Ok, I made a big change to the canvas. I decided not to stitch the cute little toad like saying that was so much a part of the design.
Now, before you decide to tar and feather me or turn me into a toad here’s the deal. I am a graphic designer by trade. I love letters and letter forms, the shapes, the nuances, all the little details.
If I am designing a print piece I play with the leading and kerning and fiddle to make it pretty. You just can’t do that on needlepoint canvas. Well, you can but then your letters are 2′ tall. I mean no disrespect to Sharon of Share One’s Ideas. She did a great job designing this canvas. There are however limitations to an 18ct grid and one of those limitations is the detail you just can’t get in lettering.
So being the compulsive type that you all have grown used to, I decided to take matters into my own hands. A logo of sorts was born that will be mounted gracefully under the stitched shoes. Now the shoes and the brooms and the frogs are center stage.
The instructions I have written give you options for how I would stitch the letters if I were going to stitch the letters in addition to what I really did with mine.
You have plenty of stitching time to decide whether you prefer to stitch your letters or not. You have frogs to stitch! The frogs are simple, just a single stitch to allow the painting to show through. The magic of a very tiny outline backstitched in just the right areas gives them depth and form.
And don’t you just love the eyes!!!! They are a new find for the shop and come in varying colors and sizes 6.5 mm to 12 mm.
Our middle frog is kinda silly peaking out over and between the ruffles. Look at those toes!
I do love the borders on the canvas. The orange border uses fun Tila beads as accents and beyond that there’s just a tiny bit of green background showing.
The plan is to send this off for framing using the logo in a second window on the mat. But, maybe before it reaches the framer I will change my mind. It’s been known to happen. Maybe a pillow will be in my future with the saying embroidered on the reverse? We’ll both be surprised when I decide.
I like your version 🙂
Love it! Can't wait to see how yours turns out. I hope we can get the graphic design of the words from you when it comes time to do our framing!
Are you putting another mat on top? I love this version, wondering about the framing.
Hi everyone – the printed graphics for the frame are included in the stitchguide.So if you want to frame yours as my temporary mat shows you are good to go.
today I am deciding if I will continue this way or change the whole thing in to a pillow! Who knows I have a very capricious nature 🙂
IF I decide to bead the letters , what do you suggest for the beads and the background. Not sure I can live without the words on the canvas…Linda
You have green silk in your kit for the background of the word stripe and kreinik metallic for the letters. no worries
You have once again out done yourself! I like how you did the lettering. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only compulsive one. I did the Share One's Idea Shoe canvas, and when it came down to the lettering at the end, I was very frustrated and unhappy. I wish I had the foresight to have painted out the lettering before doing the stitching, and then I would have handled it the way you did – a perfect compromise! You never fail!
I'm with Linda B. I like the idea of beading those letters.
love it, Ruth!!
love it, Ruth!!
I love the idea of the print on the mat!