My name is Ruth, and I am a needlework addict

I posted the other day about Tanja Berlin's Hapsburg Lace Sampler I'm doing through my EGA chapter. I write my chapter blog and here is more information about our project. What I did find interesting in my research and a bit of asking around is this tidbit:  Hapsburg Lace is a made-up technique. It sounds historical, but it's not at all. It was just the name of a chart.

I am an addict, and like so many addicts I promote temperance or outright abstention. But I AM an addict. This is why one evening I bought this on, I think, Amazon. Because I...must...OWN...IT!

Yes, this is a nice fresh scan of the chart that appears to have started it all. Like so many older charts, the analog photo isn't really very good at all even if it is enlarged substantially.

So let me give you some details from the charts inside. The model was stitched on tan canvas. If you take a little peek at the enlarged photo THROUGH the lacy band stitches, you will see tan. So where did the red come from? All that color is little multi-direction tent (aka 4-way continental) stitches in a floss to match your ribbon color. Again, enlarge the photo and you can see the pink ribbon.

Here is a scan of the inside front cover. I wanted you to see the designers' names, Carol Costello and Jinell Ibey. A quick google search shows some nice photos of designs attributed to either or both of them. In fact, you can still order some of Fancy Work & Fantasies designs here. As you can also see, this was published in 1980, fairly early in the counted thread revival in the late 20th century. Back then there was no graphic software available for designers so everything including the layout diagram was hand drawn. See kids, you DO use geometry after high school!

The design is divided into six separate ribbons comprising five separate little samplers (#4 and #6 are the same). Each stitched ribbon incorporates a length of colored satin ribbon that can coordinate with those tent stitches. All the ribbons are stitched with #5 and #8 pearl cotton in ecru on 14-count mono canvas. And it does have to be done on mono canvas, because you have some pulled work on this. Congress cloth is too closely woven for the fabric threads to displace well. Linen would be too soft as the stiff canvas is really what makes this pop. The basic stitches used are those tent stitches, various eyelets, smyrnas, and french knots over the tent stitches to make those corner roses.

So I have to say I really like this technique. Tanja Berlin took this idea and really ran with it, creating some fun pieces that introduced a whole lot of stitchers to an idea that came out of a couple of Southern California needleworkers in 1980. Google "Hapsburg Lace" and click on "images" for more fun pictures.

Now, how do you take a project from 1980 and modernize it up? Because 2015 - 1980 = styles have changed.

Here is a photo I found on an Australian website. Jan Hure is the name of the needleworker. You can see that she has combined an overdyed pearl cotton in the middle with a solid color for the edges. Nice. She changed out the rose colors and it look like she didn't use the tent stitch background.

Remember, click on a picture to enlarge it.








You could use a brilliant varied overdye as the accent floss, or add some metallic thread as part of the ribbon design or even in place of the satin ribbon. Stitching it on 18-count with #8 and #12 pearl cotton (like Tanja does) would make it smaller and a bit more modern. Also, why stick with a rose in the corner if you could add a bug or a skull? Initials are always good too. Why do all the stitched ribbons have to be the same color?

And for goodness sake, don't assume you have to finish the pillow like the chart's photo. Really, I promise you, it's okay.

Check out my EGA blog link above and see what Yvonne did to bump up her project. More photos of our chapter project will be added as I see more finished work.



Now, it's not likely that I'm going to actually stitch this guy. (Though to confess I DO happen to have some white 14-count canvas in my stash and some pearl cotton that would be just great for this. What a coincidence!) My addiction is often satisfied just by ownership of the pattern. I am like a dragon hoarding not gold but lots of paper covered with strange little runes.

Back in Ventura

Wow, I really thought I'd posted in the past several months. My good intentions really count for absolutely nothing. That explains my diet attempts.

Sheesh.

I have finished some things over the past YEAR since I last posted and will get some photos and descriptions up when I get back home. Yup, I'm back at the timeshare in Ventura California. It is so nice and quiet here. It is supposed to be my personal stitching retreat so here's what I've got.

This is the Hapsburg Lace Sampler by Tanja Berlin. My 

EGA chapter Baldy View is stitching this as our chapter project. 

As you can see, I did not clean up for the photo. Also, that gum container is to store my pearl cotton balls to they don't go careening around the room. I finally can justify loving gum. I chose to stitch my project in colors favored by the designer.  It is spun gold Valdani pearl cotton on black 18-count canvas. The canvas edge isn't taped because I wanted to get started and didn't have the right kind of tape so now it is getting ragged and rough. If I was using floss or God forbid silk or a twitchy thread it would be a problem but I think it is acceptable with the pearl. It is working up really pretty. It has a lot of eyelets and even on what she calls double cross stitches and what everyone else calls smyrnas, you need to really pull to get a good neat look. The white towel serves as a contrast so I can see the black canvas threads.

While I was here, I made a trip to 

A Thread Garden in Camarillo. The shop has a good collection of Rainbow Gallery threads, Kreinik threads, and many other lines, but most importantly they have the entire color line of Presencia cotton threads, both the floss and the pearl. I don't know about the size 3, but they have the pearl in 5, 8, 12, and an amazing 16! This way, if you want to convert a design using pearl from 18-count canvas to 24-count congress, you can still use pearl cotton. And it is in a wonderful color range as well. The threads are long-staple Egyptian cotton. With other line cutting back on their pearl lines, having a good source of pearl colors here in Southern California is absolutely delightful.

Done With the Stocking Stitching

Here is the stocking and some detail pictures. It has been washed and pressed. I still have to attach the reindeer harness and some beads, but it is oh so close to done.

The Stocking is Almost Done

I've been working on this piece on a regular basis, but as I am a fairly slow stitcher, it's taken me a while. So here it is:

Looking pretty good! It's a Dimensions kit from 1996 called "Here Comes Santa Claus." I still have to make and attach the cording for the reins and Santa's whip plus attach the few beads. I'm also changing the threads that will accent the sleigh. 

Here is the kit photo so that you can see the sleigh details as designed.

The kit calls for some gold thread mixed with gold metallic for the shiny metal sleigh trim and just gold thread for the dull trim on the back. Instead, I will be using DMC Memory Thread. I think this will look better.

I've never used Memory Thread before and I'm looking forward to playing with it.

A piece for Shane

"Yes, Mom, I know it's been awhile since I called..." Sorry for the long break. Between a bit of family upset, a minor illness, and a whole lot of lassitude, I'm back in the blogging chair. The metaphorical blogging chair, that is.

Here is the result of about four days of work on a piece for Shane. Who is Shane, you ask? My daughter's fiancé! I have to get this done for him because everyone in the family MUST have one. I'm not going to tell you what it is yet though I'm sure it's fairly obvious, especially if you look through my blog history.

It's actually from a Dimensions kit from 1996. I've become so used to over-dyed floss these past few years that I'd forgotten about "blended floss." Some designers use the entire palette of floss colors of DMC or Anchor. Some, like the Silver Lining's Marc Saastrad use DMC and 

Anchor combined to create a palette of over 700 colors. But back in the 80's and 90's, we did a lot of "blended floss." Take strands of different colors and put them together in your needle to create a third color. The large rounded object in my photo (just for fun, let's call it "the moon") is done with two strands of yellow floss and three strands of pale brown. In real life, it looks a bit like straw. The rest of this round "moon" will be stitched with only five strands of yellow.  This creates a texture I wouldn't get with a single color and a uniformity I wouldn't get with over dyed floss. I really need to remember this trick. You'd think that doing it in half crosses would go faster but I have to constantly check on the tension of all five threads in each stitch.

In more news, the Shoreline Stitchers Showcase here in Southern California was held last month. I entered four pieces. I was a bit frustrated that I had so little to choose from but I just haven't gotten a lot completed recently. Some years it seems like I get nothing completed and then other years lots of big projects get completed. This was not a period of high completion. Sigh.

This is Jonathan's stocking. It is an all-over cross stitch design and took a second place ribbon. I love this design.

Here is Jonathan and Michal's wedding sampler that won a first place blue ribbon. Again, you can't see it in the photos, but the designer called for the bells to use a whole lotta blending filament, gold in the gold areas and white in the white areas. This made the bells look metallic. 

My Around the World in 80 Stitches box won a second place. Not bad for something I was considering throwing out.

Here are my Gingerbread House ornaments stitched on perforated paper and with lots and lots of beads.

And here are the backs.

Mixed Metals Peyote Cuff

So I'm spending a few days in Ventura on a personal stitching retreat. It's great to have serious uninterrupted time to stitch. This next project was a fund raiser from the Pacific Southwest Region EGA last year. 

It's called "Corrugated Mixed Metals Color Ribbon Peyote Cuff" designed by Sand Fibers by Carol Dean Sharpe. I've got another inch or so and the bead weaving will be done. Size 11 Delica beads and size 11 Toho beads are used to get this great texture.  I went to Creative Castle and picked up a clasp for it yesterday so I should have a second piece completed on this retreat. Yippee!

Today is the opening day for the Ventura County Fair. I'm going over to check out the needlework and other craft entries. More yippee!

The Winner's Circle

I was privileged to participate in a pilot class for a beaded project. When a designer has a new teaching project, they hold a pilot class to make sure that the supplies and written directions for future classes are correct. Carolyn Sherman has designed a necklace she will be teaching at the EGA national seminar in Louisville and it is just lovely.

It is called "Winners Circle." I haven't done much beading but her class was great and I was able to complete the piece on my own. I thought that that big ring was beaded around a plastic shaper or something. Nope, it's just bead weaving with needle and thread. Once again, I am awed by the creativity of a designer. I've seen the components this necklace uses but would never NEVER have imagined using them this way. Her seminar students are in for a real treat.