To the Finisher

We have a great framers here in Austin called Blue Skies.  They do a great job framing needle art.   These lovelies are off to let those ladies work their magic.

Can't remember the designer

 
I finished this years ago.  I didn't know what I wanted to do with it so it lay dormant.  Carolyn Baird had these fabulous ribbons at her store, The Ribbonry.   It's inside Chaprral. The vintage sunflower strip down both sides is going to be heavenly.   This is a Melissa Shirley canvas with a stitch guide by Amy Bunger.   I think the guide is available for sale at amybunger.com.

Melissa Shirley's Cream Farmhouse

  I finished the White Farm in the last few months.  This is a canvas from Painted Pony Needlepoint and stitch guide by Amy Bunger.  Yes, I adore Amy Bunger and her stitch/thread selections.  This one won't have any ribbon or mat.

White Farm by Diane Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony Needlepoint Designs

Sunday on the Commons

Another Diane Ulmer Pedersen canvas from Painted Pony Needlepoint Designs!  I love these designs.  I took this canvas to my last Rent Amy Day.   She has the best stitch ideas for these canvases.  I sure do miss her and Jill and the other lovely ladies at Amy's Golden Strand.  I so hope we get to go on this year's trip.

Oops.  Forgot to flip it when I downloaded the photo.  The common area is the Staggered Leviathan stitch using one strand of overdyed floss changing the color to match the shading on the canvas.

This tree top is stitched using Staggered Cross with a strand of Wildflowers.  Some of the small cross stitches are done using two strands of an overdyed floss to create the shading.  So perfect. 

 
The bush in the lower right hand corner is a Helen's Lace variation using an overdyed floss.

Overview

Let the Earth Be Glad

I am trying to be more consistent about finishing projects but I couldn't help myself and pulled this out.  ANOTHER Diane Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony Needlepoint Designs.  I took it to Amy Bunger's last September and got a couple of stitch ideas.  

Overview

 Lots and lots of Smyrna crosses in my future on these trees.  This amount of finished crosses took about an hour.  I am not tying off each one but pretty close.  I believe the plan for the field includes a pretty open stitch so I don't want to drag that Neon Rays too much.   I'm a happy girl.

Smyrna crosses in Neon Rays

Almost Finished with The Hart Hunt

Overview

I am a little further along than the above image.  You can see some of the other finished elements in the photos below.  I finished the field in the front.  It's the Spotted Hide stitch and I love it.  The guide calls for a different stitch but I had just done that stitch on another canvas so Amy graciously found me a new one.  The stitch and thread selections are from a guide written by Amy Bunger available at amybunger.com.  The canvas is a Diane Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony Needlepoint Designs.

Spotted Hide stitch using three strands of Threadworm

Right side of canvas

Pandemic Project - Day 5

Good morning!  I stitched the gates using Kreinik size 8 metallic in the Trame stitch.  The cross bars are done in cross stitch using the same thread.  Happy Stitching!

Pandemic Project - Day 2

This cute house on the right of the canvas is stitched using the perfect color of overdyed cotton.  The stitch guide from Amy Bunger calls for using two strands for the slanted gobelin stitch.

Over view as of today

Pandemic Project - Townhouse Row by Diane Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony Needlepoint Designs

I bought this canvas by Diane Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony Needlepoint Designs at a trunk show that The Needle Works had.  I had been wanting it forever and decided to buy it for my Mother's Day present to me.  I ordered the stitch guide and threads from Amy Bunger at amybunger.com and had it all packed and ready to present to myself on the big day.

Change of plans.  The pandemic came and I thought to help in the teeny tiniest way by blogging again to distract us all from our worries.  I've been stitching away on my giant cross stitch sampler but somehow that is not so interesting to post.  Anyway, here we go:

Gathered all the supplies

On the frame with stitch guide at the ready

Over view of canvas

Paved road with three strands of overdyed floss in Paved Brick stitch

 More to follow tomorrow!  Happy Sheltering in Place!  Love you all!

Report from Amy's Golden Strand

We had a wonderful time!  Six SWANs took off for Memphis for stitching, eating and visiting.  Jill and Amy were as charming and gracious as they always are.  We saw some other Memphis friends and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.   I asked Amy for stitch ideas for The Village.   

The Village by Diane Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony Needlepoint Designs

Church roof

Green yard in Skinny Byzantine Variation

Road and front field

Overview

A Rent Amy Day is RAD!  I highly recommend it!  More to follow. 

Time to Get Ready for Amy

It's that time of year again.  The SWANs annual trip to Amy's Golden Strand in Memphis!  This year is a Rent Amy Day.   It's studio time on steroids with Amy Bunger herself.  These are the two canvases I know that I am taking.  

The Village by Diane Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony Needlepoint

Let the Earth Be Glad by Diane Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony Needlepoint

I will probably take a two or three other canvases that I am having problems with but can't decide which two or three from the many!   If you have ever have the chance to take a class with Amy, grab it.  She is fabulous and the hospitality is off the charts.   Will keep y'all posted!  Happy Stitching!

Hart Hunt is Growing Evergreen Trees

The evergreen trees are being stitched using the trame stitch for the tree and packed outline for the greenery.  I am using two strands of overdyed cotton for the leaves.  The wood part of the tree is stitched using two strands of Burmilana.   Looks pretty good.   

Hart Hunt's Trees

Besides finishing a bit of field and starting a small bush, this is what you get with almost eight straight hours of stitching.  You would think that you would finish something working on it that long but NOOOO.  I am pretty happy with the results though.  The tree is stitched in packed outline and the leaves are lazy daisy stitches.  All the the stitch and thread selections are from the stitch guide written by Amy Bunger.   This one is for sale on her website.  That's amysgoldenstrand.com.  

Check out her newsletter while you are there.  Someone you know is featured in the customer gallery.   

Happy Saturday stitching!

Hart Hunt

I am starting on my hunting dogs.  The bodies are done in elongated continental.  Back legs are done in basketweave.  Big cross stitches with four strands of cotton for the eyes.  I like the way the bottom dog eye looks with the elongated continental stitch half covering it.  

Hope you have a happy weekend stitching away!

Overview

I Knew There Was One More

I do have one more Diane Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony.  I call this one The Village.  I have started the church with a stitch suggestion from my last Rent Amy Day.  This beauty will be headed back to Memphis very shortly to get some more stitch suggestions.   Fun days ahead.  

The Hart Hunt

I had a whole Saturday to stitch last weekend and got the second field from the bottom up done.  It looks good.  I started the bottom field but I am not feeling it with that stitch.   Amy had suggested a different one but it is a difficult one for me to stitch.  I should have listened.  Amy is always right.  Frogging it this weekend and going with her original.   

The Hart Hunt

Now that The White Farm is finished I'm headed back to The Hart Hunt.  A hart is a red deer which is conspicuously missing from the canvas.   We love it no less.  I'm stitching this using a guide from Amy Bunger.  It's available for sale on her website, Amy's Golden Strand.  Stay tuned for progress on this beauty.

Hart Hunt by Diane Ulmer Pederson from Painted Pony Needlepoint Design

The White Farm is Finished

I can't believe I actually finished something!  I love The White Farm by Diana Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony.  All the stitch selections and thread selections were by Amy Bunger.  What perfection!

More from The White Farm

I stitched the trees to the right of the house using the fly stitch and one strand of Wildflowers.  The background was already stitched using one strand of Lorikeet in the alternating T-stitch.  It's very subtle and very pretty.  These are all ideas I got from Amy Bunger at my last Rent Amy Day.

I finished the moo cow and filled in the wall behind her.  She needs her tail, face and udder finished up.   

Did She Really Start Something New???

Yes, she did.  It's called Let the Earth Be Glad by Diane Ulmer Pedersen from Painted Pony Needlepoint Designs.  I bought it at The Needle Works and took it to Amy's.  This beautiful sky stitch is a slanted brick using two strands of Dinky Dyes overdyed silk was recommended by Amy Bunger.  Perfection! 

The Fires are Lit at The White Farmhouse

It doesn't seem like much for a couple of hours stitching but there was a lot of trying this and that.  I settled on Fabulous Fibers in this pale smoky blue.  It is just a little satin stitch.  

The White Farm Gets a Front Door

And a couple of other details.  I stitched the front gate, the front door and the chimneys.   I need to stitch the smile coming from the chimney.