Wonderful Color Schemes!

For any who didn't see my post a few weeks ago on Possibilities, be sure to visit this site of Kristina's and watch her develop color schemes from her beautiful photographs.

I especially like the way she shows these swatches with the colors in proportion to how they show in the pictures.

As this is a "freebies" blog, you are usually in the position of selecting your own colors, so this would be a great aid in doing so when dumping out the stash to pull out what you want to use for a project. Besides, it's interesting to see what she has added each Monday.

Go to Kristina Klarin's blog to see!! Be sure to click on "colour files" on the left side panel to see the swatches without the pictures. (in storage)

Cookie Cutter Needlepoint

That title could have double meaning - and I had to remind myself of just that when I was fooling around with the drawing. I had to remember that these are to be "cookies" shaped like Shamrocks, and that I probably would only have one cutter in the drawer. Decorating them is the fun and imaginative part that will make each one different.

Anyway - I started this odyssey on the other blog (Possibilities, Etc.), so you can go there to see what's happening. This pattern is about 4 1/4" across at the widest part, but you could always play around with the size and suit yourself. I used 18 mesh canvas, but 13 would work as well.

The idea is to replicate icing and do such things as you would do with a pastry tube/cake decorator type thing, using lots of fun things and great stitches. It's really a good way to try out new stitches too, and new fibers in your stash. I'm showing the drawing on canvas to illustrate the orientation of the tracing. Use the orange line as a reference.

Please refer to other posts about canvas preparation and drawing for instructions for doing this. I've pointed to places where one must be sure to draw on the THREAD and not slip down between them into the groove - makes it much easier to stitch.

October Again Already!!

The "Birthday Crazy Quilt Heart" for October was finished in 2008, with its opals and calendulas and glorious Fall colors. You can see the other months (some not done yet, though) on the other blog under the label Birthday Crazy Quilts.

There are lots of freebies on this site from last year for Halloween, so don't miss the napkin rings and other small, fun things.

I've never designed a lot of needlepoint for Halloween, as there seems to already be more than enough "out there," and it's also not really my interest for designing painted canvas or for stitching - I leave that to others who excel.

However, I have recently found a web site while cruising on ebay, that has just about sent me over the edge to be stitching on Halloween things!. These pieces are so much fun and so full of originality and personality, they are quite different from any I've seen. I've shown these on the other blog, but to be sure you don't miss it, I'll give you a link here for her Halloween page: Nenah's Needlepoint.

I won't show any canvases here, as that would spoil the surprise. Also, these aren't Freebies, of course, but the prices are so much less than they would be if offered in a retail store!! I love finding these wonderful things that I didn't know were available.

Sea Shells for Needlepoint: With or Without Jewels

I promised a while back that I would provide some patterns for sea shells for putting onto canvas yourself.

I finally dug out two rather fat files labeled "Jeweled Critters" and "Small Sea Shells." I had forgotten about many of them, as that binge of designing for me came and went about 12 years ago. Since then, I have found many many new threads to use to really enhance these things, and make them much better than they were the first time.

The first picture is a simple scallop shell - the first one I did when I departed from painting realistic sea shells on needlepoint canvas. I had pulled out a lot of threads in what I call "Caribbean Colors," and it seemed only right to paint some shells in these colors - but what was lacking, was "pearls."

The second picture is in the actual colors of a scallop shell which is native, as I remember, to somewhere in the south Pacific. Later, I added pearls to it, and painted it in several different color combinations - my favorite, of course, the aquas and green.

Enough of that. My purpose here is to inspire you to create your own, and it's actually quite simple. I have had a love and fascination for sea shells since I saw my first real ones as a small child at Ft. Pierce in Florida, during WWII, just before my father went off to the south Pacific.

When I moved to Tallahassee in my early 40's, my favorite recreation was going to the beach "in season" and picking up shells, and going out onto the sand bars to pick up sand dollars with my toes. Of course I then had to put them onto canvas for stitching.

All of my fantasy "jeweled" shells are from actual shapes, most of which I traced from several wonderful books of shells I own - one of them is a gigantic "coffee table" book. (I'm back in Austin now)

You can do this - or look for shells on the internet. Mine are here for you, and my suggestion is that you print them out, size them as you wish, and draw them onto canvas. Then see what you can do with adding jewels and beautiful, unusual colors.

This shell is a green tree snail - it was in my giant book of shells, so I traced it and added the pearls. I'm already pulling out threads to see what I can use to really make it special. Maybe Petite Very Velvet with the pearly coral colored area in DMC Satin Floss. The gold outlining will, of course, be Kreinik 002V #12 braid, as this is on 18 mesh canvas.

This is not the color of the actual green tree snail, as the real ones are very very bright green - gorgeous things!! I"m giving you both the tracing, and also the scan of the actual canvas, marked for the addition of the "pearls."

As I don't like to paint the canvases I'm going to stitch unless I have to, I'll just mark the areas of color with the Sharpie ultra fine permanent drawing pen, so I'll know where to stitch each color. Thank heaven for colored drawing pens these days!!

To show the transition from sea shell book to painted canvas, I've photographed the two pictures together to give you an idea of what you can do. This is a "banded tulip" - one of my favorites.

DMC and Needlework History

If you don't already go regularly to the new DMC blog, written by "Emma Broidery," be sure and see it now - a post describing the total history of the DMC corporation, and also history of needlepoint, needlework in general, etc. This one also has the usual little "freebie" - a charming counted cross stitch mini-sampler.

Crazy Quilt Heart for November!!

November already! Time does fly, and I need to get the January "Crazy for Birthdays" heart finished, as that will be here soon - I got distracted last year, and stopped in the middle.

Anyway, the colors are so pretty for November - with the gold topaz and the chrysanthemums! The warm "velvet" of the burgundy patch feels fine against the kind of "stormy" blue - and the dark blue with snowflakes or raindrops (Beads)

I looked forward to changing the header and choosing background colors - a great toy!.

This is available as an e-pattern on my Elegant Whimsies site - it's a bit complicated to offer as a Freebie, but the heart outline is here, and this might give you an idea or two.

Drawing on Canvas 202: A Mexican Tile

I'm a day late posting this, as I had a computer disasater requiring my son and son-in-law's attention, as I am a dummy on this machine. (I had to threaten total meltdown/running away to Florida to get their immediate attention). Anyway, I have this showing, with complete explanation and some other tiles also, on the other blog, Possibilities, Etc.!

I have only stitch drawn the parts of it that I feel necessary, both for symmetry and for matching up where the tiles meet to form the bigger pattern. It is, after all, a totally handpainted ceramic, and making the entire piece stitch painted would make it to nearly "perfect."

The individual tile itself is 4 1/2" square, but I like to add two threads between the tiles to resemble grout. Also, drawing 3 threads around the entire piece looks rather nice, which adds to the dimension for a total of about 5" for one tile. When you cut canvas, be sure to have enough room for margins for whatever format you want to use.


The easiest way to begin is in the lower right corner. Where you see the arrow, I counted up 27 diagonal stitches, marking them in blue so you can see. You can dot these marks out later with white acrylic paint so they won't show through when stitching a white background.

On the 28th stitch make the first dot for the dividing element. Again, the arrows point to significant features. You can pretty well just follow the dots to start the drawing. Blue is used again to show how many spaces to leave between the corners of the element. (6) At the arrow at the top right, you can see where, if you have counted and dotted correctly, the last dot should match up with the side of the tile you started with.

BE SURE to have a little bottle of white acrylic paint handy - one does make mistakes, especially when trying to do this at night and tired. I ruined two canvases before I got it right. If it were just for me, I would just dot out the mistakes in white, but it showed too much to use it here.

The next illustration is showing ending the count correctly at the top, where you can then go ahead and draw the entire square - as I did at the lower left. I thought I could do this count in reverse after stitch counting the first half, but kept going the wrong way and making a mess - so I finally had to just make a mirror image copy to work from. You can work from this one without having to do that.

The flowers are stitch drawn, as is the element you see at the top left because these need to be on the same thread in order to match up when the tiles are side by side on the canvas - no matter what format you use to "set" them. It just looks nicer for needlepoint.




The completed drawing on canvas has orange on it, (The Sharpie ultra-fine Paint Pen) to show me, if I decide to stitch this one, where the orange is. The other parts of the tile are flat color. I rarely paint anything I'm going to stitch myself.

This tracing (on tracing paper) looks a little rough, as I did it directly from the canvas.

You might need to go over it with a black felt tip pen to make it easier to see through your canvas when you're ready to draw it. Just count the design parts that need to be done first, and then trace the leaves and the yellow flower from the picture.

Enjoy! and maybe with a bit of confidence and know-how now you can design your own tiles. There are detailed instructions for drawing on canvas (canvas preparation) on this blog - so do refer to them if you need to.

Crosses for Personal Prayer Cushions

Several years ago, I had a number of painted canvase (by request) in my wholesale line that had to do with Bible/Prayer book covers. I'm pleased lately to discover that many many people are now looking beyond church kneelers, etc., and wanting to do personal prayer cushions, which may, of course, be any convenient size that fits the space and the need.

I had an irreverant moment remembering a church in Tallahassee that made an effort to do a great tongue-in-cheek type quote each week on a billboard that was hilarious as well as thought prevoking. I remember one that said "When your troubles knock you to your knees, you're in a praying position." (so true) This is how I've been feeling for the past year, only by now, if I knelt on the floor, I probably would require help getting back up.

Anyway, as usual, while digging in old files and boxes I found these small cross drawings that I've used in the past, not only for Bible covers, but in groupings and arrangements for personal kneelers. I remember one that had three of them across the center, and a simple but elegant border - very effective.

This Jerusalem Cross is one of my favorites of the many many types and styles of crosses used over the centuries - and is also adaptable for an ornament. Could be placed on a symmetrical stitch counted circle or a diamond shape easily. Also - lots of possible color combinations.

On 13 mesh canvas, this one is 3 1/2" high. On 18 mesh, it is tiny @ 2 3/4".

The simple Latin Cross has the Alpha and Omega added. It's almost 4" high on 13 mesh, and 2 3/4" on 18 mesh.

The Trefoil Cross shown here is a bit small, but apparently was used in the same project - it would be simple to draw it larger. It's 4" high on 13 mesh, and 3" high on 18 mesh. Incidentally, the study of the styles of crosses and other symbolism is fascinating - one can get many great ideas for kneelers this way!!

It was while designing some pieces for St. David's here in Austin that I became fascinated with the Welsh Celtic things - the encircled cross, as well as the Leeks (flower of Wales) and, of course, the knotwork. This is a very simple outline that has many possibilities for use as an ornament too.

The second scan shows a few "jewels" added maybe for interest.

The last scan shows how to simply add a "seam allowance" background, which would be done quickly and easily in basketweave.

A really competent finisher can work wonders with a shaped ornament - which brings up another subject - "Backgrounds for Shaped Ornaments" - which I'm preparing for a Possibilities, etc. tutorial. If I can't get it done by tonight, it will be for tomorrow - so stay tuned over there.

Meanwhile, here is a picture of an encircled cross I drew from the actual stone carving at the St. David's Cathedral in Wales - the Nevern Cross. It was on a tall base, so I just used the top, stitched it with bright colors - and gave it to my sister's son-in-law, who has Welsh antecedents.

When I took this photo, I had not yet stitched the background, and hadn't stitch drawn the circle around it properly. I don't remember what color I used for it.

ADDENDUM: I had forgotten, but several years ago I painted a series of needlepoint Eggs for Easter - as that is usually the season of Baptisms and Confirmation. I used the traditional bright pastels of the season, and put a cross or "Chrismon" (Christ Monogram) on each - they were pretty, and a variety of different colors, stitches, beads, metallics, etc. could dress them up a bit. I think I either discarded the file or lost it, but will look for it in a few days.

I have also found, now that I have grandchildren, that small cross ornaments or eggs make wonderful Godparent gifts.

More Animal Skin: Giraffe!

Besides admiring this unusual and magnificent animal, I love his gorgeous patterned skin - and use it often in designing for different projects. It is simple and elegant.

When using the giraffe pattern, one must be careful to have the scale of it right for the project - that is, it would be rather strange looking on this mini-stocking if it were painted with smaller spots - or very large ones. It wouldn't "translate" as giraffe, and would not be attractive.

As with the other animal patterns, I trace the shape and size of the project onto tracing paper, and then move it around until I have it positioned as I want it - then put it onto canvas.

The pattern is very attractive for belts, as well - so of course bracelets and napkin rings. Another for the Safari set!! I'm showing this one in stages, as I decided to jazz it up a bit for the table with beads. You can see where I have prepared for the beading by simply using basketweave every other row (on the warp "bumps"), leaving the dips of the weft for the beads. The background will simply be basketweave, as I couldn't see beading this piece "solid."

The tracing will print out the exact size you need for 18 mesh canvas. It's 5 1/2" long x 1 1/2" high. Just ink the lines if they aren't dark enough, and trace it onto canvas, using previous instructions.

Also - you could make a bracelet, using the pattern and instructions on the previous post on animal skin napkin rings and bracelets. For bracelets, you will have to make a tracing, adding more giraffe patches to the length. Easily done!!

Bugs! ("Jeweled for Needlepoint")

As promised on the other blog, here are patterns for the "jeweled" bugs. The ladybug, as I remember, is inspired by one of the miniature Faberge' eggs, as I saw it on a charm bracelet in an art museum catalog. I didn't stitch it myself, but it was very popular as part of my wholesale line about ten years ago.

The red, of course, is enamel, and the diamonds could be stitched either with glittering beads (Sundance #250 hexagonal clear) or with something else sparkling from your stash. The yellow beetle with black dots was taken from a piece of jewelry I saw in a magazine several years ago - and would be a fun scissors fob, key ring, or just an ornament. The little bumps on the ends of the legs and antennae are smyrna crosses in metallic gold. This is where the new DMC Satin Floss could be well used, as the shine approximates the enamel of the original piece.

To draw your own onto canvas, use whichever canvas size you prefer - mine were on 18 mesh, and the ladybug was 3 1/4" high x 2 1/2" wide. (including the legs, which I added - they weren't on the original jeweled egg) Remember that instructions for drawing are somewhere else on this blog if you haven't seen them before.

This first drawing has the gold parts outlined with a gold pen to make it easier to see what goes where - but you also need the scan of just plain black ink drawing on canvas.



















Next, the yellow beetle, which could be any color you wish - I did the background with beads, as you can see where I drew the dots for placement in the picture at the top. The oval itself is 3 1/2" x 2 1/2". This bug has lots of possibilities!!


I have done lots of bugs and butterflies and even spiders over the years - from antique jewelry, mostly. I hope to dig them out of the filing cabinet and boxes, and maybe even create some new ones, as one can do so many things with threads, etc. Besides, bugs are cute!!

A Heart for Independence (in Needlepoint)

I've been digging in the old boxes again, and found this piece - made a number of years ago for a shop here as a practice piece for using beads and textured stitches.

As I remember, the inspiration for the design was a little enameled pin I saw in a catalog. It looks lopsided only because it has been wadded up under a pile of other things for at least 8 years. Oh dear.

















I had not finished the stars yet, but decided to show it this way so as to make the method simpler to understand. Stars, at best, are not easy in needlepoint, and I wanted the effect of the misshapen and irregular look anyway - so worked this out for the stitching.

I used YLI Ribbon Floss because it is perfectly flat (and shiny) so it easily cover the canvas. The background stitching needs to be done first, (I used #5 pearl cotton in a bright navy) right up to the edge of the drawing of the stars. Then it's a simple matter to just "draw" with needle and ribbon floss as we did as children, the five pointed star. Follow the diagrams, and just continue making the star "motion" until the area is covered. You can see one in progress where the black line ends.

To draw your own, simply start with the counted outline as described on previous posts. This piece is 5" x 5" on 18 mesh canvas, so you will need to center it on an 8" square of mono-canvas.

The second scan of the drawing on canvas is the actual size, so you can simply trace the stars onto your drawing. (It might be easier if you first outline them with black ink so they show up better through the canvas.)

The red stripes are 9 stitches wide, and the white ones are 7. You can see the correct placement of the dots for the beads, which also make the Hungarian criss-cross stitch easier to do in this narrow space.

The little bracelet is outlined with Kreinik metallic gold 002 #12 braid, and the bump stitch "silver beads" are made with Kreinik metallic silver #12 braid.




The red stripes are worked with a stitch I thoroughly enjoy using, but have no idea what the name is or where I found it - I've been using it for many years, and something shiny could be inserted instead of beads if you wish. I'm showing it in two colors simply to illustrate the construction. This post is a bit of a mess - I have no idea where all that blank space at the bottom came from or how to get rid of it.

Oh well - Enjoy!! I was thinking earlier, that the stripes might be worked in bargello instead of with these stitches.

A Canvas Drawing tutorial

This is just an alert to send you to the other blog (Possibilities, etc.) to see an in depth canvas preparation tutorial I've started - with children's art, as that is a simple thing for learning and practice.

This one begins with the actual preparing of the original art, tracing to size, and drawing it onto canvas.

Hearts and Flowers!! (Valentine Ornaments)

I never use graph paper for designing, except to try out charted Bargello patterns - but in this case, being already familiar with the size and area covered with these small center motifs, I have spent most of the day "doodling" on paper and a bit of canvas too. I don't use graph paper, as I can't visualize the end result according to scale and how it will ultimately look, so just working directly on the canvas has always been the best option.

Anyway - today the subject has been hearts, and I'm sure this phase will last for a few days - so stay tuned. Once the count for the "bargello" hearts is worked out, I can see many many different ways to use them. This first picture is the 4-way type, so if you want to experiment for yourself, it was made with DMC cotton floss - 8 plies to make the smooth upright stitches on 18 mesh canvas. While I was looking at it, I suddenly saw a diagonal of flowers, as I had marked the canvas as I usually do for four-way Bargello - so started that too. After stitching the little flowers, I counted out and marked a vertical line intending it to be the same width as my 4 1/4" circle for making an ornament, and then realized that it would work for a heart also.

One thing leads to another when passing the time playing around with pen, canvas, and paper, and so I made the diamond shape that would fit well around a single heart or the double ones - for a keyring, ornament, or scissors fob - or whatever else use you can think of. A great small project! After drawing the heart onto canvas, and setting it up for 4-way mitered stitching, I realized that divided into the four sections, after stitching the hearts and diagonal trim, one could stitch the four separate sections with a "fabric" replica, such as gingham checks, mattress tick going in different directions - whatever the imagination can come up with.

Notice that this heart has two stitches at the bottom of the V at the top and the bottom of the heart too to accomodate the upright stitches. I counted and marked the place to start the flower trim when using the four heart center - to give you an idea of how it's done.

The chart shows another heart that's fun to use - and you can see how these are developed, and may doodle a bit yourself and see what you can do!!

The grey slanted lines suggest that you can make long, slanted stitches for the background of the little diamond shaped ornament.

More Filet Lace

I was tired last night and forgot to include this gorgeous picture. When I was preparing my article for Needlepoint Now early last spring, (the subject was Lace) my son-in-law told me his mother has a beautiful tablecloth that her aunt or her grandmother made for her in Italy for her wedding (since she is my age, my children classify these things as "antiques.") She had bestowed this treasure on my daughter, so I was able to study it and get great pictures for illustration.

I was, of course, delighted and grateful, as not only did this kind of lace originate in Italy, - but what a coincidence! This tablecloth is crocheted, as the Irish did to imitate the effect. I haven't tried yet to get the look in needlepoint of the difference in the background behind the rose, and the simple netting around it. I could do it in crochet, but needlepoint is another kind of challenge!

Color Change

In case anyone is wondering about my monthly header changes, I am using parts of my "Crazy for Birthdays" series of CQ hearts in needlepoint. A great excuse to play with new skills on the blog thing, as getting the size just right and then choosing the colors from the little chart that pops up is high entertainment, and rather time consuming for this computer dummy. Anyway - this is from the November heart, which is now on my web page (Elegant Whimsies). The flowers are chrysanthemums, and the birthstone is Topaz. I was rather pleased with it, but the flowers were a struggle. I was cheered on and encouraged by Jean at RiverSilks, whose gorgeous ribbon I use.

Hopefully I will get another 4-way Florentine ornament posted tonight, as I have it ready. However, it is Halloween, and I might be busy stealing and eating candy from my grandchildren's buckets after they go out trick or treating.

Ideas and Inspiration

I was looking through a new Pottery Barn Catalog (I love those for color schemes, fabrics, accessories) and saw this gorgeous Kilim fabric. If you look at it closely, you will see it is the same graphic format as the little "Quilt Block Ornament" in which I raised the border one thread to create an entire field of squares - to be manipulated in many different ways. You can click on this to enlarge it, and study the colors and the arrangements of the little squares. A whole pillow could be done this way from the same small pattern! It's amazing what you can find if you keep your eyes and imagination wide open and receptive.

As I have said many times, quilt patterns needn't all be "country" decor, but may be quite elegant. This would do for upholstery on a footstool, as it is here - and look at that boxing!! I may have to do this myself in needlepoint - or maybe just order the footstool.