Sometimes you see a canvas that you
just love. You see it and the artwork just resonates with you; you know you have to stitch it. That's how much I love this design! Amanda did such a beautiful job with the design and I'm so grateful to Jane for sending this beauty my way.
Now, I'm not going to show the overall picture until I get him finished (on the docket for tomorrow) plus it is too dark inside my house to get a good picture. However, I have time now to write up the threads I used so you get sneak peaks and the overall picture will come tomorrow or Sunday. Patience!
Now, as I started to type this I got really tired of writing "The Nutcracker". A quick search tells me he doesn't have an official name, so I'm going to call him George.
You will remember from my last post that I stitched the Mouse King's cloak in Appleton Wool with basketweave. I used Brown Paper Packages Trio T55 Kiwi and Rainbow Gallery Flair in 538 and 531 Green to stitch the vest using diagonal stitches to look like it was woven. Little black seed beads are the buttons. His boots are Rainbow Gallery Neon Rays ND1 Black in horizontal satin stitch.
The hem on the cloak is stitched in Rainbow Gallery Wisper in cream blended with one strand cream Medicis wool to stitch long and short stitch. I then switched out the cream Wisper for Grey Wisper W60 and used that for the midtones. Lastly I used black Wisper to stitch small stitches over the top of the creams.
The crown was worked in stem stitch with two shades of gold Kreinik thread to match the paint. Seed beads were attached at the end. The present in the background was worked in the same pinks as Clara's dress. The candy canes were first padded with #8 Pearl cotton in long stitches. Rainbow Gallery Neon Rays White N02 was stitched in satin stitches across the padding pearl cotton. Lastly I used Neon Rays 020 Red to stitch the candy stripes over the white.
The mice are stitched in Alpaca 18 AL54, Pepper Pot Silk Macaroon 68, Soie d Alger Au ver a Soie F14, 3345, and Kreinik Silk Mori 7128 with silk shading techniques. Black Trebizond Silk was used for their eyes.
The clock face was stitched in Rainbow Gallery Splendor in three shades of yellow: S933, S908, and S879. I used tent stitch with four strands. I used Black Trebizond to tent stitch the numberals and then wrap the stitches to make them more upright. I used gold Kreinik to work buttonhole stitch around two metal rings which I then appliqued on the canvas. Other rings were worked in wrapped backstitch.
The present bow was worked in laisy daisy stitches with Kreinik 1/26" Ribbon 014HL, after the background was completed.
The holly leaves on Santa's hat are the same greens used in Clara's sash: Rainbow Gallery Silk Lame Braid in two shades of green: SL63 and SL36. I used diagonal gobelin stitches to fill the leaf areas.
Santa's eyes are worked in tent stitch with Rainbow Gallery Silk Lame Braid SL57 Green with white Au Ver a Soie for the white. Felicity's Garden in 008 Cast Iron Black was used for his eyelashes.
George's sword is stitched in Rainbow Gallery Fyre Werks F3, a subtle gold and silver blend, using horizontal satin stitches.
Clara's dress is stitched with Rainbow Gallery Petite Very Velvet V650 Pink for the darker stripes of the dress in tent stitch. I used Neon Rays N14 (darker) and N11 (lighter) for the long vertical stripes of the dress and the tent stitch on the sleeve. The lace on the sleeve was created with two strands of Au ver a Soie worked as a row of laisy daisy stitches over which long stitches of Rainbow Gallery Water N' Ice 1335 were stitched to add shimmer.
Clara's sash is stitched in Rainbow Gallery Silk Lame Braid in two shades of green: SL63 and SL36. I used basketweave then used the darker shade (SL63) and stitches laisy daisy stitches over top of the tent.
Clara's hair was worked in basketweave with the Rainbow Gallery Petite Very Velvet 607 brown. I then used one strand of Edmar Boucle thread to work long stitches as though it was hair.
The hems, collars, and cuff of Santa's robe and hat were stitched using Rainbow Gallery Fluffy Fleece FE14 Cream. I couched the fiber onto the surface of the canvas using one strand Caron Impressions in cream. I would highly recommend you complete all but the last little details (hanging beads, etc) before working the couching as you don't want to have to manipulate it back when stitching other details.
The Sugar Plum Fairy was stitched primarily in basketweave and tent stitch. Her bodice is worked in Rainbow Gallery Sparkle Rays SR42. I used Rainbow Gallery Neon Rays+ NP92 Silver for the under layer on the tutu. I worked straight gobelin stitches following the edge of the design. I then used Access Commodities Silver Smooth Passing Thread for the edge of the tutu. Keeping the silver thread on the surface of the canvas, I couched it with the Neon Rays+ (pure laziness; any silver thread would work) in a serpentine pattern along the edge of the tutu. This is actually my favorite thing on the entire canvas.
The blue jar is stitched in horizontal rows of gobelin stitch over two threads. I used Rainbow Gallery Neon Rays+ NP63 in the lightest blue for the center and blended towards the darker threads on the edge. The midtone thread is Caron Collection Snow 03 Sky Blue and the dark tone is Rainbow Gallery Treasure Braid TR280 Dark Blue.
The red jar is worked in Rainbow Gallery Silk Lame Braid SL09 and Fyre Werks FT30 using vertical satin stitches. I then worked diagonal straight stitches in gold Fyre Werks following the painted canvas design. The yellow point of the jar was worked in vertical cross-stitches of Rainbow Gallery Flair 573 yellow.
The yellow jar is stitched in the clock's Rainbow Gallery Splendor in three shades of yellow: S933, S908, and S879. I worked upright satin stitches in a pattern of over three, over three, over one, over, one. The darker yellow was used for the upright cross-stitches on the jar lid.
The Silk Ribbon pansies were worked with YLI Silk Ribbon in two colors of purple and one of green.
I purchased a flat gold ribbon at Pacific Fabrics which I couched on the front edges of the robe. Slanting rows of petite gold Japanese seed beads are stitched on top. I purchased a tiny silver cord which I couched from the snowflakes to the top of the glove.
The treats in the bag are stitched mostly in tent stitch. For the cupcake cup I used Rainbow Gallery Petite Very Velvet in 604 light brown and 607 Medium Brown. Splendor S903 was used to tent stitch the cookie.
The bag was worked in a woven composite stitch using one strand Brown Paper Packages Trio in four shades of green. The top is worked in tent stitch. I couched on Access Commodities Gilt Medium Grecian Twist with gold silk thread. The tassels were created with Rainbow Gallery Fyre Werks in two different colors of gold thread. This thread is already kinked on the card so I utilized those kinks as the top edge of the tassel. I cut them about 2" long (with the bend/kink in the middle) and threaded 8-10 of the threads onto a length of thread which I attached to the canvas. I tacked them into place with more Fyre Werks thread. Lastly I used 6-7 red seed beads and stitched long stitches across the top of the tassel.
The cake slice is shaded with more of the Rainbow Gallery Petite Very Velvet 604.
The strawberry leaf is more Silk Lame SL63 in straight gobelin stitches.
The orange lollipop used stitched in Rainbow Gallery Flair 573 Yellow and J.L. Walsh Silk/Wool Blend in an unlabeled rust color. I used stem stitch to follow the curve of the design.
The brown chocolate was stitched in tent stitch with the brown Very Velvet threads. I then worked long straight diagonal stitches over the top of the candy using Rainbow Gallery Fyre Werks Soft Sheen in FT2 brown.
George's Hat was worked in Rainbow Gallery Very Velvet V201 Black. I worked horizontal satin stitches over two canvas threads across the hat, compensating on the gold. The goldwork was done with Kreinik 1/16" Ribbon in 002HL (high luster) with a combination of satin and gobelin stitches to best cover the area and give a mirror image in the design.
The belt was stitched in vertical satin stitches across the entire belt using one strand of the Neon Rays+ in SP01. I used a laying tool to make sure they were flat. The buckle is a little tiny rectangle of gold kid leather that I appliqued with gold silk thread. The same Neon Rays+ was used for his boots and all the black details on his coat. The grey strap on the boots is stitched in pearl cotton and more of the tiny silver cording was couched onto the top of the boot.
George's sword is stitched in the same Rainbow Gallery Fyre Werks F3. I had a green crystal that I used on the hilt which I attached with a green seed bead. George's pants were stitched in basketweave with blue Paternayan wool.
George's eyes were stitched in Kreinik Medium #16 Braid in Blue with white silk Au Ver a Soie.
I used Felicity's Garden in 008 Cast Iron Black for his mustache (worked in long and short stitch) and the eyebrows (worked in vertical cross-stitch). For his beard and hair I used Rainbow Gallery Wisper in cream blended with one strand cream Medicis wool to stitch long and short stitch. I then switched out the cream Wisper for Grey Wisper W60 and used that for the midtones. Continuing with the grey Wisper I now switched out the Medicis wool for two strands of silk thread. I happened to have a black and grey overdye from The Silk Gatherer which matched well. I used that for the dark tones. As a last step I had a long wispy white thread (unlabeled) that I used to stitch long stitches over the top of the previously worked beard which I then trimmed to the length I wanted.
Georges mouth was done with tent stitch and a red Victoria Clayton silk. His teeth are vertical satin stitches in Needle Necessities Spring II 300 White. I then used a single strand of black 310 DMC floss to separate the teeth.
I used little bits of silk thread or Kreinik metallics here and there through the design to match the paint, especially with the gold. You can never have too many sparkles! Extra Kreinik colors used: Fine #8 210, 001C, Tapestry #12 002V, 002, 005HL, 1/16" Ribbon 002, 002HL.
The background was stitched in one strand Caron Impressions in cream using the Ming Stitch.
Whew! I'm sure I missed something... will post and update when he is finished into a stand-up.
