Under the sea theme: Postcard

Project: Under the Sea theme

(Postcard created for an exchange)

Designer: A composite of drawings that I put together to create a little underwater scene

Free drawings: http://cathycreatif.free.fr/index_galerie.php

Type of needlework: Embroidery

Photo: 1

Comments: This is a little under the sea theme that I created using a couple of drawings and arranging them together to get the above little scene, then have done a bit of embroidery and then finished as a postcard for an exchange in one of the group I belonged to at the time.

The goal of this project was to create a cute little postcard that the recipient would be happy to receive and that would not take me forever to make.

Additional note: I have gone back through all my previous posts and have added a "comments" section for each project in which I either talk about my experiences with a particular project, give additional details, etc..

Bingo Clear Purple Pansy: Tanja Berlin, designer

Project: Bingo Clear Purple Pansy

Designer: Tanja Berlin

Type of needlework: Thread painting embroidery

Photos: 2

Tanja's website: http://www.berlinembroidery.com/

Tanja's personal photo gallery: http://www.berlinembroidery.com/gallery.html

Tanja's guest's gallery: http://www.berlinembroidery.com/customersembroideries.htm

Comments: I wanted to learn how to embroider using this technique so thought this was a great place to begin learning those skills. Tanja also critique your work when you send her close-up photos, which I think is wonderful.

I have stitched many projects of hers which I will post later and others that are just waiting for me to get to them.

I chose this particular design because it was a starter design and I also love pansies. They are such wonderful flowers. I need to do more thread painting as it makes any design that you stitch look so very natural. Again, this is a technique that the  more you do, the better you get, like most things in life, but not all.

Arcadia: Jim Wurth, designer

Project: Arcadia

(6th of the series)

Designer: Jim Wurth

Series: Dodecagon ornaments

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photo: 1

Jim's Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DodecagonSeriesOrnaments/

Comments: This series was fun to stitch and I never knew from one ornament to the next what Jim would be sending me and I could hardly wait to get the next one.

Acorns and Oak Leaves: Janice Routley, designer

Project: Acorns and oak leaves

Designer: Janice Routley

Type of needlework: Metal Thread embroidery

Photos: 4

Embroiderers' Association of Canada GCC: http://www.eac.ca/

Sudberry Box: http://www.sudberry.com/

Comments: This is my first attempt at doing this sort of embroidery. It was not as hard as I thought it would be, but at the same time, working with metal thread is a slow process. You can't rush this. You need patience. Oaks are my very favorite trees and that ever since I was a youngster collecting leaves for some school homework assignments, so this design was just perfect for me for a new learning experience.

View from the back of the box showing what the box looks like

Rhapsody: Rosalie Wakefield, designer

Project: Rhapsody

Designer: Rosalie Wakefield

Type of needlework: Brazilian embroidery

Photos: 2

Free designs here  from the Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery Guild

BDEIG: http://www.brazilian-dimensional-embroidery.org/

Comments: Don't you all just love the dimensional aspect of brazilian embroidery? It is just so pretty and elegant. On the guild website they keep adding some new projects that we can all try. Of course we need to purchase the Edmar threads, which are the threads used when doing BE. I decided to finish mine as a little ornament and I put it on my Christmas tree each year. During the rest of the year I normally just hang it on my wall with others I have made through the years.

Twilight Angel: Gay Ann Rogers, designer

Project: Twilight Angel

Designer: Gay Ann Rogers

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photos: 5

Gay Ann's website: http://www.gayannrogers.com/site_2/Home_Page.html

Gay Ann's blog: http://gayannrogers.blogspot.com/

Gay Ann's Classroom at SNS: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SNS_GAR_Classroom/

Shining Needle Society: http://www.shiningneedlesociety.com/

Comments: This is a different project than what I normally stitch. I wanted to stitch this one for a very good friend of mine as she loved it very much. I have just given it to her for her birthday and she is having it framed. Can't wait to see how it will look and she promised me a good photo which I will add to this very post as soon as she emails me the photo(s).

 The only part of this project that I had been wondering about was the "hair", never having stitched any before, but it turned out easier than I thought it would be. It does need a bit of practice though and I am sure that the next time around, it will go smoother. In everything that we do, there is always that learning process that nobody can escape. We get better at it, the more we do and with Gay Ann, she has lots of designs that involves "hair", so should get plenty of practice.

Update March 5/2010: Just received some photos from my friend showing how she had Twilight Angel framed, so have added them at the end of this post. I think that the framing is just beautiful. Love it.

Update March 05/2010: 2 additional photos showing how my friend had Twilight angel framed.

Christmas remembered: Susan Johnson, designer

Project: Christmas remembered

(This project can still be purchased on Susan's website)

Designer: Susan Johnson

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photos: 4

Susan's new website: http://www.sj-designs.com/ 

Susan's old website: http://sj-designs.net/

Comments: This was such a fun project, easy and quick to stitch too. I  just love the little Christmas packages that I was able to purchase at the time as I stitched this project years ago. All I had to do is glue them to my stitched canvas. I normally have the framer put a glass over but not this one, so I was able to take some new photos to show details of this design. I love to have framed Christmas projects for the holidays.

Lady with a bouquet of flowers: Needle case

Project: Lady with a bouquet of flowers

(Needle case)

Designer: This is a silk print appliqué on fabric,

then embroidered and I have added silk ribbon flowers on both her hat and bouquet

and finally finished as a needle case

Type of needlework: Embroidery, appliqué and silk ribbon

Photo: 1

Comments: This project was created for a friend of mine in a period when I was into silk print and silk ribbon. I wanted to do something practical for her so turned it into a needlecase. I know that I can always use one more needlecase, same thing with pincushions too. I can never have too many of them.

The Iris: Susan Portra, designer

Project: The Iris: A Stylized Interpretation

(1991)

Designer: Susan Portra

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photos: 2

Comments: This is one of the first project I did when I learn to do needlepoint. I liked the project but was not all that enthusiastic about doing it in the beige colors that were displayed, so asked for some help in selecting some colors that were more to my liking and I ended up with the above stitched project. Since I  had not a lot of experience at the time, I have to say that I found it rather challenging. It went into my UFO pile for a while and after getting myself more experience, I took it out and finished it. It is one of my favorite piece.

(Susan Portra's photo showing original colors)

Hearts & Flowers: Jim Wurth, designer

Project: Hearts & Flowers

(5th of the series)

Designer: Jim Wurth

Series: Dodecagon ornaments

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photo: 1

Jim's Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DodecagonSeriesOrnaments/

Comments: I just love this design. It would be perfect for Valentine. It was so much fun stitching this one. It is one of my favorite in the series, but I have many favorites in this series as each one is unique.