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| Oriental Butterfly by Ann Strite-Kurz Project Photo |
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| Oriental Butterfly Threads |
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Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Animals. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Oriental Butterfly Class - 1/27/16
January 27, 2016--Signed up to take an ANG CyberPointers Chapter workshop called Oriental Butterfly taught and designed by Ann Strite-Kurz. The class begins April 1st and runs through June 1st of this year. I'm now ready--just purchased some beautiful teal/aqua threads to use in this project.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Winter Table by Melissa Shirley 4/22/15
April 22, 2015--Have just returned from a two-day class for a beautiful painted canvas called Winter Table, designed by Melissa Shirley (project photo below) and taught by Laura Taylor. It was held at Louise's Needlework owned by Jill Mashburn Elia in Powell, Ohio.
We had a bonus third day with Laura who helped us with stitches and embellishments for our own canvases. Learned even more (including ribbon work) by watching and listening to what she said to each student. I'm a very happy camper indeed!
What fun we had learning to embellish this piece with a wide variety of stitches and threads in ways I would never have dreamed of. Laura Taylor gave us instructions on how to do each section with lots of examples and in such a way as to keep our attention (with much humor too). This was the first time I've taken a class from Laura and look forward to the next opportunity to do so again.
Jill, the delightful owner of Louise's Needlework, was a most gracious host--and so very organized. She, along with Emily and Karen who work with her at the shop, had everything ready for us when we arrived. The canvas was taped and tacked to large stretcher bars, all the threads and beads (with matching beading thread) were placed in labeled bags and held together on a ring. Extras such as paints, paint brush, felt, tracing paper, needles, eyelash thread, and twill tape were in a separate bag and labeled. Other necessities such as glue, paper towels, plates and toothpicks were on each table. Then we were given a large clear, zippered project keeper with handles to place everything in when we were ready to leave. Jill also lent us floor stands, lighting and lots of plugs, as needed.
And when we were hungry, delicious lunches were brought in for all 3 days, along with snacks, beverages, etc. There were bagels and coffee in the morning too. We wanted for nothing!
And finally, I had a most wonderful time with my classmates who not only came from the local area, but from places far and wide. Some of us stayed at the Nationwide Hotel & Conference Center where Jill negotiated a special rate for class participants and arranged for van transport to and from her shop each day. The two room suite was first class and I so much appreciated not having to worry about transportation.
On this piece called Winter Table, I learned lots of new techniques, such as stitching the chrysanthemums with TG Eyelash and beading the centers in such a way as to give a 3D effect. The paper white petals are padded then beaded--wow, really pretty. The small white flowers are made with, or all things, Wrights Twill Tape. We also learned how to shade the leaves with paint instead of using thread. The pine cone is given dimension using a "lazy daisy" twist. This is a large project (for me) and I plan on taking my time with each section.
This is a canvas I fell in love with when it first came out. It so looks like my husband's sun room where he grows paper whites, christmas cactus, etc. and where we see cardinals out the window. Our female cardinals have more red on their crown and wings than the one painted on the canvas, so I'll add some color to the pretty bird. Also, our christmas cactus has red blooms, so again, will make a color change.
I'll post again as more progress is made on the various sections.
We had a bonus third day with Laura who helped us with stitches and embellishments for our own canvases. Learned even more (including ribbon work) by watching and listening to what she said to each student. I'm a very happy camper indeed!
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| Winter Table by Melissa Shirley Designs Painted Canvas Project Photo |
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| Laura Taylor, Instructor, and Jill Mashburn Elia, Owner of Louise's Needlework |
What fun we had learning to embellish this piece with a wide variety of stitches and threads in ways I would never have dreamed of. Laura Taylor gave us instructions on how to do each section with lots of examples and in such a way as to keep our attention (with much humor too). This was the first time I've taken a class from Laura and look forward to the next opportunity to do so again.
Jill, the delightful owner of Louise's Needlework, was a most gracious host--and so very organized. She, along with Emily and Karen who work with her at the shop, had everything ready for us when we arrived. The canvas was taped and tacked to large stretcher bars, all the threads and beads (with matching beading thread) were placed in labeled bags and held together on a ring. Extras such as paints, paint brush, felt, tracing paper, needles, eyelash thread, and twill tape were in a separate bag and labeled. Other necessities such as glue, paper towels, plates and toothpicks were on each table. Then we were given a large clear, zippered project keeper with handles to place everything in when we were ready to leave. Jill also lent us floor stands, lighting and lots of plugs, as needed.
And when we were hungry, delicious lunches were brought in for all 3 days, along with snacks, beverages, etc. There were bagels and coffee in the morning too. We wanted for nothing!
And finally, I had a most wonderful time with my classmates who not only came from the local area, but from places far and wide. Some of us stayed at the Nationwide Hotel & Conference Center where Jill negotiated a special rate for class participants and arranged for van transport to and from her shop each day. The two room suite was first class and I so much appreciated not having to worry about transportation.
On this piece called Winter Table, I learned lots of new techniques, such as stitching the chrysanthemums with TG Eyelash and beading the centers in such a way as to give a 3D effect. The paper white petals are padded then beaded--wow, really pretty. The small white flowers are made with, or all things, Wrights Twill Tape. We also learned how to shade the leaves with paint instead of using thread. The pine cone is given dimension using a "lazy daisy" twist. This is a large project (for me) and I plan on taking my time with each section.
This is a canvas I fell in love with when it first came out. It so looks like my husband's sun room where he grows paper whites, christmas cactus, etc. and where we see cardinals out the window. Our female cardinals have more red on their crown and wings than the one painted on the canvas, so I'll add some color to the pretty bird. Also, our christmas cactus has red blooms, so again, will make a color change.
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| Female Cardinal |
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Pandas Painted Canvas Updated 3/12/15
March 12, 2015--Just had this framed at Michael's Arts & Crafts and am very, very pleased with the results. Also saved lots of money. The way this large piece (15.75" x 15.75") is framed (black mat, gold insert, white mat, extra fancy frame), it would have cost me a lot more than the $121 that I paid (after coupons). Happy indeed.
December 31, 2014--Here is my last completion for 2014. Love these little pandas and think they'll look adorable in my home office on a bookshelf. Envisioning a black lacquer frame, or maybe inserting this piece into a box top. I must admit, even though I'm not used to painted canvases and chose the stitches myself, am very pleased with the background stitch called "Little Wavy Stitch" found in my iStitches v3 app. The use of the brick stitch for the white fur--well I'm not so sure about that.
In the original post about this canvas (below), I wrote about how it was purchased for my DGD. Well as things go, she has gotten involved in many other activities and lost interest in needlepoint, so I stitched it myself. Hopefully she'll pick up a needle again some day and when she does, I'll be glad to help her.
PS: There is no designer's name on the canvas except for the number G-674. Does anyone know what that means?
August 10, 2013--Visiting family in Ohio and at the recommendation of another ANG Yahoo Group List member, my DGD and I spent a delightful hour or so at A Stitch Above Needlepoint in Madeira (Cincinnati). We were given wonderful assistance by the proprietor to find something suitable for a beginning stitcher. Then she helped me decide on which colorway to chose for an upcoming project by pulling threads for both colorways and letting me decide which one I preferred. She is an angel!
DGD settled on a wonderful painted canvas panda with only 7 colors and using perle cotton (no laying tool required). Hope we have lots of stitching time tomorrow to cover some details on how to properly execute the basketweave stitch. She understands the diagonal direction the stitch takes and recognizes when she makes an error, but hasn't yet grasped the zig-zag pattern flow of moving from one "row" to another. Until then, playdates come first and she's off being an 8 year old girl and all the fun that entails.
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| Panda Bears Framed |
December 31, 2014--Here is my last completion for 2014. Love these little pandas and think they'll look adorable in my home office on a bookshelf. Envisioning a black lacquer frame, or maybe inserting this piece into a box top. I must admit, even though I'm not used to painted canvases and chose the stitches myself, am very pleased with the background stitch called "Little Wavy Stitch" found in my iStitches v3 app. The use of the brick stitch for the white fur--well I'm not so sure about that.
In the original post about this canvas (below), I wrote about how it was purchased for my DGD. Well as things go, she has gotten involved in many other activities and lost interest in needlepoint, so I stitched it myself. Hopefully she'll pick up a needle again some day and when she does, I'll be glad to help her.
PS: There is no designer's name on the canvas except for the number G-674. Does anyone know what that means?
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| Panda Bears |
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| A Stitch Above |
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Bargello Egg
February, 2012--This was my first Laura J. Perin Design project and I'm hooked. Taught at a Seashore Chapter meeting. Love working with perle threads and the Easter Egg colors are scrumptuous. Had this framed with a stand-up easel in the back so it could either be hung on a wall or stand up on a table. Then I gave it to my DGDs (Ashley and Casey) as an Easter "card". It's so much fun to give needlepoint as gifts.
March, 2012-- Framed
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Found ANG
Spring, 2009--I discovered the existence of the American Needlepoint Guild (ANG), and found my Zen. At the time I was living in Alexandria, VA and immediately joined the Northern Virginia (NoVa) Chapter. Loved these guys--the projects they were stitching, their excitement about stitching, etc. However, I had one problem--needlepoint is not cross stitch and I vowed I would not start any needlepoint projects until I completed my blue heron, a cross stitch project begun in 2001. I did it (picture below) and have never looked back.
May, 2011--This piece won Peoples Choice award at the 2011 Rehoboth Beach Museum's Annual Needlework Exhibit.
May, 2011--This piece won Peoples Choice award at the 2011 Rehoboth Beach Museum's Annual Needlework Exhibit.
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