Trick or Treat Blog Hop

 It’s Halloween, so once again it’s time for Jo’s blog hop! 

I’ve got a few new finishes this year, including this little freebie design from the Caron Collection that I stitched more than two decades ago (gosh, I'm old) but only finished this year.

This is Miss Witch by Satsuma Street. I can't get enough of her designs, and I have to restrain myself from buying them all.

Persian Pumpkin is from Mill Hill, and will go well with my Crazy Pumpkin wall-hanging, based on Mill Hill's somewhat larger Paisley Pumpkin.

And finally, Downdraft by Turquoise Graphics and Design, from this year's Halloween special issue by Just Cross Stitch.

Now it's time for the letter you are all here for!

 

Head on over to The Alchemyst's Study to get the next letter, and have a happy (and healthy) Halloween!

Yellow, Yellow ...

It wouldn't be the end of a holiday season if I didn't have a last-minute finish. Tomorrow is Pentecost, so today I blog about my needlepoint Easter egg:

The pattern is Elegant Egg by Julie Sackett. I love the Watercolours thread I used -- Carnival -- and I had fun picking matching threads. I finished it by sewing it to yellow ultrasuede, and disguising the inevitable lumpiness with the palestrina stitch along the seam. It's a great stitch for neatening things up.

Back to the Stitch 9 Challenge!

A Gift for A Sister

I had a lovely needlepoint pattern with grapes that would make a good thank-you for one of my sisters, who has a home on Martha's Vineyard (that's good!). But somewhere along the way I lost the actual chart (that's bad).  So I improvised my own design based on the fuzzy cover image (that's good!). But I ran out of Waterlilies thread in evergreen with only one corner Jessica stitch left (that's bad). But the thread pack from a Victoria Sampler leaflet had a strand of evergreen Waterlilies (that's good!). Unfortunately, it was from a different dye lot and too pale to use (that's bad). But an Au ver a Soie thread from the same pack was the right shade of green, albeit unvariegated (can I go now?).

Crafting for Me

Once the gifts were out of the way, I could work on some projects for myself.

A garland of funky snowmen, from the 2008/2009 issue of Quilting Arts Gifts:

My felt beads weren't actually beads (i.e., no holes for stringing onto novelty yarn, so instead I strung them onto thin black cord using a needle, tied knots to hold them in place, and tied two lengths of recycled sari yarn to each segment.

Tiny gingerbread houses, pattern by Gingermelon:

There was a fourth house, but I sent it off to an aunt.

The start of an embroidered Christmas tree, designed by Gingerbread Snowflakes:

"A Partridge in a Pear Tree" by Heritage Samplers (I think? The pattern logo/trademark/label is confusing, and googling "heritage samplers" doesn't result in anything helpful):

A needlepoint trio of the Magi:

I've had these guys for years, but I keep getting caught up in big Christmas projects, so I've decided the only way I will get them done is if I stitch them in the off-season.

Halloween Finishes

On Saturday I got a rare two hours free of children, chores, work, and events, so I hid up in my sewing room for a delightful afternoon.  In addition to taking in a couple of skirts and starting a fabric pumpkin pincushion, I finished three little ornaments:

The stocking is by Pat Mazu, from the same September/October 2010 issue of Needlepoint Now as the "Fall Tree".

The design on the upper right is"By the Full Moon" by Tracy Horner of Ink Circles, from the September/October 2010 issue of Just Cross Stitch.  I used similar threads and fabric from my stash, rather than the materials called for.

The lower ornament is "Acorn House" by Jeanette Douglas, from the September/October 2011 issue of Just Cross Stitch; again, I used materials from my stash.

The stocking I made into an actual stocking, complete with a little lining that I slip-stitched in place.  For the two square ornaments, I sewed each one to a piece of cotton, wrong sides facing, all the way around.  To turn them right side out I cut a little x in the backing fabric, stitched that hole shut, and covered it with a button:

It's not the nicest of finishes, but it's fast, and that's what's important nowadays.

Fall Tree

An Ada Haydon design:

The stitching directions are from Needlepoint Now's September/October 2010 issue.  The tree was meant to be stitched on a specially painted canvas by Haydon, but it was too rich for my blood (and in fact I don't think the canvas is available anymore).  So instead I used 18 count black canvas and threads I already owned (although I kind of wish I used purples instead of pinks, now).  Mostly I kept to the stitches Haydon used, too.

The only problem area was the band with the bats -- the background stitching would leave a lot of the canvas exposed, and black bats on a black background would not have worked.  Having painted canvas before, I thought I could paint this little band orange.  But paint thin enough to not gunk up the holes barely stained the black threads. After three coats, this was the best I could get:

I stitched the bats anyway, but the background looked not great:

So I added the background stitching (not what I had originally intended) in strong orange threads, and that helped quite a bit:

To finish it, I just trimmed the canvas, folded it back, and whip-stitched it to black felt.  And with plenty of time until Halloween!

Hearts Galore

Heart of Hearts, designed by Barbara Richardson, from the Jan./Feb. 2008 issue of Needlepoint Now.

The original design called for white and gold threads, but I don't care for that combination, so I used Caron Collection threads (Waterlilies and Wildflowers) in Cherry Cordial, and pink Kreinik braid.  Because so much of the background is exposed in this design, a plain white canvas would not do.  I mixed together red, purple, and white acrylics to get a mottled pinky-purple color, watered it down quite a bit, and sponged it on.

To finish it, I backed it with silk and sewed it on the machine (twice, for extra security).  To get a neater finish and to avoid having to slip stitch the canvas closed, I sewed around the entire heart with no gap for turning.  Instead, I cut a slit in the center of the silk back to turn the stitching right side out, and then glued on top of the slit an ultrasuede heart.

For the Beadboys' classes, rather than sitting with them to make individual valentines for each classmate, I made heart cookies inspired by this pin:

For the cookies I used my go-to chocolate cut-out cookie recipe from Everyday Food, by far the best and easiest version.  For the pink frosting (yes, it is very pink, the camera washed it out for some reason) I used store-bought and added red food coloring; it was rather bland (next time I'll add vanilla or something) but the kids won't care.  For the piping -- this was the best part -- I used a frosting gun I bought ages ago.  It was so easy!  I've tried cheap pastry bags, good pastry bags, and ziploc bags before but I could never get the hang of it.  This was awesome, almost as fun as my cookie gun.

I was compelled to make these:

I don't know why, and I don't know what I will do with them.

A Bunch of Finishes

Zombie Girl Mandala by The Floss Box:

Magic Kitty by Mill Hill:

Autumn Harvest by Mill Hill:

Paisley Tree by Mill Hill:

Pear Tree Partridge by Mill Hill:

Modified Yeow by The Prairie Schooler:

Stitch-an-Inch Halloween by Brenda Bayliss:

Inchie Cat + Petit Point + 3 Inch Hoop =

Adorableness:

The design is "Stitch-an-Inch Halloween" by Donna Bayliss, found in the 2013 special Halloween issue of Just Cross Stitch.  The model in the issue was turned into a pendant, so I will be raiding my supplies for a suitable frame or bezel.

I Forgot!

Beadmom needlepointed this for me a few a years ago. She even picked the branch it hangs from from her backyard and spray-painted it gold (she has always been one for twigs and branches in her decor, a habit that drove Beaddad crazy.)

Butterflies

Sarah over at Makin' Projiks has a post today about an idea she picked up from another -- butterfly shadowboxes using magazine images. I thought I'd share my version of this, with needlecrafted butterflies:
At my brother's suggestion, I even used pins to hold them in place, just like real butterfly shadowboxes except a lot less icky. It seemed a good way to display all the butterfly patterns I had collected over the years. And still collect -- I'm almost done with a second box.