This is Porter’s canvas!
So, who is Porter? This will become apparent as you progress through the post.
Let me begin by talking about another of my wonderful and talented customers. Early in the year Sharon sent me the above photo of her completed canvas. Can you imagine my response when I opened it. WOW – are you kidding! Is this the cutest ever! All you grandma’s out there – the BEST nursery gift!
The email was brief indicating she had used some of my threads and wanted me to see the results.
After exchanging several emails,
this is what Sharon wrote me……
This is my first design effort. It came about because a young couple that we are friends with were decorating their nursery with a wildlife theme and using soft woodsy colors. After looking all over for a canvas that would work within these parameters and not finding one I liked, I decided to try designing one.
So, I started looking at coloring books and designs from the web to see what could work. I wanted pictures of wildlife (both plants and animals) to go with each of the baby’s initials. The cut and paste technique was used to develop the design. I think it took me four or five tries until I thought the design was balanced in both design and color. During this process, I also relied heavily (i.e., used some of the flower stitching guides) on the book Embroidered Country Gardens by Lorna Batemen for the flowers and garden.
For the wildlife – I ended up with a pond, panda, parrot, and petunia; a gorilla, giraffe, geranium and garden; and a jaguar, jelly fish, and jasmine. After I got the design on paper, I did take the time to carefully color it so that I had an idea what the finished canvas should look like. This really helped during the stitching.
I then turned to your shop to look for threads that I thought would work and ordered several new ones. The perfect find was your peacock blend – Colour Complements Colour #45. It worked for the letters – purple, green (olive), and java (blue).
I then painted the canvas after doing some research about what to use and how to do it. The finished painted product really wasn’t much to look at when compared to the canvases I usually stitch. It was very evident that I had never done this before. The only thing I did do right is I made sure the paint stayed inside the lines.
In addition, I think the quality of the printing caused me to stitch faster so that I could cover it up. I used your threads (both perle cotton and embroidery floss) and various other threads including silk & ivory, flair, sparkle rays, a solid pearl cotton, and some I don’t remember from my stash. And of course, added some beads.
It was a fun piece to do. The framing was exceptional and really added to the piece – Susan put spacers between each of the mats to allow for the relief on the canvas. It really enhanced the piece and made it special.
I may be doing another soon for it was fun and I just heard that I am to be a great great aunt again.
I have been stitching for awhile – some before, but really for just the last 20 years with any degree of regularity. It is my way to relax – though sometimes when things aren’t going the way I think they should it can be less so. I love your threads for I can make them do a lot of work for me without trying to blend threads and, more importantly, always get wonderful results.
This canvas was something fun and new for me and something I may find more time to do when I finally retire.
First, I want to thank Sharon as she made writing this post very easy – after all, she did write most of it!
I know many of you will have questions so let me start by telling you the project is stitched on 14 count white mono canvas. Although Sharon didn’t measure the finished piece she guessed it was approximately 12 x 16 inches. Colour #45 is used in all three of the letters.
In closing, THANK YOU Sharon for sharing your incredible talent.
What can I say, Porter is one lucky little guy. This is a project to treasure.
