STITCHES CLASSIFIED BY USE

Needlepoint stitches completely fill and obscure the mesh of the canvas with the applied color of thread, just as pigment fills the canvas of an oil painting. But a choice of stitches exists, geared to the purpose of the various elements of the design. There are outline stitches, filling stitches, shading stitches and stitches that add rich textural dimensions. Outline stitches, for example, are primarily useful for delineating areas that will be filled. Filling stitches work best if they move quickly, leapfroging like the mosaic stitch does over several perforations at a time. Shading and texture stitches are both used to create dimensional effects by rounding out the form.

THE CUSHIONED SCOTCH STITCH (see the example above - the background of the Christmas Pillow was stitched with THE CUSHIONED SCOTCH STITCH). This stitch gives dimensions to the design.

NEW CHRISTMAS STOCKING

CHRISTMAS STOCKING "HO-HO-HO"

It is Christmas stocking again:

It is snowing again.I took these pictures yesterday. It was a nice day, cold though. Reminds me the North of Russia where I lived for a long time. We actually had fun playing with the kids outside with the snow: cleaned the drive way, build figures from the snow. Today it is snowing again...

CHRISTMAS SLIPPERS # 3 HO-HO-HO

Today I finished stitching Christmas slippers "HO-HO-HO", third pair, with Santa in front and his beard stitched with French knots.

Christmas Stocking # 3

As you remember, I promised to stitch a project a day excluding Saturday and Sunday. It doesn't mean I didn't do anything. I made a dozen of fabric pillows 1:12 scale and will post a picture soon.
This day is almost over. I finished today another Christmas stocking. Looks a little bit different, true? Santa's beard was stitched with French Knots.

THE WINNER OF THE CONTEST IS ...

Really? Nobody wanted to be a designer? I was surprised! All right, here we go:
the Winner of the contest "BE YOUR OWN DESIGNER..." is CATERINA!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS! I will start working on your Christmas stocking!

CONTEST "BE YOUR OWN DESIGNER!"

Here is a template of a Christmas stocking for stitching on 49 count silk gauze. Print it out and draw the design you want to see on your stocking. Sometimes when we shop for something we can't find exactly what we need: we don't like the design or colors, or would add this, this and that... Here is an opportunity for you to make the OAK customized Christmas stocking picking up you favorite colors. Think about Christmas balls, tree, candies, toys, Teddy Bear, date, words, names, etc... If you want your stocking to look in the different direction just turn it around.

Those who would like to participate, please, e-mail me your draftings (IN COLORS!). My e-mail is SCARLETSAILS@LIFE.COM. You have 1 day to decide if you want to participate or not, and only 1 day to design your Christmas stocking. This contest will be over at 12.00 p.m. on the 9th of January. This coming Monday I will announce a winner.

I will pick up the winner randomly, I will stitch this design using my own fabric and threads, put together the stocking and when it is done I will send that Christmas stocking to the winner. Do you like this idea? You will be proud to have OAK Christmas stocking designed by yourself.

CONTEST "BE YOUR OWN DESIGNER"

I've got a lot of messages in my e-mail box with a question how I design, how the ideas come up. I like to draw and make patterns using my computer cross stitch program. It is fast, it gives you variety of colors and different kinds of stitches. It comes when I am patterning a big and complicated design. When I am doing something small like pillows, Christmas stockings, I usually grab a pen and a piece of grid paper and just do drafting in black and white. Sometimes I am doing it with color pencils but most of the time my almost 5 -year old princess takes all of them from me and I am chasing her around the house. I "color" a picture in my head while stitching. That's why sometimes it happens that I am not satisfied with the result. Here you can see some examples of the Christmas stocking I made last night preparing for the next week to stitch (2 at the bottom have been stitched already).

Designing a project - it is really a fun. You need to try sometimes. Thinking about it I came up with a great idea - to open a new contest for you. I hope you will support me in it. Watch for a new post!

CHRISTMAS SLIPPERS

These slippers look much much better, agree? They were stitched on 49 count silk gauze. Can't wait to put them together. It will happen only at the end of February. Hmmm, how many of them will be finished at that time? Everything is planned and scheduled. A day without a stitching is a wasted day - my motto of 2011.

PROJECTS I AM WORKING ON...

This Beach Cottage was made from a scratch I made, woodwork was done by my husband, I put it together and try to finish it. It is our first dollhouse we built together and that's why it is very dare to me. The Cottage is not completed yet and I put some furniture inside just to get some other ideas.







I really don't like this house but will finish it.






This is a Witch Hut. This project tha I call "Youth Fountain" is not a Halloween project, but it will be a lot of magic, blood, dead bodies, graves and life... There is a whole story behind it. I will tell you later, be patient...




I bought this broken vintage Victorian dollhouse at the thrift store, cleaned it, threw away all windows and doors and plan to restore it. It requires a lot of work. I would say it is easy to build a new one than to restore an old.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas is a wonderful time, when the heart is filled with the expectation of a miracle ... And the miracle happens! ..

"Christ is born, the glory!", - sweeps over the universe, - "Christ in heaven, welcome!" - The whole world celebrates the glory of the Creator. Angelic forces and the human race - together glorify Him whose love has no boundaries.

Each of us is trying to spend the day not like any other: give kindness and love to a friend, get better, and most importantly - closer to God.

The period from Christmas to Epiphany is called holy days, or Christmas Eve.

Christmas time in Russia (the 6th -7th of January) clearly and solemnly celebrated: all people congratulate each other, praising Christ, spent time in the affairs of Charities. Everyone understands that Lord became closer to him ...

The birth of Christ happened a long time ago, more than 2000 years ago, and the Church again and again sings: "Christ is born!". And the soul of each of us becomes a cave of mysteries, and the heart - nursery, where the baby is born - Christ!