Blackbird Design Exchange

I just got word that my partner Conny received my little Blackbird piece, so now I can post pics. This was a fun little stitch and a fun finish!

Buttons and Pins by Blackbird Designs

So cute! Don't you think?

xx

~Annie

Quilty Neighborhood Framed!

Quilty Neighborhood by Annie Beez Folk Art

I have to say I am really happy with the way the black frame pulls all of the black in the piece forward and tones down the yellow orange sky. The frame really added balance to this piece.

 Interesting!

xx

~Annie

A little more stumpwork

Working on this little by little in between printing and filling pattern orders.

Rose and Pomegranite design by Jane Nicholas

This is really fun and challenging!

xx

~Annie

Sneek peek on new chart!

 

 

Folk Art Flowers by Annie Beez Folk Art

 

 

This is my newest design release! It is stitched on 40 ct. Light Examplar by Lakeside Linens, using DMC. I just love this linen, the slight color variations are so pretty. This will be in my Etsy shoppe and shipping to distributors next week!

Thanks for looking!

XX

~Annie

If it ain't cross stitch...

The chances of a finish are much higher!!

This is called Her Majesty's Glove and it is from Fine Lines magazine, Vol.3,Number 2, from Fall of 1998.

Her Majesty's Glove by Nostalgic Needle, 32 ct cream linen using DMC.

It is supposed to be finished as a scissors case, but I chose to applique it to a piece of linen, and then I am going to frame it into a shadow box, just as soon as I find the right one! The hand part of the glove is ultra suede. The big flower and leaves are needle lace, also called detached buttonhole. A fun technique once you figure it out! The top middle flower is made up of queen stitches.

Next we have the stumpwork piece. This was really fun, and I am definitely going to do more of this technique! Imagine, something with the beauty and fine quality of cross stitch, but FAST! Yay! I'm im love!

Beetle and Berry by The Floss Box

I really enjoyed all of the different types of stitches. the berries are french knots and beads. The leaves are leaf stitch-which is a type of herringbone stitch. The lavendar sprays along the sides are bouillon knots using a blended needle with purple and green-so pretty! It also has stem, chain, satin  and feather stitches. I loved it!

I'm afraid my snail there looks a little bit like a blob. My hubby asked me what it was...?

 But practice makes perfect and I plan to make many more of these type of pieces! 

In fact I ordered Jane Nicholas' book on stumpwork, 

Stumpwork Embroidery: A Collection of Fruits & Insects for Contemporary Raised Embroidery

which I think will come tomorrow Gotta love that Amazon prime!

 And finally, I came across this freebie on Laura J. Perin's blog. I had a piece of canvas sitting around so I worked this up in literally a day. It was really fun and something different.(for me)

Bluebells by Laura J. Perin

So thats what I've been up to, in between stitching a new cross stitch pattern model.

Thanks for stopping by!

xx

~Annie 

Faith and the fickle heart!

If this blog has any purpose, it is to remind me of where I am supposed to be focusing my energies. Ha!

Her Majesty's Glove designed by Nostalgic Needle

 

One of my goals for 2013 was to focus my energies on embroidery.

I fell into an apathetic hole from the end of 2011 until October of 2012 and barely picked up a needle, unless forced to for commissions and such.

Granted 2012 was the "Year of the Wedding" which was all-consuming and incredibly stressful. 

ABC123 by Annie Beez Folk Art new design

 

But who am I kidding. 

When it comes to the arts, my heart is FICKLE!

I have lamented this fact many times over the years on this very blog!

ANY type of art can turn my head and then I am running after it with the reckless abandon of a co-ed in the springtime!

Bluebells free design by Laura J. Perin

 In my defense(and I cling to this pathetically) I have just published 2 cross stitch designs, one of which is the last chart in a series which has only taken me 2 years to release!(my extreme apologies to those who have been stitching this series!)

And I am writing an article for Prims magazine that will accompany an oil painted doll they will be featuring. So not a complete slacker!

3 dimensional bird design in surface embroidery by Annie Beez Folk Art

But, even though my focus is embroidery, I now have no less than 7 embroidery projects in the works. These are projects out on my work desk or set up in various frames in my studio.

Beetle and Berry Stumpwork Embroidery by The Floss Box

 

 This does not include WIPs or UFOs, obviously!

Only 1 is cross stitch. 

At least the rest are embroidery,

(even though I can hear my watercolors calling me and I am pretending not to hear!)

So I am boldly calling this Focused Fickleness!

 And I am keeping the faith that, as Mrs. Haynes(my daughter) said, God made you this way for a reason. So the reason must be that all of this exploring adds to my development as an artist, right? 

That sounds good, I'm going with it!

I'm not a 1 book at a time reader either!

Do any of you have trouble seeing a project through to the end?

 Or are you one of those 1 project at a time stitchers? 

(I envy you!)

XX

~Annie

Give Away Winner!!!

Such Friendship by Annie Beez Folk Art

Here are the results from the Random Number Generator:

1. TerriBoog
2. Gayle
3. Mary
4. Cindy
5. Katrina
6. Vickie
7. Margaret
8. Barbaral
9. Kate
10. barbara
11. Ellen
12. Lynda Ruth
13. Deb
14. April
15. Petit Cadeau

The names were put in by the order they were recieved in the comments, then randomized.

Congratulations Terri!!!

I will be contacting you shortly!

The patterns are now available in my Etsy Shoppe.

Click here to go see.

Thanks for playing everyone!

xx

~Annie