Last time you saw this canvas, it was rather naked. No stitching…no beading…no nothing! The canvas is by A Point of It All Designs. Don’t you just love this? well I do! I was given the canvas to stitch a model.

I beaded the letters right away and why I didn’t take a picture of that…I have no idea?! I kinda knew what I wanted to do for background. This is a 13 mesh canvas. But what to do for Santa’s suit and hat?

I see criss-cross Hungarian done so much on Santa’s suits…but there is no suit and there isn’t really much to really develop that pattern. Plus I wanted to be different! I had what Brenda Hart calls double woven in my mind and last time I was with Susan Portra, I saw that been stitched in her class on a Santa suit. So I took that it was okay to use that stitch. Now what thread?

I think that I already yakked about the tough decision selecting from Very Velvet, Pepper Pot, Vineyard and Silk ‘N Ivory. Some times too many choices are worse than none! Well then I found the Gloriana stash of Duchess Silk and wow was that the absolute perfect color. I was thrilled!

I started the stitch and then was thinking, maybe this isn’t the one. Too much of Santa shows through and I don’t want him getting a chill. It wouldn’t be good if he got sick just before the big night. I texted my buddy Joanne and she talked me down off the ledge as she said that she really liked it. SO it stayed and on I stitched. Glad I listened as I really like it. Not that I always listen to what I am told!

Then it came to the Turkey Work. I was prepared to do it with a needle the old fashioned way. I asked Susan Portra some questions about Turkey work, what threads she likes and she gave me allot of ideas. Now the big decision was okay what thread did I want to use?

A few weeks later, I was stitching with The Divine Miss M… that would be Meredith. That is a blog or 2 in the works and right around the corner! and I asked her what her favorite thread for Turkey work is. She selected Arctic Rays and pulled out her punch needle and gave me a lesson.

Wow is this fun and fast! I love, love, love this Thank you Meredith! But the million dollar question is now that this punch needle that you let me borrow (and I will probably hold for ransom) is no longer being made, what are we to do? I have only had about 27 different people ask me “please show me!” The caveats with the punch needle is that you really need to focus on the what you are doing… that you will probably need to glue the back of it …you will probably not be able to sculpt it and it uses awhole lotta thread!

To be continued…as there is allot more to share about this canvas.

I was working on this at my desk. Flat on the table with a frameweight. Of course you know who had to come up and inspect! not my best picture, but I am sure that you get the idea. and until next time…keep on stitching