Toni Gerdes Needlearts

American Plains  The Plains Indians were some of America’s earliest artists. This rendition of an American Plains ceremonial dress demonstrates that artistry. From the intricate stitching to the delicate beading and finishing with the suede fringe, you will create your own American Plains masterpiece. Stitching with interesting threads and stimulating stitches you will fashion your own American work of art. Beading adds the detail expected on such a design, while the addition of a bit of real white deerskin and some porcupine quills adds more authenticity.

This intermediate level canvas embroidery design, on 18 count white mono canvas finishes to approximately 8” x 9”. This is a 2-day class.

Scheduled to Teach:

       Pilot Class - Colorado Springs, CO March 9-10, 2018

       ANG National, Washington DC, August 2018

       Blue Bonnet Studio Time, Austin, TX February 2019

       NAN, Troy, MI March 16-17, 2019

       San Bernadino, CA, May 17-19, 2019

       ANG Cyberpointers, June 1-27, 2019

       ANB Bluebonnet Chapter, Oct 5-6, 2019

New Glory  Old Glory with a new twist becomes New Glory, a modern patchwork flag celebrating patriotic themes. This “flag” combines fabric applique, fun stitching, and embellishments to create a wonderful Independence Day (or any other time) decoration. Starting with a line-drawn grid, learn to attach your choice of many different patriotic themed fabrics to the canvas in at least 3 areas. These fabric areas are padded and then finally stitched on to enhance the fabric design. The other areas are stitched in many decorative pattern stitches that enrich our “flag”. Using Sparkle! Braid, Neon Rays+, Fyre Werks, Silk Lame Braid, Planet Earth Silk, Gloriana Silk, Gumnuts Stars, and others in beautiful red, white, blue, navy, and gold colors New Glory comes to life. Stitches will include some old favorites and some new favorites like, Burden stitch, Byzantine, Circle Bargello, Swirl, Lattice, Dotted Swiss, and many others. The Gold Star Embellishments add the perfect touch to the center of our “flag”. This intermediate level canvas embroidery design, on 18 count white mono canvas finishes to approximately 11” x 8”. This is a 3-day class.

Scheduled to Teach:

       Pilot, Denver, CO January 19-20, 2018

       ANG National, Washington, DC, August 2018

       Blue Bonnet Studio Time, Austin, TX February 2019

Entwined  Diamonds, Hexagon, Squares & Rectangles entwine to create this intriguing design. While the dramatic red, gray, and black colors enhance the piece. You will explore many different shades & textures of metallic, silk, & cotton threads as you create the shapes that entwine so captivatingly; these include Gloriana silk, Needlepoint, Inc. silk, City Needleworks silk, cotton floss, Planet Earth silk, Caron Collection silk & overdyed cotton, Kreinik, Bijoux, Sparkle! Braid & Petite Silk Lamé Braid, as well as, Elegance silk, & Hi-Lights.  On the beautiful smoke gray Congress cloth the shapes evolve and are finished with the unusual Dragon Scale beads.  This advanced- intermediate level canvas embroidery design is approximately 8” x 14”. This is a 2-day class.

Scheduled to Teach:

       Pilot, Houston, TX January 11-12, 2018

       EGA National, Louisville, KY October 6-7, 2018

       CANVAS, Montgomery, AL Jan 11-16, 2019

Songbird pays homage to part of our needleart history.  In 1896, 2 women found some old damaged needlework in a museum near their small town of Deerfield, Massachusetts.  The work was from the middle to late 1700’s and was brought to America by the colonists.  The women set out to reproduce some of the work, their group became known as the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework.  Songbird utilizes some of the charming designs from the Deerfield Society with modern threads, i.e. Gloriana Silks, Soie Cristale silk, Planet Earth silks. Combining these beautiful silk threads with a touch of metallic brings these old whimsical designs to life. Laid filling patterns combine with classic embroidery stitches used at the time of the Deerfield Society to create a contemporary piece honoring our past. This intermediate level canvas embroidery design, on 24 ct. white Congress Cloth finishes to approximately 9” x 7”. This is a 2-day class.

Scheduled to Teach:

           EGA National, Louisville, KY October 4-5, 2018

Memories of the Heart  Memories is something we all have; memories of family, friends, places, events, etc. This heart, stitched on white 18ct. mono canvas, reminds us of those special memories that we hold dear to our hearts. Unfortunately, these wonderful memories can be stripped away by the terrible disease, Alzheimer’s. Hopefully, the important research being done will help us all keep our personal memories for a long time. This intermediate level canvas embroidery design finishes to approximately 6” x 4” and can be finished as an ornament, framed piece, or a tote insert.

This design is available from EGA (the Embroiderers Guild of American) as a special booklet to raise money for Alzheimer's  research. It is available from EGA through September 2018, then from me. All proceeds from the sale of the booklet go to Alzheimer's research.

Twisted Angel is definitely a twist on the normal angel. She is composed of “Twisty Stitches” including Jessicas, Crescents, Amadeus, Chilly Hollow, and Sprats Head, using beautiful metallic threads and a tear drop bead. This intermediate level class on eggshell with gold metallic flecked Congress Cloth finishes to a 6” by 4” design and looks wonderful made into an ornament or a small framed piece. This is a 1-day class.

Scheduled to Teach:

          San Bernardino, CA June 15, 2018

          ANG Mile High chapter, Denver, CO June 2019

          Twisted Stitches, Albuquerque, NM September 2020

Abyss  An abyss, chasm, or crevice displays the icy realms of the earth. We will, also, explore the other definition of abyss, a profound difference between people. Using dramatic stitches like the companion piece, Fire & Ice, we will create the icy cold perfection with our high & low columns. The background will continue the feel with a sparkly darning pattern. Using silks, overdyes, & metallic the icy landscape will come to life on the pale blue Congress cloth. This intermediate level canvas embroidery design is approximately 5 ½” x 11”.

Scheduled to Teach:

ANG National Seminar, Houston, TX August 2019

Stitchers' Escaptes Alaska Cruise (from Seattle) September 2019

CANVAS, an adventure, Montgomery, AL, January 2020

EGA Cedar Rapids chapter, Cedar Rapids, IA May 2020

San Bernardino group, June 2020

EGA GPR Seminar, Portland OR, July 2020

Klimt Kimono Gustav Klimt is known for his painting, The Kiss (1907-08), done during his Golden Phase. This kimono combines Klimt’s love of costume with elements of many other Golden Phase paintings including The Tree of Life (1905). Combining many silk and metallic threads, this “artist kimono” will be wonderful commemoration of a historic artists’ work. Silks will include Planet Earth & Dinky Dyes, Painters’ Threads, Gimp and Ribbon Floss and others and will create a beautiful intermediate level design on 18ct. white canvas. Design size is 8 ¼” x 11 ½”. Piece can be done as the original (above) kimono or as a rectangle.

Scheduled to Teach:

ANG National Seminar, Houston  Texas August 2019

Needlepoint Now, Oregon, September 2019

ANG Atlanta Chapter, October, 2019 

ANG Mt. Tam Workers, Marin Co, San Francisco, CA, November 2019

EGA Monguagon Chapter, Monguagon, Michigan November 2019 

CANVAS, an adventure, Montgomery, AL January 2020

Blue Bonnet Studio Time, Febrary 2020, Houston, Texas

EGA Evergreen chapter, Seattle, WA April 2020

ANG Chicago chapter, Chicago, IL April 2020

ANG Minnesota chapter, Minneapolis, MN May 2020

EGA Constellation Chapter, Baltimore, MD, June 2020

EGA GPR seminar, Portland, OR, July 2020

EGA RMR seminar, Denver, CO August 2020

ANG Lone Star chapter, Houston, TX October 2020

Stan Hywet Needlework Guild, Ohio November 2020

ANG Checkerspot Stitchers, Baltimore, MD, November 2020

Kaleidoscope Kimono A Kaleidoscope comes alive on the back of this colorful kimono using traditional and “twisty” stitches with silk & metallic threads in beautiful analogous blues, greens, aqua, and violets. This kimono pops as your eye follows the designs out from the center. The background darning pattern, done in Silk Lame Braid Petite, enhances the 18 count white mono canvas. This intermediate level canvas embroidery design is approximately 8 1/2” x 10 1/2”.

Blue Bonnet Studio Time, Febuary, 2020, Houstin, TX

Explode your stitching and patriotic decorating with these 3 stand-up Firecrackers. Each Firecracker will be stitched and finished separately, but will tie together with threads and patterns. Using silks, metallic, velvet, Neon Rays+, and of course, FyreWerks these Firecrackers will come to life and become a favorite display for the Independence Day holiday. The stitches will include old favorites, as well as, a few surprises in these three 3-D poppers. The finishing adds exploding tops. These intermediate level canvas embroidery designs, on 18 count white mono canvas, come in 3 sizes; 10” tall & 3” diameter, 7” tall & 2 ¼“ diameter, & 5” tall & 1 ½” diameter.

Teaching:

EGA National 2019, St. Louis, MO November 2019

San Bernardino group, June 2020

ANG CyberPointers - July & September, 2020 (Program)

When the sun has set and the moon is full over the ocean a special blue cast comes over the earth that is both a little spooky and beautiful at the same time. The second full moon of the month is often referred to as a blue moon. Since this only happens occasionally, the phrase, Once in a Blue Moon, came about. Also when certain atmospheric conditions occur that cause a blue tint to the moon, it is called a blue moon. This design creates a band sampler of the varying colors of the sky over the fabric appliqued ocean. The edge of the fabric has couched unraveled Flair to create the ocean foam. The moon is appliqued Ultra Suede® with colored-pencil shading to craft the spooky clouds. The moonlight glow on the moon, ocean, and sky will be fashioned by couching fine Sulky holographic lines throughout the bands and on the fabric. This intermediate level design on 18ct light blue mono canvas has a design size of approximately 11” x 6”.

Teaching:

Pilot, Private Group (open to public) Colorado Springs, CO March 2020

ANG National Seminar, Tucson, AZ, August 2020

San Bernardino ANG, San Bernardino, CA, October 2020

Canvas, An Adventure, Montgomery, AL, January 2021

Blue Bonnet Studio Time, Houston, TX, February 2021

NAN Assembly, Troy Michigan, March 2021

Georgia O’Keeffe is known for her many paintings of the southwest and for her beautiful flowers. This kimono combines both those specialties. At the top of the kimono is the famous Pedernal Mountain that Georgia painted so many times with the beautiful Chama River flowing from the mountain and into the lush grassy plains. At the bottom of the Kimono is a depiction of one of the wonderful red Poppies that O’Keeffe painted so often. This is the 4^th in my series of Artist Kimono, after The Wright Kimono, Mackintosh Rose Kimono, and Klimt Kimono. Combining many silks, cottons, wool blends, boucle, & Soy Luster , this “artist kimono” will be a wonderful commemoration of a historic artists’ work. Silks will include Planet Earth and City Needleworks, as well as others and will create a beautiful intermediate level design on 18ct. white canvas. Stitches will include many stitches to create the perspective needed for the landscape portion with shading techniques taught for the poppy. The design can be done as the original, a kimono, or as a rectangle (with explanation & permission). Design size is 8 ¼” x 11 ½”.

Teaching:

Pilot, Private Group (open to public), Denver, CO, January 2020 

ANG National Seminar, Tucson, AZ, August 2020

ANG Western Reserve chapter, OH November 2020

CANVAS, An Adventure, Montgomery, AL, January 2021 

Blue Bonnet Studio Time, Houston, TX, February 2021

Twisted Stitches, Albuqueque, NM April 2021

Tawa is a design based on the traditional Kachina masks of the Hopi Native Americans.  Tawa is the name for the sun god and this design will be a beautiful addition to your southwest stitching pieces.  This intermediate level 1-day class uses different threads in reds, turquoises, & golds, including wools & wool blends, to create both the smooth texture of paint and the richer textures of the feathers. The face will be stitched on a separate piece of Congress cloth and attached with padding and a covered button technique to the main canvas where the stylized feathers will be stitched, on 18ct. Sandstone canvas.