Blog Upgrades

Woo hoo!

I finally figured out how to show pictures of recent posts from blogs I follow on my blog on the side.  Much more useful for me and those of you who like to see what is new.

Hope you enjoy this new and improved version!

Jean Smith floral

Here's the overall piece with is 14" square.  Shown below are the individual sections.  Can't wait to start on this.

 

However, before I can start on this, I must finish my declared piece for our ANG guild which is the armadillo.  Since last you saw her, I painted out the background brown, since I didn't want any white specks showing through the background stitch.  I have been busy stitching the background, as I only bought 5 skeins of the Watercolors and I want to be sure that is enough, before I can't get the same dye lot.  Yesterday was our monthly Saturday stitch-in and I have almost finished the background now to the halfway point and I have 2 1/2 skeins left over and just a little over that.  So I think to be safe, I am returning to 3 Stitches Tuesday and buying 1 more skein of it.

 



Ebbie, of our guild, showed me yesterday at the stitch-in how to do a detached buttonhole stitch, and I have stitched around one of her ears and will do the other one today.  Ebbie just got back her Melissa Shirley small armadillo, which is just beautiful, and she used that stitch around the ears and it just makes the canvas come alive.  I wish I had gotten a picture of it.  Here is a close-up of the background, elongated cross stitch 4 x 1, with a straight stitch over the middle and the next stitch, drops down 2 threads.

 

Happy Stitching.

Melissa Shirley Trunk Show at Chaparral

I took yesterday off work and my friend, Barbara, and I drove down to Stitches in Time and Chaparral to shop.  We had a great time.  DS decided to come along when I told him we would be eating at the original Ninfa's on Navigation (just down from Minute Maid park).  He never turns down excellent Mexican food.

Frances at Stitches in Time had this Melissa Shirley canvas marked at a good price and I have been looking for a Nativity backdrop for some time, so I snatched it up.

 

I also bought some threads for a Jean Smith floral which I will show you tomorrow.  Then we went to Chaparral (800-572-7743-website doesn't show the trunk sale but I am sure they would be glad to ship to you) where a Melissa Shirley trunk show was in progress (15% off), and I got these two canvases, a quail and pelican (I think).

 

 

 

Afterwards we went to Ninfa's, had a fabulous lunch (I had grilled redfish tacos-Weight Watchers friendly), DS had pork tamales which were huge, and Barbara had a mixed plate.  Had to skip their fabulous margaritas since I was driving and it was about 30 minutes back north.  Then DS had band practice from 3:00-6:00.

 

All in all, a great way to spend a day off, before school starts.

 

Wishing you a great one too.

 



Cut Glass Dishes Finished

Finished this lovely Laura Perin piece several days ago. 

Love the way it turned out.  Think I'll look for a golden brown frame for this.

Hope you can see the little square beads I stitched into each of the four squares.  I was going to put them in the outer squares too, but in the end decided to use the Kreinik again in the corner golden and dark blue/green squares.

Scouts Back From Finisher

Here are my two scouts - really one DS at two different points of his life - immortalized in needlepoint. His hair is just about 1/2 inch long all over so he looked at the boy scout and said it looked like he had an Afro. He is so conservative!

Luv ya, little padawan!

- Sandy

Challenge Piece

Well, I decided on the wild and crazy armadillo for my challenge piece. After all, I am in Texas. But "she" is a girly girl with all her flowers and swirls so her body is stitched in Watercolors Sunglow, a soft pastel mix of yellow, peach, and green.

I started with her head this weekend. Here is a closeup of her face and eye. I've skipped over the swirls for now since I sill need to make a photocopy of her.



- Sandy

Progress on Cut Glass Dishes

Overall.



Close up on one corner. I have changed up the solid dark gold border to include a chevron stripe including a little bling.




I found this Kreinik 3250 in my stash and thought it would look perfect with my color scheme.
- Sandy

Another Laura Perin

I had started this design several months back and decided to return to it this last week.



It's built around Watercolors "Kelp". But I have used WC "Green Tea" along with DMC perle #5 420, 3045, 3046, 501, 502, 504 and a little bit of Crescent Colors perle "Queen Bee".
Here's where I am:



- Sandy