The Guardian Angels are finished!

I finished the rabbit of the Guardian Angel Dogs tonight. We made braided gold cord from 032 Kreinik and covered the seam for the front and the back. I glued mine braid down and only stitched by the closure loop. The ends of the braid are in between the two pieces of foam and the loop is an overhand loop in the remaining cord.

I finished this one the night before last. The canvas front piece is wrapped around crafting foam and the back is oatmeal felt, also wrapped around the foam.

I have wrapped them in tissue and placed them in a foam mailer. Tomorrow the post office will start them on their way to Chilly Hollow and then the ANG auction.

Good luck little dogs.....I hope you earn lots of money for ANG!

Thanks again to Kandice Merric for the design, permission to blog stitch the pieces, and for designing a new one to add to the collection. Also, thanks to Jane in Chilly Hollow for the idea and coordinating all of these!

Tickled Purple

I am just tickled Purple! It is completed! I finished all of the Splendor 961 tonight so it can be finished. I also put the Kreinik gold in the wings, and the little bows on the sleeves of the dress. I am setting this aside to finish both of the guardian angels at the same time, so you will have to wait on that for a bit.

And I am calling it half

Four nights of stitching background, and I am calling it half done! I honestly thought this would go faster! When I do the next one, I am stitching some background every day!
Thanks for the patience, and we will get this done!

A new pet

I work as you know. A few weeks ago, this amazing creature showed up, soooooo, of course, we got some chicken scratch after a couple of days and started feeding him! Percy is quite the showman. When he first appeared, he did not have the beautiful tail feathers and fantastic flight feathers he does now. Slowly but surely those have all filled in and he is a magnificent iridescent beauty. He has made himself very much at home, and peers at me over the paper cabinet a lot during the day. He also hangs out at the front door, peering in. He loves sitting on the back of the rollback truck and munching his snacks. He and the shop cat are now on friendly terms--as long as the cat stays out of his way. He loves to sit on top of the silver truck as well. He honks if there is not enough corn in the front to suit him, and has started wandering into the shop if the overhead doors are open. If he gets startled, he will fly through the shop to the next open door--sounds like a jet! He does snitch the cat's food if Skidmark (the guys named the cat, not me!) does not notice. Last Sunday the boss was in the shop and did not realize Percy had snuck in. (Well, it was getting chilly outside, don't cha know?) Anyway, when we got to work Monday morning he was sitting on top of one of the forklifts. Of course, he does leave deposits here and there, so the guys have to clean that up. Even if they compain, they like him. He will walk right up behind one that might be welding or grinding--sparks flying do not bother him. So what if they drop a piece of steel as long as it is not on him. I am hoping to get some more shots, and hopefully he will spread that tail instead of always cleaning it. His neck and top comb are just gorgeous too and I would like for you all to see them as well.
Oh, and yes, I am still stitching the background!

Merry Christmas to me!

Do you have Trish Burr's Long and Short Stitch Embroidery? It is the book in the background and I bought it a while ago. I do wear a bib while cruising this book to prevent drooling from getting on the pages! I refer to this book often when doing stumpwork as it has great diagrams and photos, along with several great projects. But, the newest book added to my collection is in the foreground! DH bought this for me for Christmas! Like the Long and Short book, this one has sections on materials, techniques, tips, stitch glossary and projects! Projects like a camellia, an iris, a rose, an amaryllis, anemone, a poppy....just to name a few. So, if you will excuse, I am off to find the bib and drool for a while.
Oh, and yes, I did more background tonight on the Georgian Rabbit Angel!

Overwhelmed!

Wow! So many wonderful comments on the Georgian Rabbit Angel! Thanks for all the nice comments. Yes, Margaret, feel free to do your halo the same way. BTW, I used one of my laying tools to hold the gold in the front so the loops will all be the same size. As I was posting last night, I realized I had not done the backstitch up the center of each stitch. So, now I am thinking I may also do that in gold to tie the whole thing together. While I am doing the basketweave around the outside I am contemplating this last little finish! What do you all think?

Back to basketweave for me!

It is stitched!

Yes, I finished the Georgian Rabbit Angel stitching! First, I did the wings in a leaf stitch variation using Panache in white 02. Then I did the collar in the buttonhole stitch, also using Panache 02. I then put in a backstitch in the Marlitt 812 using two strands. The cuffs are then buttonholed in Panache39, off white. A single strand of Kreinik 002 HL is laid under the stitches. For the halo, I took more of the 002 HL and made three loops around the head. Then I buttonholed over the three strands so the halo will stand up and away from the head. Next, I will basketweave the background with Splendor 961 in preparation to finish the ornament.

It looks like a rabbit!

I did lots of things today! First I finished the overskirt by adding the darker rayon "stripes" throughout the overskirt with the Anchor 816. Next I added Mill Hill petite beads 40252 in center of the flowers in both the over and underskirt borders. Then I added his hands and head using 4 plies of DMC 425. His pink 3727 ear and nose are also DMC. His eye is worked with blue 32 Pure China Silk, highlighted with white DMC, and outlined in black with Splendor. Lastly I put his whiskers on with white DMC. I am thinking maybe this is really a she not a he! LOL Next up is to work the wings!

With time on my hands

I had lots of time today to work on the Overskirt! I used three strands of the S211 to start the Diagonal Gobelin and completed most of the pattern. I have to fill in the white areas and will do that tomorrow, but I really like how this looks! It is very rich and almost "royal" looking!

borders and underskirts, oh, my!

Look at all that purple! I love it!
Anyway, first I finished the overskirt border. The green I put in last night, and tonight I added the yellow Pure China Silk, and the purple oblong crosses and tiny filling stitches are done with two strands of the 816. Then, I worked the underskirt. It is a two color cashmere stitch worked horizontally slanting to the left. The light stitch over one intersection is done in the 816, and the dark over two intersections is done in the 30552 again. I am going to put beads in the center of the flowers in the borders later. The instructions call for French knots, but I want to use beads to add extra glitz! Ornaments need glitz!

Under and over borders

I filled in the underskirt border, the one on the right, first. The green leaves are worked over one diagonal using DMC rayon in green 504. The yellow flowers are worked in two strands of Pure China Silk, yellow number 1, again on the diagonal. Finally, the tiny filling stitch is worked with two strands of Marlitt in color number 816. I did not have the third value in my stash in DMC, so I used the Marlitt to fill in.
The overskirt border, on the left, was first worked with a single strand of Kreinik #8, 002HL in tent stitch. I then completed the leaves using the same green DMC rayon above.
Working with rayon threads can be "a headache" as Margaret mentioned in the previous comments. I make my life a little easier by working with short lengths, dropping my needle frequently, and always, always work with a laying tool--even on the over one stitches. I also go with the idea that no one will notice a few twisted threads riding by, on horseback, at 60 m.p.h. LOL Needlework is supposed to be enjoyable and that is why I try to do. Enough said.

Let's start with the dress

Kandace describes the Georgian Rabbit's dress as a bergere with a quilted underskirt. The instructions call for DMC floss and pearl cottons, some Kreinik, and with a background of DMC Medicis. I am not working this piece with those fibers. I am maintaining the general color theme, but have chosen to use other fibers that will provide more sheen to the piece. I will inform you of those threads as we work through the piece.
After transferring the outline to the 18 count canvas, the instructions indicate to begin with the dress bodice and sleeve, using dark violet in a diagonal mosaic slanted to the right for the bodice and to the left for the sleeve. I used four strands of DMC Rayon floss in color number 30552 to work this area.
I then moved to the underskirt border and worked the outside two rows of tent stitches using Kreinik 002HL, 1 strand. I moved to this area and did the outline to ensure that the edges were defined for the pattern that will be worked there.

Georgian Rabbit Angel

Introducing Kandace Merric's Georgian Rabbit Angel



Jane in Chillow Hollow, Master or Queen Enabler, (I can't remember which!) contacted me a while back to see if I would be interested in stitching some of Kandace Merric's Guardian Angels of Household Pets! Of course I would! Above is a photo of the magazine, July of 1997, Needle Pointers, that has the Georgian Rabbit Angel that I will stitch first! With Jane's permission, I stole the following from her blog which gives the information regarding this project, it's destination, and information if you would care to join us!




"Through the kind offices of the designer Kandace Merric and the permission of Needlepointers magazine, I am able to share the instructions and line drawings for the Household Pet Guardian angels with folks who wish to stitch one or more angels for the ANG Auction in Milwaukee in the fall of 2009. Please note that the copyright of these designs belongs to Ms. Merric and the American Needlepoint Guild, so do not share your instructions with folks not working these for the Auction.
There are six Pet Guardian Angels: the Renaissance rat, Medieval cat, Tudor dog, Victorian parakeet, Baroque fish and Georgian rabbit. All the animals are dressed in period costume using colors appropriate to their period. The dog has three head shapes to choose from--the Westie which you see in the model--Ms.Merric raises West Highland White Terriers--a Dalmation and a Golden Retreiver . You don't have to stick to the colors and threads used in 1996-1997 when these were originally published in the magazine. Kandy Merric explains thatshe used cotton perle, Paternayan wool, Medici wool and Kreink metallics in her original instructions because these were easily obtainable at that time. If you have these threads, go ahead and use them if you like, but feel free to play around with other threads and colors. Ms. Merric loves it when a stitcher is bold enough to change colors!
However, I am asking everyone to stitch their angel with the same background color (ecru) using tent stitches. Use either DMC's color Ecru in cotton floss or cotton perle, or Splendor silk in color #961. If you want to use another thread brand, match the color to DMC Ecru or Splendor 961. I think it will be best if everyone trims their angel with Kreinik #32 braid in either gold or silver, as well. These are your constraints--use 18 count canvas, the background must be in tent stitches in ecru, and trim your ornament in either silver or gold #32 Kreinik braid. No matter what colors you dress your Pet Guardian Angel in, the same background color in tent stitch and Kreinik braid trim will make them all look like a set of folk art angels.
Pat Miller and I are working out easy finishing instructions for everyone to follow so that we can all make up our own angel in a similar, but easy manner. Feel free to have yours professionally finished if you like--just remember to trim with Kreinik #32 braid in either silver or gold. Also remember that we all will have to mail our angels to the ANG Auction chair the end of June 2009. That's the deadline and there is no wiggle room for it. I will keep track of everyone who is stitching an angel and let everyone know the address to mail their angel to in a reminder email later on.
I will stitch all six designs myself publicly on Blog. Feel free to follow along when I get to your angel. I'm stitching them in random order as one takes my fancy, and hope to do one a month from now until early June.
The Pet Guardian Angels vary a bit in size (they are roughly 6+ inches long and 4+inches high) but they all fit on an 8 X 10 inch size of 18 count needlepoint canvas with margins of roughly 2 inches of unstitched canvas all the way around. The instructions are in PDF form if you don't have the necessary back issues of Needlepointers (see list below). You need to email me at chilly hollow athot maildot com which angel you are interested in and wait patiently for me to get the instructions to you. It won't be right away as I'll wait a week to see how many emails I have to send and organize things so that all the cats go out one day, all the fish the next, etc. I'll post my progress in sending instructions on Blog so you will know roughly when your PDFs should be in your email box. If you have the back issues of the magazine and will work from it, please email me which animal you are stitching and I'll remind you of the deadline for the Auction and where to send your animal as well.
Here are the original dates of the six Needlepointers where you can find the instructions if you have the back issues:
Medieval Cat - October/November 1996
Renaissance Rat - December 1996-January 1997
Tudor Dog - February/March 1997
Baroque Fish - May 1997
Georgian Rabbit - July 1997
Victorian Parakeet - September 1997
Ask any questions you can think of by emailing me at chillyhollow athot mail dotcom or posting a question in Comments. If you just can't see yourself stitching one of the Pet Guardian Angels, never fear--ANG has many styles of canvases that need stitching. Look at the 2009 Auction List (link below) and see if anything catches your eye, then email the ANG Auction chair to make sure it's available."
I hope you enjoy this project!