Rebecca Banner Class 1

We just finished the first class on Rebecca Wood’s Santa in the Needlepoint Shop banner.

The focus of this piece is perspective and dimension.  How am I going to make it appear as though Santa is in the building and everything else is in front?  You’ll have to follow along.

The first thing I did was make the bricks on the front of the building come forward by padding them with Frosty Rays and laying a Satin stitch over.  I also used two different colors of Weeks overdye floss to create the shadows in the painting.  The most challenging aspect of stitching a Rebecca piece is to maintain the original beauty of her painting and shading.

The right side of the store is recessed. So I didn’t pad and only used 2 ply of floss.  Oh my! All right, enough about bricks.

Santa was a challenge because I wanted to use all my usual tricks, like Turkey Work and stitches.  However, Santa is pretty small, maybe only 4 inches.  Not a lot of room to maneuver.  I wanted to make his beard look fluffy but not actually be fluffy.  Bullions were the answer.

What I love most about this canvas is that each person can tell a different story with how they choose to stitch the piece.  Is Santa buying a new piece?  Has he been a good boy and stitched his background first?  Is he buying a gift for Mrs. Claus? Is his background going to be the same color as the canvas or is he going to do something wild with it?  Susan suggested the elves were going to stich the background. The possibilities are endless.  Let’s see what everyone comes up with. My Santa has been a  bad boy and not stitched any background before he starts the fun part.  Art replicates life!

It’s not too late to join us.  Let me know if you want to come on board.  I have a few canvases in stock.  203-210-5107

What part will I work on next?  Stay tuned for the next installment.

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