Indio, California: Several needlepoint projects were completed this fall and I sent them off to be finished into pillows to give as gifts. Now that the pillows have been distributed (around the world!) to their new owners, I can share here.
Lisa is especially fond of the ikat pattern found in Indonesian fabric dyeing, so I knew stitching this design was in my future the moment I spotted the canvas. It was purchased to make a cushion for the master bedroom in Lisa and Lenny's home. The 15-inch-square canvas is stitched in a creamy off-white and a very dark blue Silk & Ivory, a blend of 50% merino wool and 50% silk made in Switzerland. Silk & Ivory is my long-time very favorite fiber. It glides through the canvas and does not leave messy fluff like 100% wool. The colors are vibrant. This pillow was finished with a solid velvety dark blue back and off-white cording. We gave it to Lenny and Lisa at Hanukkah a few weeks ago. You may have seen this multi-colored fabric on this website before... and you will see it again. So many baby and children patterns are perfect for this cute fabric, so I purchased several yards.
Shirley & Martin, our friends in England, have a new granddaughter, Isabel, and every new granddaughter needs a cushion. This canvas was only eight-inches square and also stitched in the lovely Silk & Ivory.
Kate and Isabel in Surrey, EnglandIsabel was welcomed by her parents and her Big Sister, Jessica, in December. It seems Baby Isabel likes her new pillow... though with that gorgeous baby and her gorgeous Mother (Kate, Shirley & Martin's youngest daughter), no one is going to notice a little pillow.
As long I was shipping to England (don't get me started on this long process... which resulted in a British Customs delay and Martin having to pay DUTY AND V.A.T.!!!), I thought it best to include another pillow stitched for Shirley & Martin's home outside of London.
This interesting canvas is titled "In the Pink" and was designed by Jennifer Brinkley for Ruth Levison Designs. The canvas is a very small 18-stitches-to-the inch. I finished this canvas in 100% silk, opting for Vineyard Silk. Again, this silk easily glides through the canvas and the colors are gorgeous. Though famously famous for only working the basic basket weave stitch, I stepped it up a bit on this canvas and tried a few fun stitches amongst the 27,000 required to complete the piece.
Shirley, with her new granddaughter, IsabelThe fabric chosen to make the cushion is a bit wild and the fringe is just too much - but it all came together well.
I have finished a kitty canvas for Lucy (which she chose herownself) and another two for babies on-the-way, and am currently stitching a massive long wide pillow for a friend. (Shhhh.) There is such a callus on my index finger, the fingerprint option to open my iPhone no longer recognizes me.
Until my next update, I remain, your "in stitches" correspondent.
RV PARK: The Motorcoach Country Club