Whitework Extravaganza

Weekend workshop with Catherine Theron at the Loudoun Sampler Guild.

It will be sometime before I make serious progress on this. Six and half inches by 17 on 32ct linen with silk thread, all single strands.

It's a beautiful piece. I hope I'm up for the challenge. 

The Count

Presenting the Count of Needlemania. 

Stitching done a few days after it should have been done, but somehow I misplaced a card of Frosty Rays. 

He'll be heading to the finisher to be made into a stand up. 

We were vacationing in a log cabin last week on a ridge above the Shenandoah River. So relaxing. And a great time for me to start my Blue Ridge Stitchery ornament. 

 

Gifted

 I made two Terri Bay Ukrainian whitework pieces as gifts. I personalized the back with their initials.

28ct Picture This Plus Helix linen. I just had a small piece, but it was big enough to stitch two of these. A little bit of DMC floss for the black and Finca pearl cotton in gray. Finally some River Silks ribbon for the finishing.

Still Counting

 

Yesterday's progress. Once I finish the cloak collar on the right, I will stitch his ears and mouth. Just got to say this is a lot of black.

If you are interested, this is a class by Janet Zickler Casey. But it is also available as a painted canvas thru Danji Designs. 

And I'm Counting

 Progress photo on the Count of Needlemania. There's a lot of black to stitch. So I worked on the cloak collar. When I finish the right side, maybe I'll add his ears and mouth.

Next Up, The Count

 I have been organizing again. Literally have had my hands on every kitted canvas I own both counted and painted. And I documented them. So I know where they are.

Now if I want a new project I should just dip into the bin and get stitching.

Bonus. I found a canvas that I was ready to buy from our current trunk show. And it has all the threads.

Meanwhile, this canvas came out to play.

The Count of Needlemania by Janet Zickler Casey.

I remember stopping when I came to the black cloak. I think we did this as a guild project in 2011 or around then. 

August Finish

 I have not fallen off the earth. I am still here and still stitching. Just been working on gifts, etc.

I do have another JoAnn finish. This is the second of three British pub canvases designed by Trubey. JoAnn had barely begun the roof and I had a bag of threads. I changed a few. This was a fairly straightforward stitch. Lots of satin or gobelin stitching. A good amount of basketweave.

It'll be a box stand up.

Round and Round

 Have you seen the fantastic photos being produced by the James Webb space telescope?

I was wishing I had a space based WIP, but I don't. 

So I picked up this project from last summer.

This is Round and Round, a design by Jennifer Riefenberg. It was our July class last year for my EGA guild. I've changed the colors slightly. Kind of has a planetary vibe to it. Finishing this one soon. 

Assembly

 

One Erica Michaels strawberry completed. Many more to go. Here's hoping they don't all take four years! 

Waves of Stitching

 Mid-June saw a return to normal in which the Mid-Atlantic Region of the EGA met finally for a regional seminar in Norfolk, Virginia.

I took two classes. And today I'm going to talk about my second class, Starry, Starry Night Kimono by Toni Gerdes.

This was my 3rd or 4th class in person with Toni. I love that she is such a calm, low key teacher. I never feel any pressure in her classes. And I know that her directions are complete and well-written that I can complete the project with relative ease.

Here are the threads and the line drawn canvas. 

I have the Macintosh, Wright, and Klimt kimonos all started. 

But the Van Gogh is really calling me. 

Here's a photo of the point at which I have 10 meters of overdyed Kreinik braid completed. Another 20 meters in the kit.