Cameo Lace: Mary Polityka Bush, designer

Project: Cameo Lace

Designer: Mary Polityka Bush

Type of needlework: Needlepoint

Photos:

This project can be found here on the Kreinik website

Comments: My goal was to stitch a new Easter egg this year for Easter, but things did not quite worked out as I wanted. Hopefully next year things will go more smoothly.

This is a kit from Kreinik. It had everything necessary to stitch the egg except the fabric and the ribbon for the finishing. I have essentially used the same ribbon as on the original but have given it a different twist and it does make a difference.

(Photo that came with the instructions)

Roses and Noel Ornament: Yvonne Reitsma, designer

Project: Roses and Noel Ornament

Designer: Yvonne Reitsma

Type of needlework: Embroidery

Victoria Sampler website: http://www.victoriasampler.com/

This is a free pattern from Victoria Sampler

Comments: This is another of those times when I was looking for something special to stitch to give to a friend for Christmas when I saw this charming Christmas ornament on the Victoria Sampler website.

This project has lots of bullion knots for the roses and buds, fly stitches for the leaves, stem stitches, lazy daisy stitches for the leaves around the buds and backstitches for the word Noel and a few colonial knots here and there.

I used the same color threads for the cording that I have used stitching the design when I finished the ornament instead of the white that you can see on the Victoria Sampler website just because I wanted a bit of color around the ornament. I also like the white cording.

I really enjoy stitching such projects and had a wonderful time with it. This is not a very time consuming project so I may decide to stitch one for myself too as I normally only stitch a project once so if I give it away then I end up with none for myself. I don't think that I would enjoy making multiples of the same design one after the other, but it has been a long time now so it will almost feel as if I was stitching it for the first time (smiling).

A Cottage Garden: Kris Richards, designer

Project: A cottage garden

Designer: Kris Richards of South Australia

Type of needlework: Embroidery

Photos: 6

Article about Kris Richards on Country Bumpkin website

Inspirations magazine, Issue 53, pages 24 - 31

Comments: This is my very favorite commercial magazine. Each issue is packed with wonderful projects. I would need  to live forever to stitch all those that I love.

I do love walking in gardens and have visited many during my travels. When I saw this lovely garden, I just had to stitch it. There was not a moment hesitation. I always feel that I never do enough embroidery projects so it was pure pleasure to work on this one.

(Photo showing the front of the finished needlecase)

(Photo showing the back of the needlecase)

(Photo showing the finished needlecase in its entirety)

(Close-up)

(Close-up)

Wintertide: Patricia Andrle, designer

Project: Wintertide

Designer: Patricia Andrle

Type of needlework: Hardanger

Photos: 5

This is a Kreinik free design that you can find here.

Comments: I was looking for a lovely little Christmas ornament to stitch for a friend for some Christmas past and found Wintertide on the Kreinik website and I then knew I had found what I was looking for. It is elegant and uses Hardanger technique, something that I enjoyed doing and there is no added finishing to do, so what more can a stitcher like me ask for?

(Photo showing the Kloster blocks)

(Photo showing the center Poinsettia)

(Photo showing the four small corner flowers)

(Photo showing the stitched project before cutting all the extra fabric around the ornament)

The Hibiscus and the Butterfly: Pearsall's Company

Project: The Hibiscus and the Butterfly

Designer: Kit from Pearsall's Company

Gift received: My friend Terry stitched this for me

Type of needlework: Stumpwork

Photos: 2

Comments: From time to time I will add photos of projects that I have either received as gifts or as part of an exchange between friends or group members.

The Hibiscus and the Butterfly was stitched by my friend Terry as a gift for me. It is a silk stumpwork kit stitched on green Dupioni silk fabric that she purchased at the time on the Pearsall's website. I just checked their website and they do not seem to carry this particular design anymore.

She sent me the stitched design without the frame as we always do when we give each other gifts of that nature and you can see a photo of Hibiscus below. I just love it and she has stitched it wonderfully as she always does.

We had it framed right away.  My husband, who is the one in the family who work with our framer for all my framing projects, decided together with our framer to only add a frame, leaving out the mat and the glass this time around, as they felt it was just not needed and when he brought it back I had to fully agree with them as the way it was framed seems just perfect for this project.

(Photo showing Hibiscus as received through the mail)

It's another bad hair day: Claire Crompton, designer

Project: Comedy Dog

Designer: Claire Crompton

Type of needlework: Cross Stitch

Photos: 3

Chart Shop link: http://www.the-chart-shop.com/

(they also have a lovely free design section)

Comments: The son of a friend of mine has a beautiful otterhound dog that goes by the name of Marz. When I saw this lovely design of a dog that had similar characteristics, I thought it would be fun to stitch it for Matt, the dog owner, and decided to make a little bookmark out of it, so that it would be more practical. 

I also love what it says on it "It's another bad hair day", as my friend and I had chatted about this very thing many times before I actually saw that drawing. 

I added a little border all around the stitched design in order to make it look more complete and then finished it as a bookmark, added a little bit of black ribbon at the bottom and voilà it was ready to send as a little Christmas gift for him.

(photo of the stitched design)

(photo showing the little border all around it)

Bargello scissor case: Mary Hickmott, designer

Project: Bargello scissor case

(New Stitches, Issue 23)

Designer: Mary Hickmott

Type of needlework: Bargello

Photos: 3

Comments: On EGA National, there was a discussion about when the customer requests certain colors for finishing (they were actually chatting about framing, but finishing would certainly fit into that discussion) and the framer/finisher does not agree with the desires of his or her customer and do as he or she pleases.

I felt the question rather interesting as something a bit similar had happened to me before, a long time ago. 

The incident happened with a little scissor case that I had stitched bargello style using a Caron watercolour thread. That thread had orange and blue shades. Having practically no experience, I had not realized that on a small project like that one, the change of colors do not spread as well as when using the watercolor thread on a bigger project, so I ended up with a bit more orange color than I wished for.

Since I had not been stitching for long at the time and the store had a finisher that did all the finishing for them and she was rather good at that too, I decided to have it finished as had no idea how to do the finishing back then.

Anyway, to cut my story short, I asked for the inside of the scissor case to be finished using a fabric in one of the blue shade that was in the watercolor thread and also to put a blue button. I thought that this would help temper down all that fiery orange that I ended up having on my scissor case.

You should have seen my face when I got my scissor case back. The inside was as orange as can be with an orange button on top too. I had the feeling of holding a little inferno in my hands.

Apparently someone at the shop decided to do the finishing themselves instead of sending it to the finisher and they had also taken upon themselves to just ignore my wishes concerning the blue fabric and button. Perhaps this happened during the Halloween season or something and orange was the color of the day/week/month and easy to get from the fabric store, I don't know and I probably never will. I think I was just too much in shock to think about asking.

Since it was only a small needlecase and the investment had been minimal, I decided to just keep it as finished and not start a big discussion, so I paid for it and left the store talking to myself.

This was followed by other "not so good" customer service that I got from them (relatively sure that I was not the only recipient of such outstanding service) and after a while I decided that enough was enough and never set foot in that shop ever again.

(Photo showing the nice Halloween orange color fabric

and Halloween button to boot)

It would have been so nice to have seen some blue fabric and a blue button there instead.

Options in Hardanger: Dale Sokolow, designer

Project: Options in Hardanger

Designer: Dale Sokolow, designer

Type of needlework: Hardanger

Photos: 3

An EGA correspondence course: http://www.egausa.org/

Received through: EGA CyberStitchers: http://www.cyberstitchers.org/

Comments: When I saw this hardanger project, I just could not resist it. I thought it was just so beautiful.

This course came with 3 different layouts. I have only stitched one of them so far, but fully intend to do the other two in other colors at one point in time.

I stitched the layout #2 using Ash Rose Lugana fabric with Gobi Sand watercolours and pearl cottons threads. Those colors have turned so beautifully together. They were the colors that Dale used when stitching this layout. Since I loved them, I did not see any purpose in changing them just for the sake of changing them.

(photo showing everything stitched except the fillings)

(Project completed before cutting excess fabric around border)

Fabulous Finale: Jim Wurth, designer

Project: Fabulous Finale

(12th 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 is the last one of the Dodecagon Series but not the least. It is absolutely beautiful.

As I have said before, I am not the kind of person who will sign up for series, any series, never had done so before Jim came up with this Dodecagon series ornaments, and mostly when I can't see them all beforehand as the question is for me, will I like them or not?

With this series I could see 3 out of the 12 in an advertisement that Jim had made in the magazine NeedlePoint Now. When I saw them, I stopped dead in my tracks as I felt the designs were just so special, but I did not do anything about it for a long while. It actually took me months before I finally made the decision, with my husband's input, to register for the whole series, as I felt it was a big investment in both time and money.

I am happy to say that I have  never  regretted that decision as it has been a wonderful stitching journey for me. I can now do Jessicas with my eyes closed (grinning). Does that mean that I will register for other series in the future? Not necessarily so, unless something this special comes along again.

Hollyhock House Window: A Frank Lloyd Wright adapted design

Project: Hollyhock House Window

Designer:  Inspired by a design of Frank Lloyd Wright, architect

(Heartland House Designs)

Type of needlework: Cross Stitch

Photo: 1

Comments: I have always been very interested in architecture and when in Chicago on a trip, we visited some of the houses that have been built by Frank Lloyd Wright. In the visitor center I saw a few charts, all cross stitch, and purchased a couple of them. So far I have only stitched this one and given it to my husband to put in his office.

According to the chart, this asymmetrical design of the window can be used either vertically or horizontally. I decided to hang it vertically.