my method, and more versatile for this purpose) are quite enough for the sparkle and glitter on a mermaid. So I have opted for threads with shine, as a lot of YLI Ribbon Floss. Also, not wanting to use metallic gold, even tho' there is metallic paint on the areas, I have used the Ribbon Floss in the Honey/Copper, which gives a great effect without overpowering. The hair is done with this as just simple outlining, and then basketweave worked around it in yellow Ribbon Floss.
Incidentally, the border across the top is made with long-armed cross stitch in Kreinik metallic braid - a great edging that rolls over nicely in the finishing.


A needlepoint canvas that is well designed by an artist who knows her business should not be considered just as individual areas when choosing stitches. Nor should choosing the threads and colors be done by separate areas, which is the usual tendency. It has to work as a whole, and this means sometimes having to change the color just slightly to make it work with the other elements. (When I paint a canvas, it seems I can never find the color I had in my mind for thread - my "made up colors." Oh well.) Also to be strongly considered is the surface texture of the individual threads - not just do the colors work well together, but do the textures enhance each other?


This little canvas is an artwork itself, in that it has the elements of design arranged properly - which is an automatic and unconscious with most "real" artists. It has movement, and the lines and areas and colors are arranged to lead the eye around the 2-dimensional surface and back to the focal point in a pleasing manner. If one were to break up and fragment this effect by smothering it with decorative stitches and more sparkling stuff, it would ruin it, and it would no longer work as a "whole." Granted - this is just a little needlepoint rollie ornament, but it has direction of line, repetition of shape and color, which lead the eye where the artist wants it to go. For this reason - and because of the gorgeous color scheme, it is pure delight to be stitching!!
Now, for a closer "close-up." Gail said all mermaids have a pearl for a belly-button, but only very special ones have a pink pearl. Stitching around these beads already attached has been really easy - I never would have thought of it, but the random scattering is so much prettier for this piece.

I have used nothing more in the way of stitches than just outlining, basketweave, Scotch stitch, and a few "bumps" in the way of Smyrna cross and my own little bump over 3 x 3 threads. I did that in Splendor silk on the aqua portion of her tail, to make it part of her "dress." It stands out a bit more than just using the simpler stitch. Where the lines point to the little Smyrna cross bumps, I simply put them wherever there was a configuration of four stitches square. It gives a little more emphasis to the area without being obvious and overpowering. The pale aqua bump stitch is more obvious - the space was already there and marked by the grid.

Now back to stitching, painting another pillow for my friend Marilyn, and beading Anne Stradal's wonderful Pueblo pottery ornaments (for tomorrow). It's good to be busy!! Be sure to visit Gail's blog - she now has the peacock I stitched for her finished and on his beautiful stand.

The Mermaid - Getting Started

I'm getting ready to start on this beautifu, fun canvas - and have found zillions of really pretty shiny and sparkly things in my stash. However, I 'm resisting the urge for "overkill" on too many novelty threads, as this would ruin the overall effect of the patterns and colors - would be very distracting. She needs plenty of "sparkle and shine," but not on every square inch - just enough for emphasis of certain elements.

Gail attached the beads before she sent the canvas, and I will leave them in place - I don't want to remove them and risk misplacing or putting them back incorrectly. I think I can stitch around them - and I love the big bead in her navel. This is one glam mermaid!

I just returned from a shopping spree @ the LNS here in Austin - actually buying "refills" for my stash, and learned from Kimberly Smith, who is also a designer, that Sharpie now has a set of many colors of the ultra fine point drawing pen I like to use. She assures me it is safe, so this is exciting news. Previously, in the ultra fine point, there has been only black - or maybe a blue one or red. I believe they are available at Target.

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.

Growing Rose Bushes (in silk ribbon)

I had to go outside to look at my daughter's rose bushes several times to try to get the center canes right - but they were pretty wilty looking due to no rain and lots of heat in Austin this year. They couldn't be my usual twining curly vines. Anyway - the June project is coming along, but nowhere near finished. Great colors to work with! The little five point things done in 3 ply of cotton floss are for making the spider web roses - instant gratification, as they are very easy to do.

The next picture is of the roses finished on this bush - but I still need to do something with the little stem on the left - and a big spray of climbing roses growing down from the curved seam - probaby a bit lighter in value than the flowers on the bush!
Changing the subject - my friend Gail has had a tremendous response for the Mrs. Santa and her heart - and now has been asked to do a "silver heart" T-shirt ornament for cancer. She didn't know, nor did I, that there are multilple colors available for the different types of cancer. What a wonderful little piece of needlepoint to stitch and to own or give - especially as Gail donates a percentage of her wholesale to the appropriate research organization. Do look at her blog (http://www.squiggeedesigns.blogspot.com/) to see more.

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.