Melissa Shirley Wild Women Betsy Ross

 This is Betsy Ross of the Wild Women series by Melissa Shirley...I finished her in 2011 (I think).

 I like the needle and thread...

I used woven ribbon stitch for the dress.  Go Betsy!!!

Woven Ribbon stitch.

Melissa Shirley's Wild Women Brunhilde

 Here is Brunhilde...she is the first Melissa Shirley Wild Woman that I attempted to stitch.  The guide was from Fancy Stitches in Cleburne, Texas. I was a very "insecure" stitcher at the time and did not trust myself to pick the stitches.  I like her but if I were doing her over again...I would have done a few things different.

 I would have done big fabulous lips!  I would have braided her hair.  The flames on her shield would be plumper. Her boobs would have really stood out...3D!   But I do like her.  I also detest basket weaving Flair!  I would have done something else to the water.  I am posting her because I think there is always an idea to be gained from other stitcher's work...good or bad/what to do or not to do.

Melissa Shirley Reindeer Christmas Stocking

 Here is my latest 18ct. project.  I try to keep an 18ct. and a 13ct. going at the same time so I do not get bored.  This is a Melissa Shirley stocking for my daughter.  I am using a stitch guide by the very talented Diana Bosworth of the French Knot needlepoint shop.  I just love the reindeers!!  Wonder why they call them reindeers?  Were there deers that actually pulled sleds? Interesting.

I will keep you posted on my progress.

Melissa Shirley's Noah's Ark Stocking

 Here is a completed picture of my own stocking from a vintage Melissa Shirley canvas.  This is one of the first times I trusted my own instincts and did my own stitches.  I got some vintage thread off of ebay for the tigers...it's a really rough old wool with old fashioned tiger colors.

 I think the alligators are my favorite.  The teeth are beaded.  I like the panda's too!

 I beaded each heart/triangle decoration...that took forever!  So many beads!!!

 Another view of the top of the ark...I think the two matching birds are cute!

I used floche for the yellow background.

I started this in August of 2013 and finished it right around Christmas but it was too late for 2013 Christmas so this is the first year I will display it.

Another Halloween Cutie!

 This is a little canvas I did for Halloween...I named him Rayford after a co-worker of mine.  This is a Frank Bielic canvas for Maggie&Co.  He is a silly little guy.

Halloween Cutie

 This is a little canvas that I stitched while on vacation.  She is a cute little Halloween witch/trick-or-treater!
The background stitch is from Ruth Schmuff's stitches volume III that I downloaded from Itunes.  It's a blackwork stitch.  I also beaded around the border with flowers.  She went to Funda Scully for finishing...I'll post the stand-up when I get her back.  I have finished a stand-up by myself before but it takes nerves of steel to finish your own needlepoint.  Maybe I will post a tutorial on finishing a stand-up soon???

Melissa's Shirley Wild Woman Pandora

This is the canvas prior to stitching.  I used Amy Bunger's stitch guide and only made a few minor changes.  Let me just say...the boobs were hard to stitch.  You have to pad them with felt and then draw them out on smaller mesh canvas, stitch them and then sew them onto the padded boobs.  My husband says it looks like she is holding her boobs up...when in fact she is opening Pandora's box and letting the coils of evil out.

The above picture is where I deviated from Amy's stitch guide.  I wanted her hair to really look wild (wild woman) and so I needle felted her hair with various colors of wool.  I really liked the white because it scared her so bad when she opened the box that her hair went white! I also added some fuzzy stuff for highlights.  I found no tutorials for needle felting onto needlepoint canvas so I was scared to death.  I did make a video of how I  did it...it was surprisingly easy...maybe I will post it.

Here she is from far away...she will be joining Betsy Ross, Marilyn Monroe and Brunhilde to await my huge collage of wild women.  I got the idea for the giant collage from Daphne's Collection found on the www.melissashirley.com

Melissa Shirley's Wild Bill

 Here is Wild Bill.  I have finished him and he is off to Funda Scully with Calamity Jane for finishing.  He wasn't done here but I loved the stitch for the pink wallpaper border.  I used beads for his six shooter's handle to make it a true pearl handled gun.

 I used this stitch for his coat by the lapels and I added fringe. The stitch is from a fabulous book called Stitch In's and Out's by Little Shoppe Canvas Company, Inc.  I suggest you get this book!!!  So fabulous.

I used the buttonhole stitch for his hair.  Hair always gives me fits!  Here he is finished below.

Melissa Shirley Noah Santa Stocking

 This is my finished Melissa Shirley Noah Santa stocking.  I went with a totally different background stitch than the pictures below.  It's been sent off for finishing and I will post a picture when he returns.

I used this stitch.  It's from a wonderful book that if you do not own, you must get...Stitch Landscape by Little Shoppe Canvas Company, Inc.

 I really like how his beard turned out.  I used Silk and Ivory in various shades for the stitch.

Fly by Night Stocking

 Here is my fly by night stocking I am doing for my son Aaron.  I love the snow stitch.  I used opal and white ribbon floss.  Here is the stitch posted below.  I hope to meet the September finishing deadline!!