Beads for Bubbles

I had to put this away and not look at it for a while, as I wasn't content with the end result - it seemed too cluttered. However, I must remind myself, that the ocean floor and territory between sand and the surface has so much more going on than we see in a clean and orderly fish bowl - I had been looking at Anne's wonderful project and forgot that part of it. (She has now posted the finished fish bowl)

We must remind ourselves of environmental protection, as it would be a shame to lose this glorious "clutter" in the sea. I was astonished at the beautiful colors and at the variety of marine life, although I've studied it for many years. I hadn't really looked at the coral reefs closely.

I was correct in my original comment about making the spaces for the beads, representing bubbles, equidistant when I marked them. I would have put stitches to fill some of them in, but as I had worked the needle blending, it would have been a lot of trouble to figure out what to put where. The next best thing was to go ahead and put both sizes Sundance #250 clear beads, and stagger the placement - random.

With this project finished, I'm not sure what to do next - all out of ideas. Anyway, I have painting to do to keep me busy.

Marine Life in Needlepoint

While looking at the pictures I have saved of the coral reefs, it suddenly dawned on me why the aquarium gravel we used to put in our fish bowls was invented. The area around some of the corals on the ocean floor looks just like it - this along with watching Anne doing the freshwater version of life underwater. It was looking at her "gravel" that made me realize it.

(If you haven't been watching this develop, do go look at The Cape Stitcher.)

Meanwhile, working on my saltwater version, I decided to be clever last night and create a gorgonian in needlepoint. At this point, I had decided that, again, Memory Thread was the perfect coral, and that the little red extended polyps it needed, as in a picture I have saved, would be best done with crossed chain stitches and a red French Knot. I got this far, and realized it was a mess - so spent some time taking them out, as I had already made the chain stitches almost to the bottom.

A friend mentioned to me that Memory Thread is not for stitching - just for surface embellishment. However, I have enjoyed "making stitches" with it in a limited amount - It is an absolute necessity for interpreting coral, and a few fly stitches and fern stitches are simple to do.

I had to make holes in the work with a large tapestry needle for pushing and pulling the thread wrapped wire through - but it can be done, and I rather enjoy it as a new twist in creativity. More on this later, as I intend to make little red French Knots all along the branches - without the chain stitches.

The Fish is Swimming

The fish is finished and free of the waste canvas. Having to use a chenille needle for this exercise has left my fingers sore - it's not an easy task pushing a needle through the stitched background with the waste canvas on top of it, and I also tend to forget that the tip is very sharp, as opposed to the tapestry needle we normally use for needlepoint.

I also had to use the needle nose pliers when the needle didn't want to pull through easily. The effect, however, is worth it. The stitches look rather rough, but it will smooth out nicely when gently steam pressed.

I left the top fin without it's spines, as I wanted to use a long stitch for emphasis, adding them after the waste canvas was removed. That worked well, so I wish I'd left the lower fin to do that way too, as the Satin floss really shines on the stitches. A learning experience for next time. I'll probably put this away for a day or two, and then look at it with a fresh eye that isn't tired.

By stitching this pattern element on waste canvas, I made it kind of float on top of the background instead of being part of it - very effective!

Stitching a Fish on Waste Canvas

I think I burned out - or just ran out of steam for the last two days, and haven't achieved much except to stitch a bit on the next coral reef ornament - this time with the fish!

I finished the background and sand, and prepared to put my litfle fish onto waste canvas. I still like the look of the design element on top of the background stitches instead of being part of it.

Originally, I had drawn the fish facing the other way, so had to trace it and "mirror image" it. On using the waste canvas, one can position an element of the pattern in any direction, due to being able to move the canvas around. I didn't really consider another position for the fish until I looked at the fresh water version being worked at The Cape Stitcher's place. She has just now started this one, so do watch the progress if you haven't already found it!

We've had great fun discussing the various services we held when our children were small and we were dealing with a fish departed from this life. She says she held a number of Naval burials, while my boys preferred fertilizing the rose garden. (they didn't know this). I held "burials at sea" when I could get away with it. Anyway - do go look at hers, as her fish have more personality than mine does.

Working on waste canvas over needlepoint is not a swift process, and I wouldn't do it on a large area, but for the effect, it's worth the effort. I'm using DMC Satin Floss on this one, and it seems to be fine. We'll see when the waste canvas comes out!


















In the beginning, I was so enchanted by the colors on the salt water fish I've studied, that I had pulled out several to use on this one little critter - but then realized that it's so small, it would just lose itself among the French Knots I will add later lying around in the sand - too much would ruin it.

About Satin Floss: I've been using DMC Satin Floss since it first came out - there wasn't even a store in Austin who had it, so I had to buy some directly from the company. I think it's available now in most LNS's - and well worth using. It replaces their old rayon floss, which was crinkly and difficult.

The Satin floss is slippery, but no worse than any other brand rayon thread, and is more versatile, as it is plied. The colors, and they add new ones often, are gorgeous!! and of course totally compatible with the DMC pearl cotton and floss - as they are the same.

A Scallop Shell! (another day, another dive)

Timing can be amazing! Carol-Anne Conway, whose beautiful blog I've been reading for a very long time (Threads Across the Web) sent me an e-mail a few days ago about seeing a dark blue starfish when she was fortunate to dive on the Great Barrier Reef - so sent me a page of images of this wonderful creature, just when I needed something different for this new water drop.


These starfish are blues ranging from lapis lazuli to ultramarine to cobalt! What a wonderful color to have to add to a needlepoint coral reef!

The first photo is of the ornament with the waste canvas in place and the scallop shell almost finished. Another learning experience - just be sure, if you try it, that the canvas is dampened well, and pull out each thread separately - not two threads together as they are in the weave, but single threads. Using needle nose pliers, this is still a bit of a chore when using it on needlepoint canvas - but worth the effort.
This time, after the first fiasco using the wrong thread, I used DMC pearl cotton for the white, and Satin Floss for the ribbing - and it worked fairly well. I think I'll have to practice some more, and try out different threads in the future. There was another way I could have stitched the scallop shell, but didn't think of it until I was too far along - and too tired to start over. (time counts for something here).

Next - the beautiful blue starfish was added, using DMC pearl cotton in the raised spider web with five spokes - made with a beginning fly stitch.



















This time the coral is purple - with DMC Memory Thread. The buttonhole stitch sea weed (at least I think that's what it is) was made with Watercolours by Caron.


I added the jumble of coral on the bottom with the usual whatever I had on hand in the right color and texture - and the seaweed is made with Sea Grass from The Thread Gatherer, as are some of the little urchins and polyps lying on the sand.


The stitch used on the sea weed behind the shell is one I found on Pintangle, as Sharon B. is showing her collection of wonderful buttonhole stitches - these from her band sampler.

The section with the buttonhole stitches is from December 2005, and the combinations are amazing. I asked her where she found them, and she said she just made them up. I have been seeing sea weed and all kinds of things just looking at a few. It's worth a trip downunder on the internet to see and study them. She presents a new one quite often.


I'm a bit waterlogged in the head now from swimming in the coral reef - and have a NN dealine looming, so will drink tea, relax, and maybe "think" a little bit before resuming stitching. In plain words, I'm tired and burned out. Brain dead.

Fish Among the Coral

If my granddaughters (Julia and Grace visiting) hadn't caught me doing this, and considered it quite hilarious, I would not be showing it. My finely honed drawing skills, due to modern technology, starting with my first color copy machine several years ago, have definitely deteriorated due to lack of use.

I have been reduced to doing this: I was looking at coral reef fish, intending to attempt adding some to my little underwater scenes via waste canvas, and found some beauties on an aquarium web site. So out came the tracing paper and black felt tip pen, and I traced them directly from the computer screen - great shots of some fine looking fish. At this point, Julia walked by, and whooped for Grace to come see what Granny is doing. I believe her exact words were "Granny is cheating."

Anyway, I like the shape of these two, so took my tracings to my copy machine and reduced them in size drastically, as they will go on small ornaments.

I wanted to use one of the water droplets, but couldn't get the fish small enough without losing a lot of detail that needs to be there - so opted for a round one. The little dots you see are for the addition of clear beads, which should appear as ascending bubblesfrom the sea floor.

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The little fish is a kind of hybrid between the two tracings, but as it's only 1 1/4" long, it will do nicely, I think.

The background - water and sand - are completed on the next droplet, so I'll probably attempt the scallop shell again, but with some major adjustments - like just about everything, including the threads used and the color. Soon I need to deal with the "metal" tops of these, as I want them to appear as ornaments.

Kreinik metallic braid is certainly in the near future. I have also considered doing another version of some of these, using the Kreinik metallics for some sparkle. The #4 braid would make lovely sea fans, due to the canvas would show through if I simply do basketweave on the fan over waste canvas..

Memory Thread and Waste Canvas: A Sea Fan

This evening I am really feeling great about the accomplishment of making what actually looks like a little sea fan!! It's a very small swatch of stitching, but I labored industriously to achieve it, as I had failed before to get the effect I wanted with waste canvas.

This time, I started with a sketch on tracing paper of where I wanted the sea fan to be on the ornament (but didn't photograph that). This is just the first tracing of the shape.

The next step was to trace the shape onto the waste canvas, and then baste it onto the water drop where I wanted it to be.

I outlined the fan with pink Satin floss to make the edges neater, although in real life, sea fan edges are lacy and raggedy. I chose pink because I saw one in an underwater photo that was gorgeous!! It did have pink edges, and looked like lace.

The body of the fan is worked with skipped basketweave in pearl cotton.

If I were to do it again, I might use Satin floss instead - but this is acceptable. A chenille needle is necessary to make the stitching easier - as working through a stitched piece of needlepoint can be a bit "tough."

Next was to remove the waste canvas. It's sized with a water soluble glue, so needs to be slightly moistened - maybe just a shot from a steam iron, but I used a damp paper towel, and the threads were super easy to pull out with the help of needle nose pliers. Before I dampened them, they wouldn't budge.

As I said, I'm delighted with the effect of the sea fan being on the surface of the work - it wouldn't have been as effective if stitched along with the background as part of it. I looks like it's lying on top, which is what I wanted.

Next, and last, is the veining with DMC Memory thread - again from an underwater photo I'm very fond of. Two fly stitches and an extra "stitch." I used a #18 tapestry needle to make holes for poking the thread wrapped wire back and forth to make the stitches. It's easier to go from front to back, for some reason, than going from back to front. Oh well.

I'm going to put this away for a day or two and work some more backgrounds to embellish with sea critters, as this project has been very entertaining. One needs something different sometimes.

Waste Canvas for Needlepoint (A Scallop Shell)

It's time to add a few more major pattern elements, and my idea from the beginning was to add one nice scallop shell.

The first step was to make a tracing of what I'd already done - the coral and the sea urchn, along with the line of the sand. Then, I sketched with a pencil, to make sure of the size, shape, and placement I wanted.

Then I traced, stitch by stitch, onto a piece of scrap canvas, the outline of the shell so it would be symmetric. The arrows are pointing to places I didn't like, so made adjustments when I put it onto the waste canvas.
This is a project that is building a little bit at a time from a pre-conceived "picture" in my head - and I have to be careful not to treat each element as a separate thing, as the "whole" has to work together or become an "eye shattering mess."

Next was to dot the shape onto the waste canvas. I used the Sharpie extra fine permanent marker in blue, as I didn't want black to show through and distract me.

About the waste canvas: This is a penelope canvas that is a double stranded even weave with no discernable warp or weft, although it does have them. With the penelope, as it was used in the late 19th century, (called "Berlin work.") and even into the 1980's, was mainly for stitching backgrounds around preworked centers and in continental stitch. The penelope holds this stitch well, as it has the double strands, but it's still unattractive with the resulting horizontal ridges. Also, the little intersections could be split, and petit point was made for finer detail in the design.

I first saw waste canvas in about 1985, as it was a thing for counted cross stitchers. They were using it to stitch little motifs from charts onto T-shirts, Sweat shirts, etc. - even little blankets and such. It's very very thin and flimsy, as it's sized only with water soluble glue, and can be easily pulled out when the work is finished, leaving the stitches in place.


Many years ago, I helped a customer put a set of Mah Jong tiles (three to each corner) onto a velveteen card table cover. On 18 mesh canvas, even, they would have been too thick to finish by sewing them on - so we pinned the canvas onto the velveteen - she stitched it, and then with pliers and some very bad words, we pulled the canvas threads out, one by one, and Voila'!!! The effect was stunning!

Remembering this is what led me to decide to raise this shell above the surface of the needlepoint background for more effect. I hope it works! If it doesn't, you won't hear about it again. We shall see.



















The last photo shows the waste basted into place and ready to stitch. At this point, I switched to a chenille needle (#22), as it requires the sharp point to go through the fabric of the needlepoint background.

The Woven Leaf!!

Sometimes a little spark becomes a raging bonfire, and just won't quiet down or let go - or let me sleep. I had to do this last night, after Allie's and Ira's woven leaf tutorials got me thinking - and thinking and thinking. First was the delightful task of dumping out several boxes of "stash" and finding those glorious colors of Sharon B's for this month: I can "see" what I would do with the threads if only I had the time, but February is running out, and has been unusually busy for me. The sunset pictures that inspired me would be the starting point, and I would stitch some facsimile of layered colors BEFORE doing the "woven" designwork on top of the stitching - but no time for even a swatch right now, so it was worked on bare canvas. (not nearly as easy) Working on waste canvas made more sense, as it gave me more freedom of direction and firm guidance for placement of stitches - so, having received a nice package from a lovely shop in Portland, Oregon, The Playful Needle, I chose to use the 18 mesh, as this project is small. I keep small pieces of mono canvas ready for just such occassions - and already had this circle drawn. The first order of business was to sketch on tracing paper, and then ink the drawing, - a spray of leaves that would fit the space nicely, pretending that I had already stitched in the "sunset background." Next, using the Pilot Permanent extra fine point pen that I use for drawing on needlepoint canvas, (totally waterproof, as opposed to "water resistant" as some pens are) I traced the design from the paper onto the waste canvas, and then - after moving it around to get just the right position, I basted it to the mono-canvas. Then it was ready for stitching! The first thing to do, according to Ira, was to put in the "warp." I will say - do NOT use a stranded thread for this. I used the Splendor silk, which I really like, but it is stranded, and dealt me misery while putting in the weft. Whatever was I thinking? or maybe not thinking, as it was near midnight after a busy day. Anyway - next was to do the weft. I chose the Kreinik metallic ribbon, color #018HL, which is a lovely, vibrant navy - and the ribbon is flexible, whereas the braid in the HL is a bit stiff. (I did use the braid in the same color for the stem stitch outline). Ira suggested not going back down into the fabric at each turn of the weft, but on canvas, I got better results from going down and back up with each crossing - I had good control due to using the waste canvas for this. After finishing the weft weaving, the waste canvas was cut away fairly close to the leaf, and then the remaining threads pulled out easily with the help of my little needle nose pliers. To finish, a stem stitch outline!! The dimensional effect of this is amazing - and will be very pretty on TOP of a stitched background. Possibilities for color, design, and use are endless here - and thanks to Ira for bringing it to our attention, and for Allie's tutorial, which I found first - and which led me to Ira's delightful blog. (see links on the previous post). Good Job, ladies!! What's next?? I'm always waiting to be inspired by the beautiful work I see in blogland.

The Raw Materials - Woven Leaves

The woven leaf tutorials by Allison, which she did when inspired by Ira's, somehow really caught my imagination, and I can't seem to put it aside for later - so today dug out the raw materials for maybe working this wonderful thing out for needlepoint embellishment. I had despaired of finding something to do with the February TIF colors, but after looking at the sunsets - there they are! Now I think these leaves might work into that, and help create something tangible that is art. I will use waste canvas, as it needs to be done on TOP of the stitched needlepoint background. I have the advantage with this of being able to use several different sizes of waste canvas, as the work will be on top of the stitching - so it will be interesting, I'm sure, and allow me to use several different fibers. Also, another advantage is that needlepoint "fabric" is stiff - lots of body - as opposed to working these woven leaves on a flimsy fabric, so should give me a firm ground and make the task much easier. I really am happy with the idea of having a dimensional embellishment of this sort that isn't done with silk ribbon - need the variety!! Time is short this month, but I'll try to at least get a design painted and do some practice leaves as well. Maybe digging through boxes will reveal some backgrounds already worked and ready for embellishment - I do find some strange and unexpected things there. My raw materials for beginning this thing include waste canvas, mono-canvas, paints and brushes, and my pens for both drawing a design onto paper, and then for tracing it onto the canvas!