More Clip On Ornaments

There are two more clip-on ornament sbased on the Twelve Days of Christmas. One is a bag piper and the other is a lord a leaping. Both would be delightful ornaments for the Christmas Tree.

Alice in Wonderland Characters

I  didn't read Alice in Wonderland until I was in the sixth grade.  Somehow, my mother realized that I hadn't read it and bribed me to read it. I was paid a $1 to read it but she thought I should give the $1 back since I enjoyed it.

These canvases are perfect for the person who loves Lewis Carroll's wonderful book.  The four figures are  sweet Alice, the Red Queen,  the White Hare and the Mad Hatter..

At the store, we were talking about what characters we were afraid.  One customer said she was always afraid of the Queen of Hearts with her "Off with their Heads" comments.

These would make great stand-ups or ornaments.  I also think they would make wonderful pillows in a child's room.  Think of the great threads and stitches you could  use!

Wizard of Oz Canvases

The Wizard of Oz canvases feature children dressed up as the characters from the Wizard of Oz. Of course, there is Dorothy holding Toto. And how could you have a series of Wizard of Oz characters without the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch. And finally, there are two of the Munchkins.

Again, these would make great ornaments or stand-ups.

Clip On Ornanments

Labors of Love has these adorable figures in addition to the clip-on Birds. (The figures are based on the Twelve Days of Christmas.)  But I think you could easily choose the ones you like to stitch. I know that my girls would have loved the ballerina when they were little. I would use Petite Frosty Rays for the gymnasts outfit.  I would use  Kreinik's hot wire for the rings.  Since these are such whimsical ornaments, I would use Flair for the skin.

These are three dimensional ornaments so you stitch the front and the back of each.  I can see doing the soldier's coat with Petite Very Velvet and perhaps silk pants.

I like decorations that have red in them so I would be tempted by the drummer and the maid a' milking, too.
Each canvas comes with its clip.

Ladies Who Lunch

Labours of Love has four terrific coasters based on the Ladies Who Lunch. Each coaster features a different woman with her drink. I have featured a picture of three finished coasters plus the canvas.

It just seems like a fun one to stitch at the beach! I love the bright red fingernails.

I would use Accentuate or Water n' Ice or Flair to stitch the drink glasses.

Famous Women

Labors of Love has some delightful canvases of famous women. In addition, there are hand-painted frames for some of these characters. The top canvas is Cleopatra followed by Eve. Then we have Bubbles and Scheherazade.


These canvases lend themselves to some really fun canvas embellishment. Think of using Accentuate for Scheherazade's filmy skirt. And shouldn't Eve have a real braid? I love whimsical canvases because you can be so creative when stitching them.

Stephanie's Finished HP Canvas

Stephanie is an incredibly focused stitcher. She finished this large and stunning geometric canvas in less than two months. It is truly stunning!

And then she was kind enough to bring in the framed piece for us to see. It is one of our favorite needlepoints.

Gone With the Wind

Did you know that this year is the 75th anniversary of the publication of Gone with the Wind? I remember reading it in junior high school -- it was one of the first grown-up books I read. And my mother loved the movie.

So for those of you who either loved the book or the movie, this needlepoint canvas is perfect! Looking at the canvas, I would have to use green velvet for the drapes (wasn't that the color of the drapes Scarlett turned into a dress?) I'm really intrigued by all the different techniques that would be appropriate for the hair.
I would use bullion knots for the character in the back's hair. And I might have to use a shiny black silk for Rhett's hair.

So what would you do? It's fun to just imagine what

Sunday School Nativity

Labors of Love has an absolutely sweet Sunday School Nativity. It features a lovely backdrop that features palm trees, buildings and the Star of Bethlehem In this blog, I have included pictures of 8 participants: - the three kings, an angel, the baby, Mary, Joseph, and a shepherd. Look a the sweet faces of the participants.

All the canvases have a dark blue background which would be great in either Silk Lame or Vineyard Silk Shimmer.  These go with the other canvases I posted earlier today.

The Camel and the Lamb

The animals are also played by children. It takes two kids to make the camel and just one for the sheep.

I always loved it when my kids got to play either the angel or the sheep in the Sunday school nativity. They were so proud and the costumes were very much like these.

School Santa

My daughter, Emma is graduating from high school tomorrow. I stitched this School Santa as a memento of her four years in High School. I used one of my favorite threads, petite peluche for the beard. I doubled it so the beard would be full.

Instead of outlining the arms, I used diagonal mosaic in opposing directions to delineate them.  

I love the cording around the Santa. I stitched around his shape with silver. It reduced the amount of stitching I had to do.

I love the School Santas (and School Snowmen) as gifts to commemorate graduations.

Happy Graduation Emma!

Do You Have Your Thanksgiving Turkey?

This turkey is absolutely divine. I'm not sure you could get it stitched in time for this Thanksgiving but it should absolutely be sitting on your Thanksgiving table in 2012!

The turkey has four needlepoint canvas pieces. There are two side canvases plus the back of the turkey.  Then there is the curved front of the tail feathers. (I've only posted three of them since the side canvas is duplicated).When it's finished, it really makes an incredible statement. And think of the threads and stitches you could use to make him really incredible.

The finished turkey is Labor of Love's finished sample.  I think I would make the feathers etc. more 3 dimensional.  I would probably use pipe cleaners so that the feet stand out.  I would also have to use some bullion knots for the turkey's wattle.

Wonderful Pavillions

In addition to the recently returned Melissa Shirley Trunk Show and the just arrived Labors of Love, we have been receiving some of the canvases we ordered at the January show. We waited for the Leigh Designs' Temple of a  Thousand Cranes because we wanted to be able to offer it with the stitch guide by Jane of Chilly Hollow.

In addition, we have a Temple Surrounded by Cherry Blossoms.  It is also stunning.  It would be hard to choose which one to get.

Tallis Bag

Terry did this tallis bag for her granddaughter. She chose carefully and then changed some of the colors because her granddaugher loves color. So the Tallis bag is lined with purple and has a raspberry pink velvet backing.

What a wonderful gift for a special day.

Unique Bird Ornaments

Do you remember the Christmas Tree ornaments that clipped onto the branches? We only had a couple. My favorite was the peacock that had a long tail.

These wonderful 3 D bird ornaments from Labors of Love remind me of those ornaments. Each canvas has the two sides of the bird, feathers and a clip. You stitch both sides of the bird and the finisher does the rest. Some of these canvas also have stitch guides from Tony Minieri.

We have them all up at the shop. I'll be posting them on the blog throughout June.