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

Did you know that yesterday was National Hug your Cat Day? Not that I need a day to remind me to hug my cats! do you know too that it is healthy for you? actually lowers your blood pressure and stress levels.

But sometimes having AlleyCat around can add to my angst when she is misbehaving and getting into mischief. On top of that she can be quite bossy and talks back to me always!

Ooh don’t that fool you! she was really quite the busy body yesterday, ran outside twice and finally settled down in the sun-drenched window sill.

I have finished my 2 pieces that I have myself goals for and I am thrilled! Now I just need to finish the stitch guides. In the meantime I dug out this canvas from last year that I took with Tony Minieri…it’s been on my mind.

A Needle Deeva canvas named Ben in the Garden. I really hope to sneak some time in for this one. Do you just work on one canvas at a time? or do you float through a myriad of projects as I do?

So in my stitching rotation will be Bastet, Ben in the Garden, my project for Needlepoint Now and a new canvas that needs to go on bars of Annie Lane’s designs. It is a great piece of a screen door, garden boots against a red wall. I want to try this new thread by DMC called Diamant for the screen door. Of course there will be some beading! what were you thinking?

My buddy Sylvester who is almost always at my side. He is great for lowering my blood pressure! Make sure you hug that cat.

and yes I even hug AlleyCat after she’s done this to me! well not actually, but she can be very, very finicky and runs out of the kitchen as fast as she can when doesn’t approve of what’s on the menu. What am I to do with her?

and until next time…keep on stitching

Last I left you with this unnamed project…and yes a few of you have figured out what it is! I really haven’t done too much more stitching on it.

Well I might have finished the beads in this area by now. But I was on a mission to find a fitting bag for this piece, not just any bag, not a plastic bag that is laying around the house waiting to be recycled. You know a proper bag and I was being challenged. The bars are 23″, so all of the bags that I had here, just weren’t the right size. I have been collecting the personalized bags from the shops that I have been visiting and I was sure one would fit. So I tore the stash closet apart measuring each and every one and nothing was working.

And then…and then I came across this treasure trove of bags.

Ashland Sky Bags! and the red one was a purr~fect fit. They are made of high quality frosted vinyl and nylon fabric in a myriad of wonderful colors and assorted sizes. Made entirely here in the US by a work training program for people with disabilities. Carried by Leigh Designs so that it is easy for your favorite needlepoint shop to order them!

I was thrilled that I found one to fit! I don’t have to worry about the cats snagging a thread or getting more fur on my stitching than usual.

Between the stitching team that we have working on this piece, we have gotten through part 1 which you will see in Needlepoint Now in the July/August issue. I will start working on part 2 to make sure that the stitch guide that we present in the magazine will be just right. I will see Susan in about 10 days, so I can have all my questions ready for part 2.

I had a great marathon day of stitching…the Santa is done and the bicycle is ooh so close. Allot more detail than I thought, plus I have been auditoning lots of different ideas to make it so special. The baseball was great and the cats behaved. What more could I ask for?

AlleyCat, one of my favorite picture of you in one of my seminar bags. and until next time…keep on stitching

and neither can Mooch! I can’t believe that this year is pretty much 1/2 over. Last I looked it was just New Years.

June brings graduations, Father’s Day, weddings, fairs, parades, fireworks, eating watermelon…

and

it is the Rock’n’Roll Marathon which is an annual marathon held in San Diego to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It was the orignal Rock’n’Roll Marathon which started it all! This was a photo from last years start.

A few years ago, they added a 1/2 marathon to the festivities and now there is a 4 person relay that can run the marathon within a 4 hour time limit. Isn’t that a great idea?

Sometime ago a new course was defined which ended at Sea World and this year yet again it was rerouted with a the finish at Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres. And now I realize that’s why the game starts at 7pm tonight instead of an early afternoon first pitch.

I plan to have my own marathon of stitching today…how about you?

As usuall AlleyCat never ceases to amaze me with her level of entertainment. Here she was supervising the plants being watered, then she got into the warm, clean laundry and then was lending a helping paw in my stitching!

and until next time…keep on stitching

I have a few stitching deadlines to meet…well maybe 4 or 5, but who’s counting? Two of them I should finish this weekend, then I can write the stitch guides and then dive into the next 2.

I have had a few thread shopping trips this week. First I wanted Kreinik 1/16″ Ribbon. Not something I use allot and of course it was not in the stash. It took a few stops to find it and I have it now. Then I needed more Kreinik #12. Now why I couldn’t think of this all at once is beyond me?!

I have tried at least 1/2 dozen different backgrounds for this. A cool one that Meredith gave me, one that Susan Portra had given me once upon a time and a few others that I tried. But they weren’t working, didn’t like them, too tough to compensate. A million and one reasons before settling on this one. You will recognize it too when you get your July/August Needlepoint Now as it is the sky stitch for the piece that will have Susan’s stitch guide.

So out this came along with the threads, beads and notes 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? Red Sox and Yankees… Giants and Cardinals? decisions! decisions!

The evening of baseball was great and the stitching even better! After a half dozen tries, I came up with a background stitch that I like…that I can stitch through all the designs on the canvas and not drive myself nuts with the compensating!

I have been working on another canvas, a Point of It All Design. I am really loving this one and it has been stitching up quickly.

I think it took me longer to decide on what red thread to use than to stitch Santa’s clothes! A selection of Very Velvets, Pepper Pot Silks, a few of Silk ‘N Ivory (well it is on 13) and Vineyard Silks. I was just looking for that perfect thread. I thought let me try one more which was a Gloriana Duchess Silk and it was just right. I am thrilled!

Meredith taught me a new way to do Turkey work last week! It is done with a punch needle and so much fun, fun, fun…did I say fun? It goes rather quickly but you really, really, really need to pay attention to what you are all doing so that you don’t draw blood with the punch needle. Do you know that if you get a little of blood on your canvas that the best remover of that is your very own saliva? Now I am not sure if that works on threads too, and I am not ready to  experiment.

I didn’t think how much thread I would need for this awesome Turkey work! Meredith selected 2 cards of Arctic Rays last week at A Stitch in Time…but that won’t even come close. What were you thinking sistah? Anyhow it’s a great excuse to do some stash enhancement this morning. Maybe a little breakfast and then home to stitch the day away.

This is usually how I am greeted when coming home…and especially if it’s close to “feed me time!” You would think that I never feed these 2. and until next time…keep on stitching

Beads! beads! beads! everywhere I look there are beads! Sundance Beads, Miyuki Beads, Toho Beads and Aiko Beads. Wait I am not finished yet! Japanese and Czech seed beads, Charlottes, bugles, delicas, hex, triangles, tila beads, berry beads, super duo, twin beads (the last 2 are my latest addition) and so many more. They can come in sizes 11, 14, 15, 8 and 6.

Beads come silver lined, crystal lined, sparkling, translucent, galvanized, aurora borealis (ab), opaque, gold lined in all shades and colors such as garnet, root beer, galvanized gold, crystal lined silver, Ceylon… and this is just the beginning. Change the color of your  translucent bead and thread as it can be like a chameleon when you play with the thread colors.

I really don’t know when my love of beading on my needlepoint started. I don’t know exactly what sparked it, what got me going. I remember dabbling in it years ago and wondering why bother? and now…how things change.

I pretty much stitch every day, not all day long but anywhere from about 3-6 hours and on Sundays it can be a marathon day. It is hard for me remember the last piece of needlepoint that I did that has no beading. What? no beads? I don’t think so!

I had been stitching along the last week on a few different pieces without needing to do any beading! I was having bead withdrawals…I needed to bead. Am I crazy or what? To me it is very relaxing, very soothing and settles me in. So Wednesday night I took Bastet out and re-beaded her amulet. I wasn’t pleased with my choice of the gold beads. On top of that I didn’t like the way they were laid in…just not sitting purr~fectly straight. I am so much happier with it now. There isn’t too much more beading left on her after that. I am already thinking ahead to my beading ahead of me.

A dear friend of mine asked me a few weeks ago to shop for orange Delica Beads that she needed for a project that she is working on. A Halloween witch by Melissa Shirley. As always she says no hurry, whenever…but I knew that I wasn’t headed to my favorite bead store for a 2-3 weeks, so I pulled out 1 of my bead containers. If she is like me and she is thinking about that piece, she wants to bead it NOW, not next week, not next month So I selected an array of orange beads and sent them to her and said select what you like and then return the rest when I see you next. I had to laugh when I got a text from her saying “your package arrived” and “did you send me every orange bead you had?” “well actually no I didn’t!”

In my working thread closet there are 3 containers such as this. One is for size 11 beads, one is for Sundance Beads that I go to first when stitching shop models and this one you see here is for my size 15 beads. As you can see it is getting very full, so I have started another one for the 15’s. Remember too then there is the beading threads, beading needles, a tube of E6000 (which I haven’t used yet) Swarovski Crystals, pailettes, sequins and so much more.

Note to self: your bead containers are way too heavy now to handle them 1 handed! Use 2 hands next time.

AlleyCat woke up on the wrong side of the bed today as she was rather cranky and sassy for most of the morning. She was full of ‘tude, attitude that is. and until next time…keep on stitching

p.s. someone left a nice comment about beads and stitching on Bastet which fell into the spam folder…when it really wasn’t. I was going to answer it and publish it, but oh well! If you read this, please comment again!

Bastet, the Egyptian Goddess of Cats has been languishing in the waiting for me to stitch on you pile. I could hear her tiny faint meows saying “pick me tonight, please stitch on me tonight!”

Yes I know that I should be finishing the bicycle or the other canvases that I am working on for stitch guides, but I sorta kinda needed a little fuel for the soul and some beading.

I wasn’t happy with the beads that I selected the last time that I worked on Bastet’s amulet, so out they came. I am starting to redesign her amulet after searching through my beads for just the purr~fect color. I found them and settled in for an evening of beading.

It just needs the turquoise beads and the center ruby…okay work with me here. I also experimented with some other beading techniques for the collar. I was also practice stitching the background to make sure I get it before I waste too much of this beautiful therad that Ruth sent us… and I am thrilled to say that I got it!

If you just love her as much as I do, you too can get the stitch guide from the completed mystery class at Bedecked and Beadazzled. Ruth has finished hers and is with her framers. I will be anxious to see what she selected as I finish mine up.

This is one of my very first orchids that was given to me as a gift a few years ago. It had not re-bloomed for ages…and well now all that TLC has paid off as look at me now!

Neither one of my kids is very good at hide ‘n seek…

I see you! and until next time…keep on stitching

I had a great long weekend…how about you? I did allot of nothing, along with a whole lotta stitching, chillin’, watching baseball, writing stitch guides, giving my plants lots of TLC and stuff around the house.

I was going to title the blog post today “A day in the life of AlleyCat” or “it’s all about the cats” but really it is just her and just a little snippet of what Miss Busy Body’s Day is all about.

I was dusting and rearranging the cat pictures on my wall under the close supervision of you know who?!

She was convinced that the nail on the wall was a fly and she wasn’t taking no for an answer! AlleyCat was sure talking up a storm to that nail that she thought was a fly.

So after closer inspection, she FINALLY realized it wasn’t the fly that she thought it was!

May I hang my picture now?

I am headed out the door for some threads to finish my bicycle, some Aileen’s tacky glue for another piece and pick out a few threads for the next new project to stitch for a model. I am almost finished with a few must stitch projects, so I will reward myself and work in some stitching time on Bastet. and I promise back to stitching stuff next time

and until next time…keep on stitching

Okay so you are saying…where is the red thread? well it’s there, I promise! Reds in Neon Rays, floss and so much more.

This was the start of a new project after the thread collecting, the stretcher bar search and the note taking. This canvas needs a  23″ length. I don’t do Evertites as they are way too heavy and why don’t they make this length bar anymore? What the hey?

The canvas is on bars and I have spent many a hour working on the background and…

beading the fireworks.

This canvas along with the stitch guide by Susan Portra will be in the July/August issue of Needlepoint Now. Actually it will cover 3 issues! Originally Elizabeth, Joanne C and myself planned on stitching it ahead of what comes out in the magazine. This way we can make sure that it is just right for you. Since that first decision, we now have 2 more that are joining in on the stitching party! Pat and Joanne L.

Elizabeth and I shopped for threads and care packages have been going back in forth in the mail amongst us. Since our first shopping trip we have now found out that there is no more Anchor #12 pearl to be had. Elizabeth worked the phone lines the other day and tracked down some beautiful tatting thread that is a perfect substitute!

It too was challenging finding more of the right color ThreadworX for Pat that is for the fence, but I have already called Newport Needlepoint to get more of that same dyelot. I have stopped working on mine until my bicycle is done…but as soon as it is, I will start with the stitching that is for part 2 for the magazine.

As to what the canvas is…well stay tuned!

I moved my cactus inside now that they are finally blooming so that I can enjoy the flowers

I think AlleyCat is giving me that look “are you taking my picture again? yes AC, your adoring fans await you!

The kids and I are going to take the weekend off. Lots of stitching, baseball and my plants need some attention. and until next time…keep on stitching

How could I be so lucky to be stitching yet another canvas that I love, love, love…did I say love? I am having way too much fun with this canvas!

I was in the pursuit of a bicycle magnet to fit in with the theme of it all, but haven’t found one yet…so I select the sunglasses instead. Well you would probably be wearing shades if you were on your bike, wouldn’t you?

This is a canvas by Alice Peterson called “Red Bicycle” and it is just a fun light hearted canvas. I am enjoying working through all the hearts with beads, French knots, sprats head’s hearts, Rhodes hearts and even a few with tent stitch. The basket on the front of the bike is beaded, as is the bird and the seat of the bike has been padded to make it comfy for that long ride.

I will finish stitching all the hearts and then my plan is to work on the bicycle itself. I have some ideas in my head and I hope that they will work out as well on the canvas as they have in my mind!

How do you like my new canvas tape? Thanks to Elizabeth of Needlepoint Now who came up with this brilliant idea. Under the bicycle is another one of my WIP’s…that would be “works in progress”

Stitching this canvas was inspired by the other bicycle canvas by Alice Peterson and Suzie of The Enriched Stitch. I will be teaching this on July 21rst at her shop! I am so excited to get to see her shop and the new classroom that she has created upstairs. Suzie I love you too, so much so that I will totally forgive you for not being a cat person!

Some of the threads and beads that I have been stitching with. Some were shopped from what I have in the house and then I always add more newly purchased threads. I shopped again the other day for some #16  Kreinik for the bicycle.

The cactus are so close to finally opening their blooms! I discovered that I had been watering them just a little too often, so I have been making sure that they are living in the sun all day long. That has helped and they both need to be re-potted.

AlleyCat was very curious as to what was all the goings on downstairs. and until next time…keep on stitching