After spending most of my day working my fingers away on the Mac, my soul needed some serious stitching time! I haven’t been stitching too much since coming back from the trade show, well except for a few Christmas ornaments…and I will share those at another time.

I have been neglecting the Needle Deeva Easter House and even though my deadline is months away, I never do like waiting to the last minute. There is also another canvas for Ruth Schmuff that I need to shop for some more threads and get my flying fingers busy stitching it. So out this came, along with the threads for it, as I set myself up for an evening of stitching. Ice Tea poured, stand and light set up, stitching glasses at hand, scissors, needles, check on the cats and then the most important of all…which baseball game do I want to watch? Started off with the Red Sox and Phillies, not that I am a fan of either team, but I was intrigued by these two teams facing each other!

The evening of baseball was great and the stitching even better! I finished the shutters, played around with some ideas for the ducks in the windows, even though I believe that they are not windows, but just openings in this fancy Easter house. I worked on the grass, but did not finish the top blades for a reason. My thought is once the house is constructed that I will bring these blades of grass over the house. I will try one section first to make sure I like it before I do the entire house…so that I don’t have to realize that I don’t like it, it is not working and it all needs to come out!

I was going to try out a few of the stitches that I selected for the house, but it seems like Sylvester had other ideas. Now there are at least a million and one places that you can park yourself, why does it have to be on my book? and until next time…keep on stitching

AlleyCat is normally quite the busy body, always into everything, always has to be supervising or assisting in my duties. I started organizing my threads earlier in the week, but quickly gave up as I knew that I needed a few more containers, from where else? the Container Store! Starting off the baseball morning with the Diamondbacks & Tigers, which was a great game by the way, I thought I would get busy and work on my threads. I had already done my shopping for new containers, so I was ready. I got all set up and sooner that later certain 4 legged people, not mentioning any names now will we AlleyCat? have their noses and paws right in the middle of the action. So to occupy her and get her out of my threads, she got her very own Kreinik to play with! Now she doesn’t know that it is empty as she has the greatest time entertaining herself and me too!

Now do you remember this pile of threads last week?

It soon starting looking like this! I borrowed this idea from Brenda R., my beading mentor and it works for me. I have the sections by color and being that I know allot of my Krienik numbers, if I am looking for white, I will look in the white section and ooh do I want 032? or 100? or the new white 5760 which is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.

Another container of threads. These are Ruth’s threads, colorful and wonderful! I keep hers together for when I need them again.

I have several of these containers close at hand in my working area. It is a little closet off the kitchen which I think should be my pantry, but since I don’t cook, why not use it for my threads? The Rainbow Gallery cards won’t allow the containers to close tightly, but 2 across fit just right on a shelf! I really like these containers as I can open it and see all the colors at once! I can quickly look to see if I need a red, or an orange red or a blue or a… Once a I decide on the color, then I can really hone in on just the “purrfect” shade for the piece. Then I have several more containers in stitching closet organized some by color, others by thread type and then by overdyes.

Soon the game was over and the threads were put put away and organized. After a little lunch I went to work on the Mac with stitch guides and more stitch guides. I am sure you can’t guess who is supervising? and until next time…keep on stitching

Those words we all love to hear…finished! Another cutie patootie, that needlepointing pixie is finished! She is currently winging her way back home to Ruth herself as this canvas is a Ruth Schmuff canvas. This canvas is so not me! When Ruth first showed me the canvases via e-mail, I though well why not? She is so cute and she could be fun. Maybe it would help me think outside the box, expand my horizons, experiment with threads and stitches that I normally wouldn’t use. Make me experiment with wild and crazy ideas, some which worked and some which didn’t. I must admit it was fun, well if I wasn’t doing any reverse stitching.

Missy wants me to make her a skirt just as I did for the needlepoint pixie, which is definitely my favorite part of the canvas! I could be tempted Missy! I stitched it in Gloriana silk, with the color named Ada’s Rainbow. I first discovered this amazing color when I took a class with Robin King. Ruth sent a skein both in the silk and the Princess Pearl along with the canvases. Have you ever ordered from Ruth? well you should! When your package arrives, it is just like being presented with a gift! Everything is so beautifully wrapped in colorful tissue and seasonal bags. It is a great pick me up seeing that package at your door waiting for you after a tough day at work.

The stitches have been drawn, the stitch guides written and I am thrilled to have yet one more project out the door! Now I need to turn my eyes and fingers to the Needle Deeva Easter Egg House as it has been neglected for a while. I have another canvas for Ruth which has been in hiding and is anxiously awaiting for me to start stitching on it. Then for me for purely my stitching pleasure is my Cat’s Night Out by Sharon G and another Pische Pocket or two.

I will spend my day starting to work through the piles of papers and projects that Elizabeth has planned out for the September October issue of Needlpoint Now. Wait till you see as I am convinced that every issue keeps getting better and better! With a little baseball on in the background probably starting off with the Red Sox vs Pirates or maybe the Diamondbacks at Detroit. AlleyCat found a new channel on kitty tv as the birds tease her. and until next time…keep on stitching

Did you take your dog to work yesterday? I think it is a wonderful idea and June 24th marked the 13th annual National Take Your Dog to Work Day. Quoting from the blog “CAT Stanley, the CATalyst Council’s official spokescat offers the following top 10 reasons why cats should celebrate this day as well!” One of my favorites is: “Getting the couch all to yourself. ‘Nuff said.” Read the others as they will give you quite the laugh! http://catalystcouncil.org/newsroom/?ID=54

Well I didn’t take my dog to work yesterday as I don’t have a dog! But I did bring my cats to work, being that I work at home, they really do come to work with me everyday. Sylvester is very good and when he decides it is time to jump on my desk to get some attention, he will never, ever walk on my keyboard. Well AlleyCat is a different story. Lets just say that Command Save is my best friend. The only way she knows how to maneuver her way around my desk is by walking across the keyboard! not around it, not behind it, not in front of it, has to be across it. She has been sighted sitting here with her paws on the keyboard and even sitting on the keyboard. This was her, not mentioning any names AlleyCat while I was taking a little break reading the paper and having a little diversion.

Well enough about the cats, lets talk about some stitching! As I have been putting threads & beads away, I have been selecting possibilities for the Cat’s Night Out canvas by Sharon G. I am not sure exactly what I want to do yet, but these are beads that might work into it. I am still not pleased with the gold that I have stitched as a Scotch Stitch in the small squares. It just doesn’t fill it well enough that makes me happy with it. Okay I have tried size 12 Kreinik, size 8 Kreinik…I have tried 002C, 002HL and now this is just plain 002. I think that I will try some Kreinik 1/16th Ribbon to see how I like that. Or I might try some Fyre Werks, but not sure I have the right color gold here. Sound familiar?

As I stay home and work the weekend away, don’t you feel sorry for me? there are wonderful needlepoint classes going on in all of our favorite shops! Brenda Hart is at Ruth Schmuff’s Bedecked and Beadzzled teaching to a sold out audience and Amy Bunger is having a Cook up a Canvas with Amy weekend to yet another full house! I will look forward to hearing all about the classes and canvases as inquiring minds need to know! and until next time…keep on stitching

In between keeping my fingers busy on my Mac, I have been doing some spring cleaning while rummaging through my closets. Yes I know that spring is long passed and it is now summer, but I figure better late than never.

I came across this canvas by Lee that I stitched some years ago. It is painted in just two colors and that’s how I stitched it using Soie d’Alger in black and one of the cream colors. It was rather deceiving on just how many skeins that I used! It was sent off to Marlene to make a bag, and to have it be my entry in the Baltimore American Needlepoint Seminar. My dream is to win a Princess Grace Ribbon which is given to a piece totally executed in basketweave. It has been said that I stitch a pretty mean basketweave. It wasn’t meant for me for the Princess Grace that year, but instead it did win a first place ribbon! Some year I will win that elusive Princess Grace.

When it was sent to Marlene I asked for a bag, a bag that would do well in competition, one that would stand up and be noticed! The finishing is a big part of the scoring and can be the difference between winning and not. Well Marlene delivered as requested! I was thrilled with the results, very elegant and not what I had envisioned, but I love it. I have never carried it or even used it as it really doesn’t go well with blue jeans! It lived for about 3 years as a shop model under the heat of fluorescent lights and I am amazed at how much those lights can fade fabric!

Okay so this is the decision…do I want to leave it as a bag hidden away most of the time? I might use it once or twice in my life time. If I leave it as a bag it almost needs to be redone since the front is faded and the back is not. Well you would never notice it, but I know it’s there! Or do I want to have it framed, where I can enjoy it always hanging on my wall? decisions! decisions!

While I was cleaning I came across the picture of Sylvester when he first came home to live with me. I rescued him from a pet store at the holidays. He was the biggest kitten and everybody wanted the smallest ones and soon he was left all alone. I couldn’t let him spend Christmas by himself. I brought him home where he bonded with Felix the Cat immediately! They were BFF until it was time for Felix to cross the Rainbow Bridge last year. and until next time…keep on stitching

Living in the needlepoint world that I do, when I hear the word Sundance, immediately I think of all their wonderful beads! Then my thoughts move towards all of their amazing canvases with all of the various artists that are part of their artistic family.

Sundance is always keeping things new and exciting as they add more items. One of their newer ventures is the addition of the these sequins to their line of needlepoint and etc. Imagine all the possibilities with names such as Confetti Metallic, Animal Round, Etched Metallic Square, Translucent Flower, Gold Shimmer, Star Confetti and so many more! Needlepoint has come so far is the last few years and this is just one of the newest trends in embellishments. Look how Barbara Elmore has stitched her “Summer Flowers” which was recently introduced at the Summer Market http://stitchpography.blogspot.com Barbara worked with the flower shaped palettes and attached them with Sundance Beads which you will see at the top of her blog. I think that it is very effective!

I have been working on organizing my threads and beads from the pile that I showed you a few days ago under close supervision of the feline children. I think that I might need to get a few more boxes from the Container Store as they are overflowing right now! No more room for Kreinik and my basic working box which is a myriad of colors of Rainbow Gallery Cards from Splendor to Neon Rays to Mandarin Floss is too full to even get a few more cards in there.

Normally Sylvester is a very quiet kitty and doesn’t talk much at all, well unless it’s dinner time…but while I was working away on stitch guides yesterday he was talking up quite a storm in his very loudest meows. I finally gave in and had to go and see what all the racket was about. This is how I found him as if he was saying “look at me Mom, I know your bed was made, but look at what I did!” and until next time…keep on stitching

Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, well for us in the Northern Hemisphere anyway. The most daylight for stitching and the official start of summer! While “googling” summer solstice this morning, I found many interesting facts and celebrations from years past and many current solstice happenings surrounding this day. For me it will be all needlepoint related!

While I am working on different canvases, it seems that I am forever looking for just one more thread. Well maybe this will be better or let me try this one or I don’t like this one. I don’t stop and put them away right away, but rather have a basket where they collect out of the reach of feline children! It is sort of like in the shops when you select several threads and just purchse some of them? well eventually they need to be put back, just like in a needlepoint shop. Some of these threads are from my completed projects and added to the basket only after the stitch guide is written.

This is part of my pile that needs to be organized, straightened out and put away for the next stitching assignment. They will go into the Kreinik boxes or the bead boxes and then there is one for Ruth’s threads, one for Needle Deeva threads and then there are boxes organized by color or type of thread.

I have stitch guides to be written! Elizabeth from Needlepoint Now has been sending me lots of new projects for the September/October issue of the magazine. Yes we are already starting to work on the next/next issue! She is headed off to Amy’s Golden Strand for a much deserved rest & relaxation at a “Cook Up a Canvas with Amy” I hope you have a great time and will look forward to hearing all about it!

AlleyCat is looking for her very own Summer Solstice celebration. and until next time…keep on stitching

Now aren’t all good pixies supposed to have some special magical pixie dust? so magical that she can sprinkle it on and about on everything? ooh don’t I wish! this canvas that I had all stitched out in my mind, proved challenging in different ways than the other pixie did. I have already reconstructed the window and I am pleased with the way that it looks now.

Another brilliant idea that I had envisioned was to stitch the background stitch right over the white lines that makes you think that there is a canvas there. I wanted to come back over the top of that stitching and lay in the Kreinik as the canvas threads. But when I did go to lay in the threads, I would need to split the canvas threads in order to center it. So out that stitching came and I then restitched it as painted.

Another skirt challenge, and this was not as difficult as Dishwashing Pixie. I am thrilled with the way this skirt looks! Turkey Work stitched in Gloriana silk using the color of Ada’s Rainbow. I am not planning on cutting it, but rather leaving it in loops. All I have left to do is her hair and add her antenna with a fuchsia colored Memory Thread that I think that cats have hidden, never ever to be found again! Ooh yes the stitching ribbon needs to be threaded through the needle and I will then check for missing stitches. Ooh shudder the thought! Just in case you just have to add these pixies canvases to your stitching stash, they are by Ruth Schmuff.

Robin, I hope you don’t mind…but I would like to honor Elliot, a dear cat of a dear friend who crossed over the Rainbow Bridge all too soon. I know that you will be missed…

Well not by them! what where you thinking? They are too busy working on getting their beauty rest. Sylvester & AlleyCat are very rarely seen together as they just are not BFF, period. Even though Sylvester is the elder statesman of 14 years and AlleyCat is the young whippersnapper of 5 years, she is the boss and never ever lets us forget that! She allows Sylvester to share her house with her.

Everytime I go to CostCo, I try to be a good cat mom and bring home a box for the kids to get into. Has to be the right size, not too big and not small, sides a good height, blah, blah, blah. Many times as I am shopping I will just grab an empty box as I go along. Always thinking ahead. I think that they approve.

So while the kids are busy, I thought it would be time to get to work on the Dishwashing Pixie. She really is so close to being finished and I am sure that Ruth would love to have her in her hot little hands! I stitched on the brush first with 2 colors of Boucle’ in random long and short. Not my favorite words “long and short” & “random” bad words! bad words! I like the way it looks and did not struggle with it. Added some more soapy water and a few more bubbles in all sizes. Sorry Sharon I never did use the pearls as they were just too big and looked out of place.

Now it was onto the skirt…Ruth’s idea was to “ruche” or gather up Frosty Rays. Now I have hardly ever stitched with Frosty Rays, let alone ruche it! I tried, I ripped, I tried again, I ripped again, I swore, I cursed, I ripped again swearing and cursing some more and this is the final take. Maybe a little bit full and I can go back in and tack it down some more to bring down the fullness

I tried the silk ribbon for her apron strings, but it wasn’t the right green and out it came! I added a few more French knots for her apron strings. Today I will be working on their stitch guides and the needlepoint pixie. and until next time…keep on stitching

My fingers were itching to stitch the night away as I haven’t been doing much of that lately. Even though my heart really wants to work on say my Cat’s Night Out or my new Pische Pocket, a little voice in the back of my head is telling me “you need to stitch on the Dishwashing Pixie and the Needlepoint Pixie.” Yes I know you are right as I am sure that Ruth is anxious to have them back in her hands. Ruth and I did a little brainstorming with them at the show and hopefully she has inspired me to get the techniques down that she shared with me.

I have been doing way too much reverse stitching with these pixies. My brilliant idea was to basketweave the window with Water ‘N Ice so I was working away while watching a very good baseball game! not paying any attention whatsoever to how it was looking, but rather intently watching the Red Sox & Rays battle it out..should I say more like listening…until I took a much needed refill the ice tea glass break. I looked at how it was coming out and it was awful! The window was way too heavy and looked dirty, so out it came and I started rummaging through my threads. I tried both a Vintage Kreinik and Bijoux and I eventually went with the Bijoux and stitched the moon with Accentuate which I like very much.

Beaded her little needle, worked on her face, arms, legs and began the walls in a Kennan stitch with DMC floss and the lighter color will be Mandarin Floss. I have the rest of her stitched out in my head. I will just hope that what I have stitched in my mind will look as good when it is on the canvas! I know that sometimes I am my own worst critic, but I need to be pleased with my work before I can take it off the stretcher bars.

I plan on staying close to home today and stitch! my morning will start off by watching two of baseball greatest franchises, the Cubs and the Yankees playing at Wrigley Field and hopefully I will get the Dishwashing Pixie finished. Sylvester has really settled in here. I think that the kids and I will take a day off as tomorrow is a few hours with Susan Portra…and until next time time…keep on stitching