My other half.....

OK...enough about Needlepoint for the moment....I have lived with a very talented man for the last 29 years....We will be married 30 years March 28 th.....He has been surrounded with needlepoint our whole married life.....he is my biggest fan and biggest critic...always giving me his honest opinion on my work.....he has put up with ,what I can only call , a very unusual run household...while I might me a whiz in the studio ...my wife duties always take on a different twist...disorganized...I never do anything the same way twice....dinner is, whenever I am finished in the studio...too late and we end up with a snack...clothes are always in the dryer...I do not have a wash day or for that matter, a master plan.... I find the routine borrrrrring.....as my career has expanded ..my wife stock has plummeted...my husband has always let my needlepoint take first place in our plans...He is a very talented artist himself...this slide show, is of the furniture he has designed and built for our home....he is a master cabinet maker, and a very sensitive artist in his own right........so I just wanted my needlepoint friends to know, that without his understanding ..... not making demands for, home cooked meals and a pristine , well run house...I would have never been able to design the vast body of needlepoint canvases over the years......
you haven't lived till you have seen me in the kitchen after a 12 hour painting day....feeling sorry for my lot and abusing the pots and pans...lol...as I always say...good thing I can paint...

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....where is Spring

I am so tired of Winter...we have snow again on the ground...this morning, I was looking at my sweaters, thinking....I wish I had something new to wear....It would be fun to have a real Squiggee sweater to wear today...oh well...Spring will come and then it will be Summer soon..no sweater required....

A New Guy is in Town....Mr. Slide

We here in Squiggeeland have a new fellow...first in a new series of shaped Turtles...
he is about the same size as the little crabs and frogs.....all stuffed cuties together...
He is a Red-eared Slider Turtle...I think we just might call him Mr. Slide...sounds like a villain in a Dickens's novel...

Just around the corner

I just realized that Easter is just around the corner more or less.....and this is about as cute as we get for Easter.....although ..... Squiggee and her sister Bubbles, have Bunnie Ears they sport....it scars the locals...lol

Today is a Thimble day

I thought these thimbles would brighten up this very grey snowy duller than dirt day...since I have been working some samples ,I have had a big problem with making holes , cracks and generally unpleasant skin, on the tops of my figures....this is all because I seem to have a problem with any type of thimble...regular hard thimbles, made of ceramic, metal and plastic...make me crazy...they slip and slide and just plan make me feel like You are swimming with a fur coat on...so off I went on the pursuit of another type .. I found and ordered a thimble of leather that had a metal part on the top, to protect your finger...that was horrible , like wearing an army boot on my finger........so again I went a looking...this time I found a lady, that would make a leather thimble especially to fit your finger...so to make sure I had the right size, I ordered a small , medium and large...these seemed the best to date ,but were still in the way........also I have another problem......whatever finger I have protected doesn't matter because..I would use the finger that did not have the thimble on it......so I tried to wear one on each finger affected, but then.....couldn't do anything.....sooooooooooo
I was back to square one and resorted to plan old band aids....this was OK...but made my skin sensitive, having to pull them off over days on end...in the meantime I was also getting though callous on the top of two fingers and a hole in one...to date the only thing that i have found to correct this condition is to stop needlepointing for days and give your fingers a chance to mend...I have been trying to train one finger to use the leather thimble...but alas the leather has been getting softer and the thimble keeps getting bigger and bigger and wants to slide off...oh well..maybe I need to wear thick padded gloves when I stitch...lol...stitchers must have really though hands......not sissy ones like painters...

Psssssssssssssst !

Squiggee just wants all to know that some big changes are in the works and all will be revealed the first of March!!!!...don't you just love to wait and speculate... what is more more fun than

gossip and making up your own story.........later...

Church work

This morning while looking at Judy Harper's blog...it made me think of all the Church Needlepoint I have done since the early 70's....At one time it was all the rage, and Churches had large committee's , that you met with.... you saw the church and designed with a thought to incorporating the church architecture and colors into the design ..... also all the symbolism and theme that the church required....these are a cross section of some of the work...a particularly favorite, is to design in the stained glass style...something I always thought I would have liked to do...if not for the fact that I have a great fear of cutting myself....but I do enjoy doing the style in needlepoint....

Friday the 13th

I am not overly superstitious...no more that most of Irish decesent..lol...but looking at the Calendar this morning gave me a little chill....so I thought this little canvas ,with two black cats ,was a good choice for today. So just everyone watch their step...and tomorrow it will be safe again...lol

The Flavor of Old Crewel

This is a custom piece I just completed . It is on 13st and measures 15" x 35". The Customer wanted a very dense design with plenty going on....and she got it. The style of flowers and swirls is very Crewel like. When I started to design in 1972, Crewel was all the rage. A design was outlined on linen and then embroidered with wool. It was very effective . I designed large wing back chairs , curtains and curtain cornices,even the occasional bedspread, to name a few uses. This has the same flavor and movement but is needlepoint. It too, will be worked in wool. The customer was very concise with her choice of wool..... all the colors already were muted and looked old. Her background choice is a very deep cream/taupe, that will add to the look. Like you just discovered it in a big trunk in your attic.

All puffed up ! Tweet Tweet

So now this little guy on 10st..has his fluff...turkey stitch that, I then clipped and shaped....and we all know what that is...tiny bits of fuzz everywhere...even on the dogs...it is fun..the closest I will get to giving a hair cut...lol.... for this, wool is the best...it will stay puffed and seems to give this little guy , even more attitude ....he will now fly off to Maine to be finished....and he will take a friend....
I don't know about everyone else...but if I don't get some Springtime soon, it is not going to be pretty scary here in Squiggeeland....Judy Harper says it is 80 in Texas....please...and that the ac is needed...grrrrrrrrrrrrr...Squiggee needs Spring....this is not my time of year to sparkle...

A Fairy named Madeline

This little Squiggee Rollie Fairy is named Madeline. Madeline was Judy Harper's sweet granddaughter that would have been 14 yesterday, but for her tragic death this last year. She was a sweet child with all the imagination and hope for a bright future. Judy told me that Madeline had a love of fairies, so to celebrate Madeline, I designed this fairy as a gesture of love.
The sketch was done months ago , and I thought that today was a perfect day to create this little fairy..... everyone needs a little magic ...and I enjoyed thinking of all the wonderful things that Madeline and Judy shared while I painted.....they were true soul mates....
with love Squiggee...

Hoping for Spring.....

This little guy makes me feels like Spring is just around the corner...as if!...it is so cold here in PA . that we would be just glad to see the ground, or be able to take a walk ,without the bitter cold cutting right into your skin.....anyway...
I am working the little bluebird on 10st...he is very plump and I plan to work the bottom white in Wool...a turkey stitch, that I will clip and shape.....this will make him look even plumper....lol....
It is fun to see this little bird on 18st, 13st and now 10st...I didn't have any trouble finding fibers of all sorts for him on 10st....you can just forget, what the fiber makers say and give it a try...you will be surprised ....I am a great one for ignoring directions...lol...sometimes it works and sometimes not...the spice of life.!!!!...my goodness, I am almost perky today...I will have to watch that...lol

The Heart Month

Gracious Old Girls

In this day and age of everything being motivated and geared to what is high tech and young...cutting edge..immediate gratification, it is like a breath of fresh air to have a found a network of seasoned professionals ,that are secure enough in their own worth and experience to be gracious with praise . In Needlepoint as in all professions, integrity is of the upper most in importance. There are no shortcuts to honing your craft , and knowing what is right and fair. These days, the young seem to overlook what age and experience has to offer. Time is big plus.
You can't buy life experience, and their is no shortcut.

I bring this up, because of the very gracious blog posted about my little sea creatures canvases ,that Judy Harper, has been stitching for me. Their is a fine line in needlepoint, that some people , cross. Yes a stitcher creates a finished canvas, but the design and color choices ,of a well designed and painted canvas, are the designers and the designers alone. Just like a piece of music belongs to the creator, you can appreciate the way a musician plays the tune, but he did not create that tune.

When someone that stands equal, in experience and talent in your given profession, makes a point of giving credit were credit is due, this is rare. Judy is a true old school girl !

I have been lucky , since I started Squiggee Designs, to have gathered in my circle of close peers,
some wonderful seasoned professionals. They have all paid their dues to our profession and offer a wealth, of go advice, support and fun.

In this age of young...It is nice to see, that you can still find quality and integrity that only comes with age.

Off To Maine

The two Squiggee pals blasted off to Maine this Morning...I talked to the finisher this morning

about them...she is so funny and is now on speed dial...I felt like a mother this morning sending my children off to camp....and can't wait for their return....The Stitchery in Camden, Maine is fast becoming and very important part of the Squiggee family.....frankly...I get a real kick out of getting the pieces back.... all put together and perfect!!!This aspect of needlepoint is so new to me....stitching models, trying new fibers and actually thinking about how I want a piece finished....in the end, I think you should always, bow to that fact, that your finisher is the professional and leave the final decision to her...you get a better finished product......when I design and paint custom work, the customer always gets my best ,when they in turn, respect that I am a professional......just a thought...it is late and I always get very philosophical at this time of night...lol...the total prince frog will get stuffed and the 10st rollie will be amazing when he returns......faster ! faster ! .....I am yelling....OMG...just like all the other needlepointers...yikes