Completed Cross Stitch - Charley Harper's "Cool Cardinal"

 

 

 

The American Modernist nature artist, Charley Harper, has a minimalist style that has definitely stood the test of time.  He has worked with the Audubon Society, various zoos and even the Ford Motor Company and his active years appear to be about the 1950s to 1970s.

 

One of the reasons I point out that his work is timeless is that just for one example "Cool Cardinal" was originally released in 1974; the hand-drawn cross stitch pattern from KD Artistry, Inc. (for Puckerbrush) is from 1985 and finally, here it is again in 2013 in thread and fabric form.

Here is my list of random information bits about this latest completed work:

 

1. Finished size:  15.25" x 4.25"
2. Linen 28 or 32 count, possibly Monster Mash from Picture This Plus
3. DMC white used not DMC B5200; DMC white is more yellow and B5200 is more blue (brighter white) - I only had white on-hand at the time (maybe B5200 might have been too overpowering)
4. Used 3 strands instead of 2
5. Would not recommend linen for geometrical work
6. Kreinik Metallics #032 blending filament used with white (really adds a delicateness to the snow and keeps the overall work from looking too flat or heavy because of the bold colours and lines)
7. Would not recommend this pattern for beginners - too hard to understand some of the instructions
8. Discovered a new technique from this pattern:  the use of interchanging double and single lines of backstitching for effect (that was really cool...no pun LOL)
9. Snowflakes got a little tedious to work on at times
10. And lastly, one time I looked up from this work and saw a cardinal sitting outside my windowsill...awwww

 

I have added a picture of the Kreinik blending filament to show the iridescence because unfortunately it does not seem to show up through the photographs (sorry, I tried several times with natural and artificial light).

Completed Cross Stitch - Barbara Baatz Hillman's "Hummingbird Banquet"

 

A-ha!  Searching has finally paid off in locating the proper name of this design and designer.  Never give up I say.  Nev---ahhh!

So after this yet another awesome "search and successful" pattern name find, I got to thinking about a couple of things about what makes us who we are. 

Do you ever wonder sometimes (in theory) if you had a previous life or who you might be related to based on your own likes, skills and dislikes? 

If not, then maybe do you ever wonder if you were adopted because you may be extremely different than your parents?  For example, the way my parents think vs. the way I think sometimes I wonder...was I switched at birth?

Well, for me, since giving it some thought today I wonder if I was Miss Marple's and Sherlock Holmes' theoretical 'love child' secretly adopted by Philip Marlowe.  Because since I love to investigate, analyze, search and search again, check for correctness, have drive and determination and above all, curiosity, here we are.  So, who's (I'm curious now!)...who's adopted 'love child' would you be?  :-)

So, just a few brief words about this pattern.  The colours are so bright and I love the little details.  What first attracted me to this picture was the water droplets, then hummingbird then flower.  At the time I found the pattern, I was in awe over the realism.  This design is at least 10 years old and still looks great. 

From memory, I believe this is a 28-count evenweave and if I were to do it all over again, I would have dabbled in a light-blue dyed background to emulate the sky.

Completed Cross Stitch - Joan Elliot's "Thank you" card

It is not too often that you come across a cross stitch thank you card but it is kind of nice when you do.  The Chinese symbol means, "Benevolence" and relates to the concept of Feng Shui.  This was a kit from Design Works.

Completed Cross Stitch - Dragon with wings and crystal ball

I own the world's smallest dragon and here he is in cross stitch.

I think this design is about 2" in width. I'm guessing though..

Found this one out of a magazine too.

Completed Cross Stitch - Bent Creek's "Brown Dog"

What can I say? I'm a dog person (but I like cats too but just do not own any right now).  So, anyway I definitely have to have a completed work of a cute, wee, little dog. I love mushrooms and especially the red and white I think is very cute. I hand-dyed this small piece of Aida cloth too. I had already dyed it long before I had the pattern and they seemed to match up perfectly with each other. I had a lot of fun dying this piece because I was trying to create a "ground/grass and sky look".

Completed Cross Stitch - Sam Sarah's "Acorn"

Yes! Another hand-dyed cloth by me! Um....the cloth is nice but I think I made a mistake matching it up with this design. The colours that the pattern called for are beautiful but definitely too light for this colour of cloth. It was my first time I stitched with buttons and can definitely see why stitchers love using embellishments - it adds a little more "oomph" to the finished product for sure!

Completed Cross Stitch - Joan Elliot's "Bonsai Tree"

 This pattern was taken from the book:  A Cross Stitcher's Oriental Odyssey by Joan Elliott for Design Works Crafts.  The original design has a Chinese symbol but I replaced it with this casted dragon charm instead.

 

Completed Cross Stitch - Lanarte / Maria Van Scharrenburg's "The Kiss"

 

If you can believe it, I found this kit in a Michael's bargain bin. I worked on it on and off over 2 years.

It is now beautifully framed with a picture light over it in my living room and when you walk by and look over at it you can see the gold thread woven throughout the picture give off little sparkles.

When friends visit my house, they always comment on it and am proud that I didn't give up on such a large project because now everyone can see it and admire the finished job.

Never give up on a large project! It is worth it when you stitch the final stitch ladies and gentlemen!