Harlequin Hearts and Funky Rose return

We have had many requests for Harlequin Hearts and Funky Rose over the last several years. I kept dragging my feet for one main reason.....I have to set up a work station outside and layer 5 different colors using spray misters and then iron the canvases (as in Harlequin Hearts), or mix pigments with textile medium to make my own washes and apply to the canvas (as in Funky Rose). 

So, whenever I colored them I definitely want to do multiples.  Now with the Copic Sketch markers I can easily color each canvas, or as an option, add an optional marker kit so stitchers can add their own colors.   Here is a photo of a Harleqin Hearts canvaswith the background done with Copic Sketch markers.   Rather fun. I will be putting together a tutorial to include with the instruction books.  Here is a finished Harlequin Hearts: 

And here is Funky Rose.  You can see a lot of the background and this week I'll be working on the new background using the Copic markers, and post a photo.

SO, a few Harlequin Hearts thread, bead and button kits are ready to ship now AND the Funky Rose kits will be ready in about 10 days. It's kit includes lots of thread varieties, lots of beads many sizes, wire, needles, etc.  I will be updating the website ordering for these two shortly, but if you are interested in ordering now, just send me an email.  Both these projects are fun to stitch!

Buttonhole Stitch

Thanks for visiting!  I know it has been awhile.....again.  I have been posting infrequently at best.  During the last three weeks I've finished the Olivia Ostrich instruction book (shown in my most recent post).  Now I am in the middle of the Funky Rose instructions which will be a pilot class in March.  One of the features of this design is a large buttonhole stitch rose stitched with River Silks 7mm ribbon. 

In the process of writing the instructions I have been creating stitch diagrams and graphs and have been reviewing all that I have previously created using buttonhole stitches.  And there it was.......my very first "In Stitches" column in the May 2007 issue of Needle Pointers magazine. The sample I stitched for it has lots of examples of various used for buttonhole so I thought it might be fun to show them again here.   And here are the basic stitch diagrams for reference.  I hope you get some ideas you're able to use in your projects.  Buttonhole stitches add lots of texture as you can see. 

Have a great week!