Melissa Shirley 12 Days of Christmas Old and New

Hi everyone,

When we went took our class from Susan Portra at Needlepoint in Paradise, it was hard to put blinders on and not buy a new canvas at this wonderful shop.  I resisted buying a new BIG canvas and opted for 12 small ones!  My excuse was they are small and easy to travel with...have you used that one before?  And of course the kicker was that Susan had written the stitch guide.

I have just finished the first one (actually it is the second in the series) and already I have learned some new tricks.

2 turtle doves

With this canvas I learned how to make twisted cording and how to "shade" beads.   It's so simple that you can't believe you didn't think of it yourself.


The berries are clear pink Mill Hill beads which you shade by using different colors of beading thread or floss.  What a concept!  

shaded berries

Beads and Different colors of floss

And now the OLD part of the 12 Days of Christmas -still Melissa Shirley!  A blast from my needlepoint past!  OMG it's an old one...look at all the tent stitch!  I was so proud of my Rhodes hearts!!  And elongated gobelin for the wings!!  I have come a long way.

The berries were what stopped me...stitching circles!   I think I'll finish the berries here the same way with beads.  See, if you wait long enough the problems solve themselves.

Happy stitching,

Linda