Bunch of Grapes

January 1, 2014, 9:12 pm
Filed under: Melita's Designs

I started a needlepoint piece for a friend who we are seeing next weekend. I selected a jewelry box from my stash of finishing pieces which I picked it up at a flea market. I love flea markets! With a small heart opening, I knew I could get it done in a week. But, unfortunately, my husband was sick on New Year’s Eve (day & night). Because we stayed in yesterday & today (he is feeling better now), I focused on this piece AND it is done in just 2 days!

My friend Kathy loves wine. So, I thought grapes would be perfect. I decided on a circular Rhodes because it was round and would have dimension (raised center like grapes). I made a rough draft on graph paper & would adjust as needed. Not making the stitch complicated helped me get it done quickly. And, I allowed myself to be more random as grapes would be in nature. I am not sure how accurate this diagram is now compared to my finished piece.

Next, I selected 4 threads from my DMC stash because they shared the same shade within the purple color family: 3834, 3835, 3836, & 3837. For the grapes on the left, I did a mathematical thread blending as follows:

A = 3834 x 6 threads
B = 3834 x 4 threads & 3835 x 2 threads
C = 3834 x 3 threads & 3835 x 3 threads
D = 3834 x 2 threads & 3835 x 4 threads
E = 3834 x 6 threads

And, the same with 3836/3837.

Initially, I tried compensating the Rhodes in between the full grapes but it was looking messy & the full size grapes were disappearing when I used 3 threads of 1 of the 2 matching colors. So, I decided that basketweave with a color from the other bunch of grapes would make enough contrast. Then, I added in some branches & leaves (3051/3053). I did attach an extra layer of canvas around the edge so that the needlepoint wouldn’t shift in the insert. But even that wasn’t enough. So, I added a square of white felt which worked perfectly!

It was a shame Bill got sick but I enjoyed stitching!