It is gorgeous!

I finished the lace doily, extended the wallpaper on the right to meet the doily, and added the letter "L" to the stopper to personalize the bottle for the recipient. She will be getting it framed and I will ask her to forward a picture of it so we can all see! My thanks to Sharon G for a beautifully painted canvas and permission to blog stitch this piece!

And, I am so excited about another Sharon G piece. Today the Shining Needle Society announced that Sharon G will be doing online classes for her designs! Woohoo! Jane in Chilly Hollow has all the details at her blog, so I won't repeat them. Jane also has lots of photos there or you can see more at Sharon's website.
www.sharong.com
I have the following canvas in my stash and I will be stitching this one first with her. It is from her series Gift of Bows!

Not quite, but almost.

I did not get it done. I started rounding down the corners but did not get it finished. It does look like a doily and I am pleased with it, but will now have to finish it Wednesday night.

Here it is

Yes, I finally decided on the Leviathan for my lacy doily. I had tried four other stitches and did not like any of them. I finally decided last night that the Leviathan would do but only put in two stitches last night. Here you can see that I made some progress using the Mandarin 800 with two strands. Thanks to Judy who sent me an email this morning suggesting the Smyrna or the Leviathan, and as you can see she suggested what I had already picked! I hope to finish this tomorrow night!

Four stitches later

I am sorry there is no photo tonight. I tried four different stitches trying to create my doily. I did not like any of them!! I started one more very simple stitch before giving up and think I have found the one! Photo and details tomorrow. Oh, but I am using 2 strands of Mandarin 800-white!

It is papered

I finished the wallpaper!! The entire wall is papered. Now, I can move on to below the paper. Perfume bottles set on doilies! Yes, they do.....and I will start one tomorrow!

A few more stripes

Tonight I got past the stopper on the top and almost over to the rounded edge of the bottle. I figure about four more rows of wallpaper. Miss Jane noticed that the wallpaper does not go all the way to the bottom of the canvas! She is guessing that there is more to come. It is true! I can't fool anybody! Now, I will go and wash the wallpaper paste off my hands.

Over the top

Yes, I made it over the top tonight. I think I might be a faster painter than I am wallpaperer--is that a word? LOL Since I am using a single strand of Splendor and working over two threads, it takes me quite a while to get much of this wallpaper put up....but I persevere.....and I like the faintness and delicateness--is that a word either? of it. I must be tired so I will quit typing and go and read your blogs.

Wallpapering

I worked on the wallpaper again tonight. I am using a single strand of Splendor and back stitching over two threads. While working on this, I am turning the canvas on the side so it is easier to reach and I can move faster with one hand under and one on top. I have worked this clear to the top of the canvas to allow enough space for a mat, but only worked about half way out to the side. Since Linda is having this framed, I will suggest an oval mat and this should be enough on the side for that shape.

I finished.......

The stopper and neck is finished! I also started doing some backstitching on the left side. I am creating a wallpaper pattern for the background. I am using a single strand of Splendor and have completed some of the back stitch rows on the left. And,

I entered these three pieces in the fair this year. I am very pleased that the Summer Dream stump work piece in the center won the First place and Best of Show. Carol Lake's white gold In a Purple Passion, on the left, won second place and the judge's choice award. Mornin' Luv, on the right,won a third place!

Glassing the stopper

Tonight I took Sharon G's advice and worked the empty thread left by the T stitching from last night. I used a double strand of Kreinik blending filament in color 007 pink. It does look like glass! I was able to get about three fourths of it stitched tonight and will finish the stopper and neck tomorrow night.

T Stitch all over

I had thought about using the Alicia lace stitch to do the stopper as I want a light airy look. The Sharon G--her very self--suggested either the T stitch or skip tent and the adding some Kreinik Balger in the center to create a "glassy" look. The Alicia lace is too close together to add any center stitch, and I thought the skip tent too "line" looking so the T stitch wins! I first worked the T Stitch in the darkest value of the Splendor all around the outside of the stopper. I then came back and filled in the rest with the middle value. I have a pink Kreinik Balger and I will work that in tomorrow night. Zipping right along.......... Yes, Jane, this is another gift, but not an immediate family member this time. Remember the bride's cupcake and the groom's camera a little while back? Well, this is for the mother of the bride. I also did Sharon G's shaving brush for her husband after I had done one for mine. I also stitched another Sharon G canvas a while back--The Martini Bra and Tap pants for my niece! Do we see a pattern here? Yes, I love her canvas designs and the painting is always very well done.

Moving right along

I finished stitching the last section on the base of the bottle. This is stitching fairly quickly and I really like how this looks! Tomorrow, I hope to get started on the bottle stopper, but I do have some surprised coming up for you all to see!

You will never guess!

I am so pleased to let you all know that Sharon G is following the stitching and comments on the Perfume Bottle!! Woohoo! Just the other day she commented on Jane's of Chilly Hollow's blog about the horses pa toots she designed. (And, just so you know if you did not read it, she is painting some single ones that will be stand ups! Don't cha just know someone you are going to have to stitch one of those for????) Anyway, I am pleased that Sharon is checking on my progress and has offered a tip for the top of the bottle! As you know I always contact the designers and ask for permission to blog stitch their pieces. Sharon has always graciously said yes to my requests and I am definitely interested in her suggestions. But, before I work on the top, I need to finish filling in the left two panels on the base. I finished the third one tonight and did a little of the middle value . I should finish the very left panel tomorrow!

It really is the same

I worked the center panel of the bottle using the S1034 but because it next to the medium value and a lot more of the Kreinik gold, instead of the dark value, it looks different! I really like how it changes the whole appearance of the bottle. I almost completed it--just short a few stitches--and I will do those tomorrow. I also did the darker veins to the left for the last two curves.

One side is done

I got busy tonight! I did the rest of the basket weave dark outline using the two strands of Splendor 960 on the right side of the bottle. I then put the medium value in next to that using the S1133. Lastly, I filled in the lightest section using 1034. This is great progress on this for one evening's worth of stitching! The gold stands out very nicely now that the Splendor is stitched! Now, I am off to try and catch up on reading some of your blogs!

Back in the swing

We are back from our trip to Michigan and the Fireworks were a hit! We had a great time with everyone and a fairly easy ride up and back. Now I am back to stitching. I am taking the Perfume Bottle by Sharon G on the next trip to CT in October so I need to get cracking on this one. I finished all of the gold running stitch in the Kreinik #8 002. I then started on the bottom of the bottle on the right side. I am doing basket weave stitch in Splendor with the darkest value in color S960. I originally planned and started doing Alicia lace, but it did not look right with all the gold, so I took it out. I then added the middle value using S1133 but only got a few of those stitches in. I may do the stopper in the Alicia lace, but I will have to wait and see.

Just a little left

I packed this to stitch in the car today. I wanted to get all of the red done in the Kreinik #8 red 003. I am doing the Pavillion stitch with two strands for the background. However, I used the entire spool and ended up short for finishing the stitching. So I can add that I used up a spool for the stash reduction column but will have to subtract one as I have to buy another spool. Kind of a wash, isn't it? LOL, Ah, well, maybe I will get a chance to pick one up on our trip....you just never know!

Boy, is that yellow

I took this photo, thought it was all right, but when I got to the computer it sure is yellow!!
Anyway, I started the June SOTM on the Kimono. It is a Henderson Variant. I am using Neon Rays in N90 and did several rows of the three diagonal Gobelin stitches working from left to right. This stitch works fairly quickly and this one will be completed when I return to it in the next rotation.

Mixing them up

I am working more around the eye area. I did the tent stitches in DMC brown 838 around the iris first. Then I went back to dark French knot and added a row around the evil eye and down both sides and used 5 strands of the DMC 3799 and 1 of 413. I moved over and used up the rest of the needle full around the top of the ear. Then I did a 3/3 split of 3799 and 413 and did a row under the eye. Last, I started working with a 3/3 split of 413 and 414 and started down from the top with those french knots.

One, Two, Three, Four

Using the #4 Kreinik I continue around the outside edge stitching over 1, then 2, then 3, then 4. Then change back and do, 4, 3, 2,1. I am more than half done. When this is completed it will be the end of Lesson two!

I hope you all enjoy the Labor Day Holiday!

A different angle

I shot this again trying to get the true color of the mat. This is actually a lot closer to what it is. You will notice I put silver lame behind the fireworks canvas. As you walk by this, it actually has movement to it. When I am in Michigan next week, I am going to shoot another piece I did a long time ago and show you yet another one that has movement.

Taking Shape

I finished all of the cross bones tonight using the Kreinik #4 glow in the dark thread in 052F in the basket weave stitch. I then resumed stitching the Pavilion stitch using two strands of Kreinik #8 in color 003. These patterns can be found on Judy Harper's freebie blog site: http://needle-crafts.blogspot.com/

No ripping!

Finally, a night without ripping out what I put in! LOL. I finished the stems with the chain stitch and then came back with two more strands of the dark green and whip stitched all of them. I also did the very first leaf in the very center. I think I have cracked the rip-it stitch marathon!

I will be posting a new photo on Friday of the Fireworks which will have a truer (is that a word?) color of the mat!

Ready to travel

I picked this up from the framer today! It is ready for the road trip to Michigan! The mat is a dark metallic blue which makes the inner blue ring on the top burst really pop. I did a plain brushed silver frame. All I have left to do is sign and date the back.

Both cuffs

If you remember I had previously stitched the right cuff but had to pull it out because I had slanted the ground fiber in the wrong direction. It is now stitched correctly and I moved to the bottom to finish the small section of the center band. I put it all in and realized I was off by one thread. I pulled it all out and gladly set this aside until next week! Did you ever have one of those nights? LOL