Remembering the Past

I was searching for a picture or sketch or shoes or little slip of paper with an important design idea....who knows what...you know at a certain age you start out looking for one thing then get side tracked and are off on to something else that take your fancy...anyway...I came across these pictures of a kissing ball I designed for the White House Grand Foyer ...over the years I designed many such projects that were displayed as part of the annual White House Christmas Decorations...each year had a theme that set the stage for the designs...this year...not sure what year( they all blend together )was the Nut Cracker...This was painted on red congress cloth..24st.....what fun...

Hard to believe that Christmas in needlepoint terms is just around the corner with some finishers having a cut-off date as early as September 1st for Christmas delivery..yikes....

A Fun Stocking...

This is what happens when a custom customer lets you run a -muck... this was pure fun.....lol...it was painted on 18st...

A treat in a Sea of Black

You've got to love a man that will take off his overcoat at the Opera only to display flying ducks Africans animals or a large sailfish right up front on a needlepoint cummerbund...I am never sure whether these men love it or just amused at their wife's sense of humor...no one ever says...but then how could a man in all good conscience not sport such these very distinctive garment made with such love... you won't see yourself coming or going in one of these unique pieces...over the 35 years of painting ,I have painted some very unusual cummerbunds, that i regret not taking pictures of...but this small cross section gives you an idea or just how unique these pieces are.....attention getter's in a sea of black tuxes..that is for sure...isn't that what makes life fun..the unexpected .......

Hard Living With A Diva

This morning Miss Squiggee-Buns refused to have buttered toast without a smig of plum jelly.

We here in Squiggeeland , have notice her Highness becoming a little haughty at times over the last couple of weeks...Things have been on the upswing for Squiggee since she signed her big new contract with Dream House Ventures....if that wasn't bad enough, her new distributor goes right out and gets her on the cover of Needlework Retailer. Mind you ,she keeps a copy with cover up beside her little pink cubby bed. Her sister Miss Bubbles , has been known to mutter under her breath @#6%$)(*&%$#@@!@#$ !!!!!when passing by. When the call came Monday, that her first big TNNA show in Columbus was a great success, Squiggee has been beyond snotty...yes snotty....you know how little diva's are...I was told this morning to cut my coffee time short and get back to work in the studio....after all time is money....Miss Squiggee-Buns better watch her step....she might just have to take a humble ...starting with dog food!

Making Every Stitch Count

As a needlepoint designer/painter, you know how important it is to be able to form a picture using one stitch of color to build an image...literally one stitch at a time. You are forming a picture , an illusion for the eye to conceive as a recognizable form. Clearly , unless the image you are creating is a massive size, you have to create by making every stitch count...in a small area, one stitch can change the whole image. This stamp is 9 x 12 on 18st...seems like a lot of stitches but when you are forming a figure that is maybe an inch high....having all the stitches you would require is out of the question...so you become an illusionist...using the space you have to fool the eye...your mind fills in the necessary parts that are not painted. In this respect, you concentrate on what will be enough to form the image you want.After concentrating on each and every detail...the true test is to leave the studio , and see how the canvas stacks up in the morning ...you step back and look at it with fresh eyes the next day....if you are on the right track, you will know it......and most of all, be thankful that you only have to paint this stamp once....a nice finished piece , but it tends to pluck your last nerve...

anyway on to the next project...the same relief after having a mammogram....glad that is done!!! lol

A Pooch Frame

we here in Squiggeeland and a big fan of the pooch...lol...that is an understatement...
so it is always a pleasure to do a custom frame for a beloved pampered pooch...this one is named
Lucy....the frame has a 4 x 6 opening , and is painted on 18st...I even added some special embellishments to make the pooch feel more loved, if that is possible...lol

TNNA Columbus, Ohio

Since the TNNA Show is only open to the trade , I thought I might share a little of what

I am showing under my new logo GCHendrix designs.....Along with Squiggee Designs,

Dream House Ventures is handling all the distribution....this is an exciting step for a Designer like

myself that has a pretty large body of work...to be all under one roof is a positive step.

Like most Designers I am on to the next show in St. Louis.....new is the key word these days.

A Crab in another Mode

I myself don't use a frame for stitching.....lol...I just stitch models for display so calling what I do stitching is pushing it.....so a frame weight doesn't register on my radar....but a crab(being born under the sign of Cancer) ..on a bright straw bag is just the ticket for me....
of course..my finisher, Michele at Stitchery Square, did a fantastic job ...the bag will be on display with all the Squiggee stuff in Columbus......

Beach Dog

This is a custom piece on 18st 8 x10".....of a family pooch....boy do i wish I was with him on the beach ...any beach....no vacation for Squiggee this season...boo hoo !...just masses of work.....well at least the sun is shinning today and the rain has stopped...i guess I will just have to be content with painting beaches this Summer..

Birds of a Feather !

These two birds came into town ..stayed for awhile and then took off for Texas...final destination the TNNA Show in Columbus, Ohio...Stitchery Square did the great finishing, my husband the stands....I stitched them

......they are on 13st....and yes the feathers are real...lol...since these birds are in the wholesale line of Squiggee, I have had to find a place to get good quality controlled feathers...no more buying a bag at the local craft store and digging away looking for the best size and condition....selling the birds wholesale has to be organized....you wouldn't believe the company's that just specialize in feathers...amazing...now I know what I do with the feathers.. I use them on Squiggee birds and sometimes ladies hats for embellishments...but what do other people do with the feathers....costumes For exotic dancers !!.... hats for English Royalty !!!..... strange masks for Matias Gras !!!..........Halloween ?????? sorry but feathers just don't have a place in my daily life....... high fashion in rural PA is a no go !.........you just wouldn't believe all the types and sizes companies offer...when you think of all the naked birds !!!...another world...you haven't lived till you open a package of feathers and you forget that you have the fan on....it is so me!...like pine needles you find in the oddest places six months after you disposed of that Christmas tree...a feather that has just poofed away ,will appear in the living room no less...the little devils are just plain hard to control...so are beads ..in fact most embellishments have to be kept in check......you have to think ...was I so clever to add embellishments at all...lol.....joking...Squiggee loves them !!

a case of DEJA VU......

Well you never know...I took a shell I designed in 2002 on 13st for a coaster...painted it on 18st....

used a combo of great fibers for the background..all having a different texture but similar color hues...Vineyard Classic Silk, Impressions and Mandarin Silk...with a touch of sparkle....and

just popped it into a Sudberry Box..mind you I haven't seen or used since any Sudberry product since the late 1970's...my...oh... my.... Sudberry has really gotten slick...so much nicer quality than when the company first started ...so easy to use....a case of deja vu .... One of my first items for stock I designed at the ANC ,was a tray insert with fruits and flowers to fit a Sudberry tray....Sudberry was the cutting edge back then.......Sudberry and I have been around since forever..I just hope I have improved with age also...lol...

Artist Self Portrait...!!!!

Well...like all artists before a major trade show...there is that last minute rush and flurry of activity to make sure every last detail is taken care of. No matter how organized you are , or how many lists you make and post-it's, there is always that last push ,that makes you turn into this driven monster...tunnel vision is what I get , obsessed with details , making sure that anything that is going to the show is mailed and delivered in plenty of time to my distributor.

The above model of Mr. Frank N. Stein looks exactly like the person/artist I have presented to the world , the last few days. That crazed look in the eye, is so me. I can be bossy and so single minded, that it would not surprise me to see villagers with their burning torches showing up.

Everyone is safe for the moment, the last box to El Paso,Texas left yesterday. Frank was riding shot-gun......my life is my own for the moment, and happily I seem almost human this morning...

and my little family can relax and not worry about me doing a nutter ...till the next big show.........

Frank's wooden body , is my husband's handy work, made from a little drawing I gave him... his body is solid Spanish Cedar hardwood , and his big chunky feet are painted poplar with a coat of sparkle.....

I worked Frank's head, and my wonderful finishers at Stitchery Square in Camden Maine, made Frank's head complete...they put his head on a stick and it slips in and out of a drilled hole , so he can be shipped easily.....like all my projects , I am so lucky to have a great husband, that never seems to mind my crazy demands and a finisher that is a treasure !

Frank is 6.75" wide at the shoulders and stands around 15.5" high. Franks head is 13st and his hair is Caron Snow.... Carbon ( depending on the light it reflects blue and green flecks...very cool indeed)....my first experience working with Snow. I am now a nut about fibers and anything that sparkles ,rocks in Squiggeeland......wool I fear for the most part , is just a distant memory...lol

thank goodness Squiggees are small and not a rug or chair seat that requires wool....although I do think wool still adds to projects and I will come down to earth eventually...but for now I am a fiber junkie......almost more fun than chocolate..!