I am sorting the last entries and hitting up a random number generator to select winners. I’ll post details ASAP. In the meantime, after a very long incubation and development period, here is the newest Funk & Weber Designs puzzle pattern:
It’s not even on the Funk & Weber Web site yet, but it will be just as soon as I can get it there.
Like the Puzzle Pisces pattern before it, each of the leaves was drawn individually on graph paper, cut out, then arranged into the leaf shape to fit snugly and to strategically arrange the various colors. Some leaves were redesigned to fit better.
Given the varying colors and shades of individual leaves in nature, this piece positively screamed out for overdyed threads; it takes advantage of the subtle changes in color that overdyed threads offer, making the leaves look especially lifelike. Even if you follow the pattern to a T using the same colors from The Gentle Art, your leaves will be unique. Differences in dyelot don’t make a bit of difference, even if you use them on the same leaf.
Don’t worry if you’ve never used overdyed threads before; this is a great place to start. The first “rule” (I’m not a big fan of rules) is to complete each stitch individually; i.e. cross each stitch before moving to the next one. To make the leaves look natural, it’s also best not to stitch in tidy rows, but rather to stitch in a “close but random” fashion, stitches not far apart (which results in a speckled look), but not in rows. I call this stitching in “blobs,” and you can see the effect and learn how to do it here. When blob stitching, I tend to make each stitch touch the one before it in some way–horizontally, vertically, diagonally–but mix it up. Sometimes I’ll “travel” with my stitches (move to a different area a few spaces away), and sometimes I “fill in” an area.
You can control which part of the fiber you use where (a light length next to a vein, or a dark length for the vein, etc.), but you can also let the fiber do its job on its own.
As always, if you like the result, you’ve done it right. If you don’t like the result, you can always frog.
Any questions? Ideas to share?
Well, still don’t have the results of the contest, but here are the answers for the two branches (wink, wink) of the contest:
Branch 1: Scavenger Hunt
The five Clues of the Day were:
Sassafras, Sweetgum, Willow, Beech, Maple
These are some of the leaves used in the pattern.
Branch 2: Puzzlepalooza
Day 1: I Spell Fiance
Day 2: Fine Allspice
Day 3: Pelican’s Life
Day 4: Final Eclipse
Day 5: Fall, In Pieces
The first four seemingly nonsense answers are all anagrams of the title, Fall, In Pieces.
Okay, I’m off to sort and draw numbers.
Categories: Funk & Weber Designs
Neat design!
The design is wonderful!
Wow! That is awesome. So, I guess it wasn’t “Epic, if Aliens” or “Life, as Pencil”, huh? ha.
Jen, I love the new design and I love the way you introduced it. The feedback I received from my customers was that they had a great deal of enjoyment working the puzzles and trying to solve the final answer. The most clever, though frightening solution, is “clap, if senile”. I’ve found myself clapping many a day! Hopefully we’ll clap with joy as the sales for your newest design soar.
Wow, how neat is THAT??!! I love the design and the idea. Very clever!
And the puzzles were lots of fun!
Thanks, Everyone. I’m still having a heap of fun with this. I’m not through the entries yet, and I’m enjoying the comments that accompany entries. It’s hard to not respond to each one, but I know I need to get entries sorted and winners drawn, so I’m trying to stay disciplined.
We’ve had a lot of “Life, As Pencil” answers, which gives me an idea that I’ll share in an upcoming post. (Not now–I’m being disciplined, remember?) But I feel almost obligated to create a design around “Clap, if senile.” That’s hilarious!
What are the dimensions of the finished work? I’m wondering if the leaves are life-sized. I love it.
Life-sized would be great, but no, the leaves are smaller-than-life.
I don’t have the exact dimensions right at hand, but it’s about 23-inches square. Or maybe that’s the inside of the frame. Hmm. That info is on the pattern and will be posted with the info on the Web site.