The World Is Your Oyster — Thörn Alexander Style

Hello Friends!

I’m very excited to finally share with you this recent stitch finish!

I have been working on this canvas for ages and can’t believe it’s over. In a good way. Completing a needlepoint project can feel like a huge achievement.

Hilarious, I know. But believe me, ‘tis truuuue.

The path to stitching this canvas was a bit of a windy one. When a new design is properly developed that I love, I have a tendency to stitch about 40% of it immediately, leave it in a closet for 6 months, take it out again, stitch another 40%, you get the point. Last night, I went through my stash to see what I could stitch up quickly to send off to be finished and ultimately decided that I was going to finish that damn oyster. I’m so glad I did because I am so proud of it, bumpy stitches and all!

Borrowing a line from the female founders of Lizzie Fortunato, needlepoint “champions small production.” Every single canvas you have ever seen from the Thörn Alexander collection has been hand-painted to the stitch with patience and care. This is a timely process that allows for a beautiful collaborative transformation with creativity and ease between you, me and array of wonderful humans who help me make this all possible.

The stitching part itself has many opportunities and pathways as well as it’s own time consuming technique. One can experiment with different stitches, glittery threads, silks, wools, nylons, change the colors, even incorporate beading. When I set out to stitch samples, I rarely stitch them with the respective colors as painted and often navigate with a handful of background stitches. I kinda like to show how you can personalize each one for yourself, a co-worker, a friend.

Almost every single canvas in my collection has a story of its own. With that said, I would love to take this opportunity to give you a Behind The Seams of the Thörn Alexander process.

Although my first needlepoint projects were highly personalized, I typically choose not to add initials, dates and locations on my samples. However, for this canvas, I made an exception and broke my own rule. What are rules, really? For this particular design, I decided to customize it with a couple pairs of initials belonging to my partner and myself… A move I deemed suitable after we passed the “breakup belt” test this past Christmas. lol.

“Hey honey, am I allowed to put your initials on this?”

“Yeah, of course!”

“You do know that needlepoint takes a reaaaaalllllly long time to stitch, right?” “

Yeah, go ahead that would be awesome!”

Boom. Problem solved.

It’s funny how sometimes your needlepoint can be couture pensieves for memories. I stitched this on the beach, I stitched it in the car en route to the mountains to ski, I stitched it in our first apartment together in Cambridge. I even knocked out a portion of the oyster on Christmas Eve, home in Vermont.

We will be moving out west this fall and this handmade needlepoint will be a treasured, tangible piece of home to bring with me. Turns out British Columbia is going to be fabulous for our loves for oysters so this might be the perfect framable for our new kitchen. Well, once we find a home with a kitchen.

For the inner most blue, I decided to go with Blue Chip, a favorite of mine of Brown Paper Packages’ Silk & Ivory collection. This grayish shade of blue is so yummy and a very sophisticated choice for anyone who loves blue. I tend to think of it as a bit of a neutral tone.

Although Rainbow Gallery Threads are absolutely stunning and the quality is phenomenal, I’m not particularly keen on the stitching experience. This may also be true as I doubled up on ply for the oyster bits for adequate coverage. I have heard a frame and a laying tool could help. Not my cuppa, but local needlepoint shops can be excellent resources for lessons, finishing, canvases and threads.

Planet Earth’s Vineyard Blue was selected as the border color as a nod to Lola’s in Oak Bluffs, a beautiful restaurant where Mr. Oceans and I had our first oysters together. Glasses of champagne, a little corn hole sprawled out on the lawn. Perfection. I was very sad to hear that this garden party-esque establishment is no longer with us.

At the moment, I am thinking about having it framed and look forward to seeing the final product! I envision an ivory matting with a bamboo frame with a touch of gold somewhere in the mix. That or a leather clutch finished by Stitch Boutique.

Stay tuned!

x,

Brooke

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