Patchwork Progress: A Variety of Threads

The patchwork background stitching is finished, and only lacks the surface enhancement and definition of the Memory Thread (DMC). I won't have time to take a picture when this is done, as it has to be shipped yesterday!!

The surface texture effects are amazing - even among just the cotton threads, which include Pearl cotton, floss, and the Variations Peal cotton. Then the shine of the rayon (Satin Floss) really shows up beautifully.

I was careful, in this case, to place the stitches so there were no "ragged" edges so that the Memory Thread could be added smoothly. This shows up well on the pink triangles of Satin mosaic stitch where it ends against the orange "V."


In this photo, the M. thread isn't tacked down, but I wanted to show the wonderful definition it will give when outlining the V's. The burnt orange color really shows up well, whereas I think it would have been lost if I had used the original idea to do the same color in cotton floss for the backgrounds.

For those of you who aren't aware, DMC has a wonderful web page for browsing and shopping in case you can't find what you need at your LNS.

Patchwork With DMC: Showing New Threads!!

DMC has some new threads, and also one that won't be available until mid June, when they show it at market (TNNA). Meanwhile, they sent me a picture of a patchwork thing they want to use to show what can be done in needlepoint with their threads.

I had no idea they had so many different things - lots are new to me, but some are just new period! This is a picture of the 5" square design on canvas - I got lucky the first time when I plotted it out, and it came to exactly 5" square!

Next is the brand new one that was developed for paper crafting, but the ladies in marketing and product development are both needlepointers, and are sure it can be used - one has already done an awesome canvas involving black wrought iron that is quite dimensional with the Memory Thread couched over the stitching. This is a bit beyond my skills, but I'll give it a try. It is a soft, thread wrapped wire, so it's packaged on little clear plastic spindles to keep it neat. Pretty colors, and there will be more.



Nothing, of course, turns out as we see it in our heads - so I was prepared for some errors in judgment and ripping out. What I thought was being extremely clever with the Variations pearl cotton - the overdyed thread on the big X, didn't work at all, as I failed to consider that although I work Nobuko horizontally, trying to work it in the opposite direction on the other side of the X caused it to have a vertical orientation. Had to rip it out.

I was told to use the Lumiers, or "Light Effects" (new to me) as blending filament with the purple Satin Floss in this square, but I hated to lose the beautiful variegation in the metallic - so changed it to Smyrna cross, and then Mosaic for the purple parts. Rather effective, it is! I love this stuff - as it's plied like floss, I was able to use 4-ply to make the stitches.


Another change I made was in the threads included in the package for greens - both were entirely too low intensity to look right with the other brighter colors. They turned to mud. I did use pearl cotton for the dark green, but used good old reliable floss in T-stitch for the light green. (It's good to have a big stash) The turquoise square is simply basketweave, as it will be embellished with couched Memory thread in the same color.

Notice how shiny and pretty the light pink is - Satin Floss!! This is a new thread to replace the old Rayon floss that was so difficult to work with. It's been discontinued. The Satin Floss is slippery, as it is rayon - but I use it as I do the floss with a slip knot against the eye of the needle, and have no trouble at all with it.
On the close-up of the orange elements - notice that it is the same thread - Satin Floss, but in basketweave it is darker and duller because of the light being broken up on the surface. The center square is stitched in T-stitch, so has the longer stitches to reflect light, so appears much lighter and brighter. This is always a consideration when choosing threads - the stitch itself makes a difference.

The orange X's and the center square will be embellished with burnt orange Memory Thread to give them more definition. More on this in a few days - I have a deadline here, and have to do more stitching than blogging.

Working on Birthday Hearts

Now there are four in progress! The background on March is finished, and August almost. Time to start the embellishment with silk ribbon, which is the fun part.

I got distracted from January and didn't get it finished when I needed it - but it's moving along nicely now. I changed the colors a bit from the original start. It's strange how I can feel and "see" the colors for each month before I start them.

To explain, I'm seeing January as cold with the colors rather low intensity - and the greens are the colors of pines and spruce trees (I loved Tyler, Texas and then Tallahassee in the winter when I lived in those places.) Also, these greens will be beautiful background for the January flower - the carnation.

The two whites are just two different textures for snow and ice, which is wishful thinking living in Texas. I used one of my favorite techniques on the Petite Very Velvet white patch - where you see the little blue dots. I put the Sundance #250 clear beads there - not the hexagonal but the plain ones, as I didn't want glitter as used on December. The garnets were made with beads, and that would have been a distraction.
April is just far enough along to have the colors and stitches selected and placed. The colors appear much like January, but at higher intensity (brighter). This is how I see this, my favorite month of the year - bright and beautiful spring with blue skies. Also, these colors will be wonderful with the colors of the sweet peas.
When I saw the bricks in this picture, I knew the effect was too good to lose - but instead of making actual brick-like stitches, I decided to use a subtler effect - can't remember the name of this stitch, but I've used it before and like it very much. It is a slanted stitch, but has the appearance of being upright.
And last is August almost done - but I can go ahead and start the silk ribbon features. I'm really looking forward to adding the gladioli - Jean at River Silks helped me choose the ribbon, as I just sent her a picture of the flowers, and she matched the 4mm silk ribbon to the real flowers - gorgeous!! I hope I can do it justice.

A Great New Needlepoint Blog!

What a wonderful surprise it always is ( and this doesn't happen often) to find a new blog with really great and original designs. Jan Fitzpatrick is a stitching designer with an active imagination and great competence at interpretation - and is presently working with replicating Moroccan textiles. This is the sort of thing I want to see progressing daily for my coffee time in the morning. (Instead of tending to my own.) It's very refreshing to see something that is different from so many others - original, interesting, and very well done. (I think that adds up to "tasteful.")

There are actually three of these quilt block coasters showing on her blog right now, but I only got two for show - see how just change of color can make an entire pattern look different! I couldn't get the whole squares when I klepped them from her (with her permission, of course) - so do go look at Thread Medley. There is also a web page, to which I have put a link under "Good Stuff."

Quilted Eggs in Needlepoint

It seems that my friend - designer Anne Stradal - was way ahead of me, and thought of making a three inch design with 18 stitch quilt squares way before I did. I wanted to show these beautiful things, as they are quite remarkable. I have enjoyed designing on the egg shape for many years - so asked her why she does, as she calls hers "eggs for all seasons." Same reason that I do - she just likes the shape. I did some research into the symbolism of the egg, and it seems that it is a universal symbol for probably several thousand years in many cultures and religions, predating Christianity, of renewal and rebirth - or even the birth of the universe. (For a designer, the spheroidal shape is much more interesting than the circle.) Remember too, the Faberge' eggs made by Peter Carl Faberge for the Romanovs were gifts "for all seasons" as well - being for birthdays and Christmas as well as for Easter - and one to commemorate the coronation of Nicholas II.
This one is called the "Lelani Egg" and looks just like a tiny Hawaiian quilt - lovely thing. These would be so much fun to work out stitches and to use threads we already have in our stashes, as we do buy the ones we like best!

The breast cancer egg, of course, symbolises renewal and hope. It's new - and I think very special. It isn't a quilt pattern, but I wanted to show it anyway!




The blue and white is another version of the American Patchwork.