Pilgrim Gent & Indian Brave

Well Hello Stitchers!  I had every intention of blogging last night.  In fact I even told Colleen,
"I'm fixin' to blog here in a little bit!"  (Can y'all hear the Texas?  What has become of this Ohio Girl?)  Anyway, somehow I got completely distracted and didn't.  Now, for the life of me, I can't figure out why, or what happened?  Could it have been my three swimmers all having time trials at different times all evening from 4:30 'til after 7?  Could it have been hubby calling at eleventh hour to say he was working late?  Could it have been my 6th grader coming to me in tears and saying I had forgotten to turn in her paperwork for next school-years volleyball team, and she didn't get her uniform yesterday like all of her friends?
(Never mind that she didn'texactly give me the paperwork, and it's her job to turn in the paper-work...I am not a middle-schooler!!)  ARGH!!!!  Nah, couldn't have been any of that!

I am so thrilled with how well he is turning out.  He is the perfect counter to our Elegant Rebekkah!  Although he is not fancy, by any means, there is a simple Classic Elegance to his costume.  The jacket actually looks like a gorgeous brocade cloth, which would have been woven in Belgium and purchased in London.  His bride would have hand embroidered the silk leaf treatment around the hem of his coat.  The rifle looks so Cool!  It was an item that had me stumped for a while and yes, I did rip it out twice before arriving at the perfect thread and stitch combination!

Adding the final button-hole wrap stitch to hat-brim.

Hat Finished, with buckle and scrunched silk hat-band.  Gorgeous!

Some of you may be wondering why you don't see any garland or background stitching?  Well, I am trying

something a little different than my normal stitching method.  In order to stay on the established Lesson schedule, it occurred to me that I would just focus on 'new stitching' for the next 2 characters.  In other

words, stitch the characters, their costume & accoutrement, then go back and stitch the backgrounds!

To finish up this post, I thought I would show a few close-ups from Indian Brave

Beaded and wrapped moccassins.

Corn silks added to beaded field corn.

 

Look at all of his beading!

So Elegant Thanksgiving Fans, until next time,

Happy Stitching!

Kelly

Indian Brave is STITCHED!

HOORAY!

After a grueling 32 hour Marathon stitching & writing session,

(which began in earnest Friday evening after Olivia's Brownie Meeting)

I just now put the final stitch in!!!!

This was my Eveready Bunny piece...it just kept going and going!

I am so HAPPY he is done!  

He is rather Handsome and well adorned!

Lesson 6 will be e-mailed to the Elegant Thanksgiving Stitch Clubbers tomorrow!!!

Details to follow....

I am now going to get some much needed sleep!

Happy Mothers Day everyone!!!!!

Christmas Crazy Quilt Under Way!

The Christmas Crazies have begun!

No not shopping...

Stitching!

The minute these canvases arrived in the Studio, I wanted to grab

stretcher bars, staple gun, tape, threads and get started.  The feeling was quite

palpable!  However, I was good and held off for a couple of weeks!

This is so Cool!

I got started while I was out in Tucson for Dad's Funeral.
My good friend, Colleen Church, gave me some sage advice before that trip.
She said, "Don't take any work projects that have a deadline or are part of a Class
or Club.  You don't want to feel any pressure, or have that piece trigger any added
anxiety."   I thought about it and agreed.  This Christmas Crazy was the only piece I took
with me on that trip.  That in itself is rare.  I usually take a minimum of four projects on every
trip!  And it is often about 6 or 8!  You know how we Stitchers are...what if we run out of
things to work on?  What if I need to buy a thread for one of these pieces, and there is a great
shop to visit where I am going?  What if I decide to go to an Open Stitch group and I can't
decide which piece to work on?...better take several just to be sure!
I figured, "If I am in the mood to stitch, I can, but if I'm not, then no
big problem.  I will be writing a guide for this one, but there is no looming time-frame, at all!

I am having so much FUN picking threads and stitches! 

My goal with the selections is always to create an interesting patch with a minimum of 2 different

thread elements for each section.  I also love 'Repeating Themes'. 

Checkerboards, for instance!  Love 'em, have to have 'em! 

I have already started to think about what seam treatments I will use and colors for

silk ribbon...it definitely needs Chartreuse...that's a given!

But now I must put fabulous Christmas Crazy down for awhile and get back to work 

on my 'real' projects!

Posting Very Soon 

will be 

The Finished Thanksgiving Scout!

Until next time,

Happy Stitching!

PS. The way cool & Blingy Needle Magnet is from Accoutrement Designs!

Isn't it perfect for this piece?

Life's Journey

I last Posted on Wednesday Morning March 21, 2012.

Remember I was stitching like a madwoman on The Brave, and I was

determined to finish him over the coming weekend.

Well that was not meant to be.

Shortly after I posted, the phone rang and it was my brother.

"Why are you calling during the day?  You work for a living and you

Never call me during the day?!" I said.

"That's right, I guess I never do call you during the day.

"I'm calling to tell you Dad has taken a real bad turn, and we have called in Hospice."

Within 18 hours I was on a plane on my way to Tucson.

When I arrived Dad had actually been taken into the hospital.  The whole Hospice thing

just wasn't meant to be for him.  I was able to spend Dad's last three days with him.
I have a fond memory of spending an entire afternoon sitting next to the bed.
Dad sleeping peacefully and me stitching.

Dad and me when I visited Mid January 2012,
prior to the Phoenix TNNA Market.  I feel so blessed that I had taken a brief time
for that visit.  I have a fond memory of Mom, Dad & I going to a lovely Italian restaurant.
Dad was a retired Attorney and had helped me greatly with contracts and such over
my design career. 
Farewell Dad, you shall be greatly missed!

A Tisket, A Tasket, How to Stitch a Basket!

An Elegant Basket of Bounty!

This was stitched way back in the fall, but I somehow misplaced 

the photos!  Yesterday, I was looking through my archived stitching 

photos for something else entirely, and 

ran across the Basket Step-by-step pics!

Even if you aren't stitching with us on the Elegant Thanksgiving, 

the pics are quite helpful for any needle-weaving project! 

STEP 1

Memory wire was used to create the shape for the Basket.  

Also, as the top row of the Basket, Memory wire provides a wonderful 

stability during weaving.

After securing the memory wire, the first color of the Warp threads 

are set in place.  The golden thread loops the wire and goes back down.

STEP 2

The Warp has a second color, brown this time.

STEP 2

 More of the brown is in!

STEP 3

Now that all of the Warp threads are set in place, it is time

for the weft weaving.  This basket uses an 

'Over-2, Under-2' weave sequence...

Notice how the needle lays 

Over the brown threads and Under the golden threads!

STEP 3 Complete

All of the Needle-weaving is done!

STEP 4

Using the brown, a row of Buttonhole Wrap Stitches is 

done across the top.

This step gives a finished look to the rim of the Basket!

FINAL

And here is our lovely Basket brimming with Bountiful Harvest for THANKSGIVING!

Never fear, The Brave is coming along.  We took the kids to the Beach at North Padre for Spring Break last week and I stitched on him like a fiend!  Yesterday I worked on Brave from 1:30 in the afternoon until after midnight!  My goal is to finish him by the end of the week!  I wish I could finish him today, but I don't want to set up for failure, 

in case I don't make it!

A Few Pics from Brave Stitching:

Another Eggplant!

Catch of the Day...still stitching!

 Lovely Woven Grass Column!

Upcoming Kelly Clubs

Kelly's Tremendous Trees

I am so excited about my Tree Club starting in April.

Aren't they Adorable?

This is a Retailers Club, and there are many shops around the country participating.
Check with your Local Needlepoint Shop!
We will soon be posting more information with a list of participating Retailers
on our web-site!

Also, check out my New Petite Nativity!
An exclusive club to A Stitch In Time Needlework in San Marino, CA.
Call to sign up today!
626-793-5217
Each piece is approximately 3.25"h x 6.6"h

Aren't these Petite Angels Darling!

An exclusive club to The Needle Works in Austin, TX
Call to sign up today!
512-451-6931
Each piece is approximately 4"h x 6"h

Indian Scout is coming to life!

Wampanoag Scout

Well I know y'all thought I had fallen off of the Planet!

In a way I did...

but we won't get into that now.

Suffice it to say that life got in the way for awhile, and I have had

very little time or energy for any of the Fun stuff, like stitching,

blogging and writing.  

However, as you can see from the above picture,

I am Back!

LESSON 4

Is the first Lesson on our Scout.  The lesson has been written,

and the kits for Lesson 4 are winging their way from Austin!
The Scout is well under way.  The past 24 hours I got alot of stitching in,
as I was in Galveston, TX at the lovely Historic, Hotel Galvez for the
Lonestar Guild's Annual Stitcher's Retreat.
Great Friends, fantastic food,  amazing stitching at a fabulous location!
What could be more relaxing?
A Stitcher's idea of Paradise!

 These Tall pines are stitched differently than background trees on Rebekkah.

I was so excited to work the beading that I just had to start here!

Bad news, though.  The beading will be in Lesson 5!

So everyone has to wait!

Sorry, all.  There is just too much background work to do first!

The Ground is a bit different than Rebekkkah, as well.

The corn cobs are highly padded prior to beading. 

Oh what a difference some beads and
a length O'Silk Ribbon Makes!


Well, that is all for now.
I promise not to wait so long to blog again!
Happy Stitching, All!