Oriental Transfers

I found a wonderful book while thrifting the other day, I love it! It's so rare to find a craft in the oriental flare besides a kimono. It's a soft cover book with 24 iron on transfers. The above motif would be used for a prince robe. A lot of work involved in that dragon.

The peonies would be a detail on a Japanese Buddhist priest robe or a Kesa. I love a Japanese garden watercolor or embroidery, the flowers are so vivid and simple at the same time.

These three transfers would be found on a black kimono, probably a wedding garment. Most all the children were painted on in greens, yellows and others with muted color (the flowers).

The book takes all the scenery from the museum of textiles and explains the periods in a brief content.

It states the children would be appropriate in the long and short stitch since that is much like paint.

C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

redwork, Ann and Andy

It might be alittle cheesy to do a Raggedy Ann Wednesday on my give-a-way gift, but I don't think Debbie will mind. My only regret is I did not get too many progression pictures, you can see how differently it looks being a single panel. This was fun to do, because so much of it evolved into a cute scene, it went quickly and as always, it was a challenge to figure jumps to separate paths of red work, or just the dots on Ann's dress.

I stitched the border by hand because it was easier to "ease" a straight line. Ease; That of which one line/curve, is worked into a larger line/curve. Pretty wild I can put my own definition to something and hope everyone understands it. Think of ease as a sleeve cap fitting into a small curve.

I really enjoyed this give-a-way and I'm thinking of another for my 500th post.

About 65 posts away. (not long, two months) C&G Design

Negotiating with Needlepoint

I think my title is quite appropriate since I really did not need more needlepoint kits and I will be letting Madame do a few. Which few though, I have only my bell pull left from the existing needlepoint and these may not be easy for her. The above photo is luggage straps, isn't that a cool kit?

This one is cute too, it says;

Upon this sampler

you may see

my name,

birth date,

my friends an me.

This one can be read and it falls in the same cuteness category, but they both are small counted cross stitch and not a good choice for Madame.

Ah ha! We have a winner, maybe. It's a good choice because it's one stitch and it's a small project so the reward will be quick. Loop stitch which is a tight loop with a loose loop. Trim apart loose loops when completed.

Then again, candlewicking is fun, the thing about this one is the white on white, that's the candlewicking. The white is cotton thread that doesn't twist and here you see french knots, hummmm...

Another small counted cross stitch. Not a good one.

This is the only kit that came without the yarn, I have plenty though. Maybe. It's large and forgiving in it yarn stitches. Whew, I'm glad I have the photo of it.

And wha-la! This is why I paid $2.99 for the whole sch bang!

It's roses too. C&G Design

Piano Lessons

I absolutely adore this needlepoint, I saw it sitting on the floor leaning against the wall and decided with out haste, I needed it. It's beautiful, the picture really doesn't capture the dimension portrayed by using the long and short stitch. The flowers are the satin stitch and the oval, the window panes, the vase, it the outline stitch. Outline is a running stitch with a topical twist from one stitch to another, a quick very defined stitch, used often.


But check out the lace curtains and her zig-zag trim on her dress, it's the back stitch (going in the fabric, coming out a stitch away, going back through the same starting point, coming out a stitch away, move down to the next point). Very tedious but in the right application, it is beautiful.
This needle point is professionaly mounted with the name of the needlepoint inked on the backing, piano lessons. I'm going to leave it like that and hang it next to the piano so Madame can have a continuing reminder to practice.
Think it will work? C & G Design.

Clothscapes-Field of Daisies

It's been a couple weeks, maybe a month, since I've talked about my clothscape. I have to take a break from the bellpull, I still will get back to it but in the meantime I wanted to show you another stray that will be added to the project.





This is being packed up and placed in my SUV for those times I'm waiting for kids to be done from their activities.

It will be so nice to not be bored. C & G Design.

Old Fashioned Free Pattern

This is a old pattern that dates back a few ages. I thought it would be nice to pass along my ideas and thoughts on "Wheat"





I made a sampler for a friend of mine, she wanted a poem inscribed in thread. This was to be gift given at her sister in laws wedding. My first and only thought was wheat. Wheat symbolizes prosperity. My friend was tickled to see these circled wheat in all four corners of the sampler. I bordered the piece with a rose colored flowered pattern and then a rose color, all with cotton fabric.
At the time....this pillow was the source of my inspiration, I purchased it in a box lot at a antique auction. I had needed to restitch it on another piece of muslin, time had deteriorated it. It came out nice and is one of my favorites.
It also was a quick needlepoint. C & G Design.

Two More Quilts!

Urggh! Sooner or later I'll have all my crafts in one spot, like a craft room!!!!
I digress,....or,...when I find a project (unfinished, of course), it will have the required tools with it. No such luck. Two more quilts, minus what I need to have with it.




I purchased the basket pieces at a auction.
They sat in a shirt box until I decided what exactly it was.
This is a version on Grandmother's Basket.....but my version.
It's hard to see in the picture, but the finished looking basket in the foreground is pieced. The basket is a big triangle with two smaller triangles on each side. The muslin is 4 pieces, two for the side of the basket, 1 strip below and one square for the top.

You can see the baskets, with the complimentary colors, that are left to piece!

My intention is to applique the handle, and several flowers around it using gathered rick-rack, yo-yo puffs, and embroidery. I've yet to locate them!

Stitching the pieces together is quite easy. (I'll be making new templates for the colored fabric yet to be cut)!

I've got a good eye on my sewing machine, iron, and sleeve board...now where's the thread? Just kidding. This is a beautiful quilt.

I picked these up at a yard sale, I can't remember what I paid for them but it wasn't much.

See the instructions at the top of the picture? Notice the large "R" in the pink palette? This is Artex, paint in a tube. I've misplaced mine......not Artex but paint in a tube.....This quilt is just for fun.

Both are airing out on my deck, storage wreaks havoc. C&G Design.

Clothscapes-part 8, Add-ons

I said....my project is getting bigger. I'm thinking the only solution to it is to stay away from second hand shops and flea markets. NOT!

This cute little trio of owls is made from french knots, the outline stitch, and a little satin stitch in the tops of the heads. All my favorite and seemingly always used.
This scene is another church and it is lovely. It is all cross stitched, but it has a twist I've not seen before. The fabric has color enhancement for like,....the sky, the brown trees, and the tree trunks to the right. So pretty and a great addition.

I'm going to have to find a project for all the frames I'm getting. C&G Design.

Clothscapes part6-Orange house+Small surprises

I will change my mind a ga-zillion times about a project before it's done. Then I still don't know what comes out until I get that completed feeling that calls to me to...stop. I'm so happy I finished this little dam house (pun intended). It wasn't to bad to do it just appeared it would go quick, guess there is no such thing as quickly with a needle point project.

Anyway...few more stitches to review, they can be seen closer when you enlarge the top photo.

The tree trunk is made with a chain stitch used as a fill in, very creative.

The pink outline of the porch is the brick stitch, it is what it says. A staggered stitch of the same size, placed one above another, like bricks.

I'm not too sure about the stitch used in the tree foliage, I suspect it's a filler designed to create texture.

The water is what's called long and short stitch, similar to the brick stitch except it's a random pattern of long and short. It's meant to give the object gradual dimension.

All the other stitches in this landscape picture is either the satin, seed, or french knots. One interesting note about the way the house is stitched. I'd mentioned in the flower basket about the basket weave being done in a small satin stitch, it truly is....and it's in the house. BUT, but it is called Roumania stitch. With a name like that you'd think it came from Romania, no, it falls under Oriental Laid work from China. It's a stitch used to give shading as you can see well in the roof of my house. It's loosely based on the satin stitch and it is said the New England women preferred this stitch to the long and short because you wasted nothing on the back of your work. Every stitch begins a thread over!

On to small surprises....guess I was a bit bored with this house (shocks me so!).

I picked up First Prize at the County Fair. Each one was done in a day.

Strawberries in the satin stitch.....

Peaches in the long and short stitch.......

Raspberries in french knots.......

I'm thinking I'll frame each one in fabric before stitching together. C&G Design.

Clothscapes-part 5, Cornucopia, Butterfly

I purchased this beautiful cornucopia at a second hand shop, it was in a frame complete with glass and has hung on my wall for several years. It is cross stitch on linen.

Counted cross stitch is different from cross stitch but the same. Counted is done on a canvas or aida with marked areas for your stitches and so many counted stitches for your project. Cross stitch is the same without the holes and the counting, it lends to more flexibility. It's recommended to do counted as a beginner in order to be able to get the feel for the size of the stitches. This is embroidery because it's with thread.

My butterfly is done, there is a faint sense the original picture was oval. Much of the matching yarn had frayed or split over time, I think exposure will help it blend together. This lovely is a example of needlepoint, it's the seed stitch in rows. The picture itself is worked by starting from the center, out. I don't recommend the base material for a budding needle artist. It's interlocking canvas, meaning it's double the thread both up....and across.....
Very difficult to work with. C&G Design.

Clothscapes-part 4, flower basket stitches

Guess I'm needing to give myself alittle nudge on the somewhat lengthy clothscapes project, although 3 out of the seven needle points are done, and 2 out of the seven need only minor finishing, it's seeming to take longer than expected.

I thought I'd introduce some of the stitches in the pictures, most are pretty basic and not that difficult to do. In the above picture, you see the turkey stitch in the cattails, the pinkish flower, and along with the orange flower. The turkey stitch is a loop stitch, it can be of various sizes, it is simply held above the canvas until the 2nd stitch is done. The second stitch anchors the first, the third anchors the second, etc. Interesting that one cattail is cut loops and the other isn't.
The pale yellow flowers that appear to be x, is the Leviathan stitch, it starts as a x, adding the + over the x. It creates a star like stitch.

More turkey stitches, but the salmon colored stalk flowers are french knots, so easy to do but looks complex. Coming up the material with the thread, turn needle point down towards the fabric, grasp the tread close to fabric, wrap the needle starting with the close end of the thread, stitch back down the fabric by the enter point. If done right the thread is pulled through the twists creating a knot. You can twist as much as you want.

The brown branches are the outline stitch. It starts with the running stitch, you return to the start with fresh thread and weave in the running stitch, going under the sash and then over to go under the next sash.

The other variation of the brown branches is done in the chain stitch. Come up with thread and go back down through fabric, skip up and return back up through the fabric (create a sash on the back). Before you tighten the loop from the first stitch, make sure the returning needle is inside the loop, it makes a circle chain held by the next chain, so on and so forth....

The woven basket is the satin stitch. The satin is used as a filling stitch, basically up the fabric, down the fabric from the lines of the pattern, notice in the stems on the table, the satin stitch widens and narrows. The satin stitch is used in limits, it can't fill in large areas. The dark brown color of the basket is the seed stitch, or half a cross stitch.

These are only a few. C&G Design.

Clothscapes-part 3, wool

I'm working ever so diligently on the clothscapes, I'm changing my mind about how to do this sampler, I can only think it might be better to stitch every picture aside of each one and forget the stripping in between. Just a thought......

I wanted to say something about the yarn that is used in making these beautiful pictures. It wasn't until I took a design course that I discovered the difference in the wool that is used in crewel, needlepoint and even knitting. I acquired a list of manufacturing companies that supplied free material on how their product was labeled, used and made. Today, I'm going to talk about the labeling, I found it very interesting and I never knew.

Virgin wool-It's the wool fresh of the processing, thus the virgin!

Pure Laine wool-yarn that has been used once, like in a blanket. The first work is taken apart, the yarn in wrapped on stretchers and soaked in water (maybe some glycerin). Once the wool dries it's packaged for sales.

Shoddy wool-Wool that is what it sounds like, it's been used more than once.

I've made and purchased alot of sweaters in Laine wool, I thought this was high quality, obviously it's Virgin that is the better product. Prices go accordingly.

Now you know. C & G Design.

Deco Darlings

I needle pointed these ladies eons ago. It's a perfect project that uses many extras. My inspiration for these art deco are the frames.

I saw these kits in a sales magazine for needle pointing, the name escapes me now. Anyhow, I reproduced my rendition on a small piece of needlepoint material and with whatever thread I had. Most visitors to my house like the first picture.

I don't really have a taste for art deco but I must admit, there is something to it. I can not see myself with sleek pipes for furnishings and or....anymore abstract pictures on the wall. I'll stick with these.

They are small. C & G Design.