Thursday, July 3, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

 May you all enjoy this holiday weekend and may all who are on the Eastern Seaboard be safe.

This is my interpretation of "Patchwork of Peace", a stitch source book that I consulted, along with some other books. I started with a blank sandstone 18 count mono canvas and Roberta, at Picture Yourself in Chelmsford center, made it more beautiful.

You can click on these images to enlarge them. I included the bottom left corner as it was the "last hurrah" on my opus.

This is in residence at the store until the end of August when it will be presented to my son.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

RAINY DAY FUN!


 It's going to be a rainy Fourth of July. Will you and your children be prepared with activities for the day and for the rest of the summer?
These are the newest children's canvases that have come in. They will be stitched with a double strand of DMC or Anchor Perle #5. One of my students bought one last week for her grand-daughter and the two strands works out just great on the canvases. That and either a size 20 tapestry needle and no threader, or a size 22 with a LoRan needle threader will suffice. 

We have waxed linen bracelet kits that you make using square knots and threaded beads. I started one and the directions are explicit. There is sufficient linen, beads and findings to do two bracelets, if you are making a single knot between each bead. I liked the look of the double knot, so am doing that one. I'll leave it unfinished over summer for demonstration purposes.

Below, right, is a started kit for a bookmark. The pre-drilled bamboo has either a heart shape or a flower. You do cross stitch in the holes...and you don't have to count. You'll feel "So Green" using the renewable resource of bamboo!

There are similar kits for making fobs or zipper pulls.





Every needleworker could use a little thread keeper, so get your kids busy making these for you and your friends. The drilled centers are either a butterfly or  a heart. Thread is supplied in the fob and bookmark kits, but you need to supply your own for the thread keeper.