Anchors Away! do you think that they said that way back then? I have no idea…but it just came to me. First I thought stitching away and then the latter came to mind.

Stitching away is what I did this weekend as I worked on the backdrop for the Thanksgiving set by NeedleDeeva. It is really close to being completed as I have been attempting all those small areas of compensating stitches. Why does it seem that those stitches take longer than regular stitching? I need to finish the sky around the sails yet, but if my idea for the sails work, I can literally stitch the sky stitch straight through as the sails will go over those stitches, creating them with silk ribbon. It sorta kinds works in my mind, but I am not sure yet as it will be a new adventure that I am embarking on.

Speaking of the sky stitch, I need to tell you a story about that sky! The last time I was in Susan Portra’s class, I was working on the beading of the apples in the corners to keep me busy while I waited for my turn. Of course everybody wants to know what is this piece, who’s the designer, blah, blah, blah. “She walked by and said what are you doing for the sky? I am not sure right now Susan…well let me give you a stitch for that. A sky should always be stitching horizontally unless it depicts a rainy or snowy sky!” You know you never know what you are going to learn in a needlepoint class.

So I look at this stitch and look at it and think to myself well this is kinda of plain, I wanted something with more pattern, more interest. I would give it a try, but NEVER EVER thought in a million years that it would work. I had the thread and that was challenging enough to find just the right overdye to begin with! So when I was visiting with Elizabeth last at the Needlepoint Now studios and stitching with the group, I stitch auditioned about 6 different sky stitches and offered them up for a vote. All of them were quickly voted down…don’t like it, doesn’t work, too busy. Well you get the idea. I tried the Susan Portra stitch as I figured, well why not? well that was it! That was just what the canvas called out for. Now why I ever doubted what Susan told me, I will never know! Not to say that I won’t ever do that again…

The stitch looks whole lot different when you look at from afar, than close up as you see it in this picture. The sky really recedes making the ship and Plymouth Rock really come forward. It is an awesome effect! Brenda Hart loved it so much that she gave it to 2 of her students in her class for their sky’s. Thank you Susan and thank you for finding just the right stitch for me and this canvas.

This is my newest NeedleDeeva project that is waiting for me to get busy! A few Christmas Cupcakes and they will be calorie free…what can be better than that? I have threads for this one and just need to get it on the bars and get busy. I am not sure if I am in the creative mind type of stitching as my mind is on seminar. I really should go thread shopping and asemble my thread pallette for the set of canvases. Maybe today? well why not?

AlleyCat couldn’t make up her mind what box she wanted to settle down in for her nap…so  she came up with this pose instead. Silly girl. and until next time…keep on stitching