Autumn Garden Patera

Hi Friends!

I have had so many people interested in how I make the Patera necklaces. They really are stunning. I wanted to share the latest one that I made using the central motif of Autumn Garden. I created this necklace and earring set for my sister-in-law. I changed the colors up a bit to fit her personality and wardrobe. The "island" colors give a different to the motif look along with the delicacy of stitching over one.

On another note; to all of you looking for Autumn Garden to turn into a seasonal series, you are getting your wish! Winter Garden is well underway in the design process and I am looking at releasing it in October during the Online Needlework Show. Stayed tuned for a sneak peek once I am in the stitching phase. I will be using Sampler Threads from The Gentle Art for the entire series. I love the look these threads give to the finished worke.

Happy Tuesday!

Beth

Nashville Release

Introducing Midnight Frost

I love snowflakes! My favorite are the kind that you can really "see." I think I have been fascinated by these frosty fractals my entire life. Their endless array of pattern is soul food. As a child, I used to decorate our livingroom walls, my bedroom walls and pretty much any other wall I could cover, with cutout snowflakes. With as much paper cutting as I did, I should be a scherenschnitte designer instead of cross-stitch. Okay, I admit, I don't like the grueling act of shoveling mountains of snow, but there is excitement in their downy freshness when they are newly fallen. Now onto the elements of creation. The gorgeous, gorgeous fabric is 28 count Cashel Linen in Mercedes from Picture This Plus. I really recommend a hand-dyed for this project, as it adds dimension to the overall look. The floss is DMC and the frame is Old Cupboard in Blue from East Side Mouldings. A hand-dyed floss would also be lovely for this. I will not be attending Nashville (hopefully next year!), but Hoffman will have Midnight Frost at their booth.

Frost Necklace

I love to show that these charts can be used in a myriad of ways, here is another idea for Midnight Frost. I created this necklace for a friend of mine for Christmas. Using a small portion of the Midnight Frost chart, I stitched it over one on the same Mercedes fabric from Picture This Plus. I then inserted it into a silver Patera from Nunn Designs, covered it with DG3 gel to protect it and added various beads and charms. (See my previous blog posting on the Patera's.) She absolutely loved it. I think I need to create another for me...

Thank You!!

A big thank you to all of the wonderful viewers and followers that have welcomed me into the "cyberside of stitching." Your response has completely overwhelmed me. I wasn't able to think straight the entire weekend!! I loved your comments, please keep them coming, as your responses help me get to know you and so, in turn help me to create designs that you will love.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Beth

Patera Jewelry Pendants

In my search for finding alternate finishing ideas for cross-stitch, I discovered Patera Pendants from Nunn Design. These jewelry findings are hand-cast in the USA and made from 100% lead free pewter and then plated with precious metal finishes. The pendants come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I inserted my finished cross-stitch, in this case a motif from Lace Trellis, into the Patera and then covered it with DG3 Art Gel from Judi-Kins. The directions for the DG3 gel say to allow 24-48 hours of drying time. I guess fabric changes this, because it took about 5 days for mine to dry. I had pretty much given up on the idea, so I was surprised when I came back days later and found that it no longer looked like washed out paper, but had dimension from the stitches and the fabric itself. I added the remaining elements to create the necklace you see here. A note, the fabric did darken a bit during the process. I am rather new to the whole jewelry making trend, but found this to be a fairly simple process. I am now scouring through old miscellaneous bins to see what I can use in making more!! It is definitely a great gift making idea. Nunn Designs has a listing on their website for on-line vendors that carry their jewelry findings. You can find their website at http://www.nunndesign.com. I ordered mine from Country Stitches at http://www.countrystitchesonline.com.

Happy Monday!!

Beth