More Artists, Patterns, Suggestions, and Finished Projects: Very Late Summer Q & A

USPS commemorative stamp for Georgia O'Keeffe

I really like the idea of featuring women artists and telling us how to find their work. I never have thought that the women get the recognition they deserve. When are you going to introduce us to another one?

Right now! And you will ‘meet’ two more contemporary women painters in All About Color, Part II in a couple of weeks.  I agree with you that women have been neglected in the past — even ones who were famous in their own times. I have two huge books on art history and it is like pulling teeth to get good information about the women artists of past periods. But times are changing!

This post's contemporary artist is Australian. Her name is Katie Wyatt (www.katiewyatt.com) and her focus is on form. She paints landscapes and seascapes in oil paints, using both brushes and palette knives, creating rugged land forms from memory. She shows sharp layers of rock formations and coastlines against a simple background of sky, using rich, imaginative, and vivid colors. Dark lines of shadow indicate the depth of, and distance between, the geologic features. Vegetation is more suggested than portrayed. People or animals are not usually featured. Her paintings are large, complex, and evocative.

After viewing one particular painting, my fingers fairly itched to start composing a scene from one of our Western national parks, like Bryce Canyon or Grand Canyon, using ribbons, strips of colorful fabrics, and trimmings, accented with surface stitching! I have already started collecting materials, but I have a long way to go to find everything I need. I will show you the finished project in a future post.

Dead Horse Point, Utah   (public domain photo)

Why don't you show us some of the artist's work?

If you are interested in an artist, you should want to know more about her — or him. I have listed a Web address for the each of the artists I have mentioned so far and I will continue to do so. Or you can simply enter the artist's name in your search engine and you will find a lot of interesting material, including pictures of the artist's work. Most of them are featured by several galleries or participate in numerous shows. Of course, artists like Georgia O'Keeffe (see the commemorative stamp at the top of this article)  passed away before they had a chance to have a Web site. Nevertheless, you can find a lot about them by entering their names. I am just the scout, folks. You need to be the explorers on your own.

Soccer players color mock-up

While we are on the subject of featured artists, do you remember how I was inspired by Tilly Willis's print style to do something similar with women soccer players? I showed a very preliminary black-and-white sketch of two players with a ball. J.D. applied some of his computer magic to get something closer to what I envisioned. You can see the result above. It's still not quite there, so next I'll cut stylized figures from colored paper and move them around the background until I get a mock-up of the athletes' figures in a composition that I like. Then I can trace each of the paper sections onto needlepoint canvas for stitching in tent stitches, along with some proposed top-stitching. I will show the finished needlepoint in a follow-up post so you can see how the project "evolved".

Did you ever finish your version of the new 8-way bargello?

Finished 8-way needlepoint by Annake

Yes, but there were some changes in the final project. I'm very frugal, so I was determined to use a piece of leftover canvas, rather than cutting up a larger piece. The best piece I could find was not wide enough to accommodate squares that were 4 stitches over 3 threads or bars. It would accommodate squares with 3 stitches over 2 threads or bars. So that is what I used. The "squares" are more like little rectangular bars than the squares on the pattern, and that has caused some minor differences in the final outline of the design. Technically, I have a Gobelin stitch 8-way rather than an official bargello 8-way. Once I had established the center of the design, I began to rotate the canvas 90 degrees between sections, which also dictated tiny differences. I do not follow my designs slavishly. If one technique is not working well, I will modify it or exchange it for another technique. If I feel that a color should be darker, lighter, or altogether different, I go with my instincts. I used the dark turquoise yarn that appears around the center of the design to tent stitch the narrow background. This makes the design stand out a bit more than continuing with the pattern stitches would have done. I will not put it under glass because I want viewers to enjoy the tactile experience of touching the actual stitches. I like it and I hope you do, too.

A long time ago you were working on a cut-paper pattern of squirrels and oak leaves. Did you ever finish it? One of my kids is having an all boy birthday party in early October. I thought I might use that design for some of the decorations. He doesn't want anything "girly" and he doesn't want Halloween decorations We're renting a movie for most of the entertainment, but any other ideas for decorations or activities would be welcome. Thanks.

I did finish the design — a long time ago. I thought we had published it on a follow-up post, but J.D. can't find it in his archives. I found it in my files, so here it is, along with a full-sized outline of the squirrels that you can download.

Squirrels and oak leaves paper design

Downloadable squirrels outline

It would be easy to use the squirrels as corners for placemats and paper napkin rings or as decorations on party favors. Colorful artificial autumn leaves and acorns are decorations that could be used again for Thanksgiving and saved for future autumn occasions. You might make a large squirrel on posterboard and cut out a squirrel tail for each boy so they can play "Pin the Tail on the Squirrel". An old-fashioned game from my childhood featured apples, hung on sturdy strings, that we were supposed eat bites of without using our hands. The one who ate the most of his or her apple in a specific time won a prize.  J.D. says you must have lots of candy corn and sugar pumpkins!

"Are You Nuts?",  photo by J.J.

Dear Readers,

This is really the beginning of "Crazy Season" for Annake's Garden. Not only do we have harvesting and preparation for what we are being told will be a very cold and snowy winter, but this month begins a series of art and craft shows that runs until mid-December. My grandmother had an appropriate expression: "as busy as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs". That will describe us for the next few months! So I am apologizing in advance for the fact that we will not be publishing quite as many articles as usual between now and the first of next year. We have two rather than our usual three planned for this month. We will continue the series on Color, along with "how-to' articles, teachable moments, and additional Q & A's.  Please bear with us.

On the road to autumn...

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Earth Day 2019: An Open Letter from Annake, J.D., & J.J.

Dear Readers,

Welcome to Earth Day, 2019.

Annake:  In 1967 I was teaching science in a secondary school not far from Washington, D.C. I was privileged to work on a committee that developed a mandate to include the Earth Sciences — Astronomy, Geology, Meteorology and Oceanography — in science education for grade levels K through 12 all across the United States.  We also developed standards for the most important topics to be taught at the various levels. We did a massive amount of research for this project. Much of what we learned, particularly in meteorology and oceanography, we found very distressing. We agreed that much more attention needed to be paid to climate change, air pollution, water pollution, ocean pollution and vanishing species. Our program was approved. Many publishers vied to make good textbooks for the program. I still have a couple of those "first edition" textbooks.

We put the program to work the following year. Quite a number of our students were interested in the issues we raised and went on to take follow-up courses in college. A few even chose one of those fields for his or her profession. Unfortunately, not enough people listened to us or to the scientists whose work we respected and described. That was more than half a century ago. These are not new issues.

... and Oceanography

Now hardly a day passes that we don't see pictures of some large-scale disaster or hear cautions about new ones yet to come — some of them in the very near future. We assumed that the Earth had such riches that we could exploit them forever. We thought that the oceans were so huge and so deep that nothing that we did to them would make any difference. We imagined that huge numbers of species of plants and animals could go extinct and it wouldn't matter to us.  Well, we were wrong!

Kaibab Squirrel

I don't have grandchildren. If I did, I would be worried that their children would not know the beautiful creatures of the Rocky Mountain West (much less those of the rest of the world) except from the pictures that I, their great-grandmother had drawn for them. They might never know the joy of watching a young eagle swoop and dive, riding the thermals just for fun. Or see a native trout swim up through clear water to snatch a fly from the surface. Or see a family of mountain goats dash nimbly down a steep rock face. Or see Kaibab squirrels frisking along the rim of Grand Canyon.

I cannot fight on all the ecological fronts, but I have chosen to use my art, my writing, and my voice to support efforts to protect, preserve, and propagate the wonderful creatures we still have around us.  That is my Earth Day promise.

ANNAKE

Rocky Mountain Bighorn, needlepoint by Annake

J.D.:  In the early 1970’s, I spent a year taking classes on one of the University of Colorado campuses. Two courses stand out in my memory: Environmental Economics and Biogeochemical Cycles. In the first, we ran cost-benefit analyses on the pluses and minuses of various environmental policies. In the latter class we examined the interaction between all of those systems and cycles we were exposed to in high school science classes – like the Krebs cycle, or the eleven-year cycle of sunspot activity.

A half-century after completing those classes, two conclusions have stuck with me: first, when you stack simple systems one on top of the other, and then hook them together, things get very complicated and hard to predict. Second, when it comes to building, maintaining, and modifying complex systems that are robust, redundant, and efficient, Nature does an infinitely better job than humans.

So, when it came time to make an appeal to preserve and conserve the ecology of this planet and the multitude of endangered species we share it with, I decided I would simply speak to your self-interest.

Wood Frog

Amphibians — frogs, toads, and salamanders — as an order are under massive threat of extinction. Species after species are suffering huge population losses, and we don’t understand why in a lot of cases. Why should we care about a bunch of small, slimy, cold-blooded creatures? They aren’t a potential food source, they aren’t cute and cuddly, most of them aren’t even pretty. Why should we spend our limited resources on trying to save them when other things demand our immediate attention?

Many amphibians can regrow lost limbs and we don’t know yet how they do it. Researchers are racing to learn all they can before their study subjects disappear. Many species of amphibians estivate: they survive in a state of “suspended animation” through extended periods of extreme climate conditions with minimal signs of life, then miraculously emerge when conditions improve. You don’t have to stretch your imagination very far to see the medical benefits to you, personally, of being able to regrow a lost or damaged limb or survive a crisis in suspended animation.

Endangered Buckwheat

Let's consider plants. There is an extremely threatened type of wild buckwheat in western Colorado that grows in alkaline clay, a notoriously tough soil to get anything to grow in. Buckwheat is a good food plant (just try some buckwheat pancakes, they’re delicious) and this particular variety of plant has been observed hosting over fifty different pollinator species, which local crops may depend on with the spread of honeybee diseases.

Hummingbird Moth, a pollinator native to Colorado

Endangered Milk Vetch

Also in our region of the state there are two highly endangered species of milk vetch, an unlovely name for a pretty ordinary-looking plant. Vetches are members of the pea family, so they fix nitrogen in the soil to keep it fertile. One of these species also concentrates selenium in its parts. Selenium is an important micro-nutrient that is essential for people in small doses, but harmful in higher concentrations — fish from many impoundments in Colorado are inedible due to selenium from agricultural runoff. Milk vetches are members of the genus Astralagus, the same sort of plants as what’s in the herbal supplement section in your grocery store. It's been used for centuries to treat a variety of human ills. Who knows what medical benefits we might miss out on if these plants are lost.

There you have my argument for supporting endangered species preservation: no blaming, no fuzzy New Age philosophy, no moral arguments; just cold, simple logic. Your ability to grow food, treat your ills and injuries, have safe water to drink, even air to breathe, could depend on plants and animals that are close to being gone forever. We need to save these organisms and every one that we can of thousands more because our very existence may depend on them.  We don’t know nearly enough to replace them or bring them back when they’re gone.

J.D.

J.J.:  Greetings to the readers of Cuttings from Annake’s Garden.  I'm J.J. I'm so pleased to make your acquaintance. I understand that you have "met" me through some of my photographs. Thank you for your positive comments about them. Positivity is very important to me. Like Annake and J.D., I am a blogger. Since this is Earth Day, it seems like the perfect time to tell you about my work and to explain why I do it.

Meerkat

After I became discouraged with seeing all the negative posts on Facebook™, I made a commitment to share only Positive posts on my Timeline, letting it be known that my Timeline needed to be a place anyone could come to, from teen to great grandparents; knowing they would not have to see negativity, but instead be uplifted by Positive shares. That was when I created Facebook™ Critter Friends (FBCF).  ("Critter" is simply a term of endearment encompassing all animals, including our pets.) It did not start off with a bang, as it was not your typical project. It was NOT a charity, nor a fundraiser, you were NOT expected to go out and adopt a pet. In fact, you needn't even have a pet, as this was about the love of critters and the fact that anyone could participate. It confused people as they thought there must be a catch. However, the only stipulation to participate in FBCF was (and is) to change your profile picture to that of a pet or critter for one day.

Cheetah cubs

The FB Critter Friends Albums belong to everyone who has participated, by having a critter as their profile picture. Some critters are wild and funny, some are sentimental, perhaps a share of a beloved pet who has passed over the Rainbow Bridge. I've invited artists and photographers, thinking what a positive way to showcase their work. The result is not only the Critter albums, it is much, much more! We have an awesome group of loving, caring people, who may not use the same spoken language, yet understand the universal language of respect and love of our Critter Friends. If you are a positive person, who promises to share with no negativity towards animals, you are a perfect FB Critter Friend.

"Are You Nuts?", photo by J.J.

I work on many albums daily. Humans and critters are similar in surprising and wonderful ways. We have a Rainbow Bridge album where we recognize our beloved pets who have gone on before us. We have albums which show kids and critters, different species who get along just fine, older humans and critters, a black and white album, as well as a colorful critter album. There are some informative albums, fantasy albums, oceanic critters, butterflies. My favorites are the ones that make people smile.

Endangered Lemur

I do see more Positive signs in the treatment of critters and the attitudes toward them. More people than ever are concerned about endangered species all over the world. There are more and more groups working to help those displaced by natural disasters and to find them Forever Homes. Scientists are really studying how critters do the amazing things they do and are even using what they have learned to make people's lives better. For example, look at all the dogs and others that have become service animals. People pledge more money for rescue and adoption efforts. Zoos are no longer just for entertainment, but now serve as educational institutions and places where endangered species are not only protected, but also able to grow their numbers so that someday they can, hopefully,  be returned to the wild.

The goal, of course, is to teach people to love and respect critters. There is so much to learn from them.  And new species are being discovered and identified all the time. My goal is to help educate so that generations from now, the critters we learn to love will no longer make lists for endangered or extinct species. I, for one, cannot imagine a world without critters.

 J.J.

Best Wishes to all of you, for a Happy Earth Day!

Picture Credits: All needlepoint, drawings, and other artwork are by Annake (photos by J.D.);  "Geology" photo by J.D.                                   Wood Frog courtesy of National Parks Service;  Buckwheat and Milk Vetch photos courtesy of USFWS 
 All other photos by J.J.

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It Works Both Ways

"Colorado Cougar", framed needlepoint

I'm frequently asked about the process I follow in creating my original designs. Actually, there is no single process. Sometimes I have a clear picture in my mind when I begin. (Sometimes the finished project actually looks like that mental picture!)  Sometimes a sketch generates a piece of needlework. Sometimes a piece of needlework generates a detailed drawing or painting.  J.D., who is looking over my shoulder as I write, says: "Well, that ought to confuse everyone. Why don't you show them what you are talking about? I'll download the pictures." Since he keeps photographic records of much of my work in progress, that is what we are going to try to do in this post.

Last Earth Day I told him that I wanted to do a series of works featuring endangered or threatened species, beginning with those in the western United States. I had done two Close Encounters pieces by that time — a black-footed ferret with the endangered Colorado blue butterfly and the grizzly bear with the bee on her nose. I had taken a somewhat whimsical approach to those. Now I wanted to do some more serious  "portraits", more like the black-maned lion that I did in honor of a rare lion and his son, both killed by trophy hunters. I began with a sketch of a wolf. This is not a particular wolf, but rather a composite of several wolves. I noticed in my research that wolves often seem to be smiling or laughing, and that's what the one I was working on wanted to do. (Many artists, if they are honest, will tell you that their work often seems to have a mind of its own; I've found it wise to let mine express themselves.) The result was "Alpha Wolf"'.

Original sketch for wolf needlepoint

I began with the sketch you see here. I had already decided to do the "portrait" in French longstitch on a background of tent stitch, so I made a secondary sketch with areas of the longstitch blocked out. I then traced that simpler sketch onto my canvas, keeping the more detailed one for reference.

Blocking diagram for wolf needlepoint

As I stitched the design, the subject continued to express his personality. I always do the eyes of a subject last. Whether I'm doing people or animals, I don't feel that i really know them until we are eye-to-eye. I decided he must be the leader of the pack, proud of his authority and the fact that he would be the father of all the future wolf pups — and happily unaware that he was only alpha male because the alpha female had chosen him.  Here he is.

"Alpha Wolf", framed needlepoint

Print of enhanced wolf sketch

As you are probably aware if you read these posts regularly, we have done a number of art and craft shows the past few months. Each one is different. Sometimes J.D. and I spend most of the time discussing his photographs and my needlework with visitors. At other times there are quiet periods when nothing much seems to be happening. Then J.D.  usually goes off with his camera, taking pictures of anything that interests him. I’ve learned to take a sketchbook along. If the lighting permits, which it does not always do, I work on a sketch or two.  At one show I was paging through my sketchbook and came across the early wolf sketch. I had several shades of drawing pencils and charcoal pencils with me, so I decided to do a detailed finished picture from the sketch, knowing J.D. had already photographed the original sketch for future reference. This time my subject had a more serious expression, as you can see in the print which J.D. has made from my sketchbook page.

I had innocently opened a Pandora's box.  J.D. wanted to go through my old sketchbooks and look for other sketches that would be suitable for prints as they were, or with considerable extra work on my part. We showed a few of the prints at a recent event. They were favorably received and the wolf print sold, so I think I have my winter's work already laid out for me. I am getting rid of a lot of paper, which is a good thing, but nothing goes into the wastebasket until J.D. says it goes!

Of the wildlife "portraits" I have completed in the new series of needlepoints, my favorite is the cougar at the top of this post.  I have a great friend of my age group (yes, there are still some of us around and working!) who was doing a painting of a Florida panther — also a cougar — at the same time that I was stitching my Colorado cougar. Neither of us was aware of the other’s project. Hers was done from a clipping she had kept for many years about a female panther which was protected for many years in Florida and became quite a celebrity. I told my friend that hers was a "glamour girl", while mine was a hard-working single mother with mouths to feed.

The cat with Mona Lisa eyes

J. D. discovered when he photographed the finished needlepoint that the cougar's eyes seemed to follow him wherever he went. I had not noticed the effect because I was working so close to her on the canvas. I recalled walking the long gallery in the Louvre, where the Mona Lisa hangs at the center, in both directions and seeing the picture's eyes always following me. So we refer to my cougar as having Mona Lisa eyes. That fascinates viewers, especially children, when we show her.  They walk back and forth to see that it is really true.

After the shows ended, I returned to sketches I made of grizzlies' heads when I was working on "What Kind of Sunflower Are You?" I've made a detailed rendering of a grizzly as a companion piece for the wolf and others. J.D. wants me to let you know that he will have a number of the prints for sale in our Etsy shop (see the sidebar on this post)  early in 2019 for those of you who are interested.

Print of grizzly bear drawing (Artist's proof)

Let's do what we can to preserve our native wildlife wherever we are.

"The Tiger Vanishes", original pencil/pen & ink drawing

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Going a Step Farther with Still Life

A Simple Still Life Composition

I'm happy to see that there is so much interest in translating still life from painting into needlework. It is evident that some of you are eager to learn how to set up your own still lifes and work from them. To help you with that, I'm going to turn the instruction over to our editor/photographer, J.D., to help you make and choose a pleasing still life arrangement.

 

[Gnome, grumbling] Okay, so here’s the story: Annake tells me, “I need you to take a series of shots for some points I’m trying to make on the next blog post about still life in needlework. Just find some interesting objects, make an attractive arrangement, and then shoot it from several angles. Here’s what I’ve written for the blog. Oh, and J.D. – keep it simple, please.”

Make an arrangement of 4 or 5 objects on a table or other flat surface. Move the objects into a grouping that pleases you. Try to use a variety of shapes –- some linear, some angular, some curved. Look at it from different angles: above, different sides, eye level, etc. If possible, take a few photographs from these angles with a camera or your cell phone. Here is a montage of photos J.D. took before choosing the one above. Notice how he has used light to emphasize reflections and shadows.

Montage of still life photos, taken from different viewpoints

[Gnome] First part of the assignment completed: I shot these four pieces of pottery of different sizes and shapes, all with matte finishes in a limited range of colors against a plain off-white background so that you can concentrate on the shapes, placement, and point of view without any extra distraction. However, since I was not sure what Annake had in mind for the final product here, I was a concerned about the distortion of the colors under the artificial lights. (Those of you who seldom photograph under artificial lights may be unaware of how much different light sources can affect the color of your photos, but when you live in a hole in the ground you get used to compensating.) So, I used a variety of portable lighting to try to true up the colors. The photo on the right below, taken under a fluorescent grow light plus flash is the most accurate color representation.

Still life composition (left), with adjusted lighting (right)

[Gnome] And, while I had all my portable lighting out, I decided to take some shots with unusual light directions, just in case Annake wanted to do something different with the composition before I cleared it away. Not exactly in keeping with Annake’s dictum to keep things simple, but I already had everything in place...

Composition photographed with various light placements

Then I trekked up to Annake to show her the results, and find out what the next step was. She said, “Turn it into something that can be put on canvas or fabric for a needlework project. Here’s what I’ve written for our readers: ”

Make a sketch of your favorite view. If drawing is difficult for you, have a print made, enlarged if necessary, of your favorite photograph. Outline the most important features in a dark, bold marker.

TIP: Take this opportunity to simplify your design. Don't try to include every detail. Remember you are going to have to “translate” these lines and shapes into some kind of needlework. What you leave out is just as important to your final picture as what you leave in.

[Gnome] I do a lot of different things here in the Garden, which call for a lot of different skills; however, drawing isn’t one of those – that I leave to the boss lady. Tracing – now, that I can handle. Here’s a trace of the photo at the top of this post, ready to be transferred to whatever sort of material you want by one of the methods Annake has shown over the course of this blog.

Tracing of still life composition photo

Need anything else, boss?

At this point, I like to look at my design through frames or mats of different shapes: horizontal rectangle, vertical rectangle, square, oval and round. (Embroidery hoops are helpful for the ovals and circular views.) This helps me to decide whether to crop the background, how much to crop it, and what shape I want the final picture to be.

Still life tracing under a frame

[Gnome] No sooner said than done...now I’m going to go play with some of these shots I’ve taken (not all of which have been shown in this post!) to see what I come up with. This still life stuff is kind of fun!

You ought to try it.

J.D., Annake’s Garden Gnome (filling in for)

Updated October 10, 2017 to replace the mysteriously disappearing photos.

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Autumn Questions and Answers, 2016

Butterfly reference samples from May 21, 2016 post

Why do you use so many photos, drawings and even fabrics for reference?

Because every photographer, artist, and designer sees something different in the subject and — consciously or not — emphasizes that difference in his or her work. Viewing their differences causes me to look much more closely at the subject than I might have done on my own. I always see things that I never noticed before, even about very familiar subjects. After absorbing as many impressions as I can, I choose the characteristics that I want to emphasize in my own work. On another day, I might look at the same collection and make entirely different choices. That was a good question!

I'm a fairly new reader of your blog. I went to your archive and have been working my way through early posts. I really like the Spanish blackwork, especially the onion domes. (February 27, 2014) I copied the patterns and would like to do some pictures, but I have a couple of problems. I can't draw so I need some kind of outline to work with. I don't want to use children's designs like you suggested from coloring books and I don't care much for flowers. What kind of things do you think would look good in blackwork and where do I find patterns for outlines? (This is condensed from a longer message.)

Gymnasts 'flower' mandala

Welcome to Annake's Garden! What a delight it is to have such a thorough and enthusiastic reader! I hope you find many techniques to enjoy in past, present, and future blog posts. For now, however, let's consider the blackwork. My first thought was of mandalas. These are traditionally circular designs. My gymnastic “flower” (August 31, 2016) is a mandala. They were originally inspired by intricate designs made for Buddhist and Hindu religious ceremonies. You may have seen Tibetan monks on television creating an elaborate mandala sand painting.

During the current era of popularity for adult coloring books, there are whole volumes devoted to mandalas. These can feature anything from cats to Cleopatra, trees to temples, or flags to fancy desserts. As interesting as these are, however, the areas are much too small to show off blackwork patterns. You would want a simple design with fairly large sections — something like this framed quilt block (courtesy of J.D.'s sister J.J.). You could then fill in the sections with different blackwork patterns instead of these pieces of printed fabric. 

"Onion Domes", blackwork on monk's cloth

Now let's think about topics. You liked the architectural look of the onion domes. You might want to do a picture of a Victorian house like the famous “Painted Ladies” of San Francisco, California; this was the subject of one of my earliest blackwork pictures. If you are more mechanically inclines, you might want to look at some Steampunk patterns. There is even a steampunk mandala adult coloring book. We recently had a parade of antique cars and trucks here in town; I thought at the time that some of them might be good subjects for a blackwork picture. There is always costume to explore, from wearable fashion to theatrical costumes (masks, too). For inspiration, check your library for a book on the work of Gustav Klimt, an artist who made masterful use of areas of intricate design in his paintings.

A good source for designs for any of these topics is Dover Publications. They have books of black and white line drawings. Just remember to copy only the basic outlines, not the tiny details which you plan to put in with embroidery. Calendars are a rich source of pictures of animals, landscapes, still-lifes, etc. I collect inexpensive ones from the dollar stores for my picture files. My friends are generous with their used ones at the end of the year, too. Keep in mind that the more stitches there are in a blackwork (diaper) pattern, the darker the area will appear when it is stitched. Good luck with your blackwork project. Have fun!

I've been practicing bargello patterns on needlepoint canvas and I think I'm pretty good at them. Now I want to make Christmas ornaments with the patterns on them. I have some cute cookie cutters to use for outlines. Can I just do a square of the bargello design, draw the cookie cutter outline on the back and cut it out?

No, no, no, no, NO! Never cut into a finished piece of stitched needlepoint! The cookie cutters are a great idea. Draw the outline on the front of your canvas. Stitch your pattern baseline somewhere near the center of the piece and work both upward and downward from it. Work right up to your drawn outline, using partial stitches where there is not enough room for a whole stitch. I've done a simple bell design to show you what I mean.

Bargello bell shape, ready to turn into an ornament

Place your needlepoint face down on felt or another non-woven fabric and pin it in place. Stitch along the outline by hand or machine, leaving an inch (3 to 4 cm) or so unstitched so you can turn the ornament right-side-out. Cut around the outline, leaving about ¼ inch (1 cm) of canvas between the cut and the outline. Turn the ornament right-side-out. Use a smooth, blunt object like the handle of an aluminum crochet hook to push the outline smooth from the inside. Stuff the ornament if you like. Turn under the raw edges and stitch it closed. Thread yarn into a tapestry or darning needle and make a tied loop at the top of the ornament to act as a hanger.

Keep those questions coming!

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