Happy New Year

First off, Happy New Year! 

A big tradition of the new year is to create a resolution or two.  I'd rather like to think of these resolutions as goals.  Something to work towards, regardless of the ups and downs.  This year, I have more than my share of goals.  The first is to complete half of my WIPs (work in progress).  Here is what I have going at the moment.

Melissa Shirley Christmas Stocking / Stitch Guide by Terry Christopher

My biggest must do is to finish my daughter's stocking.  I've made a little more progress since this photo was taken, and now I need to focus on getting this canvas done.

Kelly Clark's Joseph / Stitch Guide by Amy Bunger

Next on my list of must finishes is Joseph.  Once he is done, I'll have the Holy Family completed and then can start on the wise men (in other words create more WIPs).

Melissa Shirley Bunny / Stitch Guide by Terry Christopher

Remember this canvas?  When I became stuck on the ribbon flowers, I set it aside.  I think it's about time that I finish this, and get it to the finisher before the Easter deadline.

Kelly Clark Mini Sock

This Kelly Clark mini sock has been my waiting room canvas.  It's small enough to tuck into a bag and get a few stitches in while waiting for an appointment.  I think it has all of an hour of stitching left.

Melissa Shirley's Blue Bird Cage / Stitch Guide by Laura Taylor

I love this Melissa Shirley canvas.  It is so pretty and has been a joy to stitch.  I still have tons of work, but it's high on my list for a 2015 finish.

Melissa Shirley's Noel / Stitch Guide by Beverly Churchfield

I debated as to whether or not I should commit to finishing this Noel canvas this year, but I think I can do it.  It's on 13 mesh, so it should stitch up fast.

Anniversary X-Stitch Pattern by Stoney Creek

This is the last of my must finishes for 2015.  I started making this in September of 2013.  Then with the move to Los Angeles and other unforeseen problems, I had to set it aside.  I've already shown it to my parents, and they have set aside a place in their home to hang it.  I should have this completed by the end of January.

The following canvases are other WIPs that I hope to work on, but know that there is a slim to none chance of finishing by this time next year.

Ashley Dillon's Christmas Parade / Stitch Guide by Terry Christopher

Melissa Shirley's Circus Horse / Partial Stitch Guide by Beverly Churchfield

Brenda Stofft Nativity / Stitch Guide by Colleen Church

Genny Morrow's Falling Leaves

Melissa Shirley's Fall Acorn / Stitch guide by Paula Fehleison

Besides completing lots of stitching, my other goal for 2015 is to work on my blogging.  I know I've been a miserable blogger this year.  The reason is quite simple: I haven't been stitching.   Nothing stitched means nothing posted. 

The reason for my lack of stitching has been my back.  Now I know there are millions of people with back pain who function just fine.  They take an Aleve if their back acts up, and they get on with their day. That's how I was for over 20 years.  Then about four years ago, I went from occasional pain to not being able to walk in a week's time.  It took me two years to get back to a functional level.  Although I couldn't work any longer, I still was able to spend time with my family and of course stitch.

Then we had the move to Los Angeles.  Although I was extra careful, my back problems grew worse.  I couldn't sit for more than 30 minutes without being in a considerable amount of pain.  Of course there are medications to help with this, but they have their side effects.  For me, they made me really loopy.  It was difficult to concentrate, read, and I couldn't drive.  So I finally decided to have one last surgery (hopefully) to fuse some of my vertebrae together in the hope that I could return to a somewhat normal life.

I'm now six weeks post surgery and optimistic that my health will improve.  It's still difficult to sit, but I'm making progress.  I've been trying to stitch, even if it means just putting in one thread.  Hopefully my life will return back to normal and I'll have lots of stitching to share with you.  In the mean time, please be patient with me and know that I haven't given up on this blog.

So enough with all this personal sappy stuff.

I wish you all a 2015 filled with joy and hopefully lots of stitching!

Taking Classes with Laura Taylor

Living in Southern California definitely has it's advantages.  Lots of sunshine, beautiful beaches and some really great needlepoint shops.  Lately, I've been hanging out at Aristeia Needlepoint in Santa Monica. Aristeia is home to some of the most talented teachers:  Laura Taylor, Beverly Churchfield, and Susan Portra.  Today, I would like to share a project that I've been working on with Laura.

Blue Bird Cage by Melissa Shirley

This canvas is called Blue Bird Cage and is by Melissa Shirley.  On my first visit to Aristeia, I saw Laura working on it.  I loved all the ribbon work and the beautiful stitches that she choose.

So far I've made progress on this little leaf and have begun stitching the bird.  I would have never chosen an eyelet for the bird's body.  I would have chosen something predictably boring.  This is why I love taking classes; it opens your eyes to so many possibilities.

I love how this bar of the cage turned out. Just the right amount of texture and shine.

Here is my attempt at some ribbon flowers.  Now that I've had some practice, I'm going to rip these out and restitch them. I've used ribbon before and have always struggled with it.  But Laura gave me some tips that I think will make these flowers look great.  When I'm done with this flower, I'll have these to work on...

I bought extra ribbon, so that I can practise getting this stitch right without running out thread.

Another benefit of taking a class with Laura Taylor are her wonderful heirloom tomatoes!

Happy Stitching!

Retail Therapy in San Diego

I can't believe how quickly the last couple of weeks have flown by.  I've been a bit overwhelmed with some remodeling projects, a trip to San Diego for Comic-Con, and my daughter's college orientation.  Needless to say, I didn't get a lot of stitching done.  In fact I managed a whopping three hours.  No, that's not three hours a day.  That's three hours since my last post.  It's times like this that I wish there was such a thing as the "Stitching Police" so they could enforce my commitment of stitching one hour per day.

Although I don't have any stitching to show you, I did partake in a little a lot of retail therapy.  I went to three needlepoint shops while I was in San Diego.  All of them were absolutely wonderful: friendly, knowledgeable staff, and great threads and canvases.  San Diego knows how to needlepoint!

The first store I went to was Needle Nook of La Jolla.  They are in a beautiful part of La Jolla just blocks from the beach.  The store is split in two.  One shop for threads and another for canvases (with a linen store in the middle).  I stopped by the canvas store first and was helped by Beverly and Susan who were just awesome.  Look at all the trouble they got me into...

Sew Much Fun

and

Ewe & Eye

and

Canvas was not labeled with the designer's name.  If you know, please comment.

and these great books...

Merry Needlepoint

Ohhhh, The Essentials of Ribbon Needlepoint

Beards That I Have Known

After shopping at Needle Nook's canvas store, I needed a break.  After all, that shopping was hard work.  I went across the street to The Cottage for lunch.  If you fallow Vicky De Angelis' blog, Mostly Needlepoint, then that name might sound familiar.  Vicky is always raving about The Cottage, so I had to try it out.  It did not disappoint.  After lunch, I was ready for Needle Nook part two: the fiber store.

Needle Nook of La Jolla

Doesn't it look wonderful!  I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but there are sliding doors on each of the long walls which double the amount of hanging space for fibers.  I thought that was a fabulous idea.  Everyone at the Needle Nook was really nice.  As you can probably see, I had a lot of fun shopping there.

The next day, I visited Needlepoint of la Jolla.  I have to admit that I used to think that Needlepoint of La Jolla and Needle Nook of La Jolla were the same store.  I'm glad I realized my error, otherwise I would have missed out on visiting such a great store and meeting owners Michelle and Bill. 

I had such a nice time chatting with Michelle.  She has such creative finishing ideas.  Look at this little pillow...

Needlepoint of La Jolla

The t-shirt opens at the top for a bone (which was still being finished) to be inserted.  Isn't that the cutest idea!  Michelle also has one of the best fabric selections I've ever seen at a needlepoint store.  She must have close to twenty fabric books filled with gorgeous silks, cottons, etc...

Michelle's partner, Bill, also provides a unique service to their customers.  He paints custom orders.  I know that might not sound that different, but he does all the painting in the store.  So if he is painting a custom for you, you can stop by the shop to see how it's progressing.  

Bill's work space

Needlepoint of La Jolla

Besides carrying a huge assortment of fibers and canvases, they also sell Elizabeth Bradley kits.  These can be hard to find in California, so it's nice to know where to buy them.

I only bought one canvas, because, well, I ran out of money.  I can assure you that I could have bought a whole lot more.  I love this little egg  This is sure to be a quick stitch = instant gratification!

Associated Talents 

My last stop was at The Needleworks in San Diego.  This stop was a little sad because after 40 years The Needleworks is closing.  They are, however, planning on creating an on-line store.  You could tell that this store was special by the number of ladies who were just hanging out and stitching/knitting.  It's a cozy shop that makes you feel like you are visiting a friend.  I'm sure they will be missed by their customers.  Although, most of their stock was sold, I did find this cute Melissa Shirley canvas.

Melissa Shirley / John Johannsen

There were a few other needlepoint stores in San Diego that I didn't get a chance to visit.  I guess I'm going to have to go back!  For now, I think I better get stitching.

Happy Stitching...

Miss Bunny

After visiting John Johannsen's studio, I was itching to stitch one of his canvases.  You should be proud of me.  Instead of starting a new canvas, I went through my WIP pile and found this little bunny.  

Terry Christopher, owner of 2 the Point, created the stitch guide.  I love Terry's guides. Everything is well explained and charted, so you don't have to reference any other books.  I had started stitching this canvas last year, and then stopped because I didn't like how my ribbon flowers were turning out.  This was the first time I had ever used ribbon, and had underestimated how difficult it can be to work with.  So now it's time to practice stitching up some flowers on the margin.

 This is a photo of the stitch guide.  Terry's bunny is adorable!

Terry stitched the flower on the left.  Mine is the one on the right.  See what I mean about needing to practice.

Same thing here.  Terry stitched the rose on the left and I did the rest.  I like one of them, but the two all the way on the right have got to go.

I do love the way the fur and collar turned out.

Now it's time to finish this WIP!

Happy Stitching...

John Johannsen

Last week, I went to the Legion of Honor to view their new exhibit: Impressionists on the Water.  It was a wonderful collection of paintings depicting water scenes along the Seine and the coast of France.  The picture to the left was one of my favorites: Boats Moored at Le Petit-Gennevilliers by Claude Monet.  Other works of art by Renoir, Pissaro, Caillebotte, and many more are featured in the Legion's galleries.  If you are interested in seeing this exhibit, here is a direct link to the Legion.  The exhibit ends in October of 2013.

After viewing all the wonderful paintings, I stopped by the museum's store and found a great book entitled The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe.  Some of you may have already heard about or read this book as it was published in 2006, but it was new to me.  I've always loved learning about the lives of artists, so this book is perfect.  I think it's fascinating to know the why, where and when behind works of art.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite modern day artists: John Johannsen. (If you are a fan of Melissa Shirley, then you have seen John Johannsen's work.  A few years back, Melissa began producing John's painting on needlepoint canvas.  Here is a link to John's needlepoint designs.) As you might have guessed, I was very excited to meet John and see where he created his work.

John's studio is nestled in the California foothills in a very unassuming warehouse type building.  The kind of building you could drive by hundreds of times and not think anything about it.  But once you step through the door, it's as if you stepped into another world.

Notice the picture above the bookcase...

I loved this dinning room table and chandelier.  The painting resting on the chair is so pretty.  

Here is a closer look at that painting.  I think it would look perfect in my breakfast nook.  It's the perfect view to enjoy my morning cup of tea.

The painting of the girl was one of my favorites.  

John's painting are inspired by the art work of Mexico

and Provence

with a little Lake Tahoe tossed into the mix.

Wouldn't this bear be fabulous to stitch!  (Hint, hint, Melissa.)

There was so much to see and take in.

Another fabulous painting.  Notice the painted luggage under the table.  I thought that was a great idea.

I have an old chair in my garage.  I'm thinking it would look great if I painted it like this.  Of course mine would never look this good!

Another whimsical chair.

These two monkeys are available through Melissa Shirley for your stitching pleasure.

This one is for all you cat lovers out there.

Hope you have enjoyed this glimpse of John Johannsen's studio.  I have a few more pictures to post, but they will have to wait until next time.  

Happy Stitching!