Isaiah 41:10 – Completed!

And here is the completed piece.  All that remains is to frame it.  This will wait until I can present it to the recipient, so she can choose how it will look.

Isaiah 41:10 Stitched, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, I pray for strength, comfort and healing for her as she faces the challenges of chronic illness.  Please help her and keep her from fear as she learns to turn trials into triumph.  Help those of us who also suffer to gather around her and give her the support which only true understanding and love can offer.

Isaiah 41:10 – Isaiah Stitched!

For the words, I want a clean look.  Simple diagonal stitches give this effect.

Isaiah 41:10 Isaiah stitched, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, we thank You for Your Word and Your prophets, who let us know how much you love us all, and that we can rely on You to strengthen and help us.

Isaiah 41:10 – Halo Stitched!

I stitched each segment of the halo  at 90 degree rotation to carry on that impression of outward flowing rays.

Isaiah 41:10 Halo stitched, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, I thank you for her spirit, her strength, her tenacity in the face of her trials.  I pray she may feel Your strength ringing her around and supporting and see Your light ahead.

Isaiah 41:10 – Halo Segment

Remember this project?  I’ve been working on it a little at a time all this while.  I like to have different projects at different stages so I can choose what to work on.  Also, my perception of the needs of the various people I am pray for changes.

Here I have stitched the first segment of the cross’s halo.  I’m using the silver color version of the variegated gold thread I used for the background of the cross.  But the different stitch I have chosen gives a different look to the way the shades of the variegated thread play out.  I have tried here to give the impression of rays streaming outward.

Isaiah 41:10 Halo Segment, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

Prayer: Father, help her to feel Your power streaming out and to her.  I pray she may feel your love and benevolence.

 

Isaiah 41:10 – Cross Stitched!

Here you can see how the variegated threads in the words and the cross background play together.

Cross Stitched, a photo by Carmen CS on Flickr.

I just love variegated thread!

You may have noticed already in this sequence of photos that the color within each letter varies.  That’s not a product of the photography, that’s because I love variegated threads.  I think they make a piece look more natural, more alive, less poster-like. As in the fancy background stitch, the way the colors change through the letters is effected by the order in which I have stitched them and the stitch I have used.

for I am your God | Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

Isaiah 41:10 – Marking the Canvas for the Fancy Stitches

I will | Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

By doing the background first, I can even use a Sharpie to mark where the pattern goes right on the canvas through the letters.  The marks will be covered once the letters are stitched, and it helps a lot when following the pattern through the maze of the letters.  You can see how I used this marking technique to keep straight how the pattern flows through/around the I in this picture.

Isaiah 41:10 – Stitching the Fancy Background First

I will strengthen you… | Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

By stitching the fancy background stitch first, I can count where the stitches need to go through the mesh areas taken up by the letters.  This simplifies the fancy stitching.

Isaiah 41:10 – Fancy Stitching

Do not Fear | Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

I decided to use a variegated metallic gold thread for the background of the cross, and to use one of my favorite fancy stitches to get a rich, tapestry-like effect for the cross.  Having stitched many of the letters, I began stitching the background of the cross, and immediately started hitting problems keeping the fancy stitch pattern going across the letters.

Isaiah 41:10 – Stitching Letters First

Stitching Letters First | Flickr – Photo Sharing!.

Usually when stitching needlepoint, I learned to start with small areas first, then fill in the background around them.  So that would indicate that I should stitch the letters first, as you can see here.