Heart of Hearts - 3/31/24

March 31, 2024--For its 2024 community project, my needlepoint chapter, Delaware's Seashore Chapter of ANG, is participating in the Hearts for Hospice program and donating the stitched hearts to Delaware Hospice.  I chose to stitch a heart designed by Barbara Richardson called Heart of Hearts with instructions published in the 2008, Vol X, 1 issue of Needlepoint Now Magazine.  

It proved to be an interesting challenge, especially the "darning" pattern in the center column.  It was so complex that I had to draft the stitches on my iPad using the photo editing tool.   

I self-finished the heart, and as with other projects, learned a lot, especially the need to make the cording much thicker.  However, I didn't have enough floss to make the cord as thick as I wanted, so it's flimsier than desired.  But I finally figured out how to "wrap" the cord at the base of the heart to hide where the cord ends are plunged inside the ornament which results in a much neater finish.  

Here's the result....

Heart of Hearts Finished

Parcheesi Anyone - 3/27/24

March 27, 2024--This is a piloted project I stitched for Susan Hoekstra who will be teaching this adorable game board class at the 2024 ANG Seminar in Kansas City, MO.  Susan tells me the unusual colors and design were copied from an antique Parcheesi board.  The kit includes a line drawn canvas, instructions, threads, frame pieces and parcheesi game "men".  

I probably won't use the unfinished frame pieces supplied with the kit, but instead will have my framer set this in a black lacquered frame and add "footies" so it can sit on a table.  The parcheesi men supplied are also unfinished and the thought of painting these myself is untenable, especially after I had hand painted all the checkers in a previous pilot stitched project for Susan called "Game Is On".  Too fiddly.   I'm actually thinking of hitting some second-hand shops for an older parcheesi game just for the game pieces.  If I find one with all the playing pieces in colors that I like--that'll be that.

Parcheesi Anyone Completed

Below is a photo of the project taken from the seminar brochure.  If you sign up for this project, you're going to love the interesting stitches and scrumptious threads used.

2023 Year in Review - 1/2/24

 2023 Year in Review - 1/2/24

March 15, 2024--This is a duplicate posting of the Year in Review.  I accidentally deleted the original and am unable to recover it.  If you missed it the first time--enjoy.

January 2, 2024 - Happy New Year!!  

In 2023, I worked up more beaded items than needlepointed ones and loved doing them all.

I managed to complete the stitching of 9 needlepointed projects and 15 beaded ones. In September, I attended a stitching retreat hosted by Sandy Arthur of Duo Designs (designer and instructor extraordinaire) at Butler State Park in Carrollton, KY.  

Below are pictures from most recently stitched (December) to oldest (January).

Many have not yet been finished into ornaments, framed, etc.--I'm waiting to stitch all the projects in the collections before working them up into ornaments (e.g., Janet Zickler Casey's santa collection and Susan Portra's holiday ornament collection).

Also included in this list are the projects stitched in prior years that have been finished into pillows, ornaments, etc. in 2023.

Hope you enjoy looking at these pictures and walking down memory lane with me.  Click on the photo's caption to see more information about each project.

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey

Ornament Holiday Light Green

Name Tag for EGA Brandywine Chapter

 

Rozashi Three Hana

                                             

Scissors Case Lacy Back Finished

Scissors Case Lacy Front Finished

 

Coin Case Stitch and Zip

 

Master Needlepointer Program of ANG - Stage 2

 

Holiday Ornament Gift Pink

Rozashi Daiya Variations Kit

 

Stars Beaded Mini 3D Warped 5 Pointed

 

Bracelet Flat Herringbone with Two Hole Duo Beads

 

Bracelet Peyote Marrakesh

 

Bracelet Beaded Berry Band

 

Bracelet Beaded Treasure

 

Beaded Starfish Pendants

 

Bracelet Beaded Tiffany

 

Russian Spiral Bracelet

Russian Spiral Necklace

 

Beaded Bracelet Peyote Silk Flowers

 

Beaded Bracelet Pearl Bliss

 

Beaded Bracelet Peyote Dogwood

 

Beaded Bracelet Holiday Russian Spiral

 

Bracelet Beaded Taught by Dinna V

 

Bracelet Russian Spiral Beaded

Projects that were stitched in prior years, but "finished" in 2023:

 

Game is On Checkerboard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bracelet Beaded Filled Right Angle Weave - 3/9/24

March 9, 2024--Yesterday I took a class from Donna Baratta at the Rehoboth Beach Art League on how to work up a filled right angle weave bracelet.  She supplied everything we needed--beads, button for closure, thread, needles, lighting, scissors, bead mat, written instructions, etc.  Love this technique and we managed to get everything done in the time allotted (4 hours).  I now want to make this again, but two additional rows wider.  Here it is with silvery white seed beads and very shiny dark blue 4mm Czech fire polished crystals.  

Bracelet Beaded Filled Right Angle Weave Finished

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey - Updated 9/17/24

September 17, 2024--Won a 2nd Place Ribbon in the Canvaswork/Needlepoint category at Rehoboth Beach Museum's 12th Annual Needlework Exhibition in Rehoboth Beach, DE.  So pleased.

February 27, 2024--Picked up this gorgeous project from Michael's Arts & Crafts frame shop yesterday and I love how it turned out.  The photo doesn't show the beaded "bling" and how much sparkle there is.  

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Finished

December 5, 2023--Fini!  All that needed to be done with this month's lesson was to add black seed beads and gold bugle beads which added some dimension and sparkle to the piece.  

I'll wait until next month to take it to the framer--they have enough to worry about getting things done by Christmas.

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 12 December

November 5, 2023--Well, that was easy.  All we had to work on this month was a Greek stitch around the edge and a square eyelet stitch in the corners.  Now for the really fun stuff next month.  Almost done.

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 11 November

October 8, 2023--This month's lesson had us stitching a herringbone pattern in two colors of silver around the edges.   Almost done.  Two more months of stitching and bead work and it'll be ready for the framer.

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 10 October

September 10, 2023--September's lesson, the 9th this year, is done and it looks like all the "empty" canvas areas are pretty much filled in.  I believe the borders will be next along with some beading.  Yay!

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 9 September

August 15, 2023--The stitching through the August lesson is done and it continues to be an enjoyable challenge.   Four more lessons.... looking forward to finishing this project and getting it framed.  I know exactly where I'm going to put it.

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 8 August

July 10, 2023--This project is beginning to look very lacy.  Every month's installment is a challenge, but so enjoyable to see how it looks as it is worked up.  Here's the 7th installment for 2023.  Five more to go.

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 7 July

June 10, 2023--The installment for June is done and the areas yet to be stitched are nicely defined.  I love how lacey it looks.

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 6 June

May 4, 2023--Here is the addition of the May installment to ANG's Stitch of the Month (SOTM) project.   In future months, more will be added to the squares as well as to the project's edge.

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 5 May

April 19, 2023--This beautiful ANG Stitch of the Month (SOTM) project designed by Melita Glavin is now stitched through the April lesson and I'm loving the process.  There's lots more to do, but the lessons are distributed one month at a time, so I have to wait until next month for more.  This process actually makes the project very manageable and not so daunting when you have a year to complete it.

Here's Crescent Journey through the April lesson:

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 4 April

March 8, 2023--The March installment of ANG's Stitch of the Month (SOTM) project called Crescent Journey by Melita Glavin is now stitched and everything put away until the April instructions are published on the ANG website.   This is really a fun and challenging project so far.  Each section worked up adds to its beauty.  Here's a photo of what it looks like so far.

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 3 March

February 14, 2023--Happy Valentine's Day!!!  This blog, however, isn't about hearts, but instead about the 2023 ANG Stitch of the Month (SOTM).  So far, I've stitched both the January and February installments and below is a photo of the results to date.  

Whew--the center medallion was certainly a challenge, but a fun one and I can appreciate how much more beautiful it will look with the addition of beads.  Looking forward to the March instructions.

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 2 February Closeup

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 2 February

January 5, 2023--I just completed the first month's lesson to this year's Stitch of the Month (SOTM) project designed by Melita Glavin and available for free to members of the American Needlepoint Guild (one of the wonderful benefits of membership).

This lesson focuses on stitching the outline on 18 count mono canvas, and I love the stitches used by the designer.  Instead of the usual gobelin or smyrna stitches, Melita chose Mosaic and Diagonal Knitting Stitches, and the results are very attractive.  I chose to work this up in the Neutral Colorway which incorporates golds, silvers, beiges and black (with some beads thrown in).

SOTM 2023 Crescent Journey Lesson 1