Look what I have just received from Mary Corbet

I had a lovely surprise today when I picked up my mail and opened a small envelope full of goodies coming from Mary Corbet.

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At this point you may be wondering why I got so lucky and the reason is that I always stop by Mary's blog to find out what she has been cooking for us for the day and on one of these cyber trips I saw that Mary was celebrating Needle'n Thread 3rd anniversary (the name of her blog) and having a give away in celebration, so I decided that I might as well try and see if I could possibly get lucky this time around, so entered my name and to my great surprise I won. I say this because I rarely win and that has been a trend throughout my life. Things may now be changing :-)

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A BIG THANK YOU to you Mary. I am very happy with my goodies and I have no doubt that I will find a good use for all of them. You have just made my day :-)

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Pierrette =^..^=

She Stoops to Conquer: Anne Stradal, designer

I have just completed another finishing with She Stoops to Conquer designed by Anne Stradal of ABS Designs. In the past I used to either finish any completed stitched project right away myself or send it to my framer for finishing depending on the kind of finishing I wanted, but lately I seemed to have been too busy stitching and neglected the finishing aspect of my projects. Yesterday I finished 4 of them and I have already posted two of them and kept this one for today and the fourth one for a bit later. I might say that I had a productive day :-)

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If you want to have a look at the different ABS Designs' projects that I have stitched so far, just click here.

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This is the second time that I have done such finishing, the first one being Tara. A different view of Tara here.

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I decided not to add any cordings at all on this one as it seemed to me that less was more with this project. A cording around the stitched project would have been too much because of the double border and around the fabric it would have been more distracting than anything else.

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All I have to do now is to find her a special place on one of my walls and enjoy :-)

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Pierrette =^..^=

Miniature Georgian House and Garden Gate: Gay Ann Rogers, designer

Once in a while I try to do a bit of finishing and this morning I decided to tackle those two miniature projects that I have stitched a while back. They are: Miniature Georgian House and Miniature Garden Gate, both designed by Gay Ann Rogers.
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I simply finished them by using those Metal Finishing Forms. It makes finishing of little ornaments so much quicker and easier. Have added a bit of padding underneath, green fabric on the back and made some cording and that was it. Can't remember where I have ordered them initially, but there are some here. I know that you can find them at lots of places.
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I already have some miniature ceramic ones that I love to put on my Christmas tree and this year I will add those too. That should be cute :-)
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On another note, I have been watching "Le Tour de France" since July 4 and that has been distracting me quite a bit from my stitching since I never multitask, prefering to give my undivided attention to whatever I am doing.
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For those of you who do not know what Le Tour de France is, it is the biggest and most grueling cycling event that currently exists lasting for 3 weeks. The big question that all the fans are now asking themselves is which of the two will win the Tour: Lance Armstrong or Contador :-) How many stitchers are watching this, I have been wondering ..................
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Pierrette =^..^=

Casalguidi & Lavender: Background completed

With the completion of the background, I have more or less completed lesson 1 of this EGA group correspondence course.

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Barbara M. Kershaw says that Casalguidi is a peasant embroidery. Apparently the peasants and villagers of Casalguidi,which is a village in North Central Italy, created this form of embroidery in order to imitate the laces that the rich people used, which they admired very much but just could not afford themselves.

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Fascinating to learn some of the reasons why some new techniques have been created by people. This was also a nice way for the women to increase their family's income.

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There is a very interesting book that I own which talks a little bit more about the history of Casalguidi. The book shows some wonderful pieces that have been done through the years and it also has some beautiful projects in it as well as how to make the different stitches. It is called Casalguidi Style Linen Embroidery by Effie Mitrofanis. You can find this book at many needlepoint stores and also at Amazon.

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Lesson 2 will be about adding a padded raised stem band. That should be interesting learning :-)

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Pierrette =^..^=

Casalguidi & Lavender: Barbara M. Kershaw, designer

While I need a little more time to finish my first blackwork tree before I can put a photo on my blog, I thought I would show you this Casalguidi project for which I have just received my supplies yesterday. It is called Casalguidi and Lavender and has been designed especially for the Embroiderers' Guild of America by Barbara M. Kershaw.

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This project when finished will measure approximately 6" by 6" and it has been designed by Barbara to be finished as a scented sachet, putting some lavender inside, which is the scent I love the most, just so relaxing.

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I first saw a casalguidi project in the Australian magazine called Inspiration and thought to myself I just need to learn this Italian technique as it is just so beautiful and when this course was offered by my online chapter EGA CyberStitchers I made sure to purchase it so that I could learn the basics. Those courses are just perfect to get us started with a new technique the proper way.

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Will try to finish that blackwork tree today and put a photo of it either later today or tomorrow :-)

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Pierrette =^..^=

Five Flower Samplers: Brazilian Embroidery: More Leaves

I have not managed to stitch as many leaves as I wanted yesterday but considering how bad my allergies are acting up these days, I am rather pleased that I have managed to stitch as many as I did. The photo above shows what has been stitched so far.

This photo above shows another clutter of leaves.

And finally this last photo shows two leaves stitched on another section. I am thinking that by the time I finish stitching all 27 leaves, I will be pretty good at this. I have been stitching some leaves using Iris thread #053 and others using Iris #099. The needle used is a straw needle #5.
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There is a nice example on how to do the Alternating Satin Stitch on the Brazilian Guild website.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Five Flower Samplers: Brazilian Embroidery: Leaves

After spending quite a bit of time in the last few days in project selections, hunting down the material for them, ordering some supplies, working a bit in the garden yesterday and also having intensified allergy problems the last two days, this morning I have finally started working on my new brazilian embroidery project called Five Flower Sampler, which is a Blackberry Lane project with Delma Moore as designer for this particular one.
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Since I have not done any Brazilian embroidery in a long time and am also rather new at this too, I took some time to read a bit about it to refresh my memory.
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The last BE (Brazilian Embroidery) one I stitched I had used a hoop, but this time I am trying to use stretcher bars and so far just loving it. I love to have both hands free at all time while stitching and I love to be able to control both tension and thread as Edmar threads tend to often want to twist on themselves, which can be quite annoying. With my frame I find that I did not have any problems at all. Normally BE stitchers use a hoop, but I like to experiment with different ways of doing things. If all goes well, I may very well end up using some stretcher bars most of the time. Will report back on that after completing this project.
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I have taken out 3 BE books as I always like to see how things are done before trying them so if I can't find what I am looking for in one book then I go in the other. The three I have on my working table right now are: Leaves: A collection of leaf directions from patterns by JDR Brazilian Elegance, Sunshine's Treasures by Cheryl Schuler and Brazilian Embroidery 101 also by Cheryl Schuler. You can find all these books here at JDR.
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To come back to the 5 leaves I have just stitched, I have been using Iris #053 and #099, two different green colors that graduate from pale to dark. The leaves are stitched in Alternating Satin Stitch. The instructions say to stitch all leaves first. I have just completed the leaves for one flower and now need to do the ones for the other 4 flowers before moving on to the stems, so will be back with a photo when those leaves are completed.
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It is so nice for me to go back to some embroidery and I am having a ball.
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Pierrette =^..^=

Blackwork: New Project

Yesterday, I ended up spending lots of time working on my blog adding additional LABELS so that you and I can find things a bit more easily. The most important label category has been to add a label for each designer, so now when you and I want to see something about Marion Scoular for example, then all we have to do is scroll down to the right side column until we arrive to the label section and then just click on Marion Scoular and all the projects I have stitched from her whether it is hardanger or blackwork will be there. Same thing for all the other designers that I have had the pleasure to stitch their projects.

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Talking about Marion Scoular, I do love her designs immensely and my next Blackwork project is one that she designs and is called "Rapunzel", which I have added the photo that came with the instructions, which are quite limited by the way since that is a teaching project and not one like The Princess and the Pea for which she had her instructions printed for sale, so this project will be a bit more challenging than the previous one I have stitched of hers.

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Here is the little story that Marion writes about Rapunzel at the beginning of her instructions:

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Rapunzel

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There was once a couple who longed in vain for a child. A window of their modest home overlooked the garden next door which was owned by a Witch, who filled it with beautiful flowers and tempting vegetables. So envious was the wife that she persuaded her loving husband to sneak through the fence to steal some rampion for her salad. On the second foray, the Witch caught him, and in response to his plea that he was only trying to please his dear wife, she agreed to let him go, but demanded that in return, she should be given their child.

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Indeed, when the child was born and given the name Rapunzel, which means rampion, the Witch took her to a high tower, deep in the woods. There she grew to be incredibly beautiful, with long golden hair. The Witch would stand at the foot of the tower and call, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel all golden and flair, Rapunzel, Rapunzel let down your hair". Whereupon, Rapunzel would unbraid her glorious locks so the Witch could use them as ladder.

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Rapunzel sang with the voice of an angel, and one day, this was heard by a Prince as he rode through the forest. Mesmerized, he witnessed the Witch's ritual, memorized it, and when the Witch had gone, used it himself to see at closer hand the lovely Rapunzel. Love blossomed, but sadly, Rapunzel made the naive mistake of asking the Witch why she was so slow and the Prince so nimble. Furious, the Witch slashed off Rapunzel's locks and carried her off to the wilderness.

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Using Rapunzel's hair, the Witch lured the Prince back to the tower, where in trying to escape, he fell into thorn bushes which scratched his eyes, blinding him. Doomed to wander for many a day throughout the land, the Prince eventually heard a plaintive familiar song.

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Seeing the Prince's blindness, Rapunzel's tears fell on his eyes, restoring his sight. Joyfully they returned to his Palace and have lived happily ever since.

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End of story :-) K nowing the story that goes with the piece will make it so much more interesting to work on it.

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Since this is a rather big piece I have now mounted the canvas on my System 4 scroll frame. This way it will make it much easier to work on it.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Going back on Memory Lane with Tropical Fantasy or Fire on Ice: Sue Lentz, designer

I have managed to spend quite a bit of time yesterday on Stichamaze website and had a wonderful time but still need to go back many more evenings to read all of it. While reading the guests' section, all of a sudden I came upon a piece that I have stitched many years ago. I knew this piece by the name of Tropical Fantasy but apparently it was also known by other names like Fire on Ice, which I thought was also a very appropriate name for it. Edith Chapman stitched that one and this is a Sue Lentz's design and a gorgeous one at that.

This was my post about Tropical Fantasy . Unfortunately with the glass over it, I have never been able to really show the details properly. Now by clicking on the close-ups photos on Stitchamaze, you can see a little better, but I can assure you that it does not even come close to showing how beautiful this piece is.
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Tropical Fantasy is one of my stitched piece that sits just in front of me on the wall right behind my computer, so I am in a position to enjoy it all the time. My framer even went shopping for me at a fabric store and found an absolutely perfect piece of fabric to cover the mat with it. I never stitch the same piece twice but this one, I think I could consider doing it. It is that beautiful and I have enjoyed it that much.
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Well, time for me to leave Memory Lane and go back to reality with Persian Fantasy and do step 2 of the burden stitch. Funny, I was reading on the ANG list that many stitchers do not like to do that stitch or even hate it, but I really don't mind it at all and the effect is really quite beautiful, but I am also a person who does not mind spending lots of time with a laying tool, so .......... :-)
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Pierrette =^..^=

Flower Diamonds: Terry Dryden, designer

This is my very first pilot class project which I am doing as a "ghost stitcher" for Terry Dryden's new design called Flower Diamonds which is being offered for the first time at the 2009 ANG Seminar in Milwaukee on August 31 & September 1st as a 2-day class. You can see more information on your ANG Seminar supplement on page 20.

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There are over 30 different threads and six different assorted beads that we can choose from to stitch this piece. Lots of those threads I have never seen before so this is very very exciting for me. It is a bit like letting a child loose at Disneyland (grinning). On my photo above, I am showing only a few of those gorgeous threads to give you an idea of the colors involved. Jan on her blog has a picture showing them all so you may want to pay her a visit.

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Terry Dryden has finished hers as a neck roll pillow, which sounds very good to me. I used to have one and have no idea where it went but I can tell you that I have not seen it in ages. I know some of you may be thinking that this is way too beautiful to use it like that, but if you want to feel like a "queen" then that is the way to go and I do love that feeling (grinning).

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The design size is 6 inches by 15 inches and I already had the necessary stretcher bars 12 inches by 20 inches so I am ready to start working on it today and can't wait to get going.

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Jan has already started working on hersa while back and she has one section completed. You can read about it on her blog.

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I do not want to duplicate the information that Jan has already given on her blog about this project nor add the same photos as she already has, so will see what I can come up with that will be a bit different and show you how beautiful this project is. Just the colors of the threads and beads have me salivated. If you don't see me for a while, you will know where I will be and what I will be doing, right? "Disneyland"

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Pierrette =^..^=

Persian Fantasy: A Jane D. Zimmerman cyberclass with Shining Needle Society

For the last few days I have been working on "Persian Fantasy" designed by Jane D. Zimmerman. Jane is teaching this cyberclass on Shining Needle Society.

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There are different color options offered for this design and I selected Green and Cranberry for mine instead of blue.

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I don't seem to have done much so far on this project, but that would be entirely false. There were lots of prework to do as we had to mark the canvas intersections for all areas of the design. This was relatively easy to do but took quite a bit of time. Then I had to outline all the bands with tent/reverse tent/back stitches.

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The photo above shows Area 1 (historical florentine stitch) using all the colors that will be included in this project except the dark green. I have another one like this to stitch that is located on the opposite side and then Area 2 (which is an hungarian point) which I still have to stitch two of of the same.

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I will be back with another photo as soon as Area two has been stitched.

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Pierrette =^..^=

The stitching world is mourning JEAN HILTON

It is with great sadness that yesterday on May 4th, 2009 the stitching world has learned of Jean Hilton's death. I was absolutely stunned when I read about it on stitching groups and it has still not completely sank in.
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Jeanne on her blog has written a wonderful testimony and has also shown one of Jean's piece that I particularly love and admired ever since I set eyes on it "Scotlee".
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While thinking of the sadness that we are feeling at this time, I suddenly thought of this piece I stitched a while back which reflects an earlier time when mourning samplers became the fashion to express people's grief.

JEAN HILTON, we will miss you and rest assured that you will remain forever in our hearts.

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Pierrette

Hibiscus and the butterfly: Stumpwork

This morning is a cold and rainy day but I do have quite a bit of sunshine with this lovely stumpwork project that my very best friend Terry has made for me for my birthday. She sent it early enough so that my husband had time to bring it to the framer where they put their heads together and came up with this perfect frame for it. No mat at all this time around and no glass over it either. It looks stunning and warms my heart with good feelings :-)

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Previous post shows this project before framing. Going back on my blog to retrieve it made me realize that my photo was a bit on the dark side and perhaps my previous photo was a bit on the light side (grinning). Anyway, they all did a wonderful job for me and I am very happy.

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Will be working on adding more bricks today to Hollyhock House. My goal for the day is to finish this month's assignment. I still have approximately half of the right side to complete and then will put it aside until next assignment on April 1st.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Hibiscus and the butterfly: A gift from my friend Terry

What a lovely surprise I got yesterday from my very good friend Terry who stitched this lovely stumpwork project called Hibiscus and the butterfly. The colors are just so gorgeous that I could almost eat them but I won't. I could not wait at all to have it framed so the framer has already it in her hands. Can't wait to see it. I have received so many beautiful stitched projects from Terry through the years we have known each other and I cherish each one of them.

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I wanted to add this entry to my blog yesterday but after writing not one (bargello florentine all stitched), not two (projects that need finishing), not three (my knitting project) but four entries (Kitty, project stitched for Terry's birthday) yesterday I was totally exhausted (grinning). I have only been writing a blog entry here and there since the beginning of the new year so that was a big departure of what I normally do.

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Angelina is back from the framer so will be adding a new photo as soon as I manage to take a good photograph of it, which is always a bit of a struggle when there is glass over it, which most of them have except a few stumpwork projects.

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Have added a few lists on the right side of my blog, one about a list of projects that I am either working on or about to and another list of projects that are waiting to either be finished or framed. I have so many things to do that I thought it would help me to remember what I need to do next and help me get all my ducks in a row :-)

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Pierrette =^..^=

Shining Needle Society

Yesterday I have received a Shining Needle Society Certificate of Completion for having stitched both Mystery in a Corner and Challenge Ornament, both designed by Gay Ann Rogers. I don't normally collect Certificates as I never send my pieces for evaluation with either ANG or EGA as I am always concerned that a project of mine on which I would have put lots of hours, efforts and money might get lost in the mail and I would end up with nothing, so I thought it was a wonderful idea to have come up with the idea of giving us a Certificate of Completion.

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When I discovered Shining Needle Society a while back, I was so very happy as it opened the door to lots of new opportunities. There are multiple offerings of classes given by wonderful teachers/designers and of course there is Gay Ann's classroom who is dedicated to teach us about color and design. Before SNS, you had to be able to go to Seminars to get some of those classes, but now we can stay home and work on them in the comfort of our own home.

[Certificate of Completion]

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Pierrette =^..^=

CYBERPOINTERS is now a reality

November 1st 2008, CyberPointers is now a reality! I know many of us have been wondering if it would ever come to be, but this is Happy Times for all of us as ANG now has its own internet chapter, thanks to all the hard work done by the committee members. There were lots of ups and downs during these past two years and I have had the pleasure as part of this committee to see everyone pitch in to make this a reality, but the bulk of the work, and there was a lot of it to be done, has been done by the people who have been selected to be members of the board and they have my greatest gratitude for never giving up and bringing this to reality for all of us.
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I have gone and retrieved my cup and saucer as this will now be the way to go, sitting comfortably at home, enjoying all the advantages that our new cyber chapter will offer us and sipping a good cup of something :-)


To all of you who are interested in joining or thinking about it, just click on CyberPointers and you will find all information needed on how to join us.
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Why should you join? Here is what says Elizabeth, our first Cyberpointers' president:

Ten Reasons to Join CyberPointers.

10. A place on the web to meet stitchers and chat about everything needlepoint.

9. Save gas money and help make the world a little greener by joining in meetings right in your own home via computer.

8. Get extra stitching time by not having to drive to a chapter meeting.

7. Fun fundraising projects that include some original designs for the chapter.

6. Join in a group correspondence course and have some friends to stitch with and motivate you to finish.

5. No longer have to be a MAL just because there aren't any chapters near-by.

4. Global community outreach projects that will give you a chance to make the world a better place just by stitching.

3. Access to the Chapter Project Book projects, just like any other chapter.

2. Jim Wurth is teaching the first workshop starting in March.

1. We've all waited 2 long years for this ... so let's all show National that we really meant it when we said we wanted a cyber chapter!

So come join CyberPointers now!
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Pierrette =^..^=

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!
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Hope that the day is not tooooooooooooooo scary for you all (grinning sadistically)
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You can see a few other Halloween projects here.
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Pierrette =^..^=

Patriotic Heart

Wow, I had not realized that it had been that long since I posted last (Sept. 17th). I had some personal issues to deal with, which have kept me away from stitching. I have just restarted yesterday and will be playing catch-up with all the numerous projects already started and the new ones that are begging me to start them (grinning).

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I could have continued working on Anne Stradal's Mrs Santa, but decided to ease myself back in with a new project called Patriotic Heart by Gay Ann Rogers. What made me decide to do this one is that we are in the middle of a very intense election period, well, actually finally getting close to the end, about 14 days to go before the November 4th election and what better project than a little Patriotic heart.

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I have completed the left side of the heart with stripes and stars. I was so happy to see that the pattern has some pulled thread in it, something that I adore doing, but rarely have the occasion to do, so that was a big bonus for me. The right side has lots of stripes, blue, white and red with the word America on it. As usual, since it is an ornament, I will do my own finishing with cording.

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Better go back to it now as I have lots and lots of catching up to do. It is good to be back stitching again :-)

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Pierrette =^..^=

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P.S. Don't mind what seems to be lines on the left side of the heart, I made an error in my counting when I had to stitch an outline with white thread on white canvas and the holes are still showing, but that will not be visible after the finishing is done. I usually am pretty good with counting, but it has been a rough restarting, but now all is going well (smiling)

The Morning After, an Anne Stradal design & the Brillante Weblog Award

Now that I have completed Gay Ann's Mystery in a Corner, which was so much fun to stitch, I will start working on a pair of Christmas designs from ABS Designs. Why Christmas designs, again in July? Simply because the temperature is close to 100°F outside and I need something to cool me down in addition to the air conditioning which on some days just can't keep up with the demand.
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I love the Christmas season, but I have found lately that I don't always have the time and/or energy to get all my Christmas decorations from the attic down two floors below and spend approximately two days, on and off, putting them all up and then of course taking another two days to take them off after the holidays and bringing them back up to the attic, but I still want to have Christmas decorations in my house, otherwise it just does not feel like Christmas, does it?
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My solution to this little problem is that I now want to stitch more and more Christmas projects that I can either frame myself like with the flat-fold method or a stand-up, or ...... and just get them out during the Christmas season whenever I don't feel like spending days decorating, spread them all around my house and voilà, the Christmas ambiance without having to spend all that time decorating. With these two designs in particular, I am thinking about framing them like if they were some family portraits that you display on any surface in your home. Well, Santa is a dear old friend, isn't he? He sure has spoiled me during all these past Christmasses :-)
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I selected these two designs, The Morning After and The Night Before, because I have always wondered what these two did on Christmas day and now I know, thanks to Anne (grinning). Santa is having a well deserved rest and his dear wife is knitting. Why is she not embroidering, I wonder..................... Might be a cold weather thing, Santa must need a good warm scarf, probably more than one, actually, but I disgress.
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This photo below has been stitched by Anne Stradal and was borrowed to put on my blog today with her permission as I have not yet started working on mine, but will slowly start today. I have got most of my threads, enough anyway to get started.


[The Morning After: Photo stitched by Anne Stradal]

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On another note, I had the honor of receiving the Brillante Award, twice actually in the last few days. The first time was from Rengin who lives in Turkey, for which I have already thanked her and this morning from Laura for which I am very grateful.

I will need a few days to get my ducks in a row and come up with my own list of blogs I enjoy visiting.

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Pierrette =^..^=

Mystery in a Corner: Second series of photos

I have been hard at work those past few days stitching and taking photos of each section.
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Lots of little decisions along the way about selecting colors. It will be so much fun to be able to go back to these photos after the project has been completed and play the "what if" game. What if at this step or that step of the project, I had chosen this color or that color instead of this or that one, then it would have affected all the following choices and I would have ended up with a very different outcome. Would I have liked it more, less or the same?
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In order to refresh our memories, I am including the link to the first series of photos and then we can continue with these.
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On this photo I have just added a second row in my border.

Then, I proceeded to make the border that is separating all these sections making 9 sections, a bit like playing Tic Tac Toc.

Followed by another dividing band using green, again. We are now starting to have lots of green.

Adding a row of blue on four sides, which puts a little more emphasis on the blue and a little less on the green ....

Adding some additional blue on four sides again .....

And still a little more blue with a touch of topaz inside the partial Scotch stitch pattern ....

Oups, adding a little more green, making us notice the green more, again ....

On this photo, I have added a little bit of orange color that is part of my Watercolour thread in order to tie things up a bit with the center section ....

A little more blue after that ....

And I find myself again adding some green ...

This is it for now until I receive the second part of this project, the part that is a "mystery" to all of us, except Gay Ann or we would all be in big trouble (grinning).
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When I look at this last photo, I can see that all divisions are in green, important elements of the design are in blue and also a bit of yellow-orange has been added to give it a bit of zing.

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I am really happy with all the colors that I have been using. I think that this particular shade of blue and green are my very favorite and I have always loved yellow and orange in moderation, making this project an especially fun learning experience for me.

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Will continue with this project as soon as I get the second part, so don't go away (smiling).

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Pierrette =^..^=