You’ve got a friend...

When I think of Mrs. Ashley Wilkes (aka Melanie or “Ms. Mellie”), I akin her with friendship. Have you ever had THAT friend? You know the one, the friend who doesn’t judge you (even when you probably deserve it). They’re almost miraculously oblivious to your flaws and somehow think you’re the moon and the stars. I happen to be blessed enough to have one just like that and it’s an extremely special thing... my “bestie” reminds me so much of Ms. Melanie because not only does she NOT have a malicious bone in her body but she also has that special something that makes people respect and look up to her because there is such an abundance of innate goodness. She leads in a quiet, almost demure way. That’s the thing about Melanie (and my bestie too in fact), you just can’t help but like her.

The first time I watched Gone with the Wind and for a long time thereafter, I will admit that I thought of Melanie as a doormat. I would roll my eyes just waiting for the vivacious and sassy Scarlett to come back on the scene. My longtime obsession with this movie kept reinforcing this opinion... My thought process was that Melanie HAD to know what’s going on….her sister-in-law (because remember, Scarlet married Melanie’s brother) is in love with HER man, how could she NOT KNOW?! Scarlett, the woman who can have any man on the hemisphere, a woman who will steal her own sister’s longtime beau, a woman who (gasp) drives her own buggy and runs her own business, is after HER man, everyone knows it, how can’t she?? She not only puts up with Scarlett, but she’s STILL her friend, and a good one at that. . .that was my perception of Melanie... that is until I read the book, and in doing so, I discovered what I now think of as Melanie’s “silent strength”. It takes an enormously strong woman to trust not only her husband but also her best friend. Yes, she suspects what’s going on, but at the end of the day, she trusts them both. Now that’s strength. 

Think about it, who thinks on her feet when Scarlett kills that Yankee solider who breaks in? She literally gives Scarlett the nightgown off her back to wipe up the blood and helps her conceal the murder.... Who has a baby even though it is clear that health-wise it probably isn’t a good idea? Who goes against society and not only is kind to Belle Watling, but takes her contribution? Who makes the final call about that controversial auction? Who convinces Rhett to let them bury Bonnie? And who thinks on her feet again when the police are after the gentlemen for going after Scarlett’s attacker? Melanie. ALLLL Melanie!!! She’s actually quite a strong women, but in typical Melanie form, you wouldn't know it because she just never makes a fuss.

That’s the thing about Gone with the Wind, there’s many layers and ways to looks at it. Most think of it as a love story/romantic drama but I have grown to think of it more as a movie about friendship. When you really think of it, the men are in and out of the story, they’re bootlegging, in prison, at war, or they've passed away but Melanie and Scarlett, they’re the constants. The movie makes out like Ms. Scarlett is the heroine with her grand declaring of “I’ll never be hungry again,” but I’m just going to say it, once I read the book, I discovered that Melanie is the one to be revered.

I would be remiss not to talk about the amazing actress who played her in the movie, Olivia de Havilland. Olivia got an Oscar nod as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal but not the win, she DID go on to win Best Actress in a Leading Role for both The Heiress and The Snake Pit. If you are a stitcher and have not seen The Heiress, I highly recommend seeking it out as needlework does play a part (although small) in this drama (and FYI this has been colorized so if you hate black and white movies, this may be an option). And in 2017 Ms. de Havilland was made a Dame as she was awarded Dame Commander, Order of the British Empire, by Queen Elizabeth. I mean we always knew she was a classy lady and that was evident in her portrayal of Melanie. As I post, Ms. de Havilland is the only surviving member of the cast and today just so happens to be her 104^th birthday (and no, that number is NOT a type-o, 104!!!). Ms. de Havilland, I wish you the happiest of birthdays. . . and with that, HOW are we going to do this justice on our canvas?? Even though Melanie is plainer than Scarlett, Melanie’s still a leader in society and the moral compass of what’s in good taste, so we need to treat her as such. When you look at the reference photo (above), that bow is bigger than I am willing to go for scale’s sake.  . .So many details to think about! I mean no pressure, right??

This pink gown just screams for silk and because the shades match so well, I’m using three of my favorite brands. Splendor S824, Planet Earth 6 ply silk in Romance 1017, and Soie Cristale color 2031 and as I usually do, I’m using three strands of each. Now I know a lot of you really like to completely cover the canvas, but as I’ve stated before, there’s a time and place for that and then there’s a time to let the wonderful painting peak through and do the work -- this is one of those times.

Since I already had a few ideas for the bodice, I decided to start with the skirt, but as I often do, there were a few false starts as far as stitches were concerned. I tried a few different darning patterns all of which didn’t work out for one reason or another. They looked too stripy, looked too much like what we did for Scarlett's or it was too difficult to follow the shading. In the end, Parisian stitch ended up giving just enough coverage, seemed to follow the drape of the skirt and worked for the areas that needed shading. For the corset area of the bodice, I used a stitch called Damask. All of these stitches are from “Stitches to Go.” Funny thing about the name of this stitch—the book has TWO Damask stitches and I just so happened to use both. For the area of as the bodice, I used the Damask stitch at the top of the page which reminds me of arrows. I am in the habit of taking a close-up photo of areas before I begin an area to use as reference, you will see why this comes in handy. I stitched right over the lines depicting the darting/corseting and will need my reference photo to gauge where to put the lines back in. As I’ve mentioned before, Fidelis creates the most incredible tassels so she has an extensive collection of gimp for covering tassel heads and she just so happened to have the perfect color -- I just love when that happens! Gimp is so striking when couched down, especially with clear thread, so that’s how I featured the darts/corseting. If you don’t have easy access to gimp like I do, Painter’s thread has some pretty hand dyed versions but gimp is around, you just have to look for it, you might have luck on Etsy if all else fails. I have come to like it so much, I’ve started hoarding—I mean collecting—it when I see it in my travels.

For the bib area of the neckline, I used the other Damask stitch and on the right-hand side, I flipped the stitch by turning the diagram one turn clockwise – this is a great tip, to flip a stitch, play with turning the book in either direction until the angle is what you want. Once again, I stitched right over the curls of the painted lace—you’ll see why in a moment. The puff sleeves were stitched in alternating continental.

 Now what to do with that lace?? So you remember Bonnie’s doll buttons? Well, I decided I needed a fine, small scale lace so again, I looked for doll materials and this beautiful doll lace is the correct scale. This one happened to have the right amount of space to feed through a coordinating 4mm silk ribbon. Plant Earth Fiber had the perfect shade in Lollipop 011. I wove the ribbon through every other channel of the lace and although a 2 or 3mm probably would have fit better, 4mm worked fine with some finessing. After I fed the ribbon through the lace, I attached it using my trusty clear beading thread using my reference photo and used a thick laying tool to open up the hole in the canvas and used the plunge method to bring both ends to the back (you can then use your needle to close the big hole back up and restore the canvas to it’s usual weave). If you don’t remember the plunge method, you can find details HERE. For now I am ignoring the lace at the top as I want to stitch Melanie’s skin first and it could be in my way. Using the same silk ribbon brand and color only in size 10mm this time, I made a bow using the technique using a fork and attached it by tacking it on. You may want to attach the bow as we get closer to the end. I also highly recommend using just a touch of Fray Check on the ends so the silk ribbon won’t unravel. Make sure you have a Fray Check that says it doesn’t show and dries soft – I would test it on a scrap before putting it on my finished bow. And just to manage expectations, I probably wasted a good foot of ribbon and a half hour trying to make the perfect looking bow. It took several tries and is quite fiddly work but I didn’t want any strange folds as the devil really is in the details. If you aren’t familiar with the fork technique, HERE's the video I referenced. It’s a handy little trick to have in your back pocket.

And let's look at our progress of Melanie thus far:

In our next episode we’ll continue working on Melanie. . .possibly doing something fun with the hair. .  .and not to be coy, but just wait until you see what we have planned for that fan! In the meantime, I hope we all channel the spirit of Ms. Mellie by being sweet and kind to each other.

Curtain call!

In my last post we stitched Tara and talked about that special place on earth that we call home. Like Gerald O’Hara tells Scarlett in one of the early scenes “Land is the only thing in the world worth working for, worth fighting for, because it’s the only thing that lasts”.  If you’re familiar with this movie though, you know what isn’t going to last... those curtains, because in a moment not so unlike the one in “The Sound of Music”, Scarlet has Mamie pull down those drapes to make her an impressive new frock, and she hasn’t had one of those in a very long time. BY the way, Gone with the Wind (the movie) was released in 1939 and Sound of Music in 1965 but the real Maria von Trapp became the von Trapp nanny in and around 1926 but the GWTW book was published in 1936, before The Sound of Music was a movie, just proves that old adage, there’s no such thing as an original idea!  But back to those curtains, they’re the sacrificial lamb because she’s gotta catch herself a man who has a good amount of money and those are difficult to come by even in a less dire economy never mind in times of war! The drapes scene is so iconic that The Carol Burnett Show even did a popular spoof on it. Many of you have probably seen it, I’m sure, but if you’re one of our younger stitchers you may not have and I would be remiss if I didn’t include a link so you could revel in this comic genius:  https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2z723y

A little trivia told to me by the designer of this canvas, JP Sligh of Labors of Love, if you look closely at Scarlett’s hat that makes up the curtain outfit, it’s been adorned with chicken feet! Can you imagine? We’ll just sparkle our-self up some chicken feet and put them on a hat! I mean you know things are desperate when you are resorting to tricks like that! But an “A+” for originality! You have to use what you’ve got and ingenuity NEVER goes out of style. I was recently telling a good friend, I actually find I am more creative with less options... if you give me every thread in the store, I can’t decide but give me 2 choices and somehow I’m going to “make it work” (in the words of the pinochle of taste and style, Mr. Tim Gund).

So my initial idea was to use green Rainbow Gallery’s Very Velvet but they looked heavy and foreboding. I wanted something that looked fine and expensive (and I have never understood velvet drapes in Georgia to be honest). My LNS still has a stash of Anchor’s Marlitt which I have used for some of the characters’ lips so far. I confess this isn’t one of my favorite threads but these colors  (1031 and 1033) were spot on perfect, so I’m going with it. I’ll be using 4 strands using a vertical brick variation over three. It has an empty space in the middle of each row to show the painting of the canvas that also adds extra shading which I especially like (with no extra work!). And it keeps the drapes from looking too heavy. Word to the wise, Marlitt has been discontinued, so I needed to be certain I would have enough of it. We have all seen the posts on Needlepoint Nation’s Facebook page or had a stitching friend run out of something they now can’t get or the dye-lot has significantly changed. It’s one of a stitcher’s worst nightmares so if you are going to push that envelope and use something discontinued or limited, err on the side of caution and be absolutely certain you have enough! I encourage over buying if that’s what it takes-built in stash enhancement if you will. 

You will notice that I stitched right over Melanie’s veil. I did this when it was over Ashley’s jacket as well... all will be revealed in time, I promise. Any time you over something like this up, take a picture before you stitch it for future reference! 

Now what to do with that fringe? Bullion knots were an option, but I already did a mass of bullions for Bonnie’s hair. Plus, I like to mix techniques within a canvas and I wanted something really different bordering on over the top.... it may be background but it doesn’t mean it can’t shine. It’s always a fine line, you don’t want your background to overtake the design.  B.F. Goodstitch had a trunk show last year of Painter’s Thread and I knew they did great overdyed threads in these glorious colors with sparkle running through them, but I didn’t know about their embellishment trims. I highly recommend you check out their website because you want to be aware of what they have so you will recognize opportunities when they arise. The minute I saw their Klimt Gold Single Loop trim, I knew I had to get it because it’s perfect for our curtains!  And it has slight variations to the dying which I think really adds to it.

This is a thread you couch (aka sew onto the fabric, if you’re a newbie) because it’s very wide. This isn’t wide enough to totally cover the area that is painted for the fringe, so I decided to really gild (get it) the lily and attach two rows, and in one spot three rows of trim after I basket weaved it with Splendor S1012 and S1011 to make sure the canvas was completely covered. Again I reached for my favorite clear beading thread by The Collection to couch (that thread is such a workhorse, so many uses). Also, there is a right side to this particular trim so maybe sure you are attaching the correct side up. You do have to plunge the trim at the beginnings and the ends of each length, otherwise it will unravel- not a good look. But there’s no way we can put this into a needle, so now what? Enter the “loop method”. My main squeeze always says it sounds like a form of birth control (someone get Ms. Pittypatt’s smelling salts—how scandalous!), but it really is such a versatile trick to have in your arsenal. You take any non-strandable thread about six inches long, double it and thread your needle. Using a tapered laying tool or a stiletto, use it to stretch the hole where you want to plunge. Now plunge your needle through the stretched hole, leaving about an inch of the loop on top. Now take about 1/4 of an inch of trim and catch it into the loop and now continue to pull the needle through the hole. Sometimes you to wiggle it a little. Your trim is now on the back, so you can fold the trim  over and neatly whip stitch it to the back while trying to avoid too much bulk.

Ever have a thread too short to bury? Use the loop method in a similar way only burying under existing stitches. This also works if you have a mistake that is isolated, cut just the bad stitch, unpick a few stitches and use the loop method to bury both ends, you can then go back to fill the stitches back in. 

The last aspect of our curtains is the roping and tassel— we stitched over the painted tassel with the white siding of Tara, so it’s time to put it back. And I just so happen to be “partnering” with Fidelis Fenno who has an extra special flare for tassel making. Fidelis grew up going to the Royal School in London and has been teaching tassels here in the States for years. So I (finally) drafted her for assistance. Look at the amazing tiny roping! She made it the same way as you would any twisted cord and the most adorable teeny tiny tassel. I’m not going to go into how she did it because most of us have all made twisted cord and tassels with a piece of cardboard in our childhood. This is fussy work but Fidelis is the MASTER who makes it sound easy. Fidelis advises that you play with how many strands of thread to use because you don’t want it too thin or too chunky, you need to keep the scale in mind, which brings me to another point, we all know Scarlett didn’t make that curtain frock, Mamie did, so don’t be afraid to enlist assistance ... if you have a friend talented at a particular skill/technique, ask for help or a lesson. Stitching is usually a solitary hobby but it’s even more fun when you collaborate (which is why I enjoy teaching needlepoint so much)! Your local needlework shops are a great place for that too. We still have a lot to do on our canvas and I’m afraid the tassel is going to get battered if I attach it now, so I’m going to wait and plunge and attach it towards the end of our project.

And with that our curtains (and Tara for that matter) are complete.

The question now is what to tackle next? I have some wonderful things planned for Melanie but Miss Pittypat has some fun elements too.... who doesn’t love options! While I ponder and scheme my next move, I wish you a very happy new year full of all the thing you love and marvelous stitching.